مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الْآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ وَمَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِن نَّصِيبٍ
Whoever desires the tillage of the Hereafter, We will enhance for him his tillage, and whoever desires the tillage of the world, We will give it to him, but he will have no share in the Hereafter.
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 42:20
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 42:20] You reap as you sow. Those who believe and do good in this life to seek Allah's pleasure are blessed in this life and also in the hereafter. Allah will also add manifold blessings in the spiritual life of the hereafter. To those who are only engrossed in the vain desires and gains of this world, something may be available to them here but in the blessings of the spiritual world to come they shall have no share because whatever good they did was a show-off.
Ali Muhammad Fazil Chinoy Commentary
Commentary on Quran 42:20-29
Regarding reaping of Eternal gain, for sowing as per couplet 20 above, in the world resultant rewards for the future state may depend upon human intention. If a faithful man is married, it is necessary to have a virtuous faithful wife, with a faithful heart and tongue to produce rewards in the world, in the form of lawful property and faithful children in the world, and by virtuous sowing in form of prayers, fast and obligations and payment of tithe and pilgrimage and self-sacrificing in religious social service, while struggling against the inner foe, and being attached to the truth and justice, shall he reap from the time of participation of the soul to its ultimate salvation by admission to Paradise. Dignity of labour is this which is spiritually performed yielding eternal results. Regarding Couplet 21 all compilation of commentaries with context of Divine Text disregarding one put forth by Divine Light, after the Prophet’s demise, stands liable under association. The entire contents of the Text are indisputably the same as revealed, though deranged, and irregularly referred to. Regarding Couplet 23 when the faithful at Medina (Ansars) having seen the Prophet entertaining new converts and others offered a part of their property to help him in carrying out the Divine Mission, which was the Divine object of human guidance, this Couplet was revealed. Material help, beyond what God has fixed in the form of tithe, khums, and Divine trust was not necessary, so self-sacrifice of life and sincere attachment in Islam, which could equally be shared alike by the poor and the rich was enjoined on Muslims. Jas as prayers have been enjoined five times a day on all Muslims, rich and poor, healthy and the sick, to prove their supplication to God as Divine Lights are only torch-bearers of Islam, those which have followed them with life and property and have proved their sincerity since the time of the Prophet to this day. This command was also applicable to previous Prophets (see Moral paragraph 9, page 71, of the first set). Regarding 26, those who pray for their faithful brethren in their absence shall be permitted to intercede on behalf of the sinful Shias. Regarding 27, “On the present doctrine of self-sufficiency against Divine design of making creation, it is usually dependent upon one another unlike Himself?” Man has been subjected to trial under resistance of the devil and he does not like servitude and prefers guns to butter after sheer vanity, thus urging sacrifice of social welfare in the name of self-sufficiency, which would be a denial of co-operative action in the sphere of economic relation, as could benefit all the co-operators with present critical conflicting ideologies, maintenance of peace in trembling in the balance. They want a world government, constituents of which shall be all multiple governments, each having its Eternal Dominant Government, which has been existing before their creation, and which promises food, clothing and hutting to His creation, not only in this world, but promises eternal felicity after death, provided they own fealty to Him and to Whom they have to revert finally.