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Why did verse 18 of Surat Al-Isra use the past tense in "Whoever desired the immediate (world)," while verse 19 used the past tense in "And whoever desired the Hereafter"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Part of the eloquence of the Quran is its varied style. In the verse: {Whoever desires the immediate [worldly life], We hasten for him therein what We will, for whom We intend}, the sentence begins with a past tense verb, followed by "yarīdu" (present tense). Al-Naysaburi and Ibn Ashour explained this difference. Al-Naysaburi believes that "kāna yurīdu" (was desiring) indicates that the condemnation of one who desires this world only applies if that desire is persistent, whereas praise for one who desires the Hereafter is given for even the slightest inclination. As for Ibn Ashour, he believes that "kāna" (was) with the present tense verb signifies the continuity and repetition of people's desire for the immediate (worldly life), while the past tense verb in "And whoever desires the Hereafter" indicates the firmly rooted nature of the desire for good in the Hereafter.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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