There are two types of people around us. The first category consists of the people who have inclination towards religion and believe what is being said Divinely in the Divine Scriptures. They mostly refrain from acts or activities that lead one to sin or amusement which is more often than not mere wastage of time and take them away from the reembrace of their Creator. The other category is of those who think life is too short to enjoy and do not let any moment go wasted to indulge them in amusing them, laughing, making merry, boozing and other unbecoming acts. This category of people is least religious or mindful of the reality of Day of Judgement when scales of justice will weigh their worldly acts that in fact were just wastage of time, yet full of fun and joy.
In our series of posts Ten most powerful verses of Al Qur'an that challenge how we think, live, and understand reality, today we share the 16th verse of Surah 21. Al Anbiya (The Prophets) and try to find the answer of the verses in which it is Divinely said that the heavens and the earth were not created for play and its relevance to our daily life where play is preferred that reflection on the purpose of life.
The Verse: Al-Qurʾān Surah Al-Anbiya (21:16)
أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا آلِهَةً مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ هُمْ يُنشِرُونَ
“We did not create the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them for play.”
Let us unpack this verse and try to know why this verse has been revealed and for whom:
Context of the Verse
This verse comes in a passage (21:16–23) where Allah responds to a serious misunderstanding of people who treat life as random, meaningless or something to mock or ignore. That is why Allah declares: The universe is not a game. It has purpose, order, and truth.
If we look back into the history before Islam, we find polytheists of Makkah remained busy in playful activities, generally immoral and putting their slaves into sports when most of the time turned out to be lethal and life threatening - a site which amused the heartless elite who clapped and enjoyed the distress of their slaves. Even before that time, the times of Roman kings and their joyful activities are mentioned in history books and many a films show slaves being run down under chariots, made to duel without arms and protective garments with powerful men who would kill them mercilessly, bashed their heads to walls amid applaud from the watching elite and the royalty.
The next two verses further elaborate the meaning of above quoted verse:
- (21:17): If We had intended play, We could have done so—but that is not Our way.
- (21:18): Truth is cast against falsehood—and it crushes it.
Contextual meaning: What is being said here is that Creation is built on truth (ḥaqq), not amusement (laʿib) and that there is seriousness, accountability, and purpose in whatever a man do.
What Does “Not for Play” Mean?
It does NOT mean that there is no joy or enjoyment in life. Rather it means that:
- Life is not purposeless entertainment
- The universe is not:
- random
- meaningless
- without consequence
Deeper meaning: Everything in existence is part of a deliberate, meaningful system. Thus it should not be wasted away.
This verse in fact refute their entire conception of life which was based on the assumption that man was free to do whatever he liked, and there was none to call him to account or take him to task: that there was no life in the Hereafter where one's good deeds would be rewarded and evil deeds punished. In other words, this meant that the whole universe had been created without any serious purpose and therefore there was no need to pay any heed to the Divine commandments which have been revealed to prophets of Allah and which were clearly made clear to their followers.
Connection with Other Verses
The Qur’an reinforces this idea:
- Surah Al-Mu’minun (23:115): “Did you think We created you in vain and that you would not be returned to Us?”
- Surah Ad-Dukhan (44:38–39): “We did not create the heavens and the earth in play… but in truth.”
Repeated message: Creation has a purpose and each action has its accountability. Therefore, instead of whiling away one's time in playful mood and activities, one should pay heed to the purpose of creation.
The Problem Today: Life Has Become “Play”
Ironically, this verse describes our modern condition perfectly. Today, life is often reduced to:
- Entertainment Culture That is life becomes “Pass time and enjoyment” - which means not taking responsibilities carefully and seriously and spending on things on enjoyment rather than on charity and helping others. The distracted culture in fact robs our ability to reflect and find useful activities and actions to help others.
- Avoidance of Serious Questions
- People today generally avoid asking them some serious questions, like:
- Why am I here?
- What happens after death?
- What is right and wrong?
- In the absence of self appraisal, man loses sense of direction and indulges in acts that robs of his reflective and logical thinking and indulge him in a emotional quagmire.
- Redefining Success
- Today, the meaning of success has worn a modern cloak which means success is for those who have a status, wealth, fame and lot of wealth. This false cloak is similar to the cloak of the naked king who though he was all wise while his actions showed a bitter reality.
- In this redefined success scenario, no one really cares for the truth, character, values and accountability.
The Qur’anic Correction
This verse is a wake-up call for all of us to be warned that we are not here to “kill time”… Rather, we are here because time will judge what we did with it.
Practical Impact on Our Lives
- Reframing Time This verse tells us that our time is not for endless distraction - rather it is for our positive growth, عبادہ (purposeful living) and contribution to life rather than to satisfy our own self.
- Taking Life Seriously—Without Losing Balance Here someone may ask a question that if this life is not for paly then how do we attain joy. For them the answer is Islam does not remove joy from one's life like playing with family, taking a leisure trip to ward off one's tiredness from a heavy week work load. In fact Islam leads us to meaningless living which is sheer wastage of time and one's weath,
- Accountability Mindset Every action matters, even words, choices and intentions. So let us focus on a purposeful life where even small thin.gs matter
- Living with Direction What is being said in this verse is that instead of “What do I feel like doing?”, ask: “What is the right thing to do?”
A Deep Reflection
This verse challenges a hidden assumption: If the universe were a game… then nothing would ultimately matter. That is Qur’an says: (1) Truth matters, (2) Justice matters, and (3) Your actions matter - Because The Creator did not create all this in vain.
A Powerful Way to Understand It
We need t understand that the universe is not an accident, and our life is not entertainment. It is a meaningful journey with real consequences. So let us not reduce our existence to play… when the One who created everything created it with purpose.
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 now refer to some of the Selected verses from Sūrah 21 Al-Anbiyā (The Prophets) 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.
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