Commentary
'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, exalted and majestic: "Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your full compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So whoever is removed from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he has indeed succeeded. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion." This is a warning news that contains consolation for the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and for his nation regarding the affairs of this world and its people. It is a promise in the Hereafter. By contemplating death, the matter of the disbelievers and their denial becomes easier. The meaning is: every created living soul, and the tasting here is a metaphor. "And you will only be given" is restrictive to the complete compensation, because whoever is decreed Paradise is one who has not entered it except fully compensated. Allah specifically mentioned the rewards due to their honor and as a reference to His knowledge of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and his nation. It is inevitable that the meaning is: on the Day of Resurrection, the rewards and the full recompense of punishment will occur. And "removed" means: distanced, and the place of removal is the far one. And "succeeded" means: saved from its danger and fear. And "delusion" is deception and false hope. The worldly life and all that is in it of wealth is a little enjoyment that deceives a person and leads him to false hopes. Many of the commentators have interpreted the verse in this way. Abdul Rahman ibn Sabaat said: The enjoyment of delusion is like the provisions of a shepherd, who is provided with a handful of dates or something from flour, upon which he drinks milk. Al-Tabari said: He went to the view that the enjoyment of this world is little, not sufficient for one who enjoys it, nor does it reach his journey. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And delusion in this meaning is used in the speech of the Arabs, and from it is their saying in the proverb: "Live and do not be deceived," meaning do not be content with what is not enough for you. And Ikrimah said: "The enjoyment of delusion" refers to glassware, meaning it must break and become corrupt. Thus, the matter of the worldly life is all like this. This is a comparison from Ikrimah. Abdullah ibn Umar read "delusion" with a فتح (fatha) on the غين (ghain). Abu Haywah and Al-A'mash read "tasting" with tanween and "death" in the accusative case. And the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said, "The place of the whip of one of you in Paradise is better than the world and what is in it," then he recited this verse.
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