Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:156
Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."
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.
The statement concerning the interpretation of His words, the Exalted: الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ (2:156)
(Those who, when an affliction befalls them, say: "Indeed, to Allah we belong, and indeed, to Him we shall return.")
Abū Jaʿfar said: He — exalted be His mention — means: And give glad tidings, O Muḥammad ﷺ, to the patient ones, who know that every grace that befalls them comes from Me, who therefore acknowledge My claim as Lord over them, who confess Me as the sole Lord (rubūbiyya), and who hold the resurrection and the return to Me to be true. Thus they submit to My decree, hope for My reward, fear My punishment, and say — when I test them with some of My trials, and when I afflict them with that with which I have promised them I would afflict them: fear, hunger, and diminution of possessions, lives, and fruits, and other calamities with which I test them —: Indeed, we are the possession of our Lord and our Worshipped One as long as we remain alive, and we are His servants, and indeed, to Him we shall return after our death — in submission to My decree and contentment with My judgments.
