Overview (Verses 47 - 49)

As Man Suffers Affliction

The sūrah then shows their miserable state when they return for judgement: If the wrongdoers possessed all that is on earth, and twice as much, they would surely offer it all as ransom from the awful suffering on the Day of Resurrection. For God will have made obvious to them something they have never reckoned with. Obvious to them will have become the evil of what they had done; and they will be overwhelmed by that which they used to deride. (Verses 47-48)

The verse makes an implicit threat within a statement that strikes fear into the hearts of those described as ‘wrongdoers’, which refers to everyone who associates partners, of any type, with God. If those people had in their possession ‘all that is on earth,’ including everything to which they attach high value and fear to lose should they accept Islam, indeed, if they had ‘twice as much’, they would willingly offer it all just to be spared the awful suffering they will see with their own eyes on the Day of Resurrection. Added to this is another implicit threat that is equally fearful: “For God will have made obvious to them something they have never reckoned with.” (Verse 47) The sūrah does not specify what will become obvious to them, but it is clearly understood that it is terrible, to be feared. It comes from God, and He shows them what they could never have expected.

“Obvious to them will have become the evil of what they had done; and they will be overwhelmed by that which they used to deride.” (Verse 48) Again this aggravates their position, because they will see for themselves how evil their deeds were, and they will find themselves engulfed with the warnings that they used to deride and ridicule.

Then follows a description of an ironic situation: they are outspoken in denying God’s oneness, yet when they suffer affliction they turn to none but Him, praying earnestly for His help. When He bestows His grace on them and removes their affliction they revert to their boastful claims and deny His favours: When man suffers affliction, he cries out to Us; but once We bestow upon him a favour by Our grace, he says: I have been given all this by virtue of my knowledge.’ By no means! It is but a test, yet most of them do not understand. (Verse 49)

This verse describes man if he does not accept the truth and turn back to his true Lord, following the path leading to Him and remaining on that path in all situations of strength or weakness. Affliction purges human nature of the desires and ambitions that blur its vision. It removes from it all alien influences that place a barrier between it and the truth. Therefore, when afflicted, it can easily recognize God and turn to Him alone. Yet when the testing times are over, and human nature again finds itself in easy and comfortable circumstances, man forgets what he said only a short while earlier. His nature is again turned away from the truth under the influence of his desires, and he looks at God’s favours and provisions only to say: “I have been given all this by virtue of my knowledge.” (Verse 49) This was said by Qārūn, or Korah, in former times, and it is said by everyone who admires what he is able to obtain of wealth or position through some sort of ability or knowledge, forgetting who grants him these, namely the One who has made causes produce their effects and who grants everyone their provisions.

“By no means! It is but a test, yet most of them do not understand.” (Verse 49) It is all just a test. Man either proves himself, shows that he is grateful to God and sets himself on the right way or he denies God’s favours, takes the wrong way and goes astray.

By an act of God’s grace, the Qur’ān reveals this secret to us. It alerts us to the source of danger, warns us against failure in the test, and thus leaves us no excuse or argument. It reminds us of the fates of those who lived long before us, which were the result of something like the words spoken by many an unbeliever in the past: “I have been given all this by virtue of my knowledge.” (Verse 49)