مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا نُوَفِّ إِلَيْهِمْ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ فِيهَا وَهُمْ فِيهَا لَا يُبْخَسُونَ
Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornments - We fully repay them for their deeds therein, and they therein will not be deprived.
Introduction
This is āyah 15 of Sūrat Hud (Hud), the 52nd sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 12. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Meccan
- Order revealed
- 52 of 114
- Surah
- Hud (11)
Whoso desires the life of this world and its adornment, We shall pay them in full for their deeds therein, and therein they shall not be defrauded. " When someone is satisfied with this world without Me, despite the lowliness of its attributes, I will not hold him back from the enjoyment of some days. But the sweetness of its perfection will be followed by the bitterness of its disappearance. The flavor of its honey will be succeeded by the poison of its colocynth. " When someone wants this world from Me, this world will not be held back from him, but he will be helpless in the next world, and this world also will not stay with him. " It is mentioned in the traditions that whoever turns his face towards this world has turned his back on God. Turning one's back on God is to sleep always with thoughts of this world and to wake with thoughts of this world while one's moments are drowned in them. A poor wretch like this does not know that this world is the enjoyment of delusion [3:185]. It is the carpet of playing and jesting, the toy of the ignorant and the cause of their deception. He who keeps to this world is like a traveler sitting in a ship, this world his traveling supplies. If he takes more supplies than he needs, the ship will sink and cause his destruction. It is said that Dhu'l-Qarnayn went to the land of the west, and the kingdom of that region was held by a woman. Dhu'l-Qarnayn said, " Surrender this kingdom to me. " She said, " No! And there is no honor in it. " He wanted to take the kingdom by severity, but he was ashamed to fight against a woman. The woman said, " I invite you to be my guest. After the invitation is completed, I will surrender the kingdom to you. " When he came to the table, he saw a table laden with gold. All the cups were gold, and in place of food there were pearls and gems. Dhu'l-Qarnayn said, " What will I eat? I need food. None of this is fit for eating. " The woman said, " Since your portion of this world is no more than bread, where will you take the kingdom of the earth? It is fitting that you have no kingdom, for your portion is no more than two loafs of bread.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
Community resources
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