Hud: (15-16) Whoever desires...

Know that the disbelievers used to dispute with the Prophet (peace be upon him) in most situations. They would outwardly claim that Muhammad was wrong and they were right, and that they only argued with him to establish the truth and invalidate falsehood. However, they were lying; rather, their goal was pure envy and disdain for following him. Allah Almighty revealed this verse to establish this meaning.

Similar to this verse are the Almighty's sayings:

• "{Whoever desires the immediate [life], We hasten for him therein what We will to whomever We intend}" (Al-Isra: 18).
• "{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 he will have no share in the Hereafter}" (Ash-Shura: 20).

In this verse, there are several issues:

Issue 1: The Scope of the Verse

There are two main views regarding this verse:

The First View: It is specific to the disbelievers. The phrase, "Whoever desires the life of this world," includes the believer, the disbeliever, the righteous, and the hypocrite, as everyone desires enjoyment of the world's pleasures, delights, benefits, and desires. However, the end of the verse indicates that the intended meaning is specific to the disbeliever, because the Almighty's saying: "{Those are the ones who will have nothing in the Hereafter except the Fire, and lost will be what they did therein, and void will be what they used to do}" is only fitting for disbelievers.

Thus, the meaning of the verse is: Whoever desires only the life of this world and its adornment—meaning their desire is restricted to loving the world and its adornment, and they are not seeking the happiness of the Hereafter—then their judgment is as stated.

Those who hold this view differ on the specifics:

• Some say it refers to those who deny the Resurrection, as they deny the Hereafter and only desire worldly happiness. This is the view of Al-Asamm, and his statement is clear.

The Second View: The verse was revealed concerning the hypocrites, who joined the Prophet (peace be upon him) in battles seeking spoils of war without believing in the Hereafter and its reward.

The Third View: It refers to the Jews and Christians, as narrated from Anas.

The Fourth View (Chosen by Al-Qadi): It refers to whoever performs good deeds for the sake of the life of this world and its adornment. Good deeds are of two types:

1. Acts of worship (Ibadat).
2. Conferring benefit upon living beings. This second category includes righteousness, maintaining kinship ties, charity, building bridges, leveling roads, striving to repel evils, and digging rivers.

If a disbeliever performs these actions seeking worldly praise, the benefits and good reach those in need, so these actions are considered good deeds. Therefore, these actions are acts of obedience (Ta'at) whether they originate from a disbeliever or a Muslim.

As for acts of worship (Ibadat), they are only acts of obedience when accompanied by specific intentions. If that intention is absent, and the doer performs them only to seek worldly adornment, ostentation (Riya'), and reputation, then their existence is like their non-existence; they are not considered acts of obedience.

Knowing this, we say that "Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornment" refers to those acts of obedience that can validly originate from a disbeliever.

The Second Opinion (Revisiting the Scope): The verse should be taken in its general meaning, encompassing the believer who performs acts of obedience for the sake of ostentation and reputation, and the disbeliever who has this characteristic. This view is problematic because the statement, "{Those are the ones who will have nothing in the Hereafter except the Fire}" does not fit a believer unless we say that they will have nothing in the Hereafter because of these corrupt deeds and vain actions coupled with ostentation.

Those who hold this view cite many narrations on this matter: It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Seek refuge in Allah from the Pit of Sorrow (Jubb al-Huzn)." It was asked, "What is the Pit of Sorrow?" He replied: "It is a valley in Hell into which the ostentatious reciters (Qurra' al-Murā'ūn) will be cast." He also said: "The people who will suffer the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection are those who people think have goodness in them, but they have no goodness."

It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that he said: "When the Day of Resurrection comes, a man who memorized the entire Qur'an will be summoned. He will be asked, 'What did you do with it?' He will say, 'O Lord, I stood in prayer with it night and day.' Allah Almighty will say, 'You lie! Rather, you wanted it to be said, "So-and-so is a reciter," and it was said. Then, the owner of wealth will be brought, and Allah will ask him, 'Did I not grant you abundance? What did you do with what I gave you?' He will say, 'I maintained kinship ties and gave charity.' Allah will say, 'You lie! Rather, you wanted it to be said, "So-and-so is generous," and it was said.' Then, the one who was killed in the cause of Allah will be brought, and he will say, 'I fought in Jihad until I was killed.' Allah Almighty will say, 'You lie! Rather, you wanted it to be said, "So-and-so is brave," and it was said.'"

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) struck my knees and said: "O Abu Hurairah, those three are the first of creation whose fires will be kindled on the Day of Resurrection."

It is narrated that Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned this Hadith to Mu'awiyah. The narrator said: He wept until we thought he would perish. Then he recovered and said: "Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth: {Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornment, We will give them the full recompense for their deeds therein}."

Issue 2: The Meaning of "We give them the full recompense for their deeds" (Tawfiyah)

The meaning of giving them the full recompense for those deeds is that whatever reward they deserve for those deeds reaches them while they are in the dwelling of this world. When they depart the world, no trace of good from those deeds remains with them; rather, they have nothing from them except the Fire.

Intellect certainly proves this: Whoever performs deeds seeking worldly praise and ostentation, it is because the love of this world has overpowered his heart, and the love of the Hereafter has not settled in his heart. If he knew the reality of the Hereafter and the happiness therein, he would never perform good deeds for the sake of the world while forgetting the matter of the Hereafter.

Therefore, it is established that whoever performs deeds of righteousness for the sake of the world must have an intense desire for the world and no desire for the Hereafter. When such a person dies, he misses all the benefits of the world and remains incapable of obtaining them. Whoever loves something and is then prevented from attaining what he desires, the fires of regret must ignite in his heart.

Thus, by this rational proof, it is established that whoever performs any deed seeking worldly status will receive the worldly benefit corresponding to that deed. Then, when he dies, he receives nothing from it except the Fire, and that deed becomes nullified, void, and without effect in the Hereafter.

7 < { Is he who is upon a clear proof from his Lord, and a witness from Him follows him, and before it the Book of Moses was a guide and a mercy—those believe in it. And whoever disbelieves in it among the [various] parties—then the Fire is his promised place, so be not in doubt of it. Indeed, it is the truth from your Lord, but most of the people do not believe. } > 7 !