Transliteration:( Wa mal hayaatud dunyaaa illaa la'ibunw wa lahwunw wa lad Daarul Aakhiratu khaiyrul lillazeena yattaqoon; afalaa ta'qiloon )
"And this worldly life is nothing but play and amusement [63], and undoubtedly, the abode of the Hereafter is better for those who fear [64]. So, do you not have sense?"
The worldly life that revolves around sensual pleasures and heedlessness is merely play and amusement, lacking lasting value. However, a life spent in obedience to Allah, even if lived in this world, is not worldly in essence. The lives of the Prophets and pious servants are entirely devoted to religion and righteousness, and therefore, stand apart from worldly indulgence. This verse draws a clear distinction between the negligent and the intelligent—between those who chase illusion and those who strive for truth.
The Hereafter is the real and everlasting abode, and it is far better for those who fear Allah. From this, we understand that only piety and good deeds hold permanent value—everything else is transient. Without the fear of Allah and righteous striving, one’s efforts are reduced to empty play that bears no reward. The verse closes with a reminder: “So, do you not have sense?”—calling the reader to reflect with understanding.
The tafsir of Surah Al-Anam verse 32 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Anam ayat 32 which provides the complete commentary from verse 31 through 32.
(6:32) The life of this world is nothing but a sport and a pastime,[20] and the life of the Hereafter is far better for those who seek to ward off their ruin. Will you not, then, understand?
20. This does not mean that earthly life has nothing serious about it and that it has been brought into being merely as a sport and pastime. What this observation means is that, compared with the true and abiding life of the Hereafter, earthly life seems, as it were, a sport, a transient pastime with which to amuse oneself before turning to serious business.
Earthly life has been likened to a sport and pastime for another reason as well. Since Ultimate Reality is hidden in this world, the superficially minded ones who lack true perception encounter many a thing which causes them to fall a prey to misconceptions. As a result of these misconceptions such persons indulge in a variety of actions which are so blatantly opposed to reality that their life seems to consist merely of sport and pastime. One who assumes the position of a king in this world, for instance, is no different from the person who plays the part of a king on the stage of a theatre. His head is bedecked with a crown and he goes about commanding people as if he were a king, even though he has no royal authority. He may later, if the director of the theatre wishes, be either dismissed from his royal office, put into prison or even be sentenced to death Plays of this kind go on all over the world. Saints and man-made deities are deemend to respond to human supplications even though they do not have a shred of authority to do so. Again, some people try to unravel the Unseen even though to do so lies altogether beyond their reach. There are those who claim to provide sustenance to others despite the fact that they are themselves dependent on others for their own sustenance. There are still others who think that they have the power either to bestow honour and dignity on human beings or to degrade them, either to confer benefits or to harm them. Such people go about trumpeting their own glory but their own foreheads bear the stamp of their humble bondage to their Creator. By just one twist of fortune such people may fall of their pededstrals and be trampled under the feet of those upon whom they have been imposing their God-like authority.
All these people come to a sudeen end with death.As soon as man crosses the boundaries of this world and steps into the Next, the reality will be fully manifest, all the misconceptions that he has entertained will be peeled away, and he will be shown the true worth of his belief and actions.
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