18-45 And set forth to them the parable of the life of this world as water which We send down from the cloud, so the herbage of the earth becomes luxuriant thereby, then it becomes dry, broken into pieces which the winds scatter. And Allah is the Holder of power over all things.a
وَٱضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخْتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلْأَرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًۭا تَذْرُوهُ ٱلرِّيَـٰحُ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ مُّقْتَدِرًا (۴۵)
18-45a: هَشِيمًۭا – ھَشمۡ means soft, like herbage (R) or is used for breaking something which is dry and hollow (LA) and hence applies to breaking bones etc. ھشیم means dried, fallen leaves that break and get crushed, as in: فَكَانُوا۟ كَهَشِيمِ ٱلْمُحْتَظِرِ : So they were like the dry fragments of trees, which the maker of an enclosure collects (54:31) .
تَذْرُوهُ – ذَرۡو is used for the wind kicking up the dirt and scattering it, as in: وَٱلذَّٰرِيَـٰتِ ذَرْوًۭا :By those scattering broadcast (51:1) (LA).
مُّقْتَدِر – It has the same meaning as قدیر powerful; capable but is more informative (LA). مُّقْتَدِرً is spoken of humans as well and means one who gains power through acquisition (R).
Worldly adornments are transitory: How wise is the Quranic discourse! Since the Christian nations are proud exclusively of their worldly trimmings and adornments, the reality of the transitory beauty is conveyed here. It is stated that these things too are bequeathed by Allah, but they are like herbage, which for a time appears beautiful and pleasing to the eyes as the lush green fields sway gently in the breeze, but then a time comes when it dries and becomes chaff. This is also a reflection of the lives of nations. There is a time when a nation reaches perfection in the adornments of this world, and then a time comes when there is no trace left of it. This is referenced in عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ مُّقْتَدِرًا : Allah is the Holder of power over all things.
18-46 Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of this world; but the ever-abiding, the good works, are better with thy Lord in reward and better in hope.a
ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًۭا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًۭا (۴۶)
18-46a: أَمَلًۭا – اَمَل and اَمِل means the last hope, and its plural is اٰمال (LA).
The permanence of good deeds: To set up a contrast with the worldly adornments and ornamentations, the source of true, abiding beauty is mentioned, called بَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ever-abiding for which see 6-238a. Actions performed with the sole objective of seeking the pleasure of Allah are the only ones that survive forever, because they result in a reward which lasts forever as stated in: وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُۥ مِن نِّعْمَةٍۢ تُجْزَىٰٓ إِلَّا ٱبْتِغَآءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَىٰ :And none has with him any boon for a reward. Except the seeking of the pleasure of his Lord, the Most High. And he will soon be well pleased (92:19-21). The Hadith, when explaining ٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰت ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ has invocations such as: سبحان اللّٰه – الحمد اللّٰه – اللّٰه اکبر – لا اله الا اللّٰه which means that they are included in ٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ ever-abiding good works.
18-47 And the day when We cause the mountains to pass away, and thou seest the earth a levelled plain and We gather them together and leave none of them behind.a
وَيَوْمَ نُسَيِّرُ ٱلْجِبَالَ وَتَرَى ٱلْأَرْضَ بَارِزَةًۭ وَحَشَرْنَـٰهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًۭا (۴۷)
18-47a: نُسَيِّر – سار means to walk and the meaning of سَیَّرہٗ مِنۡ بَلَدِ is he was expelled from his city and exiled. The meaning of سَیَّرتُ الجُلَّ عن ظھر الد ابَّةِ is I took the saddle off the back of the animal (LA). سَیَّرتُه‘ has plurality and in نَسِیۡر sometimes contains the intention and will of the traveler, as in هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُسَيِّرُكُمْ : He it is Who makes you travel (10:22). Sometimes نَسِیۡر means being made to walk through another’s power and control, as is the case here (R).
بَارِزَة – For بَرَذ see 2-250a. بَارِزَة means that the earth will become a levelled plain in which there will be no barriers. Because بَرَذ is sometimes used for the manifestation of a secret condition, بَارِزَة can have the same meaning, as in يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ ٱلْأَرْضُ غَيْرَ ٱلْأَرْضِ : On the day that the earth will be changed into a different earth (14:48).
نُغَادِرْ – غَدۡر means to leave something and to abandon it and hence it is also used for breaking a covenant. غدِیر is water moved to a low lying area after a flood, and the meaning of غادر is also to leave, go away, depart.
In this verse and the next, Allah has mentioned the Resurrection, where the wealth of this world will be of no use. All the words used for the Resurrection are generally metaphorically also applicable and true for the nearer resurrection, or the destruction of a nation.
18-48 And they are brought before thy Lord in ranks. Now certainly you have come to Us as We created you at first. Nay, you thought that We had not made an appointment for you.a
وَعُرِضُوا۟ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ صَفًّۭا لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۭ ۚ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّن نَّجْعَلَ لَكُم مَّوْعِدًۭا (۴۸)
18-48a: عُرِضُوا۟ – عَرَضۡتُ علیه means made it manifest for him (LA).
صَفًّۭا – صَفّ means to arrange in a straight line. What is meant by brought before their Lord in ranks? It is stated in a hadith that Allah will cause the former and later generations to stand in one place formed into rows. It can also mean that that they will be made to stand in one row, indicating they will be presented before their Lord without any differentiation. It can also mean that the followers of different prophets will be made to stand in different rows. Some have said the description is metaphorical and it refers to Allah’s pronouncing his judgement about them (RM).
لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا – Certainly you have come to Us, is either direct speech meaning We will say or it will be said to them or, the past tense is used in place of the future tense because of the certain knowledge of the event occurring, which indicates that our second birth is a certain reality just as our first birth is a reality. I consider the second explanation preferable.
مَّوْعِدًۭ – is an indefinite masculine noun in the accusative case (اسم زمان) derived from وعد. It refers to the promise about the second birth, and the verbal noun with the letter م has the meaning of promise.
18-49 And the book is placed, and thou seest the guilty fearing for what is in it, and they say: O woe to us! what a book is this! It leaves out neither a small thing nor a great one, but numbers them (all), and they find what they did confronting them. And thy Lord wrongs not anyone.
وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةًۭ وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًۭا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًۭا (۴۹)
18-49a: وُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ – وَضۡع means putting, positioning, placement, and وُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ means to manifest the deeds of people, like is stated in: وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ كِتَـٰبًۭا يَلْقَىٰهُ مَنشُورًا : We shall bring forth to him on the day of Resurrection a book which he will find wide open (17:13). See 17-13a (R).
صَغِيرَةًۭ – See 4-21a regarding the discussion about کبیرۃ and it is stated: وَكُلُّ صَغِيرٍۢ وَكَبِيرٍۢ مُّسْتَطَرٌ : And everything small and great is written down (54:53) and further it is stated: وَلَآ أَصْغَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكْبَرَ : nor anything less than that nor greater (10:61).
This mention of good and evil based on the size of deeds, being small or great, is how actions are assessed for impact and consequences. All types of deeds are included in this category.
Bayan-ul-Quran 