For many, life is only about merry making, adornment, amusement and competition to overtake others to be on the top. Most of our youth is spent in a carefree high pitched environment. Such life style robs man from his sense of direction, away from remembering our Creator, by following the Satanic pied piper. But the reality is that though the life looks full and attractive at first, but no one at the height of ecstasy, in a state of elated bliss and noise of laughter realizes that life is constantly fading. In fact every passing day in amusement is taking us close to an end when scales will be set to judge our worldly life and those who spent their lives only in merrymaking will know on that day how they badly harmed them.
Al Qur'an warns such merry makers of the day of reckoning and advises them to follow a path of blessings and rewards in a life of the Hereafter rather than being thrown into the blazing fire of hell. One such verses is the 20th verse of Surah Al-Ḥadīd, the 57th Surah / Chapter of Al Qur'an, being shared today. This verse talks of the transience of worldly life and verse emphasizes that worldly life is temporary and fleeting, similar to crops that grow and then dry up.
Surah Al-Ḥadīd (57:20)
“Know that the life of this world is only play, amusement, adornment, boasting among yourselves, and competition in wealth and children. Like the example of rain whose growth pleases the farmers; then it dries and you see it turn yellow; then it becomes debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and His pleasure. And the life of this world is nothing but a deceiving enjoyment.”
Context of the Verse in the Surah
Surah Al-Ḥadīd generally addresses faith vs. hypocrisy, detachment from dunya (worldliness) and encouragement to spend in the path of Allah (57:10–18)
Then right after motivating believers to give charity, sacrifice for higher causes, the 20th verse comes as a reality check to warn the believers not to get attached to the world you’re being asked to give from. It reframes dunya so believers can act with clarity and detach emotionally while engaging responsibly
Breakdown of the Verse (Layer by Layer)
In this verse, Allah describes worldly life in five stages—this is deeply psychological:
- Play (لَعِبٌ – laʿib)
- Play is associated with childhood - a state when life feels like games, fun, no responsibility
- This is exactly like the life of endless entertainment, gaming, scrolling, distraction culture.
- Amusement (لَهْوٌ – lahw)
- This is the teenage/young adult phase in which youth pursue for pleasure and excitement.
- Today we find men obsessed with trends, engrossed in social media attractions and dopamine-driven habits.
- Adornment (زِينَةٌ – zīnah)
- This is more applicable to women whose sole focus is on their appearance, beauty and exposing lifestyle.
- Today we see an exhibitionist environment projecting image culture, Fashion, luxury, and curated online personas
- Boasting (تَفَاخُرٌ – tafākhur) Comparing status with others has become a fashion of the day. Most of us compare our possessions and status with others and get into a race so as to boast of our superior edge over the others. It is a boastful culture that creeps to show “Look at my success” culture to socially validate our status and prestige.
- Competition (تَكَاثُرٌ – takāthur)
- The more one gets into a projectionist life style, the more one is prone to accumulate wealth and assets to add to their self and family pride.
- Today we witness an increase in the race for elevated career, net worth obsession and setting material benchmarks of success.
The Parable of Rain (Powerful Imagery)
The second part of the verse relates life by giving a striking metaphor: "Like the example of rain whose growth pleases the farmers; then it dries and you see it turn yellow; then it becomes debris."
This metaphor aligns it with the Dunya (worldly life) which at first looks attractive, promising and full of life - But it also shows that every galore is temporary and it inevitably declines and disappears. This metaphor does not exhibit pessimism - but plain realism and true reality of the worldly life.
