سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْفَالِ
Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 28
وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَآ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَأَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿28﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And know that your possessions and your children are but a trial and that surely with Allâh is a mighty reward.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟
wa-iʿ'lamū
And know
أَنَّمَآ
annamā
that
أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ
amwālukum
your wealth
وَأَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ
wa-awlādukum
and your children
فِتْنَةٌۭ
fit'natun
(are) a trial
وَأَنَّ
wa-anna
And that
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
عِندَهُۥٓ
ʿindahu
with Him
أَجْرٌ
ajrun
(is) a reward
عَظِيمٌۭ
ʿaẓīmun
great
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.
28. And know that your wealth and your children [29] are only a trial for you, and with Allah is a great reward.
[29]
Trial Through Wealth and Children:
Wealth and children are such things to which a person has a natural attachment and love, and it is through them that a Muslim’s faith is tested. This trial is so perilous that a person does not even realize that he is being tested. Like the previous verse, this verse also contains a very broad meaning. Among these, the trial of wealth is more severe than the trial of children, as is made clear in the following hadiths:
1. It is narrated from ‘Amr bin ‘Awf ؓ (who was an ally of Banu ‘Amir) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “By Allah! I do not fear poverty for you. Rather, I fear that the world will be opened up for you as it was opened up for those before you. Then you will compete with one another for it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed those before you.” [بخاری، کتاب المغازی، باب، شہود الملائکۃ بدرا]
Also: [كتاب الرقاق، باب مايحذر من زهرة الدنيا و التنافس فيها]
2. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Every nation has a trial, and the trial of my nation is wealth.” [ترمذي بحواله مشكوة، كتاب الرقاق، دوسري فصل]
3. Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘As ؓ says: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “The poor emigrants will enter Paradise five hundred years before the wealthy emigrants.” [ ترمذي، ابواب الزهد۔ باب ان فقراء المهاجرين يدخلون الجنة قبل اغنياءهم]
4. Sayyiduna ‘Imran bin Husayn ؓ says: The Prophet ﷺ said: “I looked into Paradise and saw that most of its inhabitants were those who were poor in the world.” [بخاري، كتاب الرقاق، باب فضل الفقر]
5. The Trial of Wealth: Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri ؓ says: Once the Prophet ﷺ stood on the pulpit (to deliver a sermon) and said: “What I fear for you after me is that the blessings of the earth will be opened up for you (you will become wealthy).” Then the Prophet ﷺ began to describe the adornments of the world, mentioning one thing after another. During this, a man stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Will good produce evil?” Hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ fell silent. We thought that revelation was being sent down to him, and the people sat so quietly as if birds were sitting on their heads. Then the Prophet ﷺ wiped the sweat from his face (when the revelation ended) and asked: “Where is the questioner who was just asking?” Then, answering the question, the Prophet ﷺ said three times: “There is no good in wealth and riches.” Then he said: “Good only produces good, but in the spring season when fresh green grass grows (which is a blessing, but eating too much of it) kills the animal or brings it close to death—unless the animal, after filling its belly, stands in the sun and urinates, then after digesting it, grazes again. And this wealth and riches are also fresh and sweet, and the best Muslim is the one who takes only what is his due, then spends from it in the way of Allah and on orphans and the needy. And whoever does not suffice with his due, his example is like that of an eater whose belly is never filled, and this wealth will testify against him on the Day of Resurrection.” [بخاری، کتاب الجہاد، باب فضل النفقہ فی سبیل اللہ]
6. Ibrahim bin ‘Abd al-Rahman says: One day, food was placed before ‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Awf ؓ. He said: “Mus‘ab bin ‘Umayr ؓ was martyred in the Battle of Uhud, and he was better than me. Only one sheet was found for his shroud. And mentioning Hamzah or someone else, he said: He was martyred and he too was better than me, and only one sheet was found for his shroud. I fear that perhaps the comforts and luxuries have been given to us in this world (as our share),” and then he began to weep. [بخاري، كتاب الجنائز، باب الكفن من جميع المال]
7. Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari ؓ says: The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, on the Day of Resurrection, those with much wealth will be the most destitute, except for the one whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in every direction—in front, behind, to the right, to the left—in the way of Allah, and earns good from that wealth.” [بخاری، کتاب الرقاق، باب المکثرون ہم المقلون]
8. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever fears Allah, there is no danger for him in being wealthy.” [احمد، بحواله مشكوة، باب استحباب المال، فصل ثالث]
How Does the Trial Through Children Occur?
And the scope of a person’s trial through children is even broader than the trial through wealth. If someone does not have children, that too is a trial. In such a situation, a person—and especially women—are inclined towards the worst sin of shirk, and they circumambulate the shrines and tombs of saints and make vows to them. And if someone has many children, that too is a different kind of trial. Among the disbelievers of Makkah, the common practice of killing children was due to the reason: “How will we feed them?” That is, considering oneself responsible for the sustenance of children and not relying on Allah at all is akin to shirk, and in some aspects, it is an even greater major sin. Then comes the stage of raising children, which is also a great trial for a person: whether he gives his children religious upbringing and guides them on the path of religion, or merely focuses on earning the world for them. This is such a delicate turning point in a person’s life, the good or bad results of which he himself has to bear in this world, and in the Hereafter, reward or punishment for them is a certainty. Then comes the stage of fulfilling the desires of the children, then the stage of their marriage, and in the matter of marriage, the stage of choosing a spouse: what kind of spouse does he prefer for his son or daughter? This too is a stage whose consequences are extremely far-reaching, and it is at such a stage that it becomes clear how true and sincere a person is in his claim to religiosity, and how much love he has for Allah and His Messenger. In short, the trial of children is such a trial through which a person is constantly being tested. Sometimes, the trials of wealth and children combine into a single trial. For example, some Muslims did not migrate to Madinah solely for the sake of their wealth and children, even though they had the ability to migrate if they wished. The love of property and children prevailed over them, and they preferred to live among the disbelievers and endure a life of humiliation. Allah has issued a severe warning to such Muslims in the Quran.
