Competition in Worldly Increase Diverted You Until You Visited the Graves — The Great Delusion
tadabbur
Level: basic
akhirah
td-072
أَلۡهَىٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ حَتَّىٰ زُرۡتُمُ ٱلۡمَقَابِرَ
— التكاثر 1
Verse: "Competition in worldly increase diverted you until you visited the graves." (102:1-2)
"Until you visited the graves": "Until" here indicates the limit — the diversion continued until death came! Visiting graves is a metaphor for dying — the deceased is a temporary visitor to the grave before resurrection.
Lesson: Accumulation is not forbidden in itself — being diverted by it is forbidden. The difference: did money divert you from Allah, or do you possess money while your heart belongs to Allah?
Source: Ibn Kathir (8/432); Al-Sadi; Al-Qurtubi (20/164)
Question: What is the difference between the blameworthy "competition in increase" and permissible wealth?
Answer: The blameworthy: accumulation that diverts from Allah and reverses priorities. Permissible: possessing wealth while the heart remains for Allah and time for His worship.