Tafsir of Surah Maryam - Verse 74

The Disbelievers boast over Their good Fortune in the World

Allah, the Exalted, informs that when the clear, evident Ayat of Allah are recited to the disbelievers, they reject them and turn away. They say about those who believe, while boasting to them and arguing that their false religion is correct,

خَيْرٌ مَّقَاماً وَأَحْسَنُ نَدِيّاً

(best dwellings and the finest Nadiyyan.) This means the best houses, with the loftiest levels and the finest Nadiyyan, which are meeting rooms for men to gather and discuss matters. Thus, this means that their meeting rooms are full of more people who come to attend. In this they were saying, "How can we be upon falsehood while we are in this manner of successful living" These people were actually those who were concealed in the house of Al-Arqam bin Abi Al-Arqam and its likes from the other houses. This is as Allah says about them,

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَوْ كَانَ خَيْراً مَّا سَبَقُونَآ إِلَيْهِ

(And those who disbelieve say of those who believe: "Had it been a good thing, they (the weak and the poor) would not have preceded us thereto!") 46:11 Nuh's people said,

أَنُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَاتَّبَعَكَ الاٌّرْذَلُونَ

("Shall we believe in you, when the weakest (of the people) follow you") 26:111 And Allah says,

وَكَذلِكَ فَتَنَّا بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لِّيَقُولواْ أَهَـؤُلاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَآ أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِالشَّـكِرِينَ

(Thus We have tried some of them with others, that they might say: "Is it these (poor believers) whom Allah has favored among us" Does not Allah know best those who are grateful) 6:53 This is why Allah refuted their doubts:

وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِّن قَرْنٍ

(And how many a generations have We destroyed before them) This means, "How many nations and generations did We destroy of those who denied (this message) due to their disbelief"

هُمْ أَحْسَنُ أَثَاثاً وَرِءْياً

(who were better in wealth, goods and outward appearance) This means that they were better than these present people in wealth, possessions, looks and appearance. Al-A`mash reported from Abu Zibyan, who reported from Ibn `Abbas that he said concerning the Ayah,

خَيْرٌ مَّقَاماً وَأَحْسَنُ نَدِيّاً

(best dwellings and finest Nadiyyan.) "Position Maqam means home, Nadi means place of gathering, wealth refers to material possessions and outward appearance is how they look physically." Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said, "Position Maqam means dwelling, Nadi means place of gathering and the blessing and happiness that they were living in. This is as Allah says about the people of Fir`awn when He destroyed them and related the story of their situation in the Qur'an,

كَمْ تَرَكُواْ مِن جَنَّـتٍ وَعُيُونٍ - وَزُرُوعٍ وَمَقَامٍ كَرِيمٍ

(How many gardens and springs that they Fir`awn's people left behind, and green crops and honored places Maqam.) 44:25-26 Therefore, position Maqam refers to their dwellings and splendid bounties, and Nadi is the places of gathering and meeting where they used to congregate. Allah said while relating the story to His Messenger of what happened with the people of Lut,

وَتَأْتُونَ فِى نَادِيكُمُ الْمُنْكَرَ

(And practice Al-Munkar (evil deeds) in your meeting places Nadiyakum.) 29:29 The Arabs call a place of gathering a Nadi."

Commentary

خَيْرٌ‌ مَّقَامًا وَأَحْسَنُ نَدِيًّا

"Superior in respect of its place and better in respect of its assembly" - 19:73.

The infidels never relaxed their efforts to confuse and perplex the believers. They were very rich and possessed material wealth in great abundance. They had their retinues, their followers, friends and supporters. In contrast, the believers were poor and lacking in worldly assets. However, it is a common experience that material wealth turns people's heads and makes them unduly proud and arrogant, so that even the sensible and wise among them are led to believe that their prosperity and affluence is the reward of their personal merit and effort, and will last forever. History is replete with instances where prosperous communities and rich nations crumbled to dust and vanished without leaving a trace. But these instances of Divine wrath hold no lesson for them and fail to turn them from their erroneous ways.

On the other hand there are good people who, following the teachings of Qur'an, do not regard wealth and worldly honors as the result of their own effort and merit, but as Allah Ta` ala's bounty to be held as a trust from Him and to be expended according to His command. They are well aware that these gifts from Allah Ta` ala will not last forever, and the prospect of their abatement or even their total loss does not cause them any concern. These are the people who are safe from the mischief resulting from wealth and material abundance to which the infidels are exposed. Prophets like Sayyidna Sulayman and Dawud (علیہما السلام) ، many a followers of The Holy Prophet ﷺ and multitude among the pious believers fall in this category.

Allah Ta` ala has dispelled the mistaken notions of the infidels by saying that the transient material prosperity cannot be regarded as a token of His goodwill nor as a symbol of their own merit, because it often happens that foolish and undeserving people are loaded with wealth while wise and learned persons spend their lives in poverty.

Those who do not care about what is right or what is wrong, who prefer the considerations of this world to those of the life hereafter and who choose to please other people rather than God, are always successful from the worldly point of view. They are surrounded by glamour and glitter. As opposed to this, those who in all their dealings are worried about right and wrong, who ignore the considerations of this world and prefer those of the life hereafter, and who care for God rather than the attitude of the public, are often bereft of external pomp and glory. This difference gives rise to misunderstandings. It is thought that those who are better off from the worldly point of view are God’s favoured ones and those who do not enjoy this position in this world are low in God’s esteem. But this is a completely wrong assessment, and past history contradicts and disproves it. How many haughty heads of the past have rolled and are buried in the ground? And how many grand palaces are there still extant today that have not fallen into ruin?