The Want of Plenty, Distracted You

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan delves on an explicit explanation of the two Ayats from Surah At-Takathur. The purpose behind this is to make it easy for people to remember Allah, even after a Dars is done. The Ustadh hopes that if one can recite those Ayahs and enjoy something Allah SWT calls Khushoo’, concentration, humility in the prayer, then the end to the means has been achieved.

The word ILHA in the Arabic Language translates it as “DISTRACTION” actually comes from the word LAHU which originally in Arabic means 2 things. It means:

An entertainment.
Something that preoccupies you or gets all of your attention and keeps you from doing something that was much more important. It got so much of your attention that nothing else could get your attention while you were engaged in it.

AT TAKATHUR in it has 3 essential things:

This word first and foremost means “THE WANT”, the desire to have more. It comes from “Kathra”- plentiness, plentifulness. The desire to have more. In other words, we are constantly worried about not what we have, but what we don’t have. We are always worried about getting more. 
The second meaning of AT TAKATHUR is the “STRUGGLE FOR MORE”. Not just the want but to put effort into it and to exhaust yourself in getting that more. 
The third meaning which is critical includes people who will say “We have more than you.” In other words, we have this urge to show off to each other how we have more than they do.