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How can one reconcile the noble verse: "He originated you from the earth and has made you flourish in it" with the Hadith: "Be in the world as if you are a stranger or a traveler"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Allah Almighty's saying: ﴿وَاسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا﴾ [And He settled you in it] has three interpretations: He made you its inhabitants for the duration of your lives, or He prolonged your lives, or He made you its inhabitants to build it and utilize its resources. There is no contradiction between these interpretations, especially the last one, and the hadith: "Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a transient passerby"; because a stranger needs what sets his affairs aright, and a person needs to cultivate the earth to survive and perform the worship of Allah. This is what the Prophet, peace be upon him, emphasized in the hadith of the seedling. What is blameworthy is attachment to this world and preferring it over the Hereafter, not cultivating the earth.

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

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