سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 147
مَّا يَفْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِن شَكَرْتُمْ وَءَامَنتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ شَاكِرًا عَلِيمًا ﴿147﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Why should Allâh punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. And Allâh is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
مَّا
mā
What
يَفْعَلُ
yafʿalu
would do
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
بِعَذَابِكُمْ
biʿadhābikum
by punishing you
إِن
in
if
شَكَرْتُمْ
shakartum
you are grateful
وَءَامَنتُمْ ۚ
waāmantum
and you believe
وَكَانَ
wakāna
And is
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
شَاكِرًا
shākiran
All-Appreciative
عَلِيمًۭا
ʿalīman
All-Knowing
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
147. Why would Allah punish you if you are grateful [195] and believe sincerely? Allah is Most Appreciative, All-Knowing [196].
[195]
Definition of Gratitude and Its Prohibition:
The meaning of gratitude is the acknowledgment of a blessing, and it has three levels.
(1)
Of the Heart:
That is, a person acknowledges the favors of Allah or anyone else in his heart.
(2)
Verbal:
As a narration of blessings, he also acknowledges it with his tongue and mentions Allah’s favors before others.
(3)
Practical:
That is, the effects of this gratitude are also manifested through his limbs and organs. And these three levels are, in fact, inseparable and occur in sequence. When a person reflects on Allah’s favors, his heart becomes filled with feelings of love and loyalty to Allah. Then, as a result of this abundance of emotion, he mentions these favors both alone and in front of others, and he feels happiness in his heart. Then, this love and sincerity affect his thinking in such a way that the more favors Allah has bestowed upon him, the more he should become obedient, submissive, and devoted in worship to Him. A clear example of this is the incident that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in the last part of his life, would stand in prayer at night so long that his feet would become swollen. The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) submitted, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Allah has already forgiven all your past and future sins. Then why do you endure so much hardship?” So he ﷺ replied, “Should I not be a grateful servant of Allah?” This incident is mentioned in many authentic hadiths, and its summary is that the more favors and grace Allah bestows upon a true believer, the more his feelings of love, sincerity, and loyalty are stirred, and he begins to express gratitude for these favors in every possible way.
[196] When the word “gratitude” is attributed to Allah Almighty, it means appreciation or recognition, i.e., if a person performs even a small deed or expresses gratitude, Allah grants him a reward far greater than his deed and forgives minor sins as a matter of course, whereas the state of man is that he is often ungrateful, and if someone acts against his will, he is harsh in holding him to account. Allah is even more merciful to His servants than a mother is to her child; therefore, unless a person angers his Lord by committing shirk or repeatedly disobeying, Allah never punishes anyone without cause.
[195]
Definition of Gratitude and Its Prohibition:
The meaning of gratitude is the acknowledgment of a blessing, and it has three levels.
(1)
Of the Heart:
That is, a person acknowledges the favors of Allah or anyone else in his heart.
(2)
Verbal:
As a narration of blessings, he also acknowledges it with his tongue and mentions Allah’s favors before others.
(3)
Practical:
That is, the effects of this gratitude are also manifested through his limbs and organs. And these three levels are, in fact, inseparable and occur in sequence. When a person reflects on Allah’s favors, his heart becomes filled with feelings of love and loyalty to Allah. Then, as a result of this abundance of emotion, he mentions these favors both alone and in front of others, and he feels happiness in his heart. Then, this love and sincerity affect his thinking in such a way that the more favors Allah has bestowed upon him, the more he should become obedient, submissive, and devoted in worship to Him. A clear example of this is the incident that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in the last part of his life, would stand in prayer at night so long that his feet would become swollen. The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) submitted, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Allah has already forgiven all your past and future sins. Then why do you endure so much hardship?” So he ﷺ replied, “Should I not be a grateful servant of Allah?” This incident is mentioned in many authentic hadiths, and its summary is that the more favors and grace Allah bestows upon a true believer, the more his feelings of love, sincerity, and loyalty are stirred, and he begins to express gratitude for these favors in every possible way.
[196] When the word “gratitude” is attributed to Allah Almighty, it means appreciation or recognition, i.e., if a person performs even a small deed or expresses gratitude, Allah grants him a reward far greater than his deed and forgives minor sins as a matter of course, whereas the state of man is that he is often ungrateful, and if someone acts against his will, he is harsh in holding him to account. Allah is even more merciful to His servants than a mother is to her child; therefore, unless a person angers his Lord by committing shirk or repeatedly disobeying, Allah never punishes anyone without cause.
