Az-Zumar 39:8
The Troops · Juz 23 · Page 459
۞ وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ ضُرّٞ دَعَا رَبَّهُۥ مُنِيبًا إِلَيۡهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلَهُۥ نِعۡمَةٗ مِّنۡهُ نَسِيَ مَا كَانَ يَدۡعُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِ مِن قَبۡلُ وَجَعَلَ لِلَّهِ أَندَادٗا لِّيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦۚ قُلۡ تَمَتَّعۡ بِكُفۡرِكَ قَلِيلًا إِنَّكَ مِنۡ أَصۡحَٰبِ ٱلنَّارِ ٨
And when adversity touches man, he calls upon his Lord, turning to Him [alone]; then when He bestows on him a favor from Himself, he forgets Him whom he called upon before,1 and he attributes to Allāh equals to mislead [people] from His way. Say, "Enjoy your disbelief for a little; indeed, you are of the companions of the Fire."
1 translator’s note
- Or "that for which he called upon Him before." ↩
Tafsir · in English
Ibn Kathir (abridged)
Medium · The classic, abridged: ayahs explained by ayahs and hadith.
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Commentary on 39:7–8
Allah hates Disbelief and is pleased with Gratitude
Allah tells us that He is Independent and has no need of anything in creation. This is like the Ayah in which Musa, peace be upon him, says:
إِن تَكْفُرُواْ أَنتُمْ وَمَن فِى الاٌّرْضِ جَمِيعًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌ
("If you disbelieve, you and all on earth together, then verily, Allah is Rich, Owner of all praise.") (14:8). In Sahih Muslim, it says:
«يَا عِبَادِي لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ كَانُوا عَلَى أَفْجَرِ قَلْبِ رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ، مَا نَقَصَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ مُلْكِي شَيْئًا»
("O My servants, if the first and the last of you, men and Jinn alike, were all to be as evil as the most evil man among you, that would not diminish from My sovereignty in the least.")
وَلاَ يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ
(He likes not disbelief for His servants.) means, He does not like it and He does not enjoin it.
وَإِن تَشْكُرُواْ يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ
(And if you are grateful, He is pleased therewith for you.) means: He likes this for you and He will increase His favor upon you.
وَلاَ تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى
(No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. ) means, no person can bear anything for another; each person will be asked about his own affairs.
ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
(Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you what you used to do. Verily, He is the All-Knower of that which is in breasts.) means, nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him.
It is an aspect of Man's Disbelief that He remembers Allah at times of difficulty then associates ..
وَإِذَا مَسَّ الإِنسَنَ ضُرٌّ دَعَا رَبَّهُ مُنِيباً إِلَيْهِ
(And when some hurt touches man, he cries to his Lord, turning to Him in repentance.) means, at times of need, he prays to Allah and seeks His help alone, not associating anything with Him. This is like the Ayah:
وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الْضُّرُّ فِى الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلاَ إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا نَجَّكُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ وَكَانَ الإِنْسَنُ كَفُورًا
(And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon vanish from you except Him. But when He brings you safe to land, you turn away. And man is ever ungrateful.) (17:67). Allah says:
ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلَهُ نِعْمَةً مِّنْهُ نَسِىَ مَا كَانَ يَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ مِن قَبْلُ
(But when He bestows a favor upon him from Himself, he forgets that for which he cried for before,) means, at the time of ease, he forgets that supplication and prayer. This is like the Ayah:
وَإِذَا مَسَّ الإِنسَنَ الضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنبِهِ أَوْ قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَآئِمًا فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرَّهُ مَرَّ كَأَن لَّمْ يَدْعُنَآ إِلَى ضُرٍّ مَّسَّهُ
(And when harm touches man, he invokes Us, lying on his side, or sitting or standing. But when We have removed his harm from him, he passes on as if he had never invoked Us for a harm that touched him!) (10:12).
