Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 14

(Ayah 14) ➊ { ”الشَّهَوٰتِ“ } is the plural of {’’ شَهْوَةٌ ‘‘}, which means "the soul being attracted towards something desirable." Here, { ”الشَّهَوٰتِ“ } refers to those things that are pleasing to the nature, that is, the verbal noun is used in the sense of the passive participle { ’’ مُشْتَهَيَاتٌ ‘‘}, and in { ”مِنَ النِّسَآءِ“ } the {’’مِنْ‘‘} is explanatory, meaning these things are as follows. The singular of { ”وَ الْقَنَاطِيْرِ“ } is { ’’ قِنْطَارٌ ‘‘}, and there are various opinions regarding its amount, but the summary of all is that a large amount of wealth is called {’’ قِنْطَارٌ‘‘}. (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani) In our language, it can be translated as "treasures." { ”مَتَاعُ“ } refers to those items from which benefit is derived. The summary is that if a person gets entangled in the love of these things and becomes heedless of Allah and His religion, and considers them a means of pride and adornment, and becomes arrogant and boastful, then all these things are blameworthy. Otherwise, if all these things are considered as blessings from Allah and are made a means for the Hereafter, and benefit is taken from them within the limits of Shariah, then they are not blameworthy or disliked, but rather highly desirable and praiseworthy. The real thing is intention and action, that is why in the hadith, on one hand, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "After me, there is no trial more harmful to men than women." [بخاری، النکاح، باب ما یتقی من شؤم المرأۃ … : ۵۰۹۶، عن أسامۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] And on the other hand, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The world is an enjoyment (a means of benefit), and the best enjoyment of it is a righteous woman." [مسلم، النکاح، باب خیر متاع الدنیا … ۱۴۶۹، عن ابن عمرورضی اللہ عنہما] And he also said: "From the world, women and perfume have been made beloved to me." [نسائی، عشرۃ النساء، باب حب النساء : ۳۳۹۱، عن أنس رضی اللہ عنہ، قال الألبانی حسن صحیح ] At the end of the verse, by declaring them as the provision of worldly life, emphasis has been placed on disinterest in worldly life and eagerness for the Hereafter. (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani)

➋ { ”الْخَيْلِ} is a plural noun, derived from { ’’خُيَلاَءٌ ‘‘}, which means arrogance. There is a kind of arrogance in the gait of a horse. { ”الْمُسَوَّمَةِ“ }—if it is derived from {’’سِيْمَا ‘‘} or {’’سِيْمِيَاءُ ‘‘}, it means marked horses, and if it is derived from {’’ سَوْمٌ ‘‘ }, it means horses left to graze. {”الْاَنْعَامِ“} is the plural of {’’نَعَمٌ ‘‘}, meaning camels, cows, goats, etc., and is mostly used for camels.

14. 1. By "shahawat" here is meant "mushtahayat" (desirable things), that is, those things which are naturally desirable and liked by humans; therefore, inclination towards them and their love is not disliked, provided it remains within moderation and within the boundaries of Shariah. Their adornment is also a test from Allah. The mention of women comes first because this is the greatest need of every adult human and also the most desirable. The Prophet ﷺ himself said, "Women and perfume have been made beloved to me." Similarly, the Prophet ﷺ declared a righteous woman to be the best possession of this world. Therefore, if love for her does not exceed the boundaries of Shariah, she is the best companion in life and provision for the Hereafter; otherwise, this very woman becomes the greatest trial for a man. The Messenger ﷺ said, "Of the trials that will appear after me, the greatest trial for men will be women." Similarly, there is love for sons; if the purpose is to increase the strength of Muslims and the survival and multiplication of the generation, then it is praiseworthy, otherwise blameworthy. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Marry a woman who is very loving and bears many children, for I will boast of your numbers before other nations on the Day of Judgment." From this verse, the rejection of monasticism and the rejection of the movement for family planning is also proven. The purpose of wealth and riches is to establish livelihood, maintain family ties, give charity and spend on affairs, and to avoid begging, so that Allah's pleasure is attained; then its love is also absolutely desirable, otherwise blameworthy. The purpose of horses is preparation for jihad; the purpose of other animals is to use them for farming and carrying loads, and to obtain produce from the land—if so, all these are desirable. But if the purpose is merely to earn worldly gains, then to boast and show arrogance over it, and to live a life of luxury while being heedless of the remembrance of Allah, then all these beneficial things will become a calamity for him. Treasures, that is, abundance and plenty of gold, silver, and wealth; and those horses that are left to graze in the pasture or prepared for jihad, or marked, upon which a sign or number is placed for distinction (Fath al-Qadeer and Ibn Kathir).

14. The love of desires has been made attractive to people—desires for women, children, hoarded treasures of gold and silver, branded (fine) horses, cattle, and crops. These are the enjoyments of worldly [15] life, but the best place to return is with Allah.

[15]
Even in the Pursuit of Worldly Gains, Concern for the Hereafter is the True Success:

In this verse, the things that have been mentioned by name are those whose love is naturally embedded in the human heart, and it is through these very things that man is tested in this world, and the majority of people have failed in this test. None of these things are inherently bad, nor is loving them something unnatural, and a natural matter is not bad in itself. If the love of these things had not been placed in the human heart, then the colors of this world, these lush fields and gardens, and the sights of civilization and culture would not have been seen at all. This clearly shows that neither are these things bad in themselves, nor is loving them or acquiring them a bad thing. What is bad is that a person becomes so immersed in the love and pursuit of these things that he forgets the Hereafter altogether. However, those in whose hearts there is the fear of Allah and concern for the Hereafter, they acquire and use these very things in such a way that they attain comfort and peace in this world through them, and in the Hereafter, these very things become a means of their salvation, and in this way, a person can attain the better abode that is with Allah.