أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَىٰ مَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۖ فَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَآ ءَالَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُم مُّلْكًا عَظِيمًا 54
Translations
Or do they envy people for what Allāh has given them of His bounty? But We had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.
Transliteration
Am yaḥsudūn an-nāsa ʿalā mā ātāhum ul-Lāhu min faḍlihi, faqad ātaynā āla Ibrāhīm al-kitāb wa-l-ḥikmah wa-ātaynāhum mulkan ʿaẓīmā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rebukes those who harbor envy toward people whom Allah has blessed with His favors, whether wealth, knowledge, or status. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as addressing the Jews' jealousy toward the Muslims and their denial of the Prophet's message. The ayah then establishes that Allah's bestowal of blessing is His sovereign choice, exemplified by His granting the family of Ibrahim the Book, wisdom, and a great kingdom—demonstrating that such gifts came through divine selection, not human merit.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Nisa (revealed in Madinah) and contextually addresses the disputes between the Muslims and the People of the Book, particularly regarding prophethood and divine favor. The specific reference to the family of Ibrahim relates to the broader Quranic discussion of prophetic lineage and the transmission of divine knowledge, which was a point of contention between communities in Madinah.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said: 'Do not envy one another; do not inflate prices against one another; do not hate one another; do not turn away from one another; and do not undercut one another in trade. Rather be servants of Allah as brothers.' (Sahih Muslim 2563). Additionally, the Prophet warned against envy, stating: 'Envy consumes good deeds as fire consumes wood.' (Sunan Ibn Majah 4206)
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah's distribution of blessings is based on His infinite wisdom, not human expectations, and that harboring envy toward others' fortune is both spiritually destructive and a rejection of divine wisdom. Believers should focus on gratitude for their own provisions and trust in Allah's perfect justice rather than comparing themselves to others.
Related Ayahs
وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَهُمُ ٱلطُّورَ بِمِيثَـٰقِهِمْ وَقُلْنَا لَهُمُ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ لَا تَعْدُوا۟ فِى ٱلسَّبْتِ وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُم مِّيثَـٰقًا غَلِيظًا
And We raised over them the mount for [refusal of] their covenant; and We said to them, "Enter the gate bowing humbly"; and We said to them, "Do not transgress on the sabbath"; and We took from them a solemn covenant.
وَإِنِ ٱمْرَأَةٌ خَافَتْ مِنۢ بَعْلِهَا نُشُوزًا أَوْ إِعْرَاضًا فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَآ أَن يُصْلِحَا بَيْنَهُمَا صُلْحًا ۚ وَٱلصُّلْحُ خَيْرٌ ۗ وَأُحْضِرَتِ ٱلْأَنفُسُ ٱلشُّحَّ ۚ وَإِن تُحْسِنُوا۟ وَتَتَّقُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا
And if a woman fears from her husband contempt or evasion, there is no sin upon them if they make terms of settlement between them - and settlement is best. And present in [human] souls is stinginess. But if you do good and fear Allāh - then indeed Allāh is ever, of what you do, Aware.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَن يُفَرِّقُوا۟ بَيْنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَيَقُولُونَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَّخِذُوا۟ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا
Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allāh and His messengers and wish to discriminate between Allāh and His messengers and say, "We believe in some and disbelieve in others," and wish to adopt a way in between -
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ رِئَآءَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَلَا بِٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ۗ وَمَن يَكُنِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لَهُۥ قَرِينًا فَسَآءَ قَرِينًا
And [also] those who spend of their wealth to be seen by the people and believe not in Allāh nor in the Last Day. And he to whom Satan is a companion - then evil is he as a companion.