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An-Nahl 112

Ayah 112 of 128 · Meccan

وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلٗا قَرۡيَةٗ كَانَتۡ ءَامِنَةٗ مُّطۡمَئِنَّةٗ يَأۡتِيهَا رِزۡقُهَا رَغَدٗا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٖ فَكَفَرَتۡ بِأَنۡعُمِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَذَٰقَهَا ٱللَّهُ لِبَاسَ ٱلۡجُوعِ وَٱلۡخَوۡفِ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَصۡنَعُونَ ١١٢

And Allāh presents an example: a city [i.e., Makkah] which was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favors of Allāh. So Allāh made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. وَضَرَبَAnd Allah sets forthwaḍaraba
  2. ٱللَّهُAnd Allah sets forthl-lahu
  3. مَثَلٗاa similitudemathalan
  4. قَرۡيَةٗ(of) a townqaryatan
  5. كَانَتۡ(that) waskānat
  6. ءَامِنَةٗsecureāminatan
  7. مُّطۡمَئِنَّةٗand contentmuṭ'ma-innatan
  8. يَأۡتِيهَاcoming to ityatīhā
  9. رِزۡقُهَاits provisionriz'quhā
  10. رَغَدٗا(in) abundanceraghadan
  11. مِّنfrommin
  12. كُلِّeverykulli
  13. مَكَانٖplacemakānin
  14. فَكَفَرَتۡbut it deniedfakafarat
  15. بِأَنۡعُمِ(the) Favors of Allahbi-anʿumi
  16. ٱللَّهِ(the) Favors of Allahl-lahi
  17. فَأَذَٰقَهَاso Allah made it tastefa-adhāqahā
  18. ٱللَّهُso Allah made it tastel-lahu
  19. لِبَاسَ(the) garblibāsa
  20. ٱلۡجُوعِ(of) the hungerl-jūʿi
  21. وَٱلۡخَوۡفِand the fearwal-khawfi
  22. بِمَاfor whatbimā
  23. كَانُواْthey used (to)kānū
  24. يَصۡنَعُونَdoyaṣnaʿūna

Tafsir

Allah cites the example of a town - which is Makkah - that was secure and stable with its people having no fear, whilst people around it lived in fear. Its sustenance comes to it abundantly and easily from every direction. But then its people became unappreciative of Allah's blessings to them and they did not thank Him, so Allah recompensed them with hunger and intense fear that was visible in the panic on their faces and emaciation in their bodies to the extent that this became like a garment for them on account of the disbelief and denial that they used to do.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran