By: Mufti Shafi Usmani
Source: http://www.allahcentric.com/
“Know well that the worldly life is but a play and an amusement, and a show of beauty, and exchange of boastful claims between you, and a competition of increase in riches and children.” (Surah al-Hadid v 20)
“The verse depicts the involvements of a human being that he cheerfully enjoys from the inception of his life up to its end. The verse summarizes these involvements in the same order in which they occur.
From the inception to the end of his life, man leads his life in the following order: la’ib [play], lahw [amusement], zinah [show of beauty], tafikhur [exchange of boastful claims] and takathur [competition of increase in riches and children].
The word la’ib (play) refers to a play that has no purpose at all, like the movements of little children. The lahw [amusement or pastime] is a game or sport meant initially for amusement and enjoyment, but it may serve also some other subsidiary purpose like physical exercise.
It includes all the sports of the bigger children such as playing with a ball or swimming or target-shooting. Prophetic Traditions have termed swimming and target-shooting as good sports. The early stage of one’s life is spent in play and amusement.
Then comes a stage in his youth when man wants to adorn his body and dress and to show their beauty, which is described in the verse as ‘zinah’. Then comes a stage in which man is tempted to prove his superiority over his mates and to make boastful claims. In old age, a keen competition and rivalry sets in to amass wealth and multiply. When man goes through a particular phase of life, he feels satisfied with it. But when that phase is over, he realizes its absurdity and hollowness and takes to the next phase of life.”
(Ma’ariful Qur’an by Mufti Shafi Usmani, Volume 8, p 326)