Surah 17:100

"Say: ‘(Even) if you possessed the storehouses of my Lord’s mercy, you would (still) hold back (out of) a fear (of) spending (it). Humankind is stingy.’"

Islamic Commentaries (1)Manuscripts (41)

Holding back is Part of Man's Nature Verses 17:100

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Verse 100

قُل لَّوۡ أَنتُمۡ تَمۡلِكُونَ خَزَآئِنَ رَحۡمَةِ رَبِّيٓ إِذٗا لَّأَمۡسَكۡتُمۡ خَشۡيَةَ ٱلۡإِنفَاقِۚ وَكَانَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ قَتُورٗا

Say: ‘(Even) if you possessed the storehouses of my Lord’s mercy, you would (still) hold back (out of) a fear (of) spending (it). Humankind is stingy.’

Allah says to His Messenger: "Tell them, O Muhammad, even if you had authority over the treasures of Allah, you would refrain from spending for fear of exhausting it." Ibn 'Abbas and Qatadah said, "This means for fear of poverty," lest it run out, despite the fact that it can never be exhausted or come to an end. This is because it is part of your nature. So Allah says:

{and man is ever miserly.} Ibn 'Abbas and Qatadah said: "(This means) stingy and holding back." Allah says:

{Or have they a share in the dominion? Then in that case they would not give mankind even a Naqira.} (4:53)

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Page 95)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.

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