ٱلتَّوْبَة : ٣٨

  • يَٰٓأَيُّهَا O you who believe
  • ٱلَّذِينَ O you who believe
  • ءَامَنُواْ O you who believe
  • مَا What
  • لَكُمۡ (is the matter) with you
  • إِذَا when
  • قِيلَ it is said
  • لَكُمُ to you
  • ٱنفِرُواْ go forth
  • فِي in
  • سَبِيلِ (the) way
  • ٱللَّهِ (of) Allah
  • ٱثَّاقَلۡتُمۡ you cling heavily
  • إِلَى to
  • ٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ the earth
  • أَرَضِيتُم Are you pleased
  • بِٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ with the life
  • ٱلدُّنۡيَا (of) the world
  • مِنَ (rather) than
  • ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِۚ the Hereafter
  • فَمَا But what
  • مَتَٰعُ (is the) enjoyment
  • ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ (of) the life
  • ٱلدُّنۡيَا (of) the world
  • فِي in (comparison to)
  • ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ the hereafter
  • إِلَّا except
  • قَلِيلٌ a little
O you who have believed, what is [the matter] with you that, when you are told to go forth in the cause of Allāh, you adhere heavily to the earth?1 Are you satisfied with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But what is the enjoyment of worldly life compared to the Hereafter except a [very] little.
Footnotes
1 - i.e., inclining toward the comforts of worldly life.
When the Prophet may peace and salutation be upon him summoned men for the Tabook campaign, and they thought it too burdensome, because of the hardship and the extreme heat from which they were suffering, the following was revealed: O you who believe, what is wrong with you that, when it is said to you, 'Go forth in the way of God,' you sink down heavily (iththaaqaltum: the original taa' [of tathaaqaltum] has been assimilated with the thaa', and the conjunctive hamza has been supplied), in other words, you hesitate and are disinclined to [participate in] the struggle, to the ground, to stay sitting upon it? (the interrogative is meant as a rebuke). Are you so content with the life of this world, and its delights, rather than with the Hereafter?, that is, in place of its bliss? Yet the enjoyment of the life of this world is, in, comparison with the enjoyment of, the Hereafter but little, trivial.