Transliteration:( Wa qaaloo nahnu aksaru amwaalanw wa awlaadanw wa maa nahnu bimu 'azzabeen )
"And they said: 'We have greater wealth and children, and we are not [109] going to be punished.'"
The disbelievers made a false assumption that their material wealth and large families were signs of Allah’s favor. They believed these worldly blessings guaranteed them safety in the Hereafter. Their logic was: “If we are superior in this life, we must also be superior in the next.” This statement reflects not only their ignorance of divine justice, but also their denial of the Hereafter and its consequences.
Such people mocked the believers, assuming their relative poverty and smaller families were signs of being cursed or rejected by Allah. In reality, worldly success is not a measure of one’s standing in the Hereafter. Allah tests people in different ways—some with wealth, others with poverty, and only the grateful and obedient are truly successful.
This verse reveals the deluded thinking of those who reject divine guidance, believing that comforts in this world will protect them from the punishment in the next. In fact, the opposite may be true—many will face harsher reckoning precisely because of the blessings they squandered in pride.
The tafsir of Surah Saba verse 35 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Saba ayat 34 which provides the complete commentary from verse 34 through 38.
(34:35) They always said: “We have more wealth and children than you have, and we shall not be chastised.”[55]
55. Their reasoning was: “We are greater favorites of Allah than you. That is why He has favored us with the blessings of which you are deprived, or have received them in lesser measure. Why should Allah have given us all these provisions and wealth and power, had He not been pleased with us? Now, how can we believe that Allah Who is showering us with all kinds of His blessings here will punish us in the Hereafter? He will punish only those who are deprived of His favors here,”
This misunderstanding of the world-worshippers has also been mentioned at several places in the Quran and refuted. For instance, see (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 126), (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 212); (Surah At-Taubah, Ayat 55), (Surah At-Taubah, Ayat 69); (Surah Hud, Ayat 3), (Surah Hud, Ayat 27); (Surah Ar-Raad, Ayat 26); (Surah Al-Kahf, Ayat 34-43); (Surah Maryam, Ayat 73-77); (Surah TaHa, Ayat 131); (Surah Al-Muminun, Ayat 55-61); (Surah Ash-Shuara, Ayat 111); (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayat 76-83); (Surah Ar-Rum, Ayat 9); (Surah Al-Muddaththir, Ayat 11-26): (Surah Al-Fajr, Ayat 15-20).
[1235]- The affluent ones in general or the people of Makkah specifically.
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