وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ 18
Translations
And if you should count the favors of Allāh, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
Transliteration
Wa-in ta'uddū ni'mata Allāhi lā tuḥṣūhā, inna Allāha laghafūrun raḥīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah emphasizes the countless and immeasurable blessings (ni'am) that Allah has bestowed upon humanity, which are beyond human capacity to enumerate or fully comprehend. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that this verse invokes gratitude and humility, reminding believers that divine blessings encompass physical sustenance, intellectual faculties, spiritual guidance, and protection—all of which surpass enumeration. The concluding phrase 'Indeed, Allah is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful' provides reassurance that despite human inability to adequately thank Allah for His blessings, His forgiveness and mercy remain boundless.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah An-Nahl (Meccan surah), which extensively discusses divine signs and blessings in creation. The broader context addresses the ingratitude of disbelievers and idolaters who fail to recognize Allah's favors, positioning this verse as a call to reflection on the obvious yet often overlooked blessings permeating human existence.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Tirmidhi). Thematically related: 'Whoever is grateful, he is grateful for [the benefit of] himself; and whoever is ungrateful, then indeed, my Lord is Free of need and Generous' (27:40)—emphasizing gratitude for blessings.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to cultivate mindfulness of Allah's boundless blessings in daily life, recognizing that complete gratitude is impossible yet sincere attempts at thankfulness are spiritually elevating. It offers comfort that divine mercy encompasses our inevitable shortcomings in acknowledging these blessings.
Related Ayahs
وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
And to Allāh prostrates whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth of creatures, and the angels [as well], and they are not arrogant.
تَٱللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
By Allāh, We did certainly send [messengers] to nations before you, but Satan made their deeds attractive to them. And he is their [i.e., the disbelievers] ally today [as well], and they will have a painful punishment.
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ وَٱلنُّجُومُ مُسَخَّرَٰتٌۢ بِأَمْرِهِۦٓ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
And He has subjected for you the night and day and the sun and moon, and the stars are subjected by His command. Indeed in that are signs for a people who reason.
وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ أَيْمَـٰنَكُمْ دَخَلًۢا بَيْنَكُمْ فَتَزِلَّ قَدَمٌۢ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهَا وَتَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِمَا صَدَدتُّمْ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلَكُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
And do not take your oaths as [means of] deceit between you, lest a foot slip after it was [once] firm, and you would taste evil [in this world] for what [people] you diverted from the way of Allāh, and you would have [in the Hereafter] a great punishment.