The Real Contrast
After describing dunya, Allah shifts perspective: “In the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and His pleasure…”
This means life is not meaningless—it is a bridge (between this world and the life of the Hereafter) and a test with consequences. This points towards Accountability (punishment) and Mercy and success (forgiveness and pleasure)
Scholarly Explanation
- One of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi is of the opinion that to understand this theme fully one should keep the following verses of the Qur'an in mind: Imran; 14- 15, Yunus: 24-25, Ibrahim: 18, AI-Kahf: 45-46, An-Nur: 39. In all those verses the truth that has been impressed on the mind is: The life of this world is a temporary life: its spring as well as its autumn is temporary, Them is much here to allure man. but this, in fact, consists of base and insignificant things which man because of his shallowness of mind regards as great and splendid and is deluded into thinking that in attaining them lies supreme success, The truth however is that the highest benefits and means of pleasure and enjoyment that one can possibly attain in the world, arc indeed bast and insignificant and confined to a few years of temporary life, and can be destroyed by just one turn of fate. Contrary to this, the lift hereafter is a splendid and eternal life: its benefits are great and permanent and its losses too are great and permanent. The one who attains Allah's forgiveness and His goodwill there, will indeed have attained the everlasting bliss beside which the whole wealth of the world and its kingdom become pale and insignificant. And the one who is seized in God's torment there, will come to know that he had made a bad bargain even if he had attained all that he regarded as great and splendid in the world.
- The 14th century exegete Ibn Kathir describes the life of this world:
- As a temporary, deceptive distraction (amusement, adorning, boasting) that vanishes quickly, comparing it to rain-fed vegetation that flourishes and then withers into dry chaff. The verse emphasizes that true reality is in the hereafter, offering either severe punishment or forgiveness.
- Key Takeaways from Ibn Kathir on 57:20:
- Synonyms of Worldly Life: Ibn Kathir defines the worldly life through five stages of pursuit: amusement, diversion, decoration, boasting among yourselves, and competition in wealth and children.
- The Parable of Rain: The verse uses the analogy of rain causing crops to grow. The green vegetation pleases the farmers, but quickly turns yellow, dries, and scatters as dust (or chaff).
- Significance of the Parable: Ibn Kathir explains that this illustrates the transience of life: youth and strength are followed by old age and decay, ultimately ending in death.
- The Two Destinies: The verse concludes by stating that in the Hereafter, there is either a "severe punishment" or "forgiveness from Allah and His pleasure," reinforcing that this life is merely a "deluding enjoyment".
- Purpose of the Parable: The purpose is to remind believers not to be deceived by the superficial beauty and temporary pleasures of the world, encouraging focus on the afterlife.
Applicability Today (Very Powerful)
This verse almost reads like a description of modern life:
- Social Media Culture where:
- Play is entertainment
- Adornment is curated lifestyles
- Boasting is posting achievements
- Competition is followers, wealth, status
- Consumerism We have endless desire for more wealth, better lifestyle and elevated status. This exhibits the stark naked reality of never-ending dissatisfaction. This race keeps us running after the mirage all along our lives, not leaving even an iota of satisfaction and contentment.
- Identity Crisis Almost everyone defines himself with top career positions, wealth and an image of him better than everyone else. It is for them that is verse says: "That is not your true worth."
- Mental Health Insight For those chasing the mirage of this Dunya, Anxiety, Comparison, and Emptiness is the end product. Because we are always chasing something designed to fade.
What the Verse is NOT Saying
It is NOT saying to leave the world completely, reject success, family, or wealth - Rather it encourages a believer to Use dunya - but don’t be used by it, Stay engaged - but not attached
Practical Takeaways
- Enjoy life—but don’t be deceived by it
- Work hard—but don’t define yourself by results
- Compete—but in good deeds (khayr)
Remember: Everything you see will fade - What you send forward (ākhirah) remains. Thus this verse gives a lens to see reality clearly to know that life is like a beautiful season that will pass and Don’t mistake the season for the destination. It doesn’t tell you to abandon life—it teaches you How to live in the world without losing your soul to it.
an effort has been made to expand this verse with meaningful insertions and explanation. More can be added to it by deeper reflection of this verse to steer life to the guided path as described in Al Qur'an and disassociate ourselves from the galore and glitter of our present life - for a restraint today will turn into an eternal blessing for us in the life of the Hereafter.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference pages:
- Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
- Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects
- Selected Verses from the Qur'an.
You may also refer to our Reference Pages and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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