أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَىٰ مَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۖ فَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَآ ءَالَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُم مُّلْكًا عَظِيمًا 54
Translations
Or do they envy people for what Allāh has given them of His bounty? But We had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.
Transliteration
Am yaḥsudūn an-nāsa ʿalā mā ātāhum ul-Lāhu min faḍlihi, faqad ātaynā āla Ibrāhīm al-kitāb wa-l-ḥikmah wa-ātaynāhum mulkan ʿaẓīmā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rebukes those who harbor envy toward people whom Allah has blessed with His favors, whether wealth, knowledge, or status. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as addressing the Jews' jealousy toward the Muslims and their denial of the Prophet's message. The ayah then establishes that Allah's bestowal of blessing is His sovereign choice, exemplified by His granting the family of Ibrahim the Book, wisdom, and a great kingdom—demonstrating that such gifts came through divine selection, not human merit.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Nisa (revealed in Madinah) and contextually addresses the disputes between the Muslims and the People of the Book, particularly regarding prophethood and divine favor. The specific reference to the family of Ibrahim relates to the broader Quranic discussion of prophetic lineage and the transmission of divine knowledge, which was a point of contention between communities in Madinah.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said: 'Do not envy one another; do not inflate prices against one another; do not hate one another; do not turn away from one another; and do not undercut one another in trade. Rather be servants of Allah as brothers.' (Sahih Muslim 2563). Additionally, the Prophet warned against envy, stating: 'Envy consumes good deeds as fire consumes wood.' (Sunan Ibn Majah 4206)
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah's distribution of blessings is based on His infinite wisdom, not human expectations, and that harboring envy toward others' fortune is both spiritually destructive and a rejection of divine wisdom. Believers should focus on gratitude for their own provisions and trust in Allah's perfect justice rather than comparing themselves to others.
Related Ayahs
يَسْـَٔلُكَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَن تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَـٰبًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا۟ مُوسَىٰٓ أَكْبَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالُوٓا۟ أَرِنَا ٱللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ۚ ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ ٱلْعِجْلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَن ذَٰلِكَ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ سُلْطَـٰنًا مُّبِينًا
The People of the Scripture ask you to bring down to them a book from the heaven. But they had asked of Moses [even] greater than that and said, "Show us Allāh outright," so the thunderbolt struck them for their wrongdoing. Then they took the calf [for worship] after clear evidences had come to them, and We pardoned that. And We gave Moses a clear authority.
وَلَيْسَتِ ٱلتَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّى تُبْتُ ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ وَلَا ٱلَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," or of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment.
لَّعَنَهُ ٱللَّهُ ۘ وَقَالَ لَأَتَّخِذَنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيبًا مَّفْرُوضًا
Whom Allāh has cursed. For he had said, "I will surely take from among Your servants a specific portion.
فَبِظُلْمٍ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوا۟ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ طَيِّبَـٰتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ وَبِصَدِّهِمْ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ كَثِيرًا
For wrongdoing on the part of the Jews, We made unlawful for them [certain] good foods which had been lawful to them, and for their averting from the way of Allāh many [people],