Tafsir al-Uthaymin Juz Amma - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (196)

Tafsir al-Uthaymin Juz AmmaIbn al-'Uthaymin

“As for the human being, when his Lord tests him, then honors him and showers him with blessings, he says, ‘My Lord has honored me.’ * But when He tests him and restricts his provision, he says, ‘My Lord has humiliated me.’ * No indeed! Rather, you do not honor the orphan, * nor do you urge one another to feed the needy. * You devour inheritance greedily, * and you love wealth excessively.”

Then He—Glorified and Exalted is He—said: “As for the human being, when his Lord tests him, then honors him and showers him with blessings, he says, ‘My Lord has honored me.’ But when He tests him and restricts his provision, he says, ‘My Lord has humiliated me.’” A test from Allah—Glorified and Exalted is He—may come through either good or evil, as Allah Most High says:

“We test you with evil and good as a trial.” [al-Anbiyā: 35]

A person is tested with good so that Allah—Glorified and Exalted is He—may test whether he will give thanks or respond with ingratitude, and he is tested with evil to determine whether he will remain patient or act wickedly. A person’s circumstances alternate between good and evil: good that suits and pleases him, and evil that neither suits nor pleases him. All of it is a test from Allah.

By his very human nature, which is founded upon wrongdoing and ignorance, when his Lord tests him, honors him, and showers him with blessings, he says, “My Lord has honored me,” meaning that he deserves to be honored, without acknowledging Allah’s grace—Glorified and Exalted is He. This is like the statement of Allah Most High:

“He said, ‘I was only given it because of knowledge I possess.’” [al-Qasas: 78]

When Allah’s blessing upon him was mentioned, he said, “I was only given it because of knowledge I possess,” and did not acknowledge Allah’s grace. How many people are in this very state! When Allah—Glorified and Exalted is He—honors them and showers them with blessings, they say, “Allah has honored us because we deserve it.” If, however, a person were to say, “Allah has honored me with such and such,” acknowledging His grace and speaking of His blessing, there would be no blame upon him for doing so.

“But when He tests him and restricts his provision”—meaning that He constrains his provision—“he says, ‘My Lord has humiliated me,’” meaning that he says Allah Most High has wronged him.

﴿فَأَمَّا الإِنسَنُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّى أَكْرَمَنِ * وَأَمَّآ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّى أَهَانَنِ * كَلَاّ بَل لَاّ تُكْرِمُونَ الْيَتِيمَ * وَلَا تَحَاضُّونَ عَلَى طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ * وَتَأْكُلُونَالتُّرَاثَ أَكْلاً لَّمّاً * وَتُحِبُّونَ الْمَالَ حُبّاً جَمّاً﴾ . ثم قال ﷿: ﴿فأما الإنسان إذا ما ابتلاه ربه فأكرمه ونعمه فيقول رب أكرمن. وأما إذا ما ابتلاه فقدر عليه رزقه فيقول ربي أهانن﴾ الابتلاء من الله ﷿ يكون بالخير وبالشر كما قال تعالى: ﴿ونبلوكم بالشر والخير فتنة﴾ [الأنبياء: ٣٥] . فيُبتلى الإنسان بالخير ليبلوه الله ﷿ أيشكر أم يكفر، ويبتلى بالشر ليبلوه أيصبر أم يفجر، وأحوال الإنسان دائرة بين خير وشر، بين خير يلائمه ويسره، وبين شر لا يلائمه ولا يسره، وكله ابتلاء من الله، والإنسان بطبيعته الإنسانية المبنية على الظلم والجهل إذا ابتلاه ربه فأكرمه ونعمه يقول ﴿رب أكرمن﴾ يعني أنني أهل للإكرام ولا يعترف بفضل الله ﷿، وهذا كقوله تعالى: ﴿قال إنما أوتيته على علم عندي﴾ [القصص: ٧٨] . لما ذكر بنعمة الله عليه قال: ﴿إنما أوتيته على علم عندي﴾ ولم يعترف بفضل الله، وما أكثر الناس الذين هذه حالهم إذا أكرمهم الله ﷿ ونعمهم، قالوا: هذا إكرام من الله لنا؛ لأننا أهل لذلك، ولو أن الإنسان قال: إن الله أكرمني بكذا اعترافاً بفضله وتحدثاً بنعمته لم يكن عليه في ذلك بأس، ﴿وأما إذا ما ابتلاه فقدر عليه رزقه﴾ يعني ضيق عليه الرزق ﴿فيقول ربي أهانن﴾ يعني يقول إن الله تعالى ظلمني