سُوْرَةُ فُصِّلَتۡ
Surah Fussilat (41) — Ayah 51
وَإِذَآ أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَى ٱلْإِنسَـٰنِ أَعْرَضَ وَنَـَٔا بِجَانِبِهِۦ وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ فَذُو دُعَآءٍ عَرِيضٍ ﴿51﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And when We show favour to man, he withdraws and turns away; but when evil touches him, then he has recourse to long supplications.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذَآ
wa-idhā
And when
أَنْعَمْنَا
anʿamnā
We bestow favor
عَلَى
ʿalā
upon
ٱلْإِنسَـٰنِ
l-insāni
man
أَعْرَضَ
aʿraḍa
he turns away
وَنَـَٔا
wanaā
and distances himself
بِجَانِبِهِۦ
bijānibihi
and distances himself
وَإِذَا
wa-idhā
but when
مَسَّهُ
massahu
touches him
ٱلشَّرُّ
l-sharu
the evil
فَذُو
fadhū
then (he is) full
دُعَآءٍ
duʿāin
(of) supplication
عَرِيضٍۢ
ʿarīḍin
lengthy
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.
And when We bestow favor upon man, he turns away and distances himself, but when harm touches him, he is full of lengthy [69] supplications.
[69]
Most People Forget Allah in Times of Prosperity:
That is, when a person experiences prosperity and comfort, he becomes overjoyed and disregards everyone else. At that time, in reality, he sets himself up as a god. And if he is made to listen to the verses of Allah and is told that all these blessings have been given by Allah alone, therefore you should be grateful to Allah, fulfill His rights, and fear your bad end, then such things seem unpleasant and bitter to him, to the extent that he does not even tolerate listening to them and gets up and leaves. But when he is again caught in some calamity, then he begins to remember his Lord, from whose verses he used to turn away. In his heart, he feels hopeless because he does not see any apparent means of deliverance from that trouble. But when the hardship distresses him, his hands are involuntarily raised towards Allah Almighty. And then he makes long and elaborate supplications to Allah and also starts making promises and vows. And since this state is one of his desperation, therefore, even if Allah delivers him from that calamity, afterwards he becomes the same as he was before. Except for those whom Allah wills, there are very few people who later remember the promises they made to Allah and truly become obedient to Him. The majority are such that, in times of prosperity, they completely forget their Lord.
[69]
Most People Forget Allah in Times of Prosperity:
That is, when a person experiences prosperity and comfort, he becomes overjoyed and disregards everyone else. At that time, in reality, he sets himself up as a god. And if he is made to listen to the verses of Allah and is told that all these blessings have been given by Allah alone, therefore you should be grateful to Allah, fulfill His rights, and fear your bad end, then such things seem unpleasant and bitter to him, to the extent that he does not even tolerate listening to them and gets up and leaves. But when he is again caught in some calamity, then he begins to remember his Lord, from whose verses he used to turn away. In his heart, he feels hopeless because he does not see any apparent means of deliverance from that trouble. But when the hardship distresses him, his hands are involuntarily raised towards Allah Almighty. And then he makes long and elaborate supplications to Allah and also starts making promises and vows. And since this state is one of his desperation, therefore, even if Allah delivers him from that calamity, afterwards he becomes the same as he was before. Except for those whom Allah wills, there are very few people who later remember the promises they made to Allah and truly become obedient to Him. The majority are such that, in times of prosperity, they completely forget their Lord.
