Surah Al-Baqara 2:96 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection
سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ · Medinan · Verse 96 of 286
وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ ٱلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ حَيَوٰةٍۢ وَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ ۚ يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍۢ وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحْزِحِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلْعَذَابِ أَن يُعَمَّرَ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بَصِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ
English: [Prophet], you are sure to find them clinging to life more eagerly than any other people, even the polytheists. Any of them would wish to be given a life of a thousand years, though even such a long life would not save them from the torment: God sees everything they do.
Bengali: আপনি তাদেরকে জীবনের প্রতি সবার চাইতে, এমনকি মুশরিকদের চাইতেও অধিক লোভী দেখবেন। তাদের প্রত্যেকে কামনা করে, যেন হাজার বছর আয়ু পায়। অথচ এরূপ আয়ু প্রাপ্তি তাদেরকে শাস্তি থেকে রক্ষা করতে পারবে না। আল্লাহ দেখেন যা কিছু তারা করে।
Reflect with the Five Lenses
Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Baqara 2:96:
- Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
- Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
- Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
- Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
- General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?