al-Muddaththir

ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا

وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ مَالًا مَّمْدُودًا

وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا

وَمَهَّدتُّ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا

ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ

11. Leave Me Alone with the one whom I created alone.
12. I granted him abundant possessions.
13. And children to be by his side [serving him].
14. And prepared all the means of life for him.
15. He still desires further increase.

As reflected above, the disbelievers were collectively warned, though the blessed Verses in question particularly make reference to the most influential amongst them by eloquently and decisively warning them, saying:

The blessed Verses in question allude to Walid ibn Mughayra Makhzumi, one of the most notorious chiefs of Quraysh. An occasion of Revelation is mentioned in many an exegetic sources, e.g. Majma‘ al-Bayan, Fi Hilal al-Qur’an, al-Mizan, and those by Qurtubi and Maraghi. It is also mentioned that whatever service rendered to the people, irrespective of spiritual ones, e.g. propagation of the Islamic faith and guiding them or expending in Allah’s Cause, are not supposed to be compensated by reminding people of them or desiring further increase in possessions granted by God Almighty, since such undesirable acts render the good deeds ineffective.

In this respect, it is mentioned elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an⁷:

The Arabic negative imperative verbal form la tamnun deriving from m-n-n herein implies any word reflecting the significance of something granted someone else. T hus, its relation with the question of

is clarified. Man is supposed to regard his services meager without expecting any remuneration, rather than desire increase which will lead to rendering in vain the righteous good acts. In this vein, the theme of the blessed Verse is reflected in some of the traditions that one is not supposed to grant anyone anything if he desires further increase in return.⁸ Regarding the exegesis of the blessed Verse in question, it is narrated from the Noble Imam Sadiq (as) as saying:

"Do not overestimate the good deed done in Allah’s Cause."

The tradition reflects one of the implications of the universal meaning of the blessed Verse.⁹ The Arabic adverb of manner wahidan may either modify the Creator or the created. The former possibility allows two suggestions:

"Leave Me Alone with him so that I severely chastise him,"

or:

"I created him alone and granted him all these Bounties, but he showed ingratitude.”

The latter possibility may also entail two interpretations either alluding to the point that in his mother’s womb and upon his birth, he was alone, without any possessions or children, but such Bounties were granted him later on; or it may make a reference to the point that he regarded himself and his father unique and unrivaled amongst the Arabs.¹⁰ However, the first of these four interpretations sound further befitting. The blessed Verse 12 says:

The Arabic past participial form mamdud originally denotes "stretched, expanded," though it herein implies the abundant possessions or expansion in temporal and spatial terms. It is also suggested that he possessed numerous gardens and farms and plenty of money and gold. The word implies all these senses, but they were of not avail to him owing to his showing ingratitude and confronting Allah and His Messenger (S). The blessed Verse 13 alludes to the large number of people at his disposal, saying:

They were with their father at all times, since they were neither pressed for means of life nor had they to leave their father behind and depart for a remote place. It is reported in a number of traditions that he had ten children. The blessed Verse 14 makes a reference to other Bounties bestowed upon him, saying:

The Bounties bestowed upon him included healthy body, possessions, healthy children, and social prestige. The Arabic word tamhid, derived from m-h-d, originally denotes preparing a place, like a cradle, for the child, though it connotes all means and opportunities of life in terms of convenience, promotion, prestige, and generally speaking all the Bounties of life and the means of achievement and success. The blessed Verse 15 is saying that in lieu of prostrating himself before God Almighty for all these Bounties, he showed ingratitude and desired further Bounties:

Reference is not only made to Walid ibn Mughayra, since all mamonists are alike in that their thirst may never be quenched and even if the entire world happens to fall into their share, they expect to possess more. The point is that worldly possessions all fall into the shares of men and the distribution depends on Divine Will rather than human knowledge and skills.