Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allāh has with Him the best return [i.e., Paradise].
Verse 14 of Surah Ali ’Imran (3:14), a Medinan surah, is in juz 3, on page 51 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 71 reciters.
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Tafsir of verse 14
Al-Mukhtasar
Allah tells us that He has made the love of desirable things of this world attractive to people in order to test them. These desirable things include women, children, wealth (in the form of gold and silver) that is overflowing and piled up, beautiful trained horses, livestock (such as camels, cows and sheep), as well as farmlands – all of which is the enjoyment of the life of the world which lasts only for a short while. A believer should not become attached to these things as Allah has kept the best place of return for him: the Paradise that is as wide as the heavens and the earth.
The love of desirable things has been made appealing to people, such as women, children, hoarded heaps of gold and silver, branded fine horses, livestock, and tilled land. These are the pleasures of the life of this world, but with Allah is the best place of return.
Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world’s life; but Allâh has the excellent return (Paradise with flowing rivers) with Him.
Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring; and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode.
Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: Women and sons; Heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world's life; but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (To return to).
The love of desires, of women and sons and hoarded treasures of gold and silver and well bred horses and cattle and tilth, is made to seem fair to men; this is the provision of the life of this world; and Allah is He with Whom is the good goal (of life).
Adorned for mankind is the love of lusts, for women and seeds, (Or: sons) and heaped-up, heaps (Literally: "arched" hoarded cantars) of gold and silver, and horses of mark, and cattle and tillage. That is the enjoyment (Literally: the belongings) of the present life; (Literally: the lowly life, i.e., the life of this world) and Allah has in His Providence the fairest resorting.
And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allāh and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allāh knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allāh will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.
Allāh has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allāh is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.
