Surah Al-Humazah — 104:3

Reflection

A belief holds the rest of this portrait together, and the surah gives it as a private assumption rather than a boast — the man is never shown saying it. Its verb is one of calculation, matching the counting a line earlier: he runs the same arithmetic over his lifespan that he runs over his money. Akhlada belongs to khuld, the endless span promised of the garden, so his wealth is asked for the one thing only the garden gives.