قُلْ إِنَّ رَبِّى يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقْدِرُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ 36
Translations
Say, "Indeed, my Lord extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it], but most of the people do not know."
Transliteration
Qul inna Rabbi yabsutul-rizqa liman yasha'u wa yuqaddiru wa lakin aktharan-nasi la ya'lamun
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the Prophet to tell the people that sustenance (rizq) is entirely in the hands of Allah alone—He expands it for whom He wills and restricts it for whom He wills. Ibn Kathir explains this refutes the notion that wealth is earned solely through human effort or that poverty reflects divine displeasure; rather, Allah's distribution of provision follows His infinite wisdom. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that most people fail to recognize this divine reality, attributing their circumstances to chance or personal merit rather than Allah's decree.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Saba, a Meccan chapter addressing the Quraysh's arrogance regarding their wealth and denial of Allah's oneness. The broader context involves refuting the pagan Arabs' misunderstanding of prosperity as proof of their righteousness and their gods' favor, while interpreting poverty as divine punishment—a common jahiliyyah belief the Quran repeatedly corrects.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'No one's wealth increases except through charity' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2280), and 'Seeking provision is a duty after the duty of worshipping Allah' (Al-Hakim), both emphasizing that while Allah controls provision, believers must also strive while trusting in His decree.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that material conditions—wealth or poverty—are divinely ordained tests and not reflections of spiritual worth or divine favor; believers should therefore neither be arrogant in affluence nor despairing in hardship, but trust in Allah's wisdom while fulfilling their responsibilities to seek provision.
Related Ayahs
أَفَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ إِن نَّشَأْ نَخْسِفْ بِهِمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ أَوْ نُسْقِطْ عَلَيْهِمْ كِسَفًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةً لِّكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مُّنِيبٍ
Then, do they not look at what is before them and what is behind them of the heaven and earth? If We should will, We could cause the earth to swallow them or [could] let fall upon them fragments from the sky. Indeed in that is a sign for every servant turning back [to Allāh].
أَفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَم بِهِۦ جِنَّةٌۢ ۗ بَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ وَٱلضَّلَـٰلِ ٱلْبَعِيدِ
Has he invented about Allāh a lie or is there in him madness?" Rather, they who do not believe in the Hereafter will be in the punishment and [are in] extreme error.
وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُنَا بَيِّنَـٰتٍ قَالُوا۟ مَا هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ أَن يَصُدَّكُمْ عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ وَقَالُوا۟ مَا هَـٰذَآ إِلَّآ إِفْكٌ مُّفْتَرًى ۚ وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ
And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, they say, "This is not but a man who wishes to avert you from that which your fathers were worshipping." And they say, "This is not except a lie invented." And those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them, "This is not but obvious magic."
فَأَعْرَضُوا۟ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ ٱلْعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلْنَـٰهُم بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَىْ أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍ وَأَثْلٍ وَشَىْءٍ مِّن سِدْرٍ قَلِيلٍ
But they turned away [refusing], so We sent upon them the flood of the dam, and We replaced their two [fields of] gardens with gardens of bitter fruit, tamarisks and something of sparse lote trees.