وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ 7
Translations
And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.'"
Transliteration
Wa-idh ta'adhdhana rabbukum la-in shakartum la-azidannakum wa-la-in kafartum inna 'adhabi la-shadid
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah addresses the Children of Israel, reminding them of His covenant that if they are grateful and thankful for His blessings, He will increase those blessings further, but if they deny and reject His favors (kufr), His punishment will be severe. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir emphasize that this ayah establishes a divine principle of cause and effect: gratitude attracts increase (ziyādah) while ingratitude invites divine retribution. This principle applies universally to all believers, though the context specifically addresses the historical covenant with the Israelites.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Ibrahim (Chapter 14), a Meccan surah that discusses the prophets and their nations' responses to divine guidance. The broader context of the surah emphasizes gratitude to Allah and the consequences of rejection. While no specific asbāb al-nuzūl (occasion of revelation) is unanimously recorded for this particular verse, it reflects the recurring Quranic theme of divine covenant and conditional reward, particularly relevant to the historical experience of Bani Israel.
Related Hadiths
The concept is reinforced in a hadith qudsi: 'Allah says: If you are grateful, I will surely increase you in blessings' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the Prophet ﷺ emphasized in multiple hadiths the virtue of shukr (gratitude) as a means of increasing bounties and protection from hardship.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that gratitude is not merely an emotional response but a transformative spiritual practice that attracts divine increase in blessings, while ingratitude severs us from divine favor and invites punishment. For modern believers, it encourages mindfulness of blessings, conscious acknowledgment of Allah's gifts, and the understanding that our material and spiritual growth depends significantly on our grateful recognition of divine providence.