Whoever has the worldly life as his concern and does not desire anything else is like the disbelievers and most of the wicked. [Mahamud said: "That is, whoever has the worldly life as his concern and does not desire anything else is like the disbelievers and most of the wicked..." Ahmad said: "And a similar restriction is mentioned in another verse, which is His saying, 'Whoever intends the harvest of the Hereafter, We increase for him in his harvest, and whoever intends the harvest of this world, We give him from it, but he will have no share in the Hereafter.'" So He included 'whoever' in the context of the worldly harvest, and He granted the seeker of the Hereafter his intention, and added to it.] We have favored him with its benefits as We wish for whom We will. Thus, the matter is restricted in two ways: the first is the restriction of the immediate benefit by His will, and the second is the restriction of the immediate benefit for him by his intention. The situation is such that you see many of these people wishing for what they wish and they are given only some of it. Many of them wish for that portion and have been deprived of it, so they are afflicted with the poverty of this world and the poverty of the Hereafter. As for the righteous believer, he has chosen his intention, which is the wealth of the Hereafter. He does not care whether he is given a share of this world or not, for if he is given in it, then perhaps poverty is better for him and more helpful for his intention. And His saying 'for whom We will' is a substitute for 'for him,' and it is a part of the whole, because the pronoun refers back to 'whoever,' which implies many. It has been read: 'by His will.' It is said that the pronoun refers to Allah, so there is no difference between the two readings in meaning, and it may refer to the servant, on the condition that the servant has what he wishes from this world, and that is for one of the common people [The phrase 'for one of the common people' in the dictionaries means 'the common people.'] meaning by that Allah. It is said that it refers to one who seeks the world through the deeds of the Hereafter, like the hypocrite, the show-off, the one who migrates for the world, and the one who strives for the spoils and the mention, as the Prophet ﷺ said: 'Whoever's migration is for Allah and His Messenger, his migration is for Allah and His Messenger, and whoever's migration is for a worldly gain he hopes to achieve or for a woman he intends to marry, his migration is for what he migrated for.' [Agreed upon from the narration of Umar.] He is cast out, driven away from the mercy of Allah, and his striving is not rightfully from the striving and his equivalence from the righteous deeds. Three conditions are required for the striving to be accepted: the intention for the Hereafter, that he dedicates his concern to it and distances himself from the abode of delusion, striving in what he is commanded to do and to refrain from, and sound, firm faith. And it is reported from some of the early scholars: whoever does not have these three, his deeds will not benefit him: firm faith, sincere intention, and correct action. And this verse was recited. And Allah is thanked: the reward for obedience.