Wamina alnnasi man yaAAbudu Allaha AAala harfin fain asabahu khayrun itmaanna bihi wain asabathu fitnatun inqalaba AAala wajhihi khasira alddunya waalakhirata thalika huwa alkhusranu almubeenu
English
Ahmed Ali
There are some men who worship God only from the margin. If there is some profit they are content; but if calamity befalls them they turn about, thus losing both this world and the next. This is indeed a palpable loss.
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Tafseer
'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : (and among mankind is he who worshippeth allah upon a narrow marge) and among people there is he who worships allah on an experimental basis, in doubt and because of expectation of some benefit. this was revealed about the banu'l-hallaf, the hypocrites of the banu asad and ghatafan, (so that if good) a bounty (befalleth him he is content therewith) he is pleased with the religion of muhammad (pbuh) but just with his tongue, (but if a trial) hardship (befalleth him, he falleth away utterly) he reverts to his first religion: associating partners with allah. (he loseth both the world) by missing the life of this world (and the hereafter) by losing paradise. (that is the sheer loss) the loss of both this worldly life and the hereafter.
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : and among mankind there are those who worship god on a knife-edge: that is, with uncertainty in his worship — such [a person] has been likened the [knife-] edge of a mountain in his precariousness — if good [fortune] befalls him, [so that he enjoys] health and security with respect to his own self and his property, he is reassured by it; but if an ordeal befalls him, a trial or ill-health with regard to himself or his property, he makes a turnabout, that is, he reverts to disbelief, losing both this world, when what he had hoped for in it has eluded him, and the hereafter, by [his] disbelief. that is the manifest loss.
Ali ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi
تفسير : (and among mankind is he who worshippeth allah upon a narrow marge…) [22:11].
the commentators of the qur'an said: “this verse was revealed about some bedouins who used to travel from the desert to medina to see the messenger of allah, allah bless him and give him peace. if one of them had, during such visits, good health, or his mare gave birth to seemly foals or his wife gave him a boy, such that his wealth and cattle multiplied - he would be pleased and well contended. he would say: 'since i embraced this religion, i have not seen anything but good'. if, on the other hand, he fell ill, during such visits, or his wife gave birth to a girl, or his foals were stillborn, such that he lost his wealth, or such that the payment of alms to him was delayed - the devil would come to him and whisper: 'since you embraced this religion, you have not gained anything but evil', and thus he would renounce his religion. allah, exalted is, therefore, revealed (and among mankind is he who worshippeth allah upon a narrow marge)”.
'atiyyah reported that abu sa'id al-khudri said: “a jewish man who had embraced islam lost his sight, wealth and children. he thought that islam was ill-omened and so he went to the prophet, allah bless him and give him peace, and said: 'discharge me!' the prophet said: 'you do not get discharged from islam'. the man said: 'i did not gain any good from this religion of mine!' the prophet said: 'o jew, islam smelts men as fire smelts the dross of iron, silver and gold'. then the verse (and among mankind is he who worshippeth allah upon a narrow marge) was revealed”.
Sahl al-Tustari
تفسير : and among mankind there is the one who worships god, as it were, on a knife edge…the believer has one face, without a reverse side; he makes repeated [advances] and never retreats. you will see him striving for the cause of god’s religion and his obedience, upholding god’s oneness and the emulation of his prophet <img border="0" src="images/salatonmassenger.jpg" width="24" height="22">, constantly making humble entreaty (taḍarruʿ) of god and seeking refuge in him in the hope of connecting to him through following [exemplaryguidance]. zayd b. aslam related from the prophet <img border="0" src="images/salatonmassenger.jpg" width="24" height="22"> that he said: ‘every person of my nation (umma) will enter paradise, save the one who refuses.’ we said, ‘o messenger of god who will refuse that?’ he said, ‘whoever obeys me will enter paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused to enter paradise.’ his words, exalted is he:
…if good [fortune] befalls him, he is reassured by it…that is, whoever follows [his] desire, if his heart is satisfied and his lower self is happy in its worldly share, he will feel reassured by it. otherwise he will return to the disbelief that his desire calls him to. his words:
