Tafseer of The Bee · An-Nahl · 16:53
And whatever you have of favor - it is from Allah. Then when adversity touches you, to Him you cry for help.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
وَمَا بِكُمْ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ (And whatever blessing you have, it is from Allah) — Allah, exalted is His mention, says to His Prophet ﷺ: Say to these polytheists (mushrikīn) who claim that besides Allah they have gods and idols that benefit them: Whatever blessing you have — whether it be in your bodies, your children, your wealth, or whatever leads you to good in your life in this world — it is solely from Allah, not from the idols you worship as gods besides Him. For they can bring you neither benefit nor harm.
ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْأَرُونَ (Then, when adversity touches you, to Him you cry out) — that is to say: but when you are in distress and adversity touches you — sickness, poverty, or some other affliction — then you turn, lamenting and imploring, to Allah, not to your idols.
And regarding what the Arabs mean by the verb jaʾara there are two views: one is that it means "to call out and lament loudly," the other is that it means "to cry out as a bull bellows." One says: jaʾara al-thawr yajaʾaru jaʾran (the bull bellowed loudly). And a person says to another who is lamenting: mā hādhā al-juʾār (what is this bellowing?). Hence the meaning of the verse would be: then you cry out loudly and implore Allah for help.
Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to us, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْأَرُونَ : he said: you implore Him.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, the same.
Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word وَمَا بِكُمْ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْأَرُونَ : this means that man, when things go well with him, does not acknowledge the favor of Allah, but when adversity touches him he then cries out to Him and implores Him for help.
Yūnus related to us, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word وَمَا بِكُمْ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ : whatever blessing you have — health, prosperity, or whatever other benefit — it is only from Allah. ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْأَرُونَ : then you call upon Him and implore Him. He said: jaʾara — one says: the bull bellowed (jaʾara), when it cries out and roars. And thus the expression was transferred to man when he calls out loudly and laments.