Tafseer of Consultation · Ash-Shura · 42:20
Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter - We increase for him in his harvest. And whoever desires the harvest of this world - We give him thereof, but there is not for him in the Hereafter any share.
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.
مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ ("Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We will increase for him his harvest").
The Exalted, whose praise is proclaimed, says: whoever, through his deed, desires the Hereafter, We will increase for him his harvest. That is to say: for him We will increase his good deed, so that We give him tenfold for a single deed, up to whatever our Lord wishes of increase.
وَمَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا ("And whoever desires the harvest of the worldly life, We give him thereof").
He says: and whoever, through his deed, desires the worldly life and toils for it and not for the Hereafter, We give him thereof that which We have apportioned to him of it.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ ("Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We will increase for him his harvest")... up to وَمَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ نَصِيبٍ ("and he has no share in the Hereafter"). He said: He says: whoever acts only for the worldly life, We give him thereof.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ وَمَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا ("Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We will increase for him his harvest, and whoever desires the harvest of the worldly life")... the verse. He said: whoever preferred his worldly life over his Hereafter, for him We will make no share in the Hereafter except the Fire, and We will not increase him thereby with anything from the worldly life except a provision that has already been settled and apportioned to him.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ ("Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We will increase for him his harvest"): he said: whoever desires the Hereafter and the deed for it, for him We will increase his deed. وَمَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا ("And whoever desires the harvest of the worldly life, We give him thereof")... up to the end of the verse. He said: whoever desired the worldly life and the deed for it, We have given him thereof, and We have made for him no share in the Hereafter. The "harvest" (ḥarth) is the deed: whoever acts for the Hereafter, Allah gives him, and whoever acts for the worldly life, Allah gives him.
Muḥammad related to me, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His word: مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ ("Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We will increase for him his harvest"). He said: whoever desires the deed for the Hereafter, for him We will increase his deed.
And concerning His word: وَمَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ نَصِيبٍ ("and he has no share in the Hereafter"). He said: for the unbeliever (kāfir) there is a painful punishment (ʿadhāb).
