An-Nisa · Madani · ayah 134 of 176

An-Nisa 4:134

مَّن كَانَ يُرِيدُ ثَوَابَ ٱلدُّنْيَا فَعِندَ ٱللَّهِ ثَوَابُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ سَمِيعًۢا بَصِيرًا

“Whoever desires the reward of this world - then with Allāh is the reward of this world and the Hereafter. And ever is Allāh Hearing and Seeing.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Whoever wants only what this world pays should know that both this world's reward and the next are in Allah's hand, so aim for both.

A reflection

Both treasuries in one Hand

Fa-ʿinda llāhi thawābu d-dunyā wa-l-ākhira: with Allah is the reward of this world and the next.

Notice the small word ʿinda, with. Not 'Allah also offers', or 'Allah adds to'. Both rewards are kept with Him. One concise commentary draws the conclusion. What you are seeking is found with Him and with no one else. So why ask for the lesser, when you could ask for the higher with sincerity?

This is where the ego has to shrink. Most of us quietly believe that worldly reward comes from our own effort. The hours, the deals, the networking, the cleverness. Allah may be in charge of the next life, we think, but this one we earn ourselves.

Picture a regional sales director. Three years running his region wins the national award. The glass trophies line his office shelf. Then a takeover is agreed in a boardroom on another continent. His region is merged out of existence in a single afternoon. Nothing he did caused it. Nothing he could do prevented it.

He had never been the source of his reward. He had been standing near it.

The ayah closes with two names: Samīʿ, Hearing, and Baṣīr, Seeing. One commentator notes how fitting they are. Wanting a reward takes one of two forms: asking, which is heard, or striving, which is seen. He receives both.

Does Allah need us to acknowledge that both rewards are His? He needs nothing; He is free of all need (4:131). The reminder is for us, so we stop treating the near life as our private estate.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.