Tafseer of Man · Al-Insaan · 76:9
[Saying], "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude.
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.
And His word: Innamā nuṭʿimukum li-wajhi Allāh (We feed you only for the sake of the Face of Allah) — the Exalted says: they say, when they feed them: we feed you only for the sake of the Face of Allah — by this they mean the seeking of Allah's good pleasure and drawing near to Him — lā nurīdu minkum jazāʾan wa-lā shukūran (we desire from you no recompense nor thanks). They say to those whom they give that food to eat: we desire from you, O people, no reward nor thanks for the fact that we feed you.
In His word wa-lā shukūran there are two possible meanings: one is that it is a plural of shukr, just as fulūs is the plural of fals, and kufūr the plural of kufr. The other is that it is a single verbal noun with the meaning of a plural, as one says: qaʿada quʿūdan (he sat a sitting) and kharaja khurūjan (he went out a going-out).
And Abū Kurayb has already related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Sālim, on the authority of Mujāhid: Innamā nuṭʿimukum li-wajhi Allāhi lā nurīdu minkum jazāʾan wa-lā shukūran; he said: they did not actually utter this, but Allah knew it from their hearts, so He praised them for it, so that whoever yearns for it may be spurred toward it.
Muḥammad ibn Sinān al-Qazzāz related to us, saying: Mūsā ibn Ismāʿīl related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn Abī al-Waḍḍāḥ related to us, on the authority of Sālim, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr: Innamā nuṭʿimukum li-wajhi Allāhi lā nurīdu minkum jazāʾan wa-lā shukūran; he said: by Allah, they did not say it with their tongues, but Allah knew it from their hearts, so He praised them, so that whoever yearns for it may be spurred toward it.
