أَهُمْ يَقْسِمُونَ رَحْمَتَ رَبِّكَ نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ مَعِيشَتَهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِيَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا سُخْرِيًّا وَرَحْمَتُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ ﴿۳۲﴾ وَلَوْلَا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً لَجَعَلْنَا لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ﴿۳۳﴾ وَلِبُيُوتِهِمْ أَبْوَابًا وَسُرُرًا عَلَيْهَا يَتَّكِئُونَ ﴿۳۴﴾ وَزُخْرُفًا وَإِنْ كُلُّ ذَلِكَ لَمَّا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةُ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿۳۵﴾

﴾32﴿ A hum yaqsimoona rahmata Rabbik; Nahnu qasamnaa bainahum ma'eeshatahum fil hayaatid dunyaa wa rafa'naa ba'dahum fawqa ba'din darajaatin li yattakhiza ba'duhum ba'dan sukhriyyaa; wa rahmatu Rabbika khairun mimmaa yajma'oon
﴾33﴿ Wa law laaa any yakoonan naasu ummatanw waahidatan laja'alnaa limany yakfuru bir Rahmaani li buyootihim suqufan min fiddatinw wa ma'aarija 'alaihaa yazharoon
﴾34﴿ Wa li buyootihim abwaabanw wa sururan 'alaihaa yattaki'oon
﴾35﴿ Wa zukhrufaa; wa in kullu zaalika lammaa mataa'ul hayaatid dunyaa; wal aakhiratu 'inda Rabbika lilmuttaqeen

﴾32﴿ Is it they who distribute the mercy of your Lord? It is We who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world and raised some of them above others in ranks so that some may take others as servants. But the mercy of your Lord is better than what they accumulate
﴾33﴿ And if it were not that mankind would become one community (united in disbelief), We would have made for those who disbelieve in the Most Merciful roofs of silver for their houses, and stairways upon which they ascend
﴾34﴿ And for their rooms, doors, and couches upon which they recline
﴾35﴿ And We would have given them gold as well. But all of this is nothing but the fleeting enjoyment of worldly life, while the Hereafter with your Lord is for the righteous

[32] This is a refutation of their false notion, which was essentially that they believed the distribution of prophethood was in their own hands and according to their opinions.
When the decision went against their desires, they denied it.
The essence of the refutation is: prophethood and messengership are a special mercy from Allah the Exalted, and no one has authority over it—so on what basis do they presume to distribute it according to their own views?
The phrase (نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا)—“We have apportioned”—is an emphatic rejection of their stance.
It implies: even the worldly life, which is insignificant, is not in their control.
(مَعِيشَتَهُمْ) refers to the means of worldly livelihood. Since this distribution is also in the hands of Allah the Exalted, we observe that sometimes a person of limited intellect may be wealthy, and another person of intelligence may be poor.
At times, a person tries many methods and tricks to earn wealth but gains nothing, while another receives great wealth with little effort.
This shows that authority and control lie with Allah alone.
The verse (وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ)—“We raised some of them above others in ranks”—indicates that one is rich, another poor; one is free, another a slave; one is a king, another a subject; one intelligent, another of weak mind—all of this is under Allah’s will.
(لِيَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا سُخْرِيًّا)—this explains the wisdom behind these differences in rank: so that some may serve others—as workers, servants, or laborers—thereby ensuring the functioning of worldly systems.
Here, sukhriyya is derived from taskhīr (to make subservient).
A second meaning is that the lām in liyattakhidha indicates the eventual outcome, and sukhriyya means being mocked—i.e., the consequence of these differences is that the wealthy mock the poor.
[33,34,35] This verse highlights the lowliness of worldly life. It connects to the phrase (خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ)—“better than what they accumulate”—as well as to verse 31, and it serves as a further refutation of the idea that wealth is a sign of greatness.
The point is: worldly wealth is so insignificant in the sight of Allah the Exalted that it has no value suitable to the honor of a believer. Rather, it aligns more closely with the condition of disbelievers.
So, ideally, all wealth would be given to the disbelievers and none to the believers—but a divine wisdom prevents this. That wisdom is: if all wealth were given to the disbelievers, then all people would become disbelievers, and there would not remain a single believer.
The phrase (أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً) refers to everyone becoming disbelievers or all people turning toward worldly pursuit.
The meaning is: had it not been for the danger of everyone becoming disbelievers or worldly-minded, We would have granted all silver and gold to the disbelievers—but Allah does not desire universal disbelief. Therefore, He did not give all wealth to the disbelievers, so that not everyone would turn to disbelief or materialism.
(سُقُفًا مِن فِضَّةٍ)—“roofs of silver,” and similarly stairs, doors, and couches—these four are mentioned specifically because they are commonly made from wood or iron, while other structures are made from mud bricks or stone.
Those made of wood or iron are described as being made of silver in this hypothetical example—and silver is specially mentioned because it also adds a certain brightness and shine to a home.