وَجَعَلَ لِلَّهِ أَندَاداً لِّيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ
(and he sets up rivals to Allah, in order to mislead others from His path.) means, at times of ease, he associates others in worship with Allah and sets up rivals to Him.
قُلْ تَمَتَّعْ بِكُفْرِكَ قَلِيلاً إِنَّكَ مِنْ أَصْحَبِ النَّارِ
(Say: "Take pleasure in your disbelief for a while, surely, you are (one) of the dwellers of the Fire!") means, say to those whose way this is, `enjoy your disbelief for a while!' This is a stern threat and solemn warning, as in the Ayat:
قُلْ تَمَتَّعُواْ فَإِنَّ مَصِيرَكُمْ إِلَى النَّارِ
(Say: "Enjoy! But certainly, your destination is the Fire!") (14:30).
نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَى عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ
(We let them enjoy for a little while, then in the end We shall oblige them to (enter) a great torment.) (31:24)
Page 459
39:6
خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٖ وَٰحِدَةٖ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۡهَا زَوۡجَهَا وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمِ ثَمَٰنِيَةَ أَزۡوَٰجٖۚ يَخۡلُقُكُمۡ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمۡ خَلۡقٗا مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَلۡقٖ فِي ظُلُمَٰتٖ ثَلَٰثٖۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمۡ لَهُ ٱلۡمُلۡكُۖ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُصۡرَفُونَ ٦
He created you from one soul. Then He made from it its mate, and He produced for you from the grazing livestock eight mates.1 He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, within three darknesses.2 That is Allāh, your Lord; to Him belongs dominion. There is no deity except Him, so how are you averted?
39:7
إِن تَكۡفُرُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنكُمۡۖ وَلَا يَرۡضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ ٱلۡكُفۡرَۖ وَإِن تَشۡكُرُواْ يَرۡضَهُ لَكُمۡۗ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٞ وِزۡرَ أُخۡرَىٰۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرۡجِعُكُمۡ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ٧
If you disbelieve - indeed, Allāh is Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are grateful, He approves [i.e., likes] it for you; and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you about what you used to do. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
39:8
۞ وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ ضُرّٞ دَعَا رَبَّهُۥ مُنِيبًا إِلَيۡهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلَهُۥ نِعۡمَةٗ مِّنۡهُ نَسِيَ مَا كَانَ يَدۡعُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِ مِن قَبۡلُ وَجَعَلَ لِلَّهِ أَندَادٗا لِّيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦۚ قُلۡ تَمَتَّعۡ بِكُفۡرِكَ قَلِيلًا إِنَّكَ مِنۡ أَصۡحَٰبِ ٱلنَّارِ ٨
And when adversity touches man, he calls upon his Lord, turning to Him [alone]; then when He bestows on him a favor from Himself, he forgets Him whom he called upon before,1 and he attributes to Allāh equals to mislead [people] from His way. Say, "Enjoy your disbelief for a little; indeed, you are of the companions of the Fire."
1 translator’s note
- Or "that for which he called upon Him before." ↩
39:9
أَمَّنۡ هُوَ قَٰنِتٌ ءَانَآءَ ٱلَّيۡلِ سَاجِدٗا وَقَآئِمٗا يَحۡذَرُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةَ وَيَرۡجُواْ رَحۡمَةَ رَبِّهِۦۗ قُلۡ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوِي ٱلَّذِينَ يَعۡلَمُونَ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَلۡبَٰبِ ٩
Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.
39:10
قُلۡ يَٰعِبَادِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمۡۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحۡسَنُواْ فِي هَٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةٞۗ وَأَرۡضُ ٱللَّهِ وَٰسِعَةٌۗ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى ٱلصَّٰبِرُونَ أَجۡرَهُم بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابٖ ١٠
Say,1 "O My servants who have believed, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world is good, and the earth of Allāh is spacious. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account [i.e., limit]."
1 translator’s note
- The Prophet (ﷺ) is instructed to say on behalf of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) to His believing servants. ↩