The Quran

Preface

وَلَئِن أَذَقناهُ رَحمَةً مِنّا مِن بَعدِ ضَرّاءَ مَسَّتهُ لَيَقولَنَّ هٰذا لي وَما أَظُنُّ السّاعَةَ قائِمَةً وَلَئِن رُجِعتُ إِلىٰ رَبّي إِنَّ لي عِندَهُ لَلحُسنىٰ ۚ فَلَنُنَبِّئَنَّ الَّذينَ كَفَروا بِما عَمِلوا وَلَنُذيقَنَّهُم مِن عَذابٍ غَليظٍ

Yusuf Ali

When we give him a taste¹ of some Mercy from Ourselves, after some adversity has touched him, he is sure to say, “This is due to my (merit): I think not that the Hour (of Judgment) will (ever) be established; but if I am brought back to my Lord, I have (much) good (stored) in His sight!” But We will show the Unbelievers the truth of all that they did, and We shall give them the taste of a severe Penalty.

When men entertain false ideas of values in life, there are two or three possible attitudes they may adopt in reaction to their experiences. In the first place, their desire may be inordinate for the good things of this life, and any little check brings them into a mood of despair. See last note. In the second place, if their desire is granted, they are puffed up, and think that everything is due to their own cleverness or merit, and they forget God. Not only that, but they go a step further, and begin to doubt a Hereafter at all! If by chance they have a faint glimmering of the Hereafter, which they cannot help recognising, they think themselves “favoured of Heaven”, because of some small favours given to them in this life by way of trial. Thus they turn all things, good or evil, away from their real purpose, because they are devoted to falsehood.