Quran Universe
42:48

فَإِنۡ أَعۡرَضُواْ فَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ حَفِيظًاۖ إِنۡ عَلَيۡكَ إِلَّا ٱلۡبَلَٰغُۗ وَإِنَّآ إِذَآ أَذَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مِنَّا رَحۡمَةٗ فَرِحَ بِهَاۖ وَإِن تُصِبۡهُمۡ سَيِّئَةُۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتۡ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ فَإِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ كَفُورٞ

Fain aAAradoo fama arsalnaka AAalayhim hafeethan in AAalayka illa albalaghu wainna itha athaqna alinsana minna rahmatan fariha biha wain tusibhum sayyiatun bima qaddamat aydeehim fainna alinsana kafoorun

But if they turn away - then We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], over them as a guardian; upon you is only [the duty of] notification. And indeed, when We let man taste mercy from us, he rejoices in it; but if evil afflicts him for what his hands have put forth, then indeed, man is ungrateful.

Word by word
  1. فَإِنۡThen if
  2. أَعۡرَضُواْthey turn away
  3. فَمَآthen not
  4. أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَWe have sent you
  5. عَلَيۡهِمۡover them
  6. حَفِيظًاۖ(as) a guardian
  7. إِنۡNot
  8. عَلَيۡكَ(is) on you
  9. إِلَّاexcept
  10. ٱلۡبَلَٰغُۗthe conveyance
  11. وَإِنَّآAnd indeed
  12. إِذَآwhen
  13. أَذَقۡنَاWe cause to taste
  14. ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ[the] man
  15. مِنَّاfrom Us
  16. رَحۡمَةٗMercy
  17. فَرِحَhe rejoices
  18. بِهَاۖin it
  19. وَإِنBut if
  20. تُصِبۡهُمۡbefalls them
  21. سَيِّئَةُۢevil
  22. بِمَاfor what
  23. قَدَّمَتۡhave sent forth
  24. أَيۡدِيهِمۡtheir hands
  25. فَإِنَّthen indeed
  26. ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ[the] man
  27. كَفُورٞ(is) ungrateful
Ash-Shuraa · 42:48Makkah

Your job is to deliver. Hearts belong to Allah.

The messenger's limit, and the human mood swing

Two truths
only to conveynot a guardian over them
man in easerejoices
man in hardshipforgets every blessing
Reading the present moment
today is everythingease, I boast; pain, I despair
thankful and patientgood in both states

The Prophet ﷺ was told that if the idolaters turned away, his duty was only to convey. Then the verse describes people: Ibn Kathir says in hardship a person forgets the previous times of ease and sees only the present. He cites the hadith that the believer thanks in good times and is patient in bad, and both are good for him.

You shared a reminder with a friend and they ignored it. You feel like you failed. Then a bad week at work, and you say "nothing ever goes right for me," forgetting last month's raise. Deliver, then let go. Remember the good.

If they do not change, I failed; if today is bad, life is bad.

My part is to deliver kindly. And one hard day does not erase years of blessings.

Try this

Write down three good things from the past month that you have stopped noticing.

Related2:27213:40
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 42:47)

Answer the Call of your Lord before there comes from Allah a Day which cannot be averted. You will have no refuge on that Day nor there will be for you any denying (47)But if they turn away, We have not sent you as a Hafiz over them. Your duty is to convey. And verily, when We cause man to taste of mercy from Us, he rejoices there at; but when some evil befalls them because of the deeds which their hands have sent forth, then verily, man (becomes) ingrate (48)

Encouragement to obey Allah before the Day of Resurrection

When Allah tells us about the horrors and terrifying events of the Day of Resurrection, He warns us about it and commands us to prepare for it:

اسْتَجِيبُوا لِرَبِّكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۚ 

(Answer the Call of your Lord before there comes from Allah a Day which cannot be averted.) means, once He issues the command, it will come to pass within the blinking of an eye, and no one will be able to avert it or prevent it.

مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ مَلْجَإٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ نَكِيرٍ

(You will have no refuge on that Day nor there will be for you any denying.) means, you will have no stronghold in which to take refuge, no place in which to hide from Allah, for He will encompass you with His knowledge and power, and you will have no refuge from Him except with Him.

يَقُولُ الْإِنْسَانُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ - كَلَّا لَا وَزَرَ - إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمُسْتَقَرُّ

(On that Day man will say: "Where (is the refuge) to flee?" No! There is no refuge! Unto your Lord will be the place of rest that Day.)(75:10-12)

فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُوا

(But if they turn away,) refers to the idolators,

فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا

(We have not sent you as a Hafiz over them.) means, 'you have no power over them.' And Allah says elsewhere:

لَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۗ 

(Not upon you is their guidance, but Allah guides whom He wills)(2:272).

فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَاغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ

(your duty is only to convey (the Message) and on Us is the reckoning)(13:40). And Allah says here:

إِنْ عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ ۗ 

(Your duty is to convey.) meaning, 'all that We require you to do is to convey the Message of Allah to them.'

وَإِنَّا إِذَا أَذَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً فَرِحَ بِهَا ۖ 

(And verily, when We cause man to taste of mercy from Us, he rejoices there at;) means, when a time of ease and comfort comes to him, he is happy about it.

وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ 

(but when befalls them) means mankind.

سَيِّئَةٌ

(some evil) means, drought, punishment, tribulation or difficulty,

فَإِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ كَفُورٌ

(then verily, man (becomes) ingrate!) means, he forgets the previous times of ease and blessings and acknowledges nothing but the present moment. If times of ease come to him, he becomes arrogant and transgresses, but if any difficulty befalls him, he loses hope and is filled with despair. This is like what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to the women:

يَا مَعْشَرَ النِّسَاءِ، تَصَدَّقْنَ، فَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُكُنَّ أَكْثَرَ أَهْلِ النَّارِ

(O women, give in charity, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell.) A woman asked, "Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?" He said:

لِأَنَّكُنَّ تُكْثِرْنَ الشِّكَايَةَ وَتَكْفُرْنَ الْعَشِيرَ، لَوْ أَحْسَنْتَ إِلىٰ إِحْدَاهُنَّ الدَّهْرَ ثُمَّ تَرَكْتَ يَوْمًا، قَالَتْ: مَا رَأَيْتُ مِنْكَ خَيْرًا قَطُّ

(Because you complain too much, and you are ungrateful to (your) husbands. If one of you were to be treated kindly for an entire lifetime, then that kindness was lacking for one day, she would say, 'I have never seen anything good from you!') This is the case with most women, except for those whom Allah guides and who are among the people who believe and do righteous deeds. As the Prophet ﷺ said, the believer is the one who:

إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ

(...if something good happens to him, he is thankful, and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him. This does not happen to anyone except the believer.)