قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يُنَجِّيكُم مِّنْهَا وَمِن كُلِّ كَرْبٍ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تُشْرِكُونَ 64
Translations
Say, "It is Allāh who saves you from it and from every distress; then you [still] associate others with Him."
Transliteration
Qul Allahu yunajjikum minha wa min kulli karbin thumma antum tushrikun
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the Prophet (ﷺ) to tell the people that Allah alone is the One who delivers them from distress and every hardship, yet despite this clear manifestation of His power and mercy, they persist in associating partners with Him. Ibn Kathir explains this as highlighting the contradiction of human nature—recognizing Allah's exclusive power in times of crisis while reverting to shirk in times of ease—demonstrating both Allah's patience with His creation and the ingratitude of those who forget their Lord's favors.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Al-An'am, which emphasizes monotheism and refutes polytheistic practices of the Quraysh. The ayah is part of a broader passage addressing the hypocrisy of the idolaters who called upon Allah alone in times of danger but returned to idol worship when safe. This reflects the common Meccan pattern of calling out such contradictions.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'When a man is afflicted with a calamity and says, "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un" (Indeed we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return), Allah will compensate him with reward and a better replacement.' This hadith complements the ayah's theme of turning to Allah in times of distress.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that true faith requires consistency in recognizing Allah's sovereignty in both hardship and ease, rather than selectively calling upon Him only in times of crisis. It encourages believers to maintain gratitude and monotheistic devotion regardless of circumstances, avoiding the trap of compartmentalizing our reliance on Allah.
Related Ayahs
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم بِٱلَّيْلِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا جَرَحْتُم بِٱلنَّهَارِ ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُكُمْ فِيهِ لِيُقْضَىٰٓ أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And it is He who takes your souls by night and knows what you have committed by day. Then He revives you therein [i.e., by day] that a specified term may be fulfilled. Then to Him will be your return; then He will inform you about what you used to do.
وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ ۖ وَلَلدَّارُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ ۗ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion; but the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allāh, so will you not reason?
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَىٰٓ أَجَلًا ۖ وَأَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى عِندَهُۥ ۖ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ
It is He who created you from clay and then decreed a term and a specified time [known] to Him; then [still] you are in dispute.
وَإِن تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allāh. They follow not except assumption, and they are not but misjudging.