فَأَمَّا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَأَكْرَمَهُۥ وَنَعَّمَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَكْرَمَنِ 15
Translations
And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, "My Lord has honored me."
Transliteration
Fa-amma al-insanu idha ma ibtalahu rabbuhu fa-akramahu wa-na''amahu fa-yaqolu rabbi akramani
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes a person whom Allah tests by granting him wealth, honor, and blessings, leading him to attribute his success solely to his own merit, saying 'My Lord has honored me.' Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this represents ingratitude and spiritual blindness—the person fails to recognize Allah's bounty as the true source of his blessing and instead becomes arrogant, believing he deserves it through his own efforts. The ayah serves as a warning against the spiritual danger of prosperity when it leads to forgetfulness of Allah.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Fajr is a Meccan chapter that contrasts the responses of different people to Allah's tests and trials. This ayah is part of a broader passage (verses 15-20) that juxtaposes two types of people: those who become ungrateful and self-deluded when blessed with wealth, and those who are stingy in charity. The surah emphasizes the consequences of these attitudes on the Day of Judgment.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). More directly related, the Prophet warned against arrogance stemming from wealth: 'Whoever has in his heart arrogance equal to the weight of a mustard seed shall not enter Paradise' (Sahih Muslim 91).
Themes
Key Lesson
When we experience prosperity and blessings, we must maintain humble awareness that all good comes from Allah alone, not from our own abilities or merits. True gratitude requires recognizing divine bounty and using blessings to serve others and draw closer to Allah, rather than becoming proud and self-deluded.