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Sura 42
Aya 20
20
مَن كانَ يُريدُ حَرثَ الآخِرَةِ نَزِد لَهُ في حَرثِهِ ۖ وَمَن كانَ يُريدُ حَرثَ الدُّنيا نُؤتِهِ مِنها وَما لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِن نَصيبٍ

Ali Unal

Whoever desires (and strives to gain) the harvest of the Hereafter, We increase him in his harvest; and whoever desires the harvest of the world, We grant him out of that, and he has no portion in the Hereafter.1
  • The last two verses explain two important principles in the provision of living beings. One is that God creates all living beings and determines their needs and the way in which they are provided for. The other is that He gives those who aim at the Hereafter more than they deserve, but gives those who aim at the world some amount of worldly provisions, with no portion at all in the Hereafter. This implies that it is not possible for one who is greedy for worldly provisions to obtain everything in the world and feel content with it. So one should not aim for the world, but rather focus on the harvest of the Hereafter, while not neglecting working for one’s livelihood (see 28: 77, note 16).