سُوْرَةُ التَّكَاثُرِ
Surah At-Takaathur (102) — Ayah 1
أَلْهَىٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ ﴿1﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
The mutual rivalry (for piling up of worldly things) diverts you,
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَلْهَىٰكُمُ
alhākumu
Diverts you
ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ
l-takāthuru
the competition to increase
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
The rivalry for more (worldly gains) has distracted you [1],
[1]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿لهو﴾:
The meaning of ﴿الْهٰكُم﴾ ﴿لهو﴾ is generally taken as play and amusement. But in reality, ﴿لهو﴾ refers to anything that keeps a person away from the real purpose or from something more important, and in the meaning of ﴿اَلْهٰي﴾, it is to remain engaged in some trivial activity and thus divert attention from something more important. Thus, in ﴿الْهٰي﴾, the reason for distraction is not negligence or forgetfulness, but other useless activities.
The Different Forms of ﴿تكاثر﴾:
The word ﴿تَكَاثُر﴾ is used in three meanings:
(1) A person tries to acquire something as much as possible.
(2) People try to surpass each other in acquiring something.
(3) They boast to one another that they have acquired a certain thing in abundance compared to others. As for the question of what this abundance is in, the answer is that anything that is desirable to a person's self, he tries to acquire it in greater number or quantity, and these things can be wealth and riches, children, lofty and magnificent residences, position and power, or the abundance of members of a tribe—anything at all.
[1]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿لهو﴾:
The meaning of ﴿الْهٰكُم﴾ ﴿لهو﴾ is generally taken as play and amusement. But in reality, ﴿لهو﴾ refers to anything that keeps a person away from the real purpose or from something more important, and in the meaning of ﴿اَلْهٰي﴾, it is to remain engaged in some trivial activity and thus divert attention from something more important. Thus, in ﴿الْهٰي﴾, the reason for distraction is not negligence or forgetfulness, but other useless activities.
The Different Forms of ﴿تكاثر﴾:
The word ﴿تَكَاثُر﴾ is used in three meanings:
(1) A person tries to acquire something as much as possible.
(2) People try to surpass each other in acquiring something.
(3) They boast to one another that they have acquired a certain thing in abundance compared to others. As for the question of what this abundance is in, the answer is that anything that is desirable to a person's self, he tries to acquire it in greater number or quantity, and these things can be wealth and riches, children, lofty and magnificent residences, position and power, or the abundance of members of a tribe—anything at all.
