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Al-Hajj 11

Ayah 11 of 78 · Medinan

وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَعۡبُدُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرۡفٖۖ فَإِنۡ أَصَابَهُۥ خَيۡرٌ ٱطۡمَأَنَّ بِهِۦۖ وَإِنۡ أَصَابَتۡهُ فِتۡنَةٌ ٱنقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجۡهِهِۦ خَسِرَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةَۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡخُسۡرَانُ ٱلۡمُبِينُ ١١

And of the people is he who worships Allāh on an edge.1 If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face [to unbelief]. He has lost [this] world and the Hereafter. That is what is the manifest loss.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 At the edge of his religion, so to speak, i.e., with uncertainty, hypocrisy or heedlessness.

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. وَمِنَAnd amongwamina
  2. ٱلنَّاسِthe mankindl-nāsi
  3. مَن(is he) whoman
  4. يَعۡبُدُworshipsyaʿbudu
  5. ٱللَّهَAllahl-laha
  6. عَلَىٰonʿalā
  7. حَرۡفٖۖan edgeḥarfin
  8. فَإِنۡAnd iffa-in
  9. أَصَابَهُۥbefalls himaṣābahu
  10. خَيۡرٌgoodkhayrun
  11. ٱطۡمَأَنَّhe is contentiṭ'ma-anna
  12. بِهِۦۖwith itbihi
  13. وَإِنۡand ifwa-in
  14. أَصَابَتۡهُbefalls himaṣābathu
  15. فِتۡنَةٌa trialfit'natun
  16. ٱنقَلَبَhe turnsinqalaba
  17. عَلَىٰonʿalā
  18. وَجۡهِهِۦhis facewajhihi
  19. خَسِرَHe has lostkhasira
  20. ٱلدُّنۡيَاthe worldl-dun'yā
  21. وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةَۚand the Hereafterwal-ākhirata
  22. ذَٰلِكَThatdhālika
  23. هُوَ[it]huwa
  24. ٱلۡخُسۡرَانُ(is) the lossl-khus'rānu
  25. ٱلۡمُبِينُclearl-mubīnu

Tafsir

Amongst people is a confused person who worships Allah in doubt. If good such as health and wealth come to him, he remains on his faith and worship of Allah, but if he is afflicted by an affliction through illness or poverty, he takes bad omen from his religion and then renounces it. He has lost his world, because his disbelief will never increase him in a share of the world which was not written for him, and he has lost his afterlife due to the punishment of Allah which will meet him. That is the clear loss.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran