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
قُلْ إِنَّ رَبِّى يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيَقْدِرُ لَهُۥ ۚ وَمَآ أَنفَقْتُم مِّن شَىْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُۥ ۖ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّٰزِقِينَ
Say, "Indeed, my Lord extends provision for whom He wills of His servants and restricts [it] for him. But whatever thing you spend [in His cause] - He will compensate it; and He is the best of providers."
أَنِ ٱعْمَلْ سَـٰبِغَـٰتٍ وَقَدِّرْ فِى ٱلسَّرْدِ ۖ وَٱعْمَلُوا۟ صَـٰلِحًا ۖ إِنِّى بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
[Commanding him], "Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work [all of you] righteousness. Indeed I, of what you do, am Seeing."
قُلْ إِنَّ رَبِّى يَقْذِفُ بِٱلْحَقِّ عَلَّـٰمُ ٱلْغُيُوبِ
Say, "Indeed, my Lord projects the truth, Knower of the unseen."
وَقَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمُ ٱلتَّنَاوُشُ مِن مَّكَانٍۭ بَعِيدٍ
And they will [then] say, "We believe in it!" But how for them will be the taking [of faith] from a place far away?