Surah Al-Qasas (28) — Ayah 61

(Ayah 61){ اَفَمَنْ وَّعَدْنٰهُ وَعْدًا حَسَنًا … :} In this verse, the lives of the believer and the disbeliever are compared, and in the form of a question, an invitation to reflect is given: can these two lives ever be equal in any way? When these two cannot be equal, then why do you abandon following the Messenger for the sake of worldly benefits? The blessings of this world are given to both the believer and the disbeliever, but the believer benefits from them while remaining bound by the command of Allah, due to which the blessings of the Hereafter become exclusive to him. (See Al-A'raf: 32) And this is the very good promise of Allah to those who have faith and do righteous deeds, which will certainly be fulfilled for the believer in every situation, because Allah's promise is never broken, as He said: «{ مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّنْ ذَكَرٍ اَوْ اُنْثٰى وَ هُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهٗ حَيٰوةً طَيِّبَةً وَ لَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ اَجْرَهُمْ بِاَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوْا يَعْمَلُوْنَ }» [ النحل : ۹۷ ] "Whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, and he is a believer, then surely We will give him a good, pure life, and surely We will give them their reward in return for the best of what they used to do." In contrast is the disbeliever; regarding the believer, it is said that he is to receive Our good promise, so this is an indication that the disbeliever too is given promises by Satan and the partners he has set up, but the promises they make to him will never be fulfilled, as Allah has mentioned in Surah Ibrahim that on the Day of Resurrection Satan will say: «{ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَ وَعَدْتُّكُمْ فَاَخْلَفْتُكُمْ۠ }» [ إبراہیم : ۲۲ ] "Indeed, Allah promised you a true promise, and I promised you, but I betrayed you." The disbeliever is given some provision of worldly life; he will receive only as much as Allah has decreed, but instead of obeying Allah, he benefited from it according to his own desires, as a result of which he will be among those who will be presented on the Day of Resurrection. In the terminology of the Qur'an, the word {’’ الْمُحْضَرِيْنَ ‘‘} (those who are presented) is used specifically for those who are presented for punishment. See Surah As-Saffat (57 and 127). This meaning is also present in this word, because only the one who does not wish to be present is made to be present; in Paradise, every person will go willingly.
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "So can the person who is a believer, who considers true the promise that Allah has made to him in the form of reward for his righteous deeds, which will inevitably reach him, be like the one who is a disbeliever, who denies the meeting with Allah and His promise and warning? So, in the life of this world, he will be given some provision for a few days, then on the Day of Resurrection, he will be among those who are presented. Mujahid said, meaning among those who are punished." (Ibn Kathir)

61-1 That is, he will be deserving of punishment and torment. The meaning is: the people of faith, according to the promise of Allah, will be blessed with bounties, and the disobedient will be subjected to torment. Can these two be equal?

61. Can the one to whom We have promised a good promise, and who will receive it, be like the one to whom We have given the enjoyment of worldly life [84], but who will be brought forth (for punishment or reckoning) on the Day of Resurrection?

[84]
Acquiring Worldly Possessions is Not Blameworthy! Except When It Causes Loss in the Hereafter:

In this verse, a comparison between two individuals is presented. One is the person who keeps his sight on the better outcome of the Hereafter and spends his efforts for that better end. The other is the person whose aim is limited only to worldly interests and possessions, and who will be strictly questioned in the Hereafter. The question is raised: decide for yourselves, which of the two is better? From this verse and some other similar verses, some people have drawn the wrong conclusion that, in the view of Shariah, acquiring the world and its benefits is a blameworthy thing and should be avoided as much as possible, and one’s focus should be only on the interests of the Hereafter. However, the supplication that Allah has taught us, and which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite frequently, is this: ﴿رَبَّنَآ اٰتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَّفِي الْاٰخِرَةِ حَسَـنَةً وَّقِنَا عَذَاب النَّارِ﴾ [2:201] In this verse, both the good of this world and the Hereafter are sought from Allah, and in fact, the good of this world is mentioned before the Hereafter. When all these verses are combined, the conclusion that emerges is that, in the view of Shariah, the world and its possessions are blameworthy only when they cause harm to the interests of the Hereafter. The only blameworthy thing is to give preference to the world over the Hereafter. When the Hereafter is being harmed, then the conduct of a Muslim should be to kick away worldly interests.

Four Types of People in Terms of Attaining Goodness:

Then it is also quite possible that a person has closed his eyes to the outcome of the Hereafter so that he may acquire worldly interests as he wishes, but throughout his life he gains nothing except poverty and hardships and difficulties. And it is also possible that a person’s aim is only the interests of the Hereafter, but Allah grants him all kinds of abundant blessings and possessions in this world as well, just as some prophets were also kings of their time. In this respect, there are four types of people. First, those who attain goodness in both this world and the Hereafter, and these are the best of all. Second, those who attain the goodness of the Hereafter but live with difficulty in this world; they are also counted among the better people. Third, those whose Hereafter is ruined but who enjoy comfort and luxury in this world; these are in reality the bad people. And fourth, those whose world is ruined and whose Hereafter is also ruined; such people are the worst in every respect. It should be clear that in this verse, the comparison is presented between the second and third types of people.