Surah 17

Surah 17:20

"Each one We increase – these and those – with some gift of your Lord. The gift of your Lord is not limited."
Tafsir of Surah Al-Isra, Verses 20-21 Verses 17:20-21
Show Full Scripture Context (17:20-21) — 2 Verses
Verse 20

كُلّٗا نُّمِدُّ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ وَهَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ مِنۡ عَطَآءِ رَبِّكَۚ وَمَا كَانَ عَطَآءُ رَبِّكَ مَحۡظُورًا

Each one We increase – these and those – with some gift of your Lord. The gift of your Lord is not limited.

Verse 21

ٱنظُرۡ كَيۡفَ فَضَّلۡنَا بَعۡضَهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٖۚ وَلَلۡأٓخِرَةُ أَكۡبَرُ دَرَجَٰتٖ وَأَكۡبَرُ تَفۡضِيلٗا

See how We have favored some of them over others. Yet the Hereafter is indeed greater in ranks (of honor) and greater in favor.

20. On each these as well as those We bestow from the bounties of your Lord. And the bounties of your Lord can never be forbidden.

21. See how We prefer one above another (in this world), and verily, the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preferment.

Allah says:

On each meaning, on each of the two groups, those who desire this world and those who desire the Hereafter, We bestow what they want

from the bounties of your Lord.

means, He is the One Who is in control of all things, and He is never unjust. He gives to each what he deserves, whether it is eternal happiness or doom. His decree is unstoppable, no one can withhold what He gives or change what He wants. Allah says:

And the bounties of your Lord can never be forbidden.
meaning, no one can withhold or prevent them. Qatadah said,

And the bounties of your Lord can never be forbidden.

"(It means) they can never decrease".

And the Bounties of your Lord can never be forbidden

Al-Hasan and others said, "(It means) they can never be prevented."

Then Allah says:

See how We prefer one above another,

meaning in this world, so that some are rich and some are poor, and others are in between; some are beautiful, some are ugly and others are in between; some die young while others live to a great age, and some die in between.

and verily, the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preferment.

means, the differences between them in the Hereafter will be greater than the differences between them in this world. Some of them will be in varying levels of Hell, in chains and fetters, while others will be in the lofty degrees of Paradise, with its blessings and delights. The people of Hell will vary in their positions and levels, just as the people of Paradise will, in

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 5, Page 600)

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.