Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (As for man, when his Lord tests him)
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Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (As for man, when his Lord tests him)]
Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: [Al-Fajr: 15-16] The trial from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) comes through good and through evil,As Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Anbiya: 35] He tests man with good to see whether he will be grateful or ungrateful, and He tests him with evil to see whether he will be patient or transgress. As you all know, the conditions of man revolve between good and evil, between good that suits him and eases his affairs, and evil that does not suit him and does not ease his affairs, and all of it is a trial from Allah.
Man, by his human nature which is built upon injustice and ignorance, when his Lord tests him by honoring him and bestowing blessings upon him, says: My Lord has honored me;Meaning: that I am worthy of honor, and he does not acknowledge the favor of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) upon him,And this is like His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Qasas: 78] when he was reminded of the blessing of Allah upon him [Al-Qasas: 78] and he did not acknowledge the favor of Allah, and how many people are in this state,When Allah (Mighty and Majestic) honored them and blessed them, they said: this is an honor from Allah for us; because we are worthy of it,If man were to say: if Allah has honored me with such and such, acknowledging His favor and speaking of His blessing, there is no harm in that for him,But if he says: He has honored me,Meaning: that I am worthy of honor, as one might say, for example,The elder of the people, when he is a guest at one of their homes, says: So-and-so has honored me; because I am worthy of it.
[Al-Fajr: 16] meaning: He restricted his provision [Al-Fajr: 16] he says: Allah the Exalted has wronged me, humiliated me, and did not provide for me as He provided for so-and-so, and did not honor me as He honored so-and-so, so in times of ease he does not give thanks,He is pleased with himself and says: this is my right, and in times of hardship he does not be patient,Rather, he objects to his Lord and says: My Lord has humiliated me, and this is the state of man as a human being. As for the believer, it is not so. As for the believer, when Allah honors him and blesses him, he thanks his Lord for it, and sees that this is a favor from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and a kindness, and not a type of honor given to its recipient as something he is entitled to. And when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) tests him and restricts his provision, he is patient and seeks reward, and says: This is due to my sin, and the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) has not humiliated me nor wronged me, so he is patient in times of trial and grateful in times of ease.
In the two verses there is an indication that it is obligatory for man to reflect and say, for example: Why did Allah give me wealth? What does He want from me? He wants me to be grateful. Why did Allah test me with poverty or illness or the like? He wants me to be patient. So let him be one who holds himself accountable so that his state is not like the state of the man built upon ignorance and injustice.
Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic said:
(15) And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, "My Lord has honored me." (16) But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me."
فَأَمَّا الإِنْسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ * وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِAnd We test you with evil and with good as trial
وَنَبْلُوكُمْ بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةًMan, by his human nature which is built upon injustice and ignorance, when his Lord tests him by honoring him and bestowing blessings upon him, says: My Lord has honored me;Meaning: that I am worthy of honor, and he does not acknowledge the favor of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) upon him,And this is like His saying, the Exalted:
He said, "I was only given it because of knowledge I have."
قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِنْدِيHe said, "I was only given it because of knowledge I have."
قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِنْدِيBut when He tries him and restricts his provision
وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُhe says, "My Lord has humiliated me."
فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِIn the two verses there is an indication that it is obligatory for man to reflect and say, for example: Why did Allah give me wealth? What does He want from me? He wants me to be grateful. Why did Allah test me with poverty or illness or the like? He wants me to be patient. So let him be one who holds himself accountable so that his state is not like the state of the man built upon ignorance and injustice.