NAME: التكاثر, At-Takathur.
Name taken from Verse 1 where there is a mention of the word ”Takathur”.
١ أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ
1 Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you
ENGLISH NAME: Eagerness/Competition for Increase.
CHAPTER NUMBER: 102
SURAH TAKATHUR TOTAL VERSES: 8
SURAH TAKATHUR TOTAL WORDS: 28
TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 20
TOTAL LETTERS: 123
REVELATION PERIOD:
Meccan, Approx. 610 – 615 AD.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
God, Mankind.
SURAH TAKATHUR MAIN TOPICS:
Worldly Competition Made Us Forget About Hereafter. But Soon A Time Will Come When We Will Be Questioned.
SURAH TAKATHUR KEY VERSES:
١ أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ
1 Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you
٢ حَتَّىٰ زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِرَ
2 Until you visit the graveyards.
٦ لَتَرَوُنَّ الْجَحِيمَ
6 You will surely see the Hellfire.
SUMMARY OF TOPICS
1-2(Worldly Jobs And Competition to Increase Made Us Forget About Hereafter), 3-8(But Soon A Time Will Come When We Will Be Questioned).
SURAH TAKATHUR BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACKGROUND
This Surah has 8 verses. It takes its name from verse 1: “أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ” (Competition in increase diverts you) where the word “التكاثر” meaning “Eagerness/Competition for Increase” appears. This Surah was revealed in Mecca most probably during the early days of Muhammad’s proclamation of his Prophethood. There is a difference of opinion as some commentators of the Quran say that this Surah was revealed in Madina.
The theme of the Surah is that the worldly competition made us forget about Hereafter. It talks about the evil consequences of materialism because of which we spend our lives in getting more and more of worldly wealth. The Surah asserts that soon a time will come when we will be questioned.
Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded from Abdullah bin Ash Shikhkhir that he said, “I came to the Prophet of God PBUH while he was saying, “أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ” “Competition in increase diverts you” Prophet of God PBUH said,
يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ: مَالِي مَالِي، وَإِنَّمَا لَهُ مِنْ مَالِهِ ثَلَاثٌ: مَا أَكَلَ فَأَفْنَى، أَوْ لَبِسَ فَأَبْلَى، أَوْ تَصَدَّقَ فَأَمْضَى، وَمَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ فَذَاهِبٌ وَتَارِكُهُ لِلنَّاس. The servant says, “My wealth, my wealth.” Yet he only gets 3 benefit from his wealth: First, that which he eats and finishes, 2nd that which he wears until it is worn out, or that which he gives in charity, and it is spent. Everything else other than that will go away and leave him for the people.
The Prophet said, ‘Whoever recited one thousand verses in one night would meet God with a smile on his face’. Someone said, ‘O Apostle, who can recite a thousand verses?’. The Prophet of God PBUH then recited Surah Takathur and then said, ‘By He in Whose hand my soul is, it is equal to a 1,000 verses.
