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Ayah
Word by Word
وَمِنَ
And among
ٱلنَّاسِ
the mankind
مَن
(is he) who
يَعۡبُدُ
worships
ٱللَّهَ
Allah
عَلَىٰ
on
حَرۡفٖۖ
an edge
فَإِنۡ
And if
أَصَابَهُۥ
befalls him
خَيۡرٌ
good
ٱطۡمَأَنَّ
he is content
بِهِۦۖ
with it
وَإِنۡ
and if
أَصَابَتۡهُ
befalls him
فِتۡنَةٌ
a trial
ٱنقَلَبَ
he turns
عَلَىٰ
on
وَجۡهِهِۦ
his face
خَسِرَ
He has lost
ٱلدُّنۡيَا
the world
وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةَۚ
and the Hereafter
ذَٰلِكَ
That
هُوَ
[it]
ٱلۡخُسۡرَانُ
(is) the loss
ٱلۡمُبِينُ
clear
وَمِنَ
And among
ٱلنَّاسِ
the mankind
مَن
(is he) who
يَعۡبُدُ
worships
ٱللَّهَ
Allah
عَلَىٰ
on
حَرۡفٖۖ
an edge
فَإِنۡ
And if
أَصَابَهُۥ
befalls him
خَيۡرٌ
good
ٱطۡمَأَنَّ
he is content
بِهِۦۖ
with it
وَإِنۡ
and if
أَصَابَتۡهُ
befalls him
فِتۡنَةٌ
a trial
ٱنقَلَبَ
he turns
عَلَىٰ
on
وَجۡهِهِۦ
his face
خَسِرَ
He has lost
ٱلدُّنۡيَا
the world
وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةَۚ
and the Hereafter
ذَٰلِكَ
That
هُوَ
[it]
ٱلۡخُسۡرَانُ
(is) the loss
ٱلۡمُبِينُ
clear
Translation
And of the people is he who worships Allāh on an edge.1 If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face [to unbelief]. He has lost [this] world and the Hereafter. That is what is the manifest loss.
Footnotes
1 - At the edge of his religion, so to speak, i.e., with uncertainty, hypocrisy or heedlessness.
Tafsir
And among mankind there are those who worship God on a knife-edge: that is, with uncertainty in his worship - such [a person] has been likened the [knife-] edge of a mountain in his precariousness - if good [fortune] befalls him, [so that he enjoys] health and security with respect to his own self and his property, he is reassured by it; but if an ordeal befalls him, a trial or ill-health with regard to himself or his property, he makes a turnabout, that is, he reverts to disbelief, losing both this world, when what he had hoped for in it has eluded him, and the Hereafter, by [his] disbelief. That is the manifest loss.
The meaning of worshipping Allah as it were upon the edge
Allah says:
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ
And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were upon the edge:if good befalls him, he is content therewith;
Mujahid, Qatadah and others said:
عَلَى حَرْفٍ
(upon the edge),
means, in doubt.
Others said that;
it meant on the edge, such as on the edge or side of a mountain, i.e., (this person) enters Islam on the edge, and if he finds what he likes he will continue, otherwise he will leave.
Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn Abbas said:
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ
(And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were upon the edge).
People would come to Al-Madinah (to declare their Islam) and if their wives gave birth to sons and their mares gave birth to foals, they would say, `This is a good religion,' but if their wives and their mares did not give birth, they would say, `This is a bad religion.'
Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn Abbas said,
One of them would come to Al-Madinah, which was a land that was infected with a contagious disease. If he remained healthy there, and his mare foaled and his wife gave birth to a boy, he would be content, and would say, `I have not experienced anything but good since I started to follow this religion.
وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ
but if a Fitnah strikes him,
Fitnah here means affliction, i.e., if the disease of Al-Madinah befalls him, and his wife gives birth to a babe girl and charity is delayed in coming to him, the Shaytan comes to him and says:By Allah, since you started to follow this religion of yours, you have experienced nothing but bad things, and this is the Fitnah.
