وَإِذَآ أَذَقْنَا ٱلنَّاسَ رَحْمَةً فَرِحُوا۟ بِهَا ۖ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ إِذَا هُمْ يَقْنَطُونَ 36
Translations
And when We let the people taste mercy, they rejoice therein, but if evil afflicts them for what their hands have put forth, immediately they despair.
Transliteration
Wa-idha adhaqna al-nasa rahmatan farihu biha wa-in tusibhum sayyiah bima qaddamat aydihim idha hum yaqnatun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes human nature's inconsistency in responding to divine blessings and trials: when people taste Allah's mercy and blessings, they rejoice in them, but when hardship befalls them as a consequence of their own deeds, they fall into despair and hopelessness. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this ayah illustrates the weakness of human faith and the tendency to forget Allah during times of ease, and to lose hope during difficulty, reflecting a lack of trust in Allah's wisdom and mercy.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ar-Rum's broader theme of reflecting on divine signs and human nature. The surah addresses the Meccan Arabs' inconsistent behavior and their forgetfulness of Allah's favors. The context emphasizes how nations and individuals cycle through prosperity and adversity, and how their responses reveal the state of their hearts and their relationship with their Creator.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The greatest sin is that a servant despairs of the mercy of Allah' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, 'No hardship is inflicted upon a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it' (Sahih Bukhari), which relates to the ayah's mention of trials being consequences of one's deeds.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers to maintain consistent faith during both prosperity and adversity, recognizing that hardships often result from our own actions and should prompt repentance rather than despair. True believers should trust in Allah's mercy even in difficulty, understanding that trials are opportunities for spiritual growth and redemption.
Related Ayahs
كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Thus does Allāh seal the hearts of those who do not know.
وَمِنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ يُرِيكُمُ ٱلْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَيُحْىِۦ بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَآ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
And of His signs is [that] He shows you the lightning [causing] fear and aspiration, and He sends down rain from the sky by which He brings to life the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed in that are signs for a people who use reason.
وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ وَٱلْإِيمَـٰنَ لَقَدْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِى كِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّهِ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْبَعْثِ ۖ فَهَـٰذَا يَوْمُ ٱلْبَعْثِ وَلَـٰكِنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
But those who were given knowledge and faith will say, "You remained the extent of Allāh's decree until the Day of Resurrection, and this is the Day of Resurrection, but you did not used to know."
وَمِنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦٓ أَنْ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ إِذَآ أَنتُم بَشَرٌ تَنتَشِرُونَ
And of His signs is that He created you from dust; then, suddenly you were human beings dispersing [throughout the earth].