64:11

مَآ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِۗ وَمَن يُؤۡمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ يَهۡدِ قَلۡبَهُۥۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٞ

Ma asaba min museebatin illa biithni Allahi waman yumin biAllahi yahdi qalbahu waAllahu bikulli shayin AAaleemun

No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah - He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things.

Word by word
  1. مَآNot
  2. أَصَابَstrikes
  3. مِنany
  4. مُّصِيبَةٍdisaster
  5. إِلَّاexcept
  6. بِإِذۡنِby (the) permission
  7. ٱللَّهِۗ(of) Allah
  8. وَمَنAnd whoever
  9. يُؤۡمِنۢbelieves
  10. بِٱللَّهِin Allah
  11. يَهۡدِHe guides
  12. قَلۡبَهُۥۚhis heart
  13. وَٱللَّهُAnd Allah
  14. بِكُلِّof every
  15. شَيۡءٍthing
  16. عَلِيمٞ(is) All-Knowing
At-Taghabun · 64:11Madinah

No hardship lands without His permission.

And belief guides the heart through it


When it hits
a calamityloss, illness, failure
came by
Allah's permissionHis decree
and belief brings
a guided heartcertainty, calm
What it means
it was randomI just got unlucky
it was never going to miss meand He guides me through

Ibn Abbas said a believer's heart is guided to certainty: what reached him would not have missed him, and what missed him would not have reached him. Ibn Kathir says Allah compensates the patient with guidance and may replace their loss with the same or better.

The phone call from the hospital. The redundancy letter. The miscarriage. It came by His permission, not by accident. Belief does not make it painless, but He guides the heart that turns to Him.

Bad things happen randomly and there is no meaning in them.

Nothing reaches me without Allah's permission, and He guides the heart that trusts Him.

Try this

Think of one hard thing you are carrying, and say: inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

No calamity occurs, but by the permission of Allah, and whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart. And Allah is the All-Knower of everything (11)Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away, then the duty of Our Messenger is only to convey clearly (12)Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa. And in Allah therefore let the believers put their trust (13)

All that occurs to Mankind is by Allah's Permission

Allah informs us as He did in Surat Al-Hadid,

مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَهَا ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ 

(No calamity occurs on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in a record before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.)(57:22) Allah said here,

مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۗ 

(No calamity occurs, but by the permission of Allah,) Ibn 'Abbas said; "By the command of Allah," meaning from His decree and will.

وَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

(and whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart. And Allah is the All-Knower of everything.) meaning, whoever suffered an affliction and he knew that it occurred by Allah's judgement and decree, and he patiently abides, awaiting Allah's reward, then Allah guides his heart, and will compensate him for his loss in this life by granting guidance to his heart and certainty in faith. Allah will replace whatever he lost for Him with the same or what is better. 'Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn 'Abbas,

وَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ

(and whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart.) "Allah will guide his heart to certainty. Therefore, he will know that what reached him would not have missed him and what has missed him would not have reached him."

There is an agreed upon Hadith [that Al-Bukhari and Muslim collected and] which states,

عَجَبًا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ لَا يَقْضِي اللهُ لَهُ قَضَاءً إِلَّا كَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ

(Amazing is the believer: There is no decree that Allah writes for him, but is better for him. If an affliction strikes him, he is patient and this is better for him. If a bounty is granted to him, he is thankful and this is better for him. This trait is only for the faithful believer.)

The Order to obey Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ)

Allah said,

وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ ۚ 

(Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger;) Allah commands obedience to Him and to His Messenger ﷺ in all that His legislates and in implementing His orders. Allah also forbids one from all that His Messenger ﷺ forbids and prohibits. Allah the Exalted said,

فَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَىٰ رَسُولِنَا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ

(but if you turn away, then the duty of Our Messenger is only to convey clearly.) meaning, 'if you refrain from abiding by the faith, then the Messenger's mission is to convey and your mission is to hear and obey. 'Az-Zuhri said, "From Allah comes the Message, its deliverance is up to the Messenger, and the adherence is up to us."

Tawhid

Allah states that He is the One, Whom all creations need and seek, the One other than Whom there is no (true) God.

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

(Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa. And in Allah therefore let the believers put their trust.)

So, He first informs about Tawhid and its meaning. The implied meaning is to single Him out for deification, being purely devoted to Him, and relying upon Him, as He said;

رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلًا

(The Lord of the east and the west; La ilaha illa Huwa. So take Him alone as Trustee.)(73:9)