In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.
Abridged by Dr. Aqil ibn Salim al-Shammari.
Surah al-Takathur.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
﴾The mutual rivalry for piling up [of worldly things] diverts you﴿.
﴾Until you visit the graves﴿.
﴾Nay! You shall come to know!﴿
﴾Again, nay! You shall come to know!﴿
﴾Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge﴿.
"Diverts you," O people, means the boasting of wealth and numbers.
From the obedience of your Lord.
And from that which would save you from His wrath upon you.
Until you reach the graves and are buried within them.
In this is evidence for the validity of the belief in the punishment of the grave.
"Nay," meaning: it is not fitting for you to let the rivalry for piling up divert you.
"You shall come to know," when you visit the graves, O people who were diverted by the rivalry for piling up.
The consequence of your actions and your preoccupation in this world with piling up, away from the obedience of your Lord.
Then, "Nay," it is not fitting for you to let the rivalry for piling up in wealth and numbers divert you.
"You shall come to know," when you visit the graves, what you will encounter once you have visited them.
Of the unpleasantness of your preoccupation with piling up, away from the obedience of your Lord.
He repeated His saying, "Nay! You shall come to know!" twice.
Because when the Arabs intended to emphasize a warning or a threat,
They would repeat the word twice.
It is not fitting for you to let the rivalry for piling up divert you, O people.
If you knew, O people, with a sure knowledge,
That Allah will resurrect you on the Day of Resurrection after your death from your graves,
The rivalry for piling up would not have diverted you from the obedience of Allah, your Lord.
You would have hastened to His worship and to fulfilling His commands and prohibitions.
And you would have renounced the world out of fear for your own souls from His punishment.
﴾You shall certainly see Hell-fire!﴿
“Aye, ye will behold it with sure vision.” (102:7)
﴾Then you shall be questioned that Day about the delights!﴿
You shall certainly see, O polytheists, Hell-fire on the Day of Resurrection.
Then you shall see it with your own eyes, never to be absent from it.
Then you shall be questioned that Day about the delights.
The exegetes differed regarding what those "delights" are.
Some said it is security and health.
Others said it is what has been granted to them of hearing, sight, and bodily health.
Others said it is well-being.
Others said it refers to some of what a person eats or drinks.
Others said it is everything a person enjoyed in this world.
The correct view is that Allah informed us that He will question these people about the delights.
He did not specify in His report that He would question them about one type of delight to the exclusion of another.
Rather, the report is general regarding all of them.
He will question them, as He said, about all delights, not just some to the exclusion of others.
The summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.