When something bad happens to people, they cry to their Lord and turn to Him for help, but no sooner does He let them taste His blessing than- lo and behold!- some of them ascribe partners to their Lord,

showing no gratitude for what We have given them. ‘Take your pleasure! You will come to know.’

Did We send them down any authority that sanctions the partners they ascribe to God?

When We give people a taste of Our blessing, they rejoice, but when something bad happens to them- because of their own actions- they fall into utter despair.

Do they not see that God gives abundantly to whoever He will and sparingly [to whoever He will]? There truly are signs in this for those who believe.

وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلنَّاسَ ضُرࣱّ دَعَوْا۟ رَبَّهُم مُّنِيبِينَ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ إِذَآ أَذَاقَهُم مِّنْهُ رَحْمَةً إِذَا فَرِيقࣱ مِّنْهُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يُشْرِكُونَ

لِيَكْفُرُوا۟ بِمَآ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُمْۚ فَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ

أَمْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَٰنࣰا فَهُوَ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يُشْرِكُونَ

وَإِذَآ أَذَقْنَا ٱلنَّاسَ رَحْمَةࣰ فَرِحُوا۟ بِهَاۖ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةُۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ إِذَا هُمْ يَقْنَطُونَ

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقْدِرُۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَٰتࣲ لِّقَوْمࣲ يُؤْمِنُونَ

So give their due to the near relative, the needy, and the wayfarer- that is best for those whose goal is God’s approval: these are the ones who will prosper.

Whatever you lend out in usury to gain value through other people’s wealth will not increase in God’s eyes, but whatever you give in charity, in your desire for God’s approval, will earn multiple rewards.

It is God who created you and provided for you, who will cause you to die and then give you life again. Which of your ‘partners’ can do any one of these things? Glory be to God, and exalted be He above the partners they attribute to Him.

فَـَٔاتِ ذَا ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ حَقَّهُۥ وَٱلْمِسْكِينَ وَٱبْنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرࣱ لِّلَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ ٱللَّهِۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ

وَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُم مِّن رِّبࣰا لِّيَرْبُوَا۟ فِيٓ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْبُوا۟ عِندَ ٱللَّهِۖ وَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُم مِّن زَكَوٰةࣲ تُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ ٱللَّهِ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُضْعِفُونَ

ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ رَزَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْۖ هَلْ مِن شُرَكَآئِكُم مَّن يَفْعَلُ مِن ذَٰلِكُم مِّن شَيْءࣲۚ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

Corruption has flourished on land and sea as a result of people’s actions and He will make them taste the consequences of some of their own actions so that they may turn back.

Say, ‘Travel through the land, and see how those before you met their end- most of them were idolaters.’

[Prophet], stand firm in your devotion to the upright religion, before an irresistible Day comes from God. On that Day, mankind will be divided:

those who rejected the truth will bear the burden of that rejection, and those who did good deeds will have made good provision for themselves.

From His bounty God will reward those who believe and do good deeds; He does not like those who reject the truth.

ظَهَرَ ٱلْفَسَادُ فِي ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي ٱلنَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِي عَمِلُوا۟ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

قُلْ سِيرُوا۟ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ فَٱنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلُۚ كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّشْرِكِينَ

فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ ٱلْقَيِّمِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمࣱ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥ مِنَ ٱللَّهِۖ يَوْمَئِذࣲ يَصَّدَّعُونَ

مَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُۥۖ وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَٰلِحࣰا فَلِأَنفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ

لِيَجْزِيَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ مِن فَضْلِهِۦٓۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

Another of His signs is that He sends out the winds bearing good news, giving you a taste of His grace, making the ships sail at His command, enabling you to [journey in] search of His bounty so that you may be grateful.

Before you [Muhammad], We sent mes-sengers, each to their own people: they brought them clear proofs and then We punished the evildoers. We make it Our duty to help the believers.

