فَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَٰلُهُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَـٰدُهُمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ Qur’an Al-Tawba (9:55)Fal a tuAAjibka amw a luhum wal a awl a duhum innam a yureedu All a hu liyuAAa thth ibahum bih a fee al h ay a ti a l dduny a watazhaqa anfusuhum wahum k a firoon a
Sc., "for which sin they will have to suffer in the life to come". See also 3:178 and 8:28 , and the corresponding notes.
If they appeared to be prosperous, with their purses and their quivers full (metaphorically), they were not to be envied. In reality their wealth and their sons might themselves be a snare: Cf. viii. 28. On this particular occasion this was proved to the hilt. The wealth of the Pagans filled them with pride, darkened their understanding, and led to their destruction. Their sons and followers adopted the Faith which their fathers had fought against, much to the chagrin of the fathers, whose spiritual death was even worse than their discomfiture in this world.
Cf. iii. 176-178.