بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ أَلْهَىٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ
Competing to have more keeps you distracted,
Pickthall (1930): Rivalry in worldly increase distracteth you
Quran · Surah 102 · 8 ayat
Surah At-Takathur
Rivalry in Increase
ٱلتَّكَاثُر
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About this surah
Surah At-Takathur ('Competing for More') has 8 ayat and is Meccan. It warns that the race to have more wealth, children and status keeps people distracted until they reach their graves. It says that people will one day see the truth with certainty and will be asked about the blessings they enjoyed. A hadith in Muslim reports that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recited it and said that a person says 'My wealth, my wealth', though the only wealth truly his is what he ate, what he wore, or what he gave in charity.
Distraction by worldly gainCertainty of the HereafterAccountability for blessings
Read the surah
Arabic exactly as in the Tanzil text, then a plain meaning in your language. The Arabic is never read by a machine voice; "Listen" reads only the meanings.
حَتَّىٰ زُرْتُمُ ٱلْمَقَابِرَ
until you reach the graves.
Pickthall (1930): Until ye come to the graves.
كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
No! You will soon come to know.
Pickthall (1930): Nay, but ye will come to know!
ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
Again, no! You will soon come to know.
Pickthall (1930): Nay, but ye will come to know!
كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ ٱلْيَقِينِ
No! If only you knew with certain knowledge (you would not be so distracted).
Pickthall (1930): Nay, would that ye knew (now) with a sure knowledge!
لَتَرَوُنَّ ٱلْجَحِيمَ
You will surely see the blazing Fire.
Pickthall (1930): For ye will behold hell-fire.
ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ ٱلْيَقِينِ
Then you will surely see it with the eye of certainty.
Pickthall (1930): Aye, ye will behold it with sure vision.
ثُمَّ لَتُسْـَٔلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ
Then on that Day you will surely be asked about the blessings (you enjoyed).
Pickthall (1930): Then, on that day, ye will be asked concerning pleasure.
Quick quiz
According to ayah 1, what keeps people distracted?
According to ayah 2, until when does this distraction last?
According to the last ayah, what will people be asked about on that Day?
Your score: 0 / 3
Tanzil Quran Text (Uthmani, Version 1.1), tanzil.net, CC BY 3.0, verbatim: tanzil.net. Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), public domain; text from English Wikisource. Al-Fatiha aligned to the Hafs count (basmala as verse 1, his verses 6 and 7 joined); Quraysh: his verses 4 and 5 joined.. Plain meanings, introductions and quiz: IndiaDigital, awaiting review by an Islamic scholar.
Corrections from members of every tradition are welcome at support@indiadigital.org. Last checked: .