Tafsir of Al-Hijr 15:88

What Ibn Jarir and others recorded from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, indicates that he said regarding this verse: "It forbids a man to covet the wealth of his companion." Indeed, after the revelation of the verse, he, peace be upon him, was extremely cautious regarding what it entailed. Abu Ubayd and Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir that he, peace be upon him, passed by camels belonging to a tribe called Banu al-Mulawwah or Banu al-Mustaliq, which had become stagnant in their urine and dung due to their obesity; he covered himself with his garment and passed by without looking at them, due to the saying of the Exalted: { لا تمدن عينيك } (Do not extend your eyes), and so on. Such an action is considered a means of "blocking the paths" (sadd al-dhara'i).

Some have supported the first interpretation with this incident and with the clear indication of the context. The essence of it, combined with what preceded it, is: You have been given the greatest grace, such that every other grace, no matter how great, is insignificant in comparison to it. Therefore, you must be content with that and not desire the fleeting goods of this world. Included in this is his saying, peace be upon him: "He is not of us who does not seek sufficiency (yastaghni) through the Quran," based on the view that yattaghanna is derived from al-ghina (sufficiency/wealth), meaning "to be content," rather than being limited to the meaning of "singing." This is supported by what is in the authentic hadith regarding horses: "As for the one for whom they are a covering, it is a man who tethers them to attain sufficiency and out of chastity."

It is narrated from Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him: "Whoever is given the Quran and then sees that another has been given something of this world better than what he has been given, he has belittled what is great and magnified what is small." Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Sufyan ibn Uyaynah something similar in meaning. Al-Iraqi said: "The report is narrated, but I have not encountered its chain back to Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, in any of the books of hadith."

Some have narrated regarding the cause of the revelation of the verse that seven caravans belonging to Qurayza and Nadir arrived from Busra and Adhru'at in one day, carrying various types of wheat, perfumes, and jewels. The Muslims said: "If only we had this, we would be strengthened by it and spend it in the cause of Allah the Exalted." Then this was revealed, as if He, the Exalted, is saying: "I have given you seven things that are better than these seven caravans." This is also narrated from al-Hasan ibn al-Fadl.

However, this has been countered by the claim that it is weak or incorrect, because the Surah is Meccan, while Qurayza and Nadir were in Medina. How can that be said? It is as you see. Indeed, it is narrated that he, peace be upon him, met seven caravans of the Jews of Banu Qurayza and Nadir in Adhru'at, containing such and such, but this is not well-known. They have said: "It is not known that he, peace be upon him, traveled to the Levant." The narrative of the revelation is used as a consolation, denying that the prohibition is meant for the master of those addressed, peace be upon him—similar to the prohibition in His saying: { ولا تحزن عليهم } (And do not grieve over them). For they did not believe, and he, peace be upon him, loved that everyone to whom he was sent should believe, and it grieved him, peace be upon him, due to his excessive compassion, that the disbelievers remained in their disbelief. For this reason, it was said to him: { ولا تحزن عليهم } (And do not grieve over them).

It is as if the reference of the first sentence (the prohibition of extending the eyes) is to the wealth of the disbelievers, and the reference of this second sentence is to the disbelievers themselves. The meaning is not "do not grieve over them because they are the ones enjoying that," for the enjoyment of that is not a cause for grief over them. If the meaning were "do not grieve over their enjoyment of that," then the speech would be based on the omission of a genitive (mudaf), and the burden of departing from the apparent meaning without necessity is not hidden.