This was also mentioned by Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak, Ibn Jurayj and others among the Salaf when explaining this Ayah.
Mujahid said, concerning the Ayah:
انقَلَبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ
he turns back on his face.
(This means), he becomes an apostate and a disbeliever.
خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالاْخِرَةَ
He loses both this world and the Hereafter.
means, he does not gain anything in this world. As for the Hereafter, he has disbelieved in Allah the Almighty, so he will be utterly doomed and humiliated.
So Allah says:
ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ
That is the evident loss.
i.e., the greatest loss and the losing deal.
يَدْعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُ وَمَا لَا يَنفَعُهُ
He calls besides Allah unto that which can neither harm him nor profit him.
means, the idols, rivals, and false gods which he calls upon for help, support and provision -- they can neither benefit him nor harm him.
ذَلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلَلُ الْبَعِيدُ
That is a straying far away.
يَدْعُو لَمَن ضَرُّهُ أَقْرَبُ مِن نَّفْعِهِ
He calls unto him whose harm is nearer than his profit;
means, he is more likely to harm him than benefit him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will most certainly cause him harm.
لَبِيْسَ الْمَوْلَى وَلَبِيْسَ الْعَشِيرُ
certainly an evil Mawla and certainly an evil `Ashir!
Mujahid said,
This means the idols.
The meaning is:
How evil a friend is this one upon whom he calls instead of Allah as a helper and supporter.
وَلَبِيْسَ الْعَشِيرُ
and certainly an evil `Ashir!
means the one with whom one mixes and spends one's time
The Reward of the Righteous
Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الاَْنْهَارُ
Truly, Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous good deeds to Gardens underneath which rivers flow.
The mention of the misguided who are doomed is followed by mention of the righteous who are blessed.
They are those who believe firmly in their hearts and confirm their faith by their actions, doing all kinds of righteous deeds and avoiding evil actions. Because of this, they will inherit dwellings in the lofty ranks of the gardens of Paradise.
So Allah tells us that He sends those astray and guides these, and says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ
Verily, Allah does what He wills
Allah will definitely help His Messenger
Allah says:
مَن كَانَ يَظُنُّ أَن لَّن يَنصُرَهُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالاْخِرَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ بِسَبَبٍ إِلَى السَّمَاء ثُمَّ لِيَقْطَعْ
Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him in this world and in the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling and let him strangle himself.
Ibn Abbas said,
Whoever thinks that Allah will not help Muhammad in this world and the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope (
إِلَى السَّمَاء
to the ceiling), to the ceiling in his house, (
ثُمَّ لِيَقْطَعْ
and let him strangle himself), let him hang himself with it.
This was also the view of Mujahid, Ikrimah, Ata', Abu Al-Jawza, Qatadah and others.
The meaning is:
whoever thinks that Allah will not support Muhammad and His Book and His Religion, let him go and kill himself if it annoys him so much. For Allah will most certainly help and support him.
Allah says:
إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الاٌّشْهَـدُ
Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe in this world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth. (40:51)
Allah says here:
فَلْيَنظُرْ هَلْ يُذْهِبَنَّ كَيْدُهُ مَا يَغِيظُ
Then let him see whether his plan will remove that whereat he rages! As-
Suddi said,
Meaning, in the case of Muhammad.
Ata' Al-Khurasani said,
Let him see whether that will cure the rage he feels in his heart.
وَكَذَلِكَ أَنزَلْنَاهُ
Thus have We sent it down, (the Qur'an),
ايَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ
as clear Ayat,
clear in its wording and its meaning, evidence from Allah to mankind.
وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يُرِيدُ
and surely, Allah guides whom He wills.
He sends astray whomsoever He wills and He guides whomsoever He wills, and He has complete wisdom and definitive proof in doing so.
لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَلُونَ
He cannot be questioned about what He does, while they will be questioned. (21:23)
Because of His wisdom, mercy, justice, knowledge, dominion and might, no one can overturn His ruling, and He is swift in bringing to account.
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