Surah Al Isra Tafseer

انظُرْ كَيْفَ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ

See how We prefer one above another,

meaning in this world, so that some are rich and some are poor, and others are in between; some are beautiful, some are ugly and others are in between; some die young while others live to a great age, and some die in between.

وَلَلخِرَةُ أَكْبَرُ دَرَجَاتٍ وَأَكْبَرُ تَفْضِيلً

and verily, the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preferment.

means, the differences between them in the Hereafter will be greater than the differences between them in this world. Some of them will be in varying levels of Hell, in chains and fetters, while others will be in the lofty degrees of Paradise, with its blessings and delights.

The people of Hell will vary in their positions and levels, just as the people of Paradise will.

In Paradise there are one hundred levels, and the distance between one level and another is like the distance between heaven and earth.

It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that the Prophet said:

إِنَّ أَهْلَ الدَّرَجَاتِ الْعُلَى لَيَرَوْنَ أَهْلَ عِلِّيِّينَ كَمَا تَرَوْنَ الْكَوْكَبَ الْغَابِرَ فِي أُفُقِ السَّمَاء

The people of the highest levels (of Paradise) will see the people of `Illiyin as if they are looking at distant stars on the horizon