أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ فَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
“Such are those who buy the life of the world at the price of the Hereafter. Their punishment will not be lightened, neither will they have support.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Taberî, this expression conveys that Allah is informing that the punishment will continue endlessly without being reduced or mitigated. The people mentioned are those who broke the covenant in the Torah, believing in part of the book while rejecting another part, and those who killed and exiled from their own people those whom it was forbidden to kill and exile while ransoming captives. They have purchased the leadership of this worldly life and its worthless blessings in exchange for the blessings of Paradise that they would receive in return for faith in the Hereafter; therefore, they will have no share in the Hereafter and their punishment will not be mitigated.
فأخبر جل ثناؤه أن هؤلاء الذين اشتروا رياسة الحياة الدنيا على الضعفاء وأهل الجهل والغباء من أهل ملتهم، وابتاعوا المآكل الخسيسة الرديئة فيها، بالإيمان الذي كان يكون لهم به في الآخرة لو كانوا أتوا به مكان الكفر الخلود في الجنان
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, the non-mitigation of punishment encompasses both its continuity in terms of not being interrupted and its severity in terms of not being reduced; this attribute would only befit the punishment of the Hereafter, because it is noted that worldly punishment is sometimes interrupted or disbelievers sometimes prevail. Furthermore, in the examination related to verse 88 of Al-i Imran, the mention of believers' reward first is to increase the pain of punishment for the disbelievers; the mention of righteous deed in the believer and the non-mention of evil deed in the disbeliever is based on the principle that faith alone provides salvation and degrees are only elevated through action. Finally, the 'ravda' word coming indefinite (tankirah), the 'azab' coming definite (ta'rif) shows the greatness of the garden; the 'yuhberûn' verb form coming and 'muhdarûn' noun form shows that joy is constantly renewed, while punishment expresses a static present state.
المسألة الرابعة : قال في الأول : { يحبرون } بصيغة الفعل ولم يقل محبورون ، وقال في الآخر : { محضرون } بصيغة الاسم ولم يقل يحضرون ، لأن الفعل ينبىء عن التجدد والاسم لا يدل عليه
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
In this text, it is stated that the disbelievers love and prefer the worldly life, that no mitigation will be made for them at the moment of punishment, and that the punishment in which they find themselves will not diminish even for a moment.
أي استحبوها على الآخرة واختاروها أي لا يفتر عنهم ساعة واحدة فيها أى لا ينقص عما هم فيه
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, the expression 'to purchase worldly life in exchange for the Hereafter' means to prefer the worldly life instead of the Hereafter. From these people, the punishment is not mitigated by the jizya tax in this world, and their punishment is not interrupted in the Hereafter; neither in this world nor in the Hereafter can they ward off this punishment or receive any help.
فلا يخفف عنهم العذاب بنقض الجزية في الدنيا، والتعذيب في الآخرة. ولا هم ينصرون بدفعهما عنهم.
Comparison
Common ground
All exegetes agree that the verse conveys that the punishment of those who prefer worldly life to the Hereafter will not be mitigated and will continue without interruption. Taberî, Ibn Kathir, and Beydâwî emphasize that these people preferred their worldly interests to the blessings of the Hereafter; Fakhr al-Din al-Razi deepens this common meaning through linguistic analysis.
Differences
Taberî anchors the verse in its historical context (the breaking of the covenant by the People of the Torah) with a narration-based reading and supports it with the narration of Qatada. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi focuses on the rhetorical refinement of the verse, drawing theological inferences from word forms (indefinite-definite, verb-noun distinction) and adds a separate discussion on the relationship between faith and action. Ibn Kathir is content with a summary and plain linguistic analysis, while Beydâwî focuses on the semantic relationship between the verbs 'to purchase' and 'to prefer,' drawing attention to the non-interruption of punishment both in this world and the Hereafter. These differences reflect differences in schools of exegetical methods (narration-based exegesis, theological-rhetorical exegesis, summary exegesis).
Historical context
A diversification is observed from Taberî's early-period narration-heavy approach, to al-Razi's theological-rhetorical in-depth analysis, then to Ibn Kathir's summarizing and Beydâwî's linguistic-concise style. While the fundamental message (the continuity of punishment and the preference of world over Hereafter) remains constant, the methods of explanation are shaped according to the scholarly inclinations of the exegete's period.
Modern connection
This verse offers an opportunity for reflection on the consequences of sacrificing lasting values for temporary and worldly gains. In our time, this can be interpreted in the context of an individual's efforts to maintain moral consistency, to live a constructive life with sincerity and patience. Moreover, by reminding us of the balance between faith and action, it can inspire a quest for wholeness between personal development and social benefit.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar