“But you prefer the worldly life, (16) while the Hereafter is better and more enduring. (17) Indeed, this is in the former scriptures, (18) the scriptures of Abraham and Moses. (19)”

Concerning “But you prefer,” Abu ‘Amr and Ya‘qub recited it with a yā’, meaning: the wretched people who were mentioned. The others recited it with a tā’; evidence for this is Ubayy ibn Ka‘b’s recitation: “Rather, you prefer the worldly life.” The term “the most wretched” is intended collectively, even though it is in the singular form, because when the definite article denotes a class, it encompasses all its members. It is as though He had said: “The wretched ones will avoid it,” then said: “Rather, you prefer the worldly life.” (1) (2)

Concerning “while the Hereafter is better and more enduring,” ‘Arfajah al-Ashja‘i said: “We were with Ibn Mas‘ud when he recited this verse. He said to us, ‘Do you know why we have preferred the worldly life over the Hereafter?’ We replied, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Because this world has been brought close to us: its food, drink, women, pleasures, and splendor have been made immediate for us. But the Hereafter has been described to us and kept out of our sight; thus we loved what is immediate and abandoned what is deferred.’” (3)

“This” means what has been mentioned, beginning with His words, “Successful indeed is the one who purifies himself,” through the completion (4) of four verses: “is indeed in the former scriptures”—that is, in the earlier Books revealed before the Quran. They mention therein the success of the one who purifies himself and prays, people’s preference for the worldly life over the Hereafter, and that the Hereafter is better and more enduring.

He then clarified which scriptures were meant, saying: “The scriptures of Abraham and Moses.” ‘Ikrimah and al-Suddi said: “This surah is found in the scriptures of Abraham and Moses.”

The Imam Abu ‘Ali al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Qadi informed us; Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Hiri informed us; he informed us: