Translation of the meanings Ayah 20 Surah Al-Hadīd - English Translation - Abdullah Hasan Yaqoub - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

20 : 57

ٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا لَعِبٞ وَلَهۡوٞ وَزِينَةٞ وَتَفَاخُرُۢ بَيۡنَكُمۡ وَتَكَاثُرٞ فِي ٱلۡأَمۡوَٰلِ وَٱلۡأَوۡلَٰدِۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيۡثٍ أَعۡجَبَ ٱلۡكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصۡفَرّٗا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَٰمٗاۖ وَفِي ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ عَذَابٞ شَدِيدٞ وَمَغۡفِرَةٞ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضۡوَٰنٞۚ وَمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلۡغُرُورِ

20. Know that the worldly life is only a play, amusement, adornment, mutual boasting among yourselves, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children. It is like the example of a rain, pleases the tillers its growth; then it dries up so that you will see it become yellow, then becomes debris. But in the Hereafter there is a severe torment (for the deniers) and forgiveness from Allāh and (His) Good Pleasure (for the believers). The life of this world is no more than a deceiving enjoyment ^[9].

[9]. Allāh is not happy with our attention focused on the world. Rather, He encourages that we do not conform to the pattern of this world. Then only you will be able to follow what Allah’s will is - His good, pleasing, and perfect will. We must choose to turn our affections away from the world and toward Allāh only, asking Him to help us love Him more. Allāh out of His Bounty sent us the best example to follow, his last and final messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: 'Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a traveler."
Therefore if you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and take from your life for your death.
Muhammad, God's messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, once laid down upon a reed mat and it left marks on his side. When he woke up, one of his companions started wiping his side, and he said, “O Messenger of God, why do you not let us spread something on top of this mat for you?” The Prophet Muhammad said, “What is the world to me? What am I to the world? Verily, the parable of myself and this world is that of a rider who seeks shade under a tree, then he moves on and leaves it behind.”