Tafsir of Al Imran 3:196

"Let not the fluctuation [of the disbelievers] in the land deceive you."

"Let not... deceive you"

The address is directed to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), or to everyone. It means: Do not look at the abundance of provision, the movement, the attainment of immediate gains, and the acquisition of worldly fortunes that they possess. Do not be deceived by the outward appearance of their expansion in the land, their movement through the countries, their earning, trading, and living in luxury.

• Ibn Abbas said: They are the people of Makkah.
• It is also said: They are the Jews. It is narrated that some believers saw the fertility, prosperity, and ease of life the disbelievers were in, and said: "The enemies of Allah are in the state of goodness we see, while we are perishing from hunger and hardship."

If you ask: How is it permissible for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to be deceived by this, such that he is forbidden from being deceived? I say: There are two aspects:

1. The leader and foremost of a people is addressed with something, and his address stands in place of addressing them all; it is as if it were said: "Let it not deceive you [all]."
2. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was not deceived by their state, so it was a confirmation of what he was already upon, and a command to remain steadfast in his commitment, similar to His sayings: "And do not be with the disbelievers" (Hud: 42), "And do not ever be of the polytheists" (Al-An'am: 14), and "So do not obey the deniers" (Al-Qalam: 8). This is similar in prohibition to His command: "Guide us to the straight path" (Al-Fatiha: 6), and "O you who have believed, believe" (An-Nisa: 136).

The prohibition is outwardly directed at the "fluctuation," but in meaning, it is directed at the addressee. This is a case of treating the cause as the effect, because if the fluctuation were to deceive him, he would be deceived by it; thus, the cause is forbidden so that the effect may be prevented. It is also recited as la yaghurrannaka (with the light nun).

"A small enjoyment"

This is the predicate of an omitted subject, meaning: "That is a small enjoyment." This refers to the fluctuation in the land. He meant its insignificance compared to the bliss of the Hereafter that they missed, or compared to the reward Allah has prepared for the believers. Or, he meant that it is small in itself because it is fleeting, and everything that ceases is small.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The world, in comparison to the Hereafter, is only like one of you dipping his finger into the sea; let him see what he brings back."

"And wretched is the resting place"

And evil is what they have prepared for themselves.

"But those who feared their Lord will have gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein, as accommodation from Allah. And that which is with Allah is best for the righteous." (198)