Tafseer of The Stories · Al-Qasas · 28:60
And whatever thing you [people] have been given - it is [only for] the enjoyment of worldly life and its adornment. And what is with Allah is better and more lasting; so will you not use reason?
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of His statement, the Exalted: وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَمَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتُهَا وَمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ("And whatever things you have been given are but the enjoyment of the life of this world and its adornment; and what is with Allah is better and more lasting. Will you then not understand?") (28:60).
The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: and whatever has been given to you, O people, of any things whatsoever, of possessions and children, that is but an enjoyment with which you amuse yourselves in this worldly life, and it belongs to the adornment thereof with which one bedecks oneself in it. It avails you nothing with Allah, and nothing of it will be of any use to you at your return. And what is with Allah for the people of His obedience and His friendship is better than what has been given to you in this worldly life of enjoyment and the adornment thereof. "And more lasting (wa-abqā)," He says: and more lasting for its people, because it is everlasting and knows no end.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of taʾwīl (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, concerning His statement: وَمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى ("And what is with Allah is better and more lasting"). He said: better as regards the reward, and more lasting with us.
The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ("Will you then not understand?"): have you then no intellect, O people, with which you reflect, so that you may thereby distinguish the good from the evil, and choose for yourselves the better of the two abodes over the worse of them, and prefer the everlasting that knows no end of bliss over the perishable that has no permanence?
