Meaning: enjoyment · Also translated as: provision, a provision, and a provision, and your baggage
Forms in the Quran
مَتَٰعٌۢ×16
مَتَٰعًۢا×7
وَمَتَٰعٌ×3
وَمَتَٰعًا×3
مَتَٰعِنَا×2
فَمَتَٰعُ×2
وَأَمْتِعَتِكُمْ×1
مَتَٰعَهُمْ×1
Its root in the classical dictionaries
المتوع: الامتداد والارتفاع. يقال: متع النهار ومتع النبات: إذا ارتفع في أول النبات، والمتاع: انتفاع ممتد الوقت، يقال: متعه الله بكذا، وأمتعه، وتمتع به. قال تعالى:
قوله تعالى: ﴿يمتعكم متاعا حسنا﴾ [هود: 3] قيل: معناه يعمركم أي يطيل عمركم. والمادة تدل على الطول، ومنه: رجل ماتع أي طويل. ومتع النهار: طال، وأمتع فلان: طالت مدته. وأمتعني الله بك، أي أطال إيناسي ببقائك، وفي حديث الدجال: «يسخر له جبل ماتع» وفي حديث عمر: «بينما أنا جالس في أهلي إذ متع النهار» وقيل: المتوع الامتداد…
Then did Satan make them slip
From the (Garden), and get them out
Of the state (of felicity) in which
They had been. We said:
"Get ye down, all (ye people),
With enmity between yourselves.
On earth will be your dwelling-place
And your means of livelihood—
For a time."
There is no blame on you
If ye divorce women
Before consummation
Or the fixation of their dower;
But bestow on them
(A suitable gift),
The wealthy
According to his means,
And the poor
According to his means;—
A gift of a reasonable amount
Is due from those
Who wish to do the right thing.
Those of you
Who die and leave widows
Should bequeath
For their widows
A year's maintenance
And residence;
But if they leave
(The residence),
There is no blame on you
For what they do
With themselves,
Provided it is reasonable.
And God is Exalted in Power, Wise.
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 God
Is the best of the goals
(To return to).
Every soul shall have
A taste of death:
And only on the Day
Of Judgment shall you
Be paid your full recompense.
Only he who is saved
Far from the Fire
And admitted to the Garden
Will have attained
The object (of Life):
For the life of this world
Is but goods and chattels
Of deception.
Hast thou not turned
Thy vision to those
Who were told to hold back
Their hands (from fight)
But establish regular prayers
And spend in regular Charity?
When (at length) the order
For fighting was issued to them,
Behold! a section of them
Feared men as
Or even more than
They should have feared God:
They said: "Our Lord!
Why hast Thou ordered us
To fight? Wouldst Thou not
Grant us respite
To our (natural) term,
Near (enough)?" Say: "Short
Is the enjoyment of this world:
The Hereafter is the best
For those who do right:
Never will ye be
Dealt with unjustly
In the very least!
When thou (O Apostle)
Art with them, and standest
To lead them in prayer,
Let one party of them
Stand up (in prayer) with thee,
Taking their arms with them:
When they finish
Their prostrations, let them
Take their position in the rear.
And let the other party come up
Which hath not yet prayed—
And let them pray with thee,
Taking all precautions,
And bearing arms:
The Unbelievers wish,
If ye were negligent
Of your arms and your baggage,
To assault you in a single rush.
But there is no blame on you
If ye put away your arms
Because of the inconvenience
Of rain or because ye are ill;
But take (every) precaution
For yourselves. For the
Unbelievers
God hath prepared
A humiliating punishment.
Lawful to you is the pursuit
Of water-game and its use
For food,—for the benefit
Of yourselves and those who
Travel; but forbidden
Is the pursuit of land-game;—
As long as ye are
In the Sacred Precincts
Or in pilgrim garb.
And fear God, to Whom
Ye shall be gathered back.
O ye who believe! what
Is the matter with you,
That, when ye are asked
To go forth in the Cause of God,
Ye cling heavily to the earth?
Do ye prefer the life
Of this world to the Hereafter?
But little is the comfort
Of this life, as compared
With the Hereafter.
But when he delivereth them,
Behold! they transgress
Insolently through the earth
In defiance of right!
O mankind! your insolence
Is against your own souls,—
An enjoyment of the life
Of the Present: in the end,
To Us is your return,
And We shall show you
The truth of all that ye did.
"(And to preach thus), "Seek ye
The forgiveness of your Lord,
And turn to Him in repentance;
That He may grant you
Enjoyment, good (and true),
For a term appointed,
And bestow His abounding grace
On all who abound in merit!
But if ye turn away,
Then I fear for you
The Penalty of a Great Day:
They said: "O our father!
We went racing with one another,
And left Joseph with our things;
And the wolf devoured him.…
But thou wilt never believe us
Even though we tell the truth.
Then when they opened
Their baggage, they found
Their stock-in-trade had been
Returned to them. They said:
"O our father! What (more)
Can we desire? This our
Stock-in-trade has been returned
To us: so we shall get
(More) food for our family;
We shall take care of our brother;
And add (at the same time)
A full camel's load (of grain
To our provisions).
This is but a small quantity.
He sends down water
From the skies, and the channels
Flow, each according to its measure:
But the torrent bears away
The foam that mounts up
To the surface. Even so,
From that (ore) which they heat
In the fire, to make ornaments
Or utensils therewith,
There is a scum likewise.
Thus doth God (by parables)
Show forth Truth and Vanity.
For the scum disappears
Like froth cast out;
While that which is for the good
Of mankind remains
On the earth. Thus doth God
Set forth parables.
God doth enlarge, or grant
By (strict) measure, the Sustenance
(Which He giveth) to whomso
He pleaseth. (The worldly) rejoice
In the life of this world:
But the life of this world
Is but little comfort
In the Hereafter.