سُوْرَةُ الشُّوْرٰي
Surah Ash-Shura (42) — Ayah 30
وَمَآ أَصَـٰبَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُوا۟ عَن كَثِيرٍ ﴿30﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much. (See the Qur’ân Verse 35:45).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمَآ
wamā
And whatever
أَصَـٰبَكُم
aṣābakum
befalls you
مِّن
min
of
مُّصِيبَةٍۢ
muṣībatin
(the) misfortune
فَبِمَا
fabimā
(is because) of what
كَسَبَتْ
kasabat
have earned
أَيْدِيكُمْ
aydīkum
your hands
وَيَعْفُوا۟
wayaʿfū
But He pardons
عَن
ʿan
[from]
كَثِيرٍۢ
kathīrin
much
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.
30. And whatever misfortune befalls you is because of what your own hands have earned [45], and He pardons much of your sins [46].
[45]
Types of Calamities and Their Various Causes:
Here, a general principle has been stated that most punishments, such as famine, epidemics, earthquakes, and floods, etc., are the result of people's own evil deeds. A similar punishment of famine was also inflicted upon the people of Makkah, which lasted for seven years. The rains stopped, and the import of grain from outside also ceased. During this period, people were so desperate that they were forced to eat the skins and bones of animals. Due to the severity of hunger, when they looked towards the sky, they saw nothing but smoke. And this famine was sent upon the disbelievers of Makkah due to the supplication of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Eventually, Abu Sufyan came to you ﷺ and pleaded by the bond of kinship and requested you to pray for rain, so by your ﷺ supplication, this calamity was removed. In other words, when punishment comes due to the evil deeds of most people, it engulfs all of creation. To understand this, consider that most diseases afflict a person due to dietary indiscretion, and suckling infants are affected due to the mother's indiscretion. However, there are some exceptions to this principle. For example, the hardships that befall faithful servants are not the result of their evil deeds, but rather become an atonement for their sins. Even if a believer is pricked by a thorn, it becomes an atonement for some mistake. Then, there is a type of calamity and hardship that befalls the prophets of Allah and sincere servants in the path of truth. Regarding these, the concept of atonement for sins is entirely incorrect. Through these, Allah elevates the ranks of these noble personalities, and such calamities are faced most by the prophets of Allah, and then, in degrees, by other sincere servants.
[46] That is, if Allah were to send calamities upon His servants for every evil deed, they would not survive even a few days. It is Allah's mercy that He does not hold people accountable for most sins; otherwise, this earth would become uninhabited by humans.
[45]
Types of Calamities and Their Various Causes:
Here, a general principle has been stated that most punishments, such as famine, epidemics, earthquakes, and floods, etc., are the result of people's own evil deeds. A similar punishment of famine was also inflicted upon the people of Makkah, which lasted for seven years. The rains stopped, and the import of grain from outside also ceased. During this period, people were so desperate that they were forced to eat the skins and bones of animals. Due to the severity of hunger, when they looked towards the sky, they saw nothing but smoke. And this famine was sent upon the disbelievers of Makkah due to the supplication of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Eventually, Abu Sufyan came to you ﷺ and pleaded by the bond of kinship and requested you to pray for rain, so by your ﷺ supplication, this calamity was removed. In other words, when punishment comes due to the evil deeds of most people, it engulfs all of creation. To understand this, consider that most diseases afflict a person due to dietary indiscretion, and suckling infants are affected due to the mother's indiscretion. However, there are some exceptions to this principle. For example, the hardships that befall faithful servants are not the result of their evil deeds, but rather become an atonement for their sins. Even if a believer is pricked by a thorn, it becomes an atonement for some mistake. Then, there is a type of calamity and hardship that befalls the prophets of Allah and sincere servants in the path of truth. Regarding these, the concept of atonement for sins is entirely incorrect. Through these, Allah elevates the ranks of these noble personalities, and such calamities are faced most by the prophets of Allah, and then, in degrees, by other sincere servants.
[46] That is, if Allah were to send calamities upon His servants for every evil deed, they would not survive even a few days. It is Allah's mercy that He does not hold people accountable for most sins; otherwise, this earth would become uninhabited by humans.