It is God who sends out the winds; they stir up the clouds; He spreads them over the skies as He pleases; He makes them break up and you see the rain falling from them. See how they rejoice when He makes it fall upon whichever of His servants He wishes,

though before it is sent they may have lost all hope.

Look, then, at the imprints of God’s mercy, how He restores the earth to life after death: this same God is the one who will return people to life after death- He has power over all things.

Yet they will continue in their disbelief, even if We send a [scorching] wind and they see their crops turn yellow.

You [Prophet] cannot make the dead hear and you cannot make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs and leave;

you cannot lead the blind out of their error: the only ones you can make hear you are those who believe in Our revelations and devote themselves [to Us].

وَمِنْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓ أَن يُرْسِلَ ٱلرِّيَاحَ مُبَشِّرَٰتࣲ وَلِيُذِيقَكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَلِتَجْرِيَ ٱلْفُلْكُ بِأَمْرِهِۦ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ رُسُلًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِمْ فَجَآءُوهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ فَٱنتَقَمْنَا مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا۟ۖ وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي يُرْسِلُ ٱلرِّيَٰحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابࣰا فَيَبْسُطُهُۥ فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ يَشَآءُ وَيَجْعَلُهُۥ كِسَفࣰا فَتَرَى ٱلْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلَٰلِهِۦۖ فَإِذَآ أَصَابَ بِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦٓ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ

وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَمُبْلِسِينَ

فَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِ رَحْمَتِ ٱللَّهِ كَيْفَ يُحْيِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَآۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمُحْيِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءࣲ قَدِيرࣱ

وَلَئِنْ أَرْسَلْنَا رِيحࣰا فَرَأَوْهُ مُصْفَرࣰّا لَّظَلُّوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ يَكْفُرُونَ

فَإِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَلَا تُسْمِعُ ٱلصُّمَّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا وَلَّوْا۟ مُدْبِرِينَ

وَمَآ أَنتَ بِهَٰدِ ٱلْعُمْيِ عَن ضَلَٰلَتِهِمْۖ إِن تُسْمِعُ إِلَّا مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا فَهُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

It is God who creates you weak, then gives you strength, then weakness after strength, together with your grey hair: He creates what He will; He is the All Knowing, the All Powerful.

On the Day the Hour comes, the guilty will swear they lingered no more than an hour- they have always been deluded-

but those endowed with knowledge and faith will say, ‘In accordance with God’s decree, you actually lingered till the Day of Resurrection: this is the Day of Resurrection, yet you did not know.’

On that Day the evildoers’ excuses will be of no use to them: they will not be allowed to make amends.

In this Quran We have set every kind of illustration before people, yet if you [Prophet] brought them a miracle, the disbelievers would still say, ‘You [prophets] deal only in falsehood.’

In this way God seals the hearts of those who do not know,

so be patient, for God’s promise is true: do not let those with no firm beliefs discourage you.

۞ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن ضَعْفࣲ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ضَعْفࣲ قُوَّةࣰ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ قُوَّةࣲ ضَعْفࣰا وَشَيْبَةࣰۚ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْقَدِيرُ

وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ يُقْسِمُ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ مَا لَبِثُوا۟ غَيْرَ سَاعَةࣲۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَانُوا۟ يُؤْفَكُونَ

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ وَٱلْإِيمَٰنَ لَقَدْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِي كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْبَعْثِۖ فَهَٰذَا يَوْمُ ٱلْبَعْثِ وَلَٰكِنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

فَيَوْمَئِذࣲ لَّا يَنفَعُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مَعْذِرَتُهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُسْتَعْتَبُونَ

وَلَقَدْ ضَرَبْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِي هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلࣲۚ وَلَئِن جِئْتَهُم بِـَٔايَةࣲ لَّيَقُولَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا مُبْطِلُونَ

كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

فَٱصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقࣱّۖ وَلَا يَسْتَخِفَّنَّكَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُوقِنُونَ