Fussilat 41:50
Explained in Detail · Juz 25 · Page 482
وَلَئِنۡ أَذَقۡنَٰهُ رَحۡمَةٗ مِّنَّا مِنۢ بَعۡدِ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتۡهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَٰذَا لِي وَمَآ أَظُنُّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةٗ وَلَئِن رُّجِعۡتُ إِلَىٰ رَبِّيٓ إِنَّ لِي عِندَهُۥ لَلۡحُسۡنَىٰۚ فَلَنُنَبِّئَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنۡ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٖ ٥٠
And if We let him taste mercy from Us after an adversity which has touched him, he will surely say, "This is [due] to me,1 and I do not think the Hour will occur; and [even] if I should be returned to my Lord, indeed, for me there will be with Him the best." But We will surely inform those who disbelieved about what they did, and We will surely make them taste a massive punishment.
1 translator’s note
- Because of my effort, knowledge, excellence, etc. ↩
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Commentary on 41:49–51
Man is fickle when Ease comes to Him after Difficulty
Allah tells us that man never gets bored of asking his Lord for good things, such as wealth, physical health, etc., but if evil touches him -- i.e., trials and difficulties or poverty --
فَيَئُوسٌ قَنُوطٌ
(then he gives up all hope and is lost in despair.), i.e., he thinks that he will never experience anything good again.
وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنَّا مِن بَعْدِ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَذَا لِى
(And truly, if We give him a taste of mercy from Us, after some adversity has touched him, he is sure to say: "This is due to my (merit)...") means, if something good happens to him or some provision comes to him after a period of difficulty, he says, `this is because of me, because I deserve this from my Lord.'
وَمَآ أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً
(I think not that the Hour will be established.) means, he does not believe that the Hour will come. So when he is given some blessing, he becomes careless, arrogant and ungrateful, as Allah says:
كَلاَّ إِنَّ الإِنسَنَ لَيَطْغَى - أَن رَّءَاهُ اسْتَغْنَى
(Nay! Verily, man does transgress. Because he considers himself self-sufficient.) (96:6)
وَلَئِن رُّجِّعْتُ إِلَى رَبِّى إِنَّ لِى عِندَهُ لَلْحُسْنَى
(But if I am brought back to my Lord, surely there will be for me the best with Him.) means, `if there is a Hereafter after all, then my Lord will be generous and kind to me just as He was in this world.' So he expects Allah to do him favors in spite of his bad deeds and lack of certain faith. Allah says:
فَلَنُنَبِّئَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِّنْ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ
(Then, We verily will show to the disbelievers what they have done, and We shall make them taste a severe torment.) Thus Allah threatens punishment and vengeance to those whose conduct and belief is like that.
وَإِذَآ أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَى الإنْسَنِ أَعْرَضَ وَنَأَى بِجَانِبِهِ
(And when We show favor to man, he turns away and becomes arrogant;) means, he turns away from doing acts of obedience and is too proud to obey the commands of Allah. This is like the Ayah:
فَتَوَلَّى بِرُكْنِهِ
(But Fir`awn turned away along with his hosts) (51:39).
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ
(but when evil touches him,) means, difficulties,
فَذُو دُعَآءٍ عَرِيضٍ
(then he has recourse to long supplications.) means, he asks at length for one thing. Long supplications are those which are long on words and short on meaning. The opposite is concise speech which is brief but full of meaning. And Allah says:
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)
Page 482
41:47
۞ إِلَيۡهِ يُرَدُّ عِلۡمُ ٱلسَّاعَةِۚ وَمَا تَخۡرُجُ مِن ثَمَرَٰتٖ مِّنۡ أَكۡمَامِهَا وَمَا تَحۡمِلُ مِنۡ أُنثَىٰ وَلَا تَضَعُ إِلَّا بِعِلۡمِهِۦۚ وَيَوۡمَ يُنَادِيهِمۡ أَيۡنَ شُرَكَآءِي قَالُوٓاْ ءَاذَنَّٰكَ مَا مِنَّا مِن شَهِيدٖ ٤٧
To Him [alone] is attributed knowledge of the Hour. And fruits emerge not from their coverings nor does a female conceive or give birth except with His knowledge. And the Day He will call to them, "Where are My 'partners'?" they will say, "We announce to You that there is [no longer] among us any witness [to that]."
41:48
وَضَلَّ عَنۡهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يَدۡعُونَ مِن قَبۡلُۖ وَظَنُّواْ مَا لَهُم مِّن مَّحِيصٖ ٤٨
And lost from them will be those they were invoking before, and they will be certain that they have no place of escape.
41:49
لَّا يَسۡـَٔمُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ مِن دُعَآءِ ٱلۡخَيۡرِ وَإِن مَّسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ فَيَـُٔوسٞ قَنُوطٞ ٤٩
Man is not weary of supplication for good [things], but if evil touches him, he is hopeless and despairing.
41:50
وَلَئِنۡ أَذَقۡنَٰهُ رَحۡمَةٗ مِّنَّا مِنۢ بَعۡدِ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتۡهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَٰذَا لِي وَمَآ أَظُنُّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةٗ وَلَئِن رُّجِعۡتُ إِلَىٰ رَبِّيٓ إِنَّ لِي عِندَهُۥ لَلۡحُسۡنَىٰۚ فَلَنُنَبِّئَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنۡ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٖ ٥٠
And if We let him taste mercy from Us after an adversity which has touched him, he will surely say, "This is [due] to me,1 and I do not think the Hour will occur; and [even] if I should be returned to my Lord, indeed, for me there will be with Him the best." But We will surely inform those who disbelieved about what they did, and We will surely make them taste a massive punishment.
1 translator’s note
- Because of my effort, knowledge, excellence, etc. ↩
41:51
وَإِذَآ أَنۡعَمۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡإِنسَٰنِ أَعۡرَضَ وَنَـَٔا بِجَانِبِهِۦ وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ فَذُو دُعَآءٍ عَرِيضٖ ٥١
And when We bestow favor upon man, he turns away and distances himself; but when evil touches him, then he is full of extensive supplication.
41:52
قُلۡ أَرَءَيۡتُمۡ إِن كَانَ مِنۡ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ كَفَرۡتُم بِهِۦ مَنۡ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنۡ هُوَ فِي شِقَاقِۭ بَعِيدٖ ٥٢
Say, "Have you considered: if it [i.e., the Qur’ān] is from Allāh and you disbelieved in it, who would be more astray than one who is in extreme dissension?"
41:53
سَنُرِيهِمۡ ءَايَٰتِنَا فِي ٱلۡأٓفَاقِ وَفِيٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمۡ أَنَّهُ ٱلۡحَقُّۗ أَوَلَمۡ يَكۡفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ شَهِيدٌ ٥٣
We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.1 But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?2
41:54
أَلَآ إِنَّهُمۡ فِي مِرۡيَةٖ مِّن لِّقَآءِ رَبِّهِمۡۗ أَلَآ إِنَّهُۥ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٖ مُّحِيطُۢ ٥٤
Unquestionably, they are in doubt about the meeting with their Lord. Unquestionably He is, of all things, encompassing.
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy