Surah 42

Surah 42:48

"If they turn away – We have not sent you as a watcher over them. Nothing (depends) on you except the delivery (of the message). Surely We – when We give a person a taste of mercy from Us, he gloats about it, but if some evil smites them because of what their (own) hands have sent forward – surely the human is ungrateful."
Encouragement to obey Allah before the Day of Resurrection Verses 42:47-48
Show Full Scripture Context (42:47-48) — 2 Verses
Verse 47

ٱسۡتَجِيبُواْ لِرَبِّكُم مِّن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَ يَوۡمٞ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥ مِنَ ٱللَّهِۚ مَا لَكُم مِّن مَّلۡجَإٖ يَوۡمَئِذٖ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن نَّكِيرٖ

Respond to your Lord, before a Day comes from God which cannot be turned back. You will not have any shelter on that Day, nor any denial (of what you have done).

Verse 48

فَإِنۡ أَعۡرَضُواْ فَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ حَفِيظًاۖ إِنۡ عَلَيۡكَ إِلَّا ٱلۡبَلَٰغُۗ وَإِنَّآ إِذَآ أَذَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مِنَّا رَحۡمَةٗ فَرِحَ بِهَاۖ وَإِن تُصِبۡهُمۡ سَيِّئَةُۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتۡ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ فَإِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ كَفُورٞ

If they turn away – We have not sent you as a watcher over them. Nothing (depends) on you except the delivery (of the message). Surely We – when We give a person a taste of mercy from Us, he gloats about it, but if some evil smites them because of what their (own) hands have sent forward – surely the human is ungrateful.

When Allah tells us about the horrors and terrifying events of the Day of Resurrection, He then says:

Quoted Scripture
"Answer the Call of your Lord before there comes from Allah a Day which cannot be averted."

{Your duty is to convey.} meaning, 'all that We require you to do is to convey the Message of Allah to them.'

Quoted Scripture
"verily, when We cause man to taste of mercy from Us, he rejoices there at;"

means, when a time of ease and comfort comes to him, he is happy about it.

{but when befalls them} means mankind.

{some evil} means, difficulty, drought, tribulation or punishment.

{then verily, man (becomes) ingrate!} means, he forgets the previous times of ease and blessings and acknowledges nothing but the present moment. If times of ease come to him, he becomes arrogant and transgresses, but if any difficulty befalls him, he loses hope and is filled with despair. This is like what the Messenger of Allah said to the women:

«O women, give in charity, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell.»

A woman asked, "Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?" He said:

«Because you complain too much, and you are ungrateful to (your) husbands. If one of you were to be treated kindly for an entire lifetime, then that kindness was lacking for one day, she would say, 'I have never seen anything good from you.'»

This is the case with most women, except for those whom Allah guides and who are among the people who believe and do righteous deeds. As the Prophet said, the believer is the one who:

«... if something good happens to him, he is thankful, and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him. This does not happen to anyone except the believer.»

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 8, Page 605-608)

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.