Surah Al-Imran, one of the most prominent chapters of the Holy Qur'an, in its fourteenth verse, presents a profound and multifaceted discourse elucidating the status of worldly blessings and the ultimate purpose of human life. This verse, by referring to the enjoyments of worldly life and the concept of usn al-mb (the good return), invites humanity to contemplate the nature of transient pleasures and the ultimate goal of existence.
The exegesis of this verse, from mystical, philosophical, and social perspectives, opens a gateway to a deeper understanding of the human relationship with this world and the hereafter. In this composition, relying on the lectures of religious scholars, an attempt has been made to clarify the sublime meanings of this verse with clear and dignified language.
This work, with a structured and comprehensive approach, explores Quranic concepts and critiques erroneous social practices, particularly patriarchy, guiding humanity towards a just and balanced life.
زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنْطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ وَالْحَرْثِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَاللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حُسْنُ الْمَآبِ
For mankind, the love of sensual desiresof women, children, and piled-up wealth of gold and silver, branded horses, cattle, and cultivated landhas been adorned. These constitute the enjoyments of worldly life, while the good return is with God.
Verse fourteen of Surah Al-Imran, with a remarkable expression, presents three main trajectories before human sight: firstly, the enjoyments of worldly life, referring to pleasures and means of gratification; secondly, usn al-mb, which manifests the ultimate destination and elevated purpose of life; and thirdly, the superior good, which is elucidated in the subsequent verse by the phrase قُلْ أَؤُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْ ذَٰلِكُمْ (Say: Shall I inform you of something better than these?) and points to the good of the hereafter.
This triad, like a guiding light along the path of life, invites humanity to contemplate the place of worldly blessings and the ultimate purpose of creation.
Within the concept of mat (enjoyment), two fundamental elements are embedded: pleasure (ubb al-shahawt) and the means of pleasure (such as women, children, gold, silver, horses, livestock, and cultivated fields). These means, like toys in the hands of a child, serve as instruments for gratification, but they are not the ultimate goal themselves.
Just as a child plays with their doll and derives enjoyment from it, so too does humanity seek fulfilment through worldly means. However, although these means are necessary and legitimate, they must not become the final objective. This distinction acts as a mirror that differentiates the Quranic perspective from the materialistic view, inviting humans to reflect on the transient nature of worldly pleasures.
The enjoyments of worldly life, which include women, children, wealth, and other blessings, possess inherent value and vitality. Contrary to the misconception held by some that the world is inherently lowly, these blessings, like flowers in the garden of creation, represent manifestations of Divine wisdom.
The world, understood as nearness in contrast to the distant hereafter, is not merely base but rather a necessity for human existence. This viewpoint, like a breeze that clears dust from the mirror of the heart, repudiates the disparagement of the world and emphasises the legitimacy of benefiting from blessings within the framework of religious law.
The phrase زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ, if interpreted to mean for men (li-r-rijl), leads to a discordant and malevolent approach. Pleasure and gratification, like a stream that flows for all, are not exclusive to men; women and men share equally in them.
This erroneous interpretation, which reduces women to mere instruments of male enjoyment, conflicts with reason, religion, and humanity. It stands as a dark shadow rooted in cultural distortions that the Holy Qur'an repudiates.
The disparagement of the world and its blessings results from the infiltration of cultural colonialism into religious sciences, which has obstructed equitable enjoyment of Divine blessings. The Holy Qur'an states elsewhere:
خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا
He created for you all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth.
This verse, like a radiant torch, affirms the legitimacy of benefiting from blessings, conditional upon refraining from injustice and transgression. The disparagement of the world in some interpretations is the result of navet and deviation from Quranic wisdom, which leads to voluntary deprivation. This viewpoint, by inviting a reformation of attitudes toward the world, guides humanity towards equitable and balanced enjoyment of blessings.
Many disparaging narrations about women lack authentic chains of transmission and are consequences of cultural colonial influence. The use of narrations requires expertise in the sciences of rijl (chain of narrators), dirya (textual analysis), and historiography, and only qualified jurisprudents can
