Surah Zumar ayat 49 Tafsir Quran 39:49

﴿فَإِذَا مَسَّ الْإِنسَانَ ضُرٌّ دَعَانَا ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلْنَاهُ نِعْمَةً مِّنَّا قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ ۚ بَلْ هِيَ فِتْنَةٌ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ﴾
[ الزمر: 49]

39:49 And when adversity touches man, he calls upon Us; then when We bestow on him a favor from Us, he says, "I have only been given it because of [my] knowledge." Rather, it is a trial, but most of them do not know.

So when some distress befalls man al-insān here a generic he supplicates Us. Then when We bestow on him a grace from Us he says ‘I was given it merely by force of knowledge’ from God that I was deserving of it. Nay but it this saying is a trial a test by which servants are tested. But most of them do not know that such bestowal of grace is a way of drawing them on and a test of their faith.

And when man is touched or befallen with a misfortune or wedded to a calamity he invokes Us for relief, and when We extend to him a divine favour from the realm of heaven he says in response: I have acquired what comes into my possession by reason of the knowledge inherent in me and for my intellectual acquaintance with fact. In effect, what We bestowed upon him, of favour and prospering influence, was simply a test of his true inclination but most of them fail to realize this fact

How Man changes when He is blessed after suffering Harm Allah tells us how man, when he is suffering from harm, prays to Allah, turning to Him in repentance and calling upon Him, but when He makes things easy for him, he transgresses and commits sins. إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ ( Only because of knowledge I obtained it. ) means, `because Allah knows that I deserve it; if it were not for the fact that Allah regards me as special, He would not have given me this.' Qatadah said, "Because I know that I deserve it." Allah says: بَلْ هِىَ فِتْنَةٌ ( Nay, it is only a trial, ) meaning, `the matter is not as he claims; on the contrary, We have blessed him with this as a test to see whether he will be obedient or disobedient -- although We have prior knowledge of that.' In fact, it is a trial. وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ ( but most of them know not! ) So they say what they say and claim what they claim. قَدْ قَالَهَا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ( Verily, those before them said it, ) means, the previous nations who came before said the same things and made the same claims, فَمَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ ( yet (all ) that they had earned availed them not.
) means, what they said was not right and all that they had gathered did not save them. فَأَصَـبَهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَسَبُواْ وَالَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مِنْ هَـؤُلاَءِ ( So, the evil results of that which they earned overtook them.
And those who did wrong of these... ) means, the people who are addressed here, سَيُصِيبُهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَسَبُواْ ( will also be overtaken by the evil results (torment ) for that which they earned;) just as happened to those earlier peoples. وَمَا هُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ ( and they will never be able to escape. ) This is like the Ayah in which Allah tells us how Qarun reacted when his people told him: إِنَّ قَـرُونَ كَانَ مِن قَوْمِ مُوسَى فَبَغَى عَلَيْهِمْ وَءَاتَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْكُنُوزِ مَآ إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ لَتَنُوأُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ أُوْلِى الْقُوَّةِ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لاَ تَفْرَحْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ - وَابْتَغِ فِيمَآ ءَاتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الاٌّخِرَةَ وَلاَ تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِن كَمَآ أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلاَ تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ - قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِندِى أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِن قَبْلِهِ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعاً وَلاَ يُسْأَلُ عَن ذُنُوبِهِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ ( "Do not exult, verily, Allah likes not those who exult.
But seek, with that (wealth ) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of lawful enjoyment in this world; and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land.
Verily, Allah likes not the corrupters." He said: "This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess." Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations, men who were stronger than him in might and greater in the amount ( of riches ) they had collected But the criminals will not be questioned of their sins.") ( 28:76-78 ).
And Allah says: وَقَالُواْ نَحْنُ أَكْثَـرُ أَمْوَلاً وَأَوْلَـداً وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ ( And they say: "We are more in wealth and in children, and we are not going to be punished." ) ( 34:35 ). أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ( Do they not know that Allah expands the provision for whom He wills, and straitens it. ) means, He gives plenty to some and restricts the provision for others. إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَـتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ( Verily, in this are signs for the folk who believe! ) means, there is a lesson and proof.

(39:49) When an affliction befalls man, *65 he cries out to Us; but when We grant him a favour from Us, he says: 'I have been granted this on account of my knowledge.' *66 Nay; this (favour) is a test; but most of them do not know. *67

And when adversity touches man, he calls meaning

*65) " The man " : the one who has aversion to Allah and whose face is distorted on hearing Allah alone being mentioned.

