Quranic theme
Share
النصيب
8 verses
The Quran frames human effort as a choice between two fields of harvest, where prioritizing immediate gains secures a temporary allotment but forfeits any portion in the Hereafter (42:20). The Arabic concept of a share—frequently expressed as naseeb—appears across matters of eternal reward, the absolute sovereignty of God, and the division of burdens. It is a strict measure of what one has earned, with God declaring Himself swift in reckoning those precise shares (2:202).
What determines a person’s share in the next life?
At the conclusion of pilgrimage rites, the Quran contrasts two types of supplication. Those who pray only for immediate earthly good are granted what they ask, but are left with no portion in the next life (2:200). Classical exegetes emphasize the finality of this loss; as al-Wahidi notes (Al-Tafsir al-Basit, 3/209), the Quranic term khalaq denotes an abundant share (naseeb) of good, specifically referring to a share of Paradise that is entirely lost to those who look only to the present.
The text uses agricultural imagery to reinforce how these allotments are distributed. Whoever desires the harvest of the life to come will see it increased, while the one seeking only a worldly harvest gets a portion of it here, but nothing beyond (42:20). Linguistically, the Quran uses multiple terms to describe these exact portions, with grammarians like Ibn al-Ahnaf noting that words such as kifl function as direct synonyms for naseeb, guaranteeing that a specific allotment is tied to a specific action (Al-Bustan fi I'rab Mushkilat al-Quran, 3/345). Every individual ultimately receives the exact share they have actively worked for (2:202).
Do other entities hold a share of dominion?
The Quran systematically strips away the idea that any entity shares power or ownership with God. When challenging polytheism, it commands the Prophet to tell idolaters that their so-called gods do not control even the weight of a speck of dust in the heavens or the earth. Furthermore, they hold no share in the operation of the universe, nor do they assist God in any capacity (34:22).
While God holds undivided dominion, humans often invent arbitrary and unjust rules to distribute earthly shares among themselves. The Quran condemns the pre-Islamic superstition where men claimed the contents of certain animals' wombs exclusively for themselves. Under these pagan laws, women were forbidden from the meat, only permitted to have a share if the animal's offspring was stillborn (6:139). God promises direct punishment for those who attribute such fabricated divisions to Him.
How does the Quran speak of sharing tasks and wealth?
Sharing is not only a matter of property or reward; it is also a matter of carrying burdens and executing commands. When Moses is ordered to confront Pharaoh, he asks God to augment his strength by allowing his brother Aaron to share in his monumental task (20:31-32).
Conversely, partnership can take a highly destructive form. In a severe warning regarding human vulnerability, God permits Satan to muster his cavalry and infantry against humanity. The decree allows Satan to share in their wealth and their children, embedding corruption into their material and familial lives, while making promises that amount to nothing but delusion (17:64).
The division between what is temporary and what is lasting remains the central criteria for how all portions are finalized. The final accounting rests entirely on whether a person’s efforts were aimed at a worldly harvest, leaving them empty-handed in the end, or if they desired the harvest of the life to come, which God promises to increase (42:20).
Verses
All 8 verses, in mushaf order.
فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُم مَّنَـٰسِكَكُمْ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ كَذِكْرِكُمْ ءَابَآءَكُمْ أَوْ أَشَدَّ ذِكْرًا ۗ فَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَا لَهُۥ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَـٰقٍ
When you have completed your rites, remember God as much as you remember your own fathers, or even more. There are some who pray, ‘Our Lord, give us good in this world,’ and they will have no share in the Hereafter;
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ
They will have the share they have worked for: God is swift in reckoning.
وَقَالُوا۟ مَا فِى بُطُونِ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ خَالِصَةٌ لِّذُكُورِنَا وَمُحَرَّمٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِنَا ۖ وَإِن يَكُن مَّيْتَةً فَهُمْ فِيهِ شُرَكَآءُ ۚ سَيَجْزِيهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
They also say, ‘The contents of these animals’ wombs will be reserved solely for our men and forbidden to our women, though if the offspring is stillborn they may have a share of it.’ He will punish them for what they attribute to Him: He is all wise, all aware.
وَٱسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُم بِصَوْتِكَ وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَوْلَـٰدِ وَعِدْهُمْ ۚ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا
Rouse whichever of them you can with your voice, muster your cavalry and infantry against them, share their wealth and their children with them, and make promises to them- Satan promises them nothing but delusion-
ٱشْدُدْ بِهِۦٓ أَزْرِى
augment my strength through him.
وَأَشْرِكْهُ فِىٓ أَمْرِى
Let him share my task
قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَلَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِيهِمَا مِن شِرْكٍ وَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْهُم مِّن ظَهِيرٍ
Say, ‘Pray to your so-called gods besides God: they do not control even the weight of a speck of dust in heaven or earth, nor do they have any share in them, nor are any of them any help to God.
مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُۥ فِى حَرْثِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ ٱلدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِۦ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُۥ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِن نَّصِيبٍ
If anyone desires a harvest in the life to come, We shall increase it for him; if anyone desires a harvest in this world, We shall give him a share of it, but in the Hereafter he will have no share.