For many, Material success means being of the selected few and thereby their closeness to the Creator. They think God has been very kind to them that is why they have been chosen from many around them to have wealth and other material means. However, they forget to note that material means are in fact a distraction from one's spiritual life and thus away from the remembrance of their Creator. And when that happens, inadvertently they are failing a test for which God gave them material success to know whether being blessed do they still remember Him or only brag to be the selected few chosen to be close to the God.
Wealth or material success is in fact not the True Wealth. In fat true wealth is Spiritual: True closeness to God is measured by spiritual riches—such as faith, love, and righteousness—rather than financial status.
With this premise in the background, we share the verses 43:33–35 from Surah 43. Az-Zukhruf, which together form a very striking passage about wealth, material life, and belief. Let us dwell on the true meaning of these verses and how can we correlate these to our wordily life and how can we pass the Divine test by not be devoured by the love of material success and getting close to our Creator spiritually.
The Verses 43:33-35
(43:33) Were it not that people might ˹be tempted to˺ become one community ˹of disbelievers˺, We would have supplied the homes of ˹only˺ those who disbelieve in the Most Compassionate with silver roofs and ˹silver˺ stairways to ascend, (43:34) as well as ˹silver˺ gates and thrones to recline on, (43:35) and ornaments ˹of gold˺. Yet all this is no more than a ˹fleeting˺ enjoyment in this worldly life. ˹But˺ the Hereafter with your Lord is ˹only˺ for those mindful ˹of Him˺.
Meaning
These verses describe a hypothetical scenario - If it were not that people might all become one community (inclined toward disbelief), Allah could have given those who reject Him:
- houses with silver roofs and stairways,
- doors and couches adorned with luxury,
- and even golden ornaments.
But all of this is only the enjoyment of worldly life, while the Hereafter with your Lord is for the righteous.
What is the point here? The verses are not praising luxury—they are making a powerful argument: If material wealth were a sign of truth, then disbelievers could be given the most wealth of all.
But that would mislead people into thinking that Rich are always right and the poor are always wrong. That is why Al Qur'an is warning the wealthy in particular and others in general (who are always in quest of more wealth and gain material success) warns that "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil," and hat greed can drive a person away from God.
Remember! Wealth should be viewed as a responsibility and a resource to be managed for God's purposes (such as generosity and caring for others) rather than a reward for a special relationship.
This explanation clearly means that wealth is not proof of truth or closeness to God - but a Divine test to gauge the sincerity of the wealthy to their Creator by being humble and charitable and helping the poor from the wealth they have been blessed with. For this very reason, Allah restrains such imbalance to prevent humanity from collectively drifting into false conclusions.
Explanation by Eminent Muslim Scholars
- Ibn Khatir
- Contemptibility of Worldly Wealth: The verses emphasize that gold and silver are insignificant in the sight of Allah, and their abundance is not a reflection of a person's worth or righteousness [35, 33-35].
- Protection of Faith: Allah withholds excessive wealth from disbelievers to protect believers from being tempted to abandon their faith for material gain [34-35, 33-35].
- True Reward: The ultimate, lasting prosperity is reserved for the Muttaqun (the pious/righteous) in the Hereafter [34-35, 35].
- That is were it not that many ignorant people would believe that Our bestowal of wealth is indicative of Our love for the recipient, so they would all come under the banner of disbelief for the sake of wealth – this is what was meant by the words of Ibn ‘Abbaas, al-Hasan, Qataadah, as-Suddi and others – “We would have provided for those who disbelieve in the Most Beneficent (Allah), silver roofs for their houses, and elevators (and stair-ways)” that is, staircases and steps of silver.
- Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi
- That is, "This silver and gold whose possession by somebody is the highest blessing and the very climax of good fortune in your sight, is so base and contemptible a thing in the sight of Allah that had there been no danger of all human beings being inclined towards unbelief, He would have made every disbeliever's house of gold and silver.
- Since when has the abundance of this worthless commodity become proof of man's nobility and his piety and his spiritual purity? This kind of wealth is even found in the possession of those foul and wicked people whose filthy characters make the whole society stink. And this you have made the criterion of man's greatness of character. "
How this reflects today’s world
These verses feel surprisingly modern because they speak directly to patterns we still see:
- Wealth is status and a tool to influence
- Today, billionaires, celebrities, and powerful figures often shape opinions. Platforms amplify voices with money and visibility.
- People may assume: “They’re successful, so their worldview must be correct.”
- Through these verses, The Qur’an challenges that assumption directly and negate any such notion that wealth alone is staircase to reach to the Creator.
- Material success as a measure of worth
- Modern culture often equates success with luxury homes, expensive lifestyles, and visible status symbols.
- This is exactly the imagery in the verses: silver roofs, gold, decorated homes.
- Yet the verses say that all of that is just temporary enjoyment - real success lies in spiritual closeness to Allah, a way that is open to everyone, with disregard to one being rich or poor.
- The risk of collective misguidance
- The verse warns that if wealth were overwhelmingly tied to disbelief, society might follow it blindly.
- Look at trends today:
- Consumerism shaping identity
- Social media glorifying luxury lifestyles
- People chasing appearance over substance
- It’s not identical, but the principle holds: People are easily influenced by what looks successful.
- Reframing success
- The passage redirects attention: Worldly wealth is temporary, while the Real success is moral and spiritual standing (taqwa)
- This creates a tension with modern values, where long-term spiritual accountability is often ignored.
In simple terms
These verses are saying: “Don’t confuse luxury with truth. If material wealth were proof of being right, then it could be given in excess even to those who reject faith—but that would mislead everyone.”
The Bottom line
The message is highly relevant today, for:
- It challenges the idea that visible success equals correctness.
- It explains why wealth distribution is not a moral indicator.
- It invites people—believers or not—to question how much they let material success shape their beliefs.
Therefore what the Muslim must do, if he is living a life of hardship in this world and he sees the disbeliever living a life of ease, is not to be sad; rather he should think positively of Allah and understand that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is not withholding worldly gain from him because he is insignificant to Him, and He does not give it to the disbeliever as an honour to him; rather it is the other way round.
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.
This verse is part of Selected Verses from Sürah (43) Az-Zukhruf (Ornaments of Gold / luxury) already published.
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.
Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.
0 comments:
Post a Comment