سُوْرَةُ فُصِّلَتۡ
Surah Fussilat (41) — Ayah 49
لَّا يَسْـَٔمُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مِن دُعَآءِ ٱلْخَيْرِ وَإِن مَّسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ فَيَـُٔوسٌ قَنُوطٌ ﴿49﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Man (the disbeliever) does not get tired of asking good (things from Allâh); but if an evil touches him, then he gives up all hope and is lost in despair.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
لَّا
lā
(Does) not
يَسْـَٔمُ
yasamu
get tired
ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ
l-insānu
man
مِن
min
of
دُعَآءِ
duʿāi
praying
ٱلْخَيْرِ
l-khayri
(for) the good
وَإِن
wa-in
but if
مَّسَّهُ
massahu
touches him
ٱلشَّرُّ
l-sharu
the evil
فَيَـُٔوسٌۭ
fayaūsun
then he gives up hope
قَنُوطٌۭ
qanūṭun
(and) despairs
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.
Man never tires of praying for good for himself [64], but if harm touches him, he becomes hopeless [65] and despondent.
[64]
The Extremity of Human Greed:
That is, the nature of an ordinary, worldly person is such that he is never satisfied with wealth and riches. He desires that all kinds of goodness be exclusively for him: that he receives abundant and ample sustenance, enjoys prosperity and luxury, has good health, and possesses good offspring. In short, whatever type of goodness there may be, he wants everything to be provided for him, and even if all these things are made available, he then wishes that they continue to increase at every moment, and his greed never comes to an end. Accordingly, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zubair ؓ narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "If a man were given a valley full of gold, he would desire a second valley (and would not be content), and if he were given a second, he would desire a third. The fact is that nothing fills the belly of man except dust." [بخاری۔ کتاب الرقاق۔ باب ما یتقی من فتنۃ المال]
[65]
Despairing and Complaining in Hardship:
And the second aspect of his nature is that when he faces any hardship, hunger, illness, or any other kind of suffering, and he does not see any apparent means for the removal of that difficulty, he despairs of Allah's mercy and begins to utter words of ingratitude. He does not realize that besides these apparent means, there are countless hidden means as well, which he cannot see and which are under the control of Allah Almighty. If he learns to trust in Allah, then surely he would not be in such a state.
[64]
The Extremity of Human Greed:
That is, the nature of an ordinary, worldly person is such that he is never satisfied with wealth and riches. He desires that all kinds of goodness be exclusively for him: that he receives abundant and ample sustenance, enjoys prosperity and luxury, has good health, and possesses good offspring. In short, whatever type of goodness there may be, he wants everything to be provided for him, and even if all these things are made available, he then wishes that they continue to increase at every moment, and his greed never comes to an end. Accordingly, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zubair ؓ narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "If a man were given a valley full of gold, he would desire a second valley (and would not be content), and if he were given a second, he would desire a third. The fact is that nothing fills the belly of man except dust." [بخاری۔ کتاب الرقاق۔ باب ما یتقی من فتنۃ المال]
[65]
Despairing and Complaining in Hardship:
And the second aspect of his nature is that when he faces any hardship, hunger, illness, or any other kind of suffering, and he does not see any apparent means for the removal of that difficulty, he despairs of Allah's mercy and begins to utter words of ingratitude. He does not realize that besides these apparent means, there are countless hidden means as well, which he cannot see and which are under the control of Allah Almighty. If he learns to trust in Allah, then surely he would not be in such a state.
