LessonsSupplementary Practice 28 — Comparative Rhetoric of Sūrat al-Aʿlā and Sūrat al-GhāshiyahQuiz

بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا ۞ وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ
Rather, you prefer worldly life, whereas the Hereafter is better and more lasting. (87:16–17)

Bal redirects attention from the path of success to the preference that undermines it; it is not just another coordinating wāw. The nominal clause assigns superiority and permanence to the Hereafter.

“Better” and “more enduring” supply two different criteria—value and duration. Their combination exposes the error of preferring what is fleeting and produces a strong contrast without a prolonged argument.

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Bal: a corrective turn to the true preference

Supplementary Practice 28 — Comparative Rhetoric of Sūrat al-Aʿlā and Sūrat al-Ghāshiyah

بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا ۞ وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ
Rather, you prefer worldly life, whereas the Hereafter is better and more lasting. (87:16–17)

Bal redirects attention from the path of success to the preference that undermines it; it is not just another coordinating wāw. The nominal clause assigns superiority and permanence to the Hereafter.

“Better” and “more enduring” supply two different criteria—value and duration. Their combination exposes the error of preferring what is fleeting and produces a strong contrast without a prolonged argument.