“and do not let your eyes roam beyond them” —that is, do not allow your gaze to pass over them to anyone else; rather, keep looking at them continually and stay with them in their supplications, acts of worship, and all that they do. This is like His statement: “And do not turn your eyes longingly toward the finery We have granted to some pairs of them—the bloom of the life of this world, by which We test them; but the provision of your Lord is better and more lasting” (Ṭā Hā 20:131). Thus His words, “and do not let your eyes roam beyond them,” mean: keep your eyes fixed upon them at all times.

Likewise, He says, “And do not stretch your eyes toward the bloom of the life of this world that We have granted to some of them,” meaning: do not look covetously at the people of the world and the enjoyments they have been given—conveyances, clothing, dwellings, and so forth.

All of that is but the blossom of this world. A blossom’s final end is to wither, dry up, and vanish; it is the quickest leaf on a tree to fade and fall. For that reason He called it a “blossom.” It is indeed attractive in its sheen, beauty, and, if it has one, scent, yet it wilts swiftly. Such is the life of this world: a blossom that withers in no time. We ask Allah to grant us a share and a portion in the Hereafter.

He then says, “so that We might test them therein, yet the provision of your Lord is better and more enduring,” that is, the provision that comes from Allah through obedience to Him. As He, Most High, also says: “Command your family to pray and remain steadfast in it. We do not ask you for provision; We provide for you, and the good outcome belongs to taqwā (God-consciousness)” (Ṭā Hā 20:132).

Whenever the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saw something in this world that pleased him, he would say, “O Allah, the true life is the life of the Hereafter.” Two momentous words indeed: when a person looks at the world he may well find it appealing