The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 664
PT. 15 الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا CH. 18 AL-KAHF 47. "Wealth and children are an ornament of the life of this world. works are better in the sight of Eyjais والبقيتُ الصُّلِحُتُ خَيْرٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ But enduring good ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلاً thy Lord in respect of immediate reward, and better in respect of future hope. 2087 وَيَوْمَ نُسَيِّرُ الْجِبَالَ وَتَرَى الْأَرْضَ And bethink of the day. 48 ، بَارِزَةً وَحَشَرْنَهُمْ فَلَمْ تُغَادِرُ مِنْهُمْ mountains, and thou wilt see the احَدًا when "We shall remove the nations of the earth march forth against one another and We shall gather them together and shall not leave any one of them behind. 2088 "3:15; 57:21. 52:11; 78:21; 81:4. looks very beautiful and attractive but its end is most wretched and miserable. On the other hand, spiritual life appears very hard and unpleasant at first but it ends most auspiciously and pleasantly. In the heyday of their power nations are very gay and happy and it appears that their glory will endure forever but once their decay and decline set in they are scattered by the winds of adversity like dry broken grass and are so completely forgotten as if they had never lived on this earth. 2087. Commentary: are Riches and children the ornament of this life and add to its beauty and splendour and generally make men forget God but they can also be employed to serve a very noble cause. Money spent in a righteous cause leaves behind permanent good results. Young men who dedicate their lives to the service of their community, country or humanity at large are not only themselves remembered with honour long after they are dead but also perpetuate the memories of their ancestors. This is the substance and significance of this verse. The words, are better in the sight of thy Lord in respect of immediate reward and better in respect of future hope, may have two meanings: (a) That good works produce good results in this life and also form the basis of hope for rich reward in the hereafter. (b) That good works not only benefit the doer himself but also his posterity. It is a divine law that the posterity of a righteous man partakes of the divine blessings conferred upon him. 1872 2088. Commentary: Taking the word in the sense of "chiefs", the verse purports to say that