| Al-Alaq: (7) That he saw himself self-sufficient.

Regarding His saying, the Exalted: {That he saw himself self-sufficient} (An ra'āhu istaghnā), there are several issues concerning it:

Al-Akhfash said: It is because of the structure li-an ra'āhu (because he saw him/it), and the lām (ل) was omitted, just as one says: an-nakum lataghawna an ra'aytum ghinākun (that you become insolent when you see your wealth).

Al-Farra' said that He said {An ra'āhu} (That he saw himself) and did not say ra'ā nafsahu (he saw himself) because ra'ā (to see) is one of those verbs that require a subject and an object/predicate, similar to ẓanna (to think) and ḥasaba (to reckon). The Arabs often omit the reflexive pronoun (nafs) from this category of verbs, so we say: ra'aytani (I saw myself), ẓanantani (I thought of myself), and ḥasabtani (I reckoned myself). Therefore, His saying {An ra'āhu istaghnā} falls under this category.

There are two interpretations for His saying {Istaghnā}:

1. Self-Sufficiency through Wealth: That he became self-sufficient through his wealth, independent of his Lord. However, the intended meaning of the verse is not this first interpretation. This is because a person might attain wealth and only increase in humility, like Solomon (peace be upon him), who used to sit with the poor and say, "A poor man sits with a poor man." And Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf did not become insolent despite the abundance of his wealth. Rather, the intelligent person knows that in a state of wealth, he is in greater need of God, the Exalted, than in a state of poverty. In poverty, he only wishes for the safety of his own self, but in wealth, he wishes for the safety of himself, his wealth, and his servants.

2. Self-Attribution of Attainment (The Third View): There is a third interpretation: the sīn (س) in {Istaghnā} is the sīn of seeking (sīn al-ṭālib). The meaning is that the person saw that his self attained wealth because it sought it and exerted effort in seeking it, thus attaining riches and self-sufficiency due to that effort, not because it was granted by God's giving and success. This is ignorance and foolishness, for how many exert their utmost effort in eagerness and seeking, yet die of hunger? Furthermore, you see that most wealthy people in the Hereafter will become fearful and retreating, as God shows them that this wealth was not due to their own action or strength.

The beginning of the Surah indicates the praise of knowledge, while the end indicates the condemnation of wealth. This is sufficient encouragement toward religion and knowledge, and discouragement from the world and money.

! 7 < { Indeed, to your Lord is the return. } > 7

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