[29]
Trial Through Wealth and Children:
Wealth and children are such things to which a person has a natural attachment and love, and it is through them that a Muslim’s faith is tested. This trial is so perilous that a person does not even realize that he is being tested. Like the previous verse, this verse also contains a very broad meaning. Among these, the trial of wealth is more severe than the trial of children, as is made clear in the following hadiths:
1. It is narrated from ‘Amr bin ‘Awf ؓ (who was an ally of Banu ‘Amir) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “By Allah! I do not fear poverty for you. Rather, I fear that the world will be opened up for you as it was opened up for those before you. Then you will compete with one another for it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed those before you.” [بخاری، کتاب المغازی، باب، شہود الملائکۃ بدرا]
Also: [كتاب الرقاق، باب مايحذر من زهرة الدنيا و التنافس فيها]
2. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Every nation has a trial, and the trial of my nation is wealth.” [ترمذي بحواله مشكوة، كتاب الرقاق، دوسري فصل]
3. Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘As ؓ says: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “The poor emigrants will enter Paradise five hundred years before the wealthy emigrants.” [ ترمذي، ابواب الزهد۔ باب ان فقراء المهاجرين يدخلون الجنة قبل اغنياءهم]
4. Sayyiduna ‘Imran bin Husayn ؓ says: The Prophet ﷺ said: “I looked into Paradise and saw that most of its inhabitants were those who were poor in the world.” [بخاري، كتاب الرقاق، باب فضل الفقر]
5. The Trial of Wealth: Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri ؓ says: Once the Prophet ﷺ stood on the pulpit (to deliver a sermon) and said: “What I fear for you after me is that the blessings of the earth will be opened up for you (you will become wealthy).” Then the Prophet ﷺ began to describe the adornments of the world, mentioning one thing after another. During this, a man stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Will good produce evil?” Hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ fell silent. We thought that revelation was being sent down to him, and the people sat so quietly as if birds were sitting on their heads. Then the Prophet ﷺ wiped the sweat from his face (when the revelation ended) and asked: “Where is the questioner who was just asking?” Then, answering the question, the Prophet ﷺ said three times: “There is no good in wealth and riches.” Then he said: “Good only produces good, but in the spring season when fresh green grass grows (which is a blessing, but eating too much of it) kills the animal or brings it close to death—unless the animal, after filling its belly, stands in the sun and urinates, then after digesting it, grazes again. And this wealth and riches are also fresh and sweet, and the best Muslim is the one who takes only what is his due, then spends from it in the way of Allah and on orphans and the needy. And whoever does not suffice with his due, his example is like that of an eater whose belly is never filled, and this wealth will testify against him on the Day of Resurrection.” [بخاری، کتاب الجہاد، باب فضل النفقہ فی سبیل اللہ]
6. Ibrahim bin ‘Abd al-Rahman says: One day, food was placed before ‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Awf ؓ. He said: “Mus‘ab bin ‘Umayr ؓ was martyred in the Battle of Uhud, and he was better than me. Only one sheet was found for his shroud. And mentioning Hamzah or someone else, he said: He was martyred and he too was better than me, and only one sheet was found for his shroud. I fear that perhaps the comforts and luxuries have been given to us in this world (as our share),” and then he began to weep. [بخاري، كتاب الجنائز، باب الكفن من جميع المال]
7. Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari ؓ says: The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, on the Day of Resurrection, those with much wealth will be the most destitute, except for the one whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in every direction—in front, behind, to the right, to the left—in the way of Allah, and earns good from that wealth.” [بخاری، کتاب الرقاق، باب المکثرون ہم المقلون]
8. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever fears Allah, there is no danger for him in being wealthy.” [احمد، بحواله مشكوة، باب استحباب المال، فصل ثالث]
How Does the Trial Through Children Occur?
And the scope of a person’s trial through children is even broader than the trial through wealth. If someone does not have children, that too is a trial. In such a situation, a person—and especially women—are inclined towards the worst sin of shirk, and they circumambulate the shrines and tombs of saints and make vows to them. And if someone has many children, that too is a different kind of trial. Among the disbelievers of Makkah, the common practice of killing children was due to the reason: “How will we feed them?” That is, considering oneself responsible for the sustenance of children and not relying on Allah at all is akin to shirk, and in some aspects, it is an even greater major sin. Then comes the stage of raising children, which is also a great trial for a person: whether he gives his children religious upbringing and guides them on the path of religion, or merely focuses on earning the world for them. This is such a delicate turning point in a person’s life, the good or bad results of which he himself has to bear in this world, and in the Hereafter, reward or punishment for them is a certainty. Then comes the stage of fulfilling the desires of the children, then the stage of their marriage, and in the matter of marriage, the stage of choosing a spouse: what kind of spouse does he prefer for his son or daughter? This too is a stage whose consequences are extremely far-reaching, and it is at such a stage that it becomes clear how true and sincere a person is in his claim to religiosity, and how much love he has for Allah and His Messenger. In short, the trial of children is such a trial through which a person is constantly being tested. Sometimes, the trials of wealth and children combine into a single trial. For example, some Muslims did not migrate to Madinah solely for the sake of their wealth and children, even though they had the ability to migrate if they wished. The love of property and children prevailed over them, and they preferred to live among the disbelievers and endure a life of humiliation. Allah has issued a severe warning to such Muslims in the Quran.
