Tafseer of The Stories · Al-Qasas · 28:77
But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters."
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 the saying of the Exalted: وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الآخِرَةَ وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ (28:77) (And seek, by means of what Allah has given you, the abode of the Hereafter, and do not forget your share of the worldly life, and do good as Allah has done good to you, and do not seek corruption upon the earth; verily, Allah does not love the corrupters.)
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says, informing about the saying of the people of Qārūn to him: Do not commit transgression, O Qārūn, against your people with the abundance of your wealth, and seek, by means of what Allah has given you of possessions, the good things of the Hereafter, by acting therewith in the worldly life in obedience to Allah. And His saying: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (and do not forget your share of the worldly life). He says: Do not abandon your share and your portion of the worldly life, namely that in it you take your share of the Hereafter, so that you act in it with that which will save you tomorrow from the punishment of Allah.
And in accordance with what we have said about that, the people of interpretation have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
ʿAlī related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His saying: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ (and do not forget your share of the worldly life, and do good as Allah has done good to you), he said: Do not neglect to act in the worldly life for Allah.
Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Ādam related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (and do not forget your share of the worldly life), he said: That you act in it for your Hereafter.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Qurra ibn Khālid related to us, on the authority of ʿAwn ibn ʿAbd Allāh: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (and do not forget your share of the worldly life), he said: There is a people who put it in the wrong place. "And do not forget your share of the worldly life": that you act in it in obedience to Allah.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (and do not forget your share of the worldly life), he said: Acting in obedience to Him.
Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Yamān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: That you act in your worldly life for your Hereafter.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His saying: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (and do not forget your share of the worldly life), he said: Acting in it in obedience to Allah.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, the same.
Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of ʿĪsā al-Jurashī, on the authority of Mujāhid: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (and do not forget your share of the worldly life), he said: That you act in your worldly life for your Hereafter.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Abū Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: Acting in obedience to Allah: that is his share of the worldly life, for which he is rewarded in the Hereafter.
Yūnus related to us, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His saying: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (and do not forget your share of the worldly life), he said: Do not forget to send ahead from your worldly life something for your Hereafter, for you will find in your Hereafter only that which you have sent ahead in the worldly life of what Allah has bestowed upon you.
And others said: Rather, the meaning of it is: Do not neglect to seek therein your portion of provision.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (and do not forget your share of the worldly life): al-Ḥasan said: What Allah has permitted you thereof, for in it there is for you wealth and sufficiency.
Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Ḥumayd al-Maʿmarī related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (and do not forget your share of the worldly life), he said: Seeking the permitted (ḥalāl).
Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ḥafṣ related to us, on the authority of Ashʿath, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (and do not forget your share of the worldly life), he said: Send ahead the surplus and retain what suffices you.
Al-Qāsim, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, he said: The permitted therein.
His saying: وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ (and do good as Allah has done good to you). He says: And do good in the worldly life in spending your wealth that Allah has given you, in its rightful directions and ways, just as Allah has done good to you and made it ample for you thereof and expanded it for you therein.
And in accordance with what we have said about that, the people of interpretation have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His saying: وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ (and do good as Allah has done good to you), he said: Do good with that which Allah has bestowed upon you.
وَلا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الأَرْضِ (and do not seek corruption upon the earth). He says: And do not seek what Allah has forbidden you, namely transgression (al-baghy) against your people.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ (verily, Allah does not love the corrupters). He says: Verily, Allah does not love the perpetrators of transgression and sins.