*66) This sentence can have two meanings: ( 1 ) " That Allah knows that I stn worthy of this blessing; that is why He has given me All this, otherwise He would not have blessed me if I had been an evil and wicked person in His sight; " and ( 2 ) `that I have attained to this by virtue of my ability."
*67) People ignorantly think that whoever is being blessed by Allah in some way is being so blessed necessarily on account of his worth and ability and that the same is a sign or proof of his being a favourite in His sight; whereas the fact is that whoever is being given something here, is being given it for the sake of a trial by Allah.
This is a means of the test, and not any reward for ability, otherwise many able and worthy people would not be living in poverty and many unworthy people would not be rolling in prosperity.
Likewise, these worldly blessings arc not a sign of one's being a favourite with AIlah either.
Everyone can see that many good people whose goodness is unquestionable arc living in hardships in the world, and many wicked people whose evil-doing is well known arc enjoying the pleasures of life, Now, can a sensible man take the affliction of the one and the life of ease and comfort of the other as an argument to say that Allah hates the good matt and prefers the bad man?
 

How Man changes when He is blessed after suffering Harm Allah tells us how man, when he is suffering from harm, prays to Allah, turning to Him in repentance and calling upon Him, but when He makes things easy for him, he transgresses and commits sins. إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ ( Only because of knowledge I obtained it. ) means, `because Allah knows that I deserve it; if it were not for the fact that Allah regards me as special, He would not have given me this.' Qatadah said, "Because I know that I deserve it." Allah says: بَلْ هِىَ فِتْنَةٌ ( Nay, it is only a trial, ) meaning, `the matter is not as he claims; on the contrary, We have blessed him with this as a test to see whether he will be obedient or disobedient -- although We have prior knowledge of that.' In fact, it is a trial. وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ ( but most of them know not! ) So they say what they say and claim what they claim. قَدْ قَالَهَا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ( Verily, those before them said it, ) means, the previous nations who came before said the same things and made the same claims, فَمَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ ( yet (all ) that they had earned availed them not.
) means, what they said was not right and all that they had gathered did not save them. فَأَصَـبَهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَسَبُواْ وَالَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مِنْ هَـؤُلاَءِ ( So, the evil results of that which they earned overtook them.
And those who did wrong of these... ) means, the people who are addressed here, سَيُصِيبُهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَسَبُواْ ( will also be overtaken by the evil results (torment ) for that which they earned;) just as happened to those earlier peoples. وَمَا هُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ ( and they will never be able to escape. ) This is like the Ayah in which Allah tells us how Qarun reacted when his people told him: إِنَّ قَـرُونَ كَانَ مِن قَوْمِ مُوسَى فَبَغَى عَلَيْهِمْ وَءَاتَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْكُنُوزِ مَآ إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ لَتَنُوأُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ أُوْلِى الْقُوَّةِ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لاَ تَفْرَحْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ - وَابْتَغِ فِيمَآ ءَاتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الاٌّخِرَةَ وَلاَ تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِن كَمَآ أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلاَ تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ - قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِندِى أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِن قَبْلِهِ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعاً وَلاَ يُسْأَلُ عَن ذُنُوبِهِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ ( "Do not exult, verily, Allah likes not those who exult.
But seek, with that (wealth ) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of lawful enjoyment in this world; and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land.
Verily, Allah likes not the corrupters." He said: "This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess." Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations, men who were stronger than him in might and greater in the amount ( of riches ) they had collected But the criminals will not be questioned of their sins.") ( 28:76-78 ).
And Allah says: وَقَالُواْ نَحْنُ أَكْثَـرُ أَمْوَلاً وَأَوْلَـداً وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ ( And they say: "We are more in wealth and in children, and we are not going to be punished." ) ( 34:35 ). أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ( Do they not know that Allah expands the provision for whom He wills, and straitens it. ) means, He gives plenty to some and restricts the provision for others. إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَـتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ( Verily, in this are signs for the folk who believe! ) means, there is a lesson and proof.

( Now when hurt ) hardship ( toucheth a man ) the disbelieving man ( he crieth unto Us ) to remove the hardship from him, ( and afterward when We have granted him ) then when We have substituted it for him into ( a boon from Us, he saith: Only by force of knowledge I obtained it ) I obtained this wealth only because Allah knows I am righteous and good. ( Nay, but it is a test ) it is a trial and plot against them. ( But most of them ) all of them ( know not ) this.

When harm touches man, he calls to Us (for help), then when We have (rescued him from that harm and) changed it into a favour from Us, he says: "Only because of knowledge (that I possess) I obtained it." Nay, it is only a trial, but most of them know not!

Page 464 English transliteration