Tafsir for verse: 39:49
فَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ ضُرّٞ دَعَانَا ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلۡنَٰهُ نِعۡمَةٗ مِّنَّا قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُۥ عَلَىٰ عِلۡمِۭۚ بَلۡ هِيَ فِتۡنَةٞ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَهُمۡ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ ٤٩ ﴿49
49When man is visited by a trouble, he prays to Us, but when, after that, We favor him with some blessing from Us, he says, “This is given to me because of (my) knowledge.” No, but this is a trial, yet most of them do not know.
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Commentary

And when he informed them about the appearance of this; he explained it by saying that they used to do what was not typically expected from them; which is repaying good with evil; and they were deserving of the opposite. So he said: "So if"; meaning: that happened to them because when they were touched; but he informed about the type that they are naturally inclined to; so he said: "mankind is touched by harm"; meaning any harm; from a direction they expect; as has been mentioned in the one at the beginning of the Surah; and it may be caused by informing them of their redemption by what they can afford; and it may be caused by their aversion to the Oneness of Allah; astonished by their state in their reversal; and their misguidance; and it has been mentioned in the verse at the beginning of the Surah the secret of its being with the conjunction; and he directed the saying to the manifestation of greatness; indicating that most people do not hope to acknowledge the truth; and to submit to the people of goodness; except when they are touched by harms; so he said: "He called us"; knowing our greatness; without his gods; while being averse to our mention; and rejoicing in her mention.

And when that harm was great; and the escape from it was far; due to the fact that there is no way for a creature to repel it; he indicated its greatness; and the length of its duration; by using the tool of delay; so he said - reproaching him for forgetting the harm; despite its greatness in itself; and despite its long duration -: "Then when We granted him"; meaning: We gave him; upon our greatness; favoring him; doing good in his affair; and making him deserving of his state; worthy of managing it without any action he has done; confirming his good assumption about us; and we did well in raising him; and managing him; despite what he has neglected in our right; "a blessing from Us"; there is no trace of favor for anyone other than us in it; and were it not for our greatness, it would not have been; "He said"; forgetting what was in it of harm; and even if its duration was long; limiting it to himself; not being shaped by what we have alerted him to shape himself with from our goodness towards him; and our attentiveness to him when he submitted; reminding his conscience; magnifying it; and he built the action for the unknown indicating that he has no regard for recognizing the giver who is to be thanked; but rather his regard is for the greatness of the blessing; and the greatness of his own self; and that it is to the extent of something; "Indeed, I have been given it"; meaning: this bestowed upon me; which is great; and immense; because I am great; so I am given according to my measure; and "what"; is the additional that suffices for "Indeed"; indicating restriction; and it may be that it is a relative pronoun; it is the name of "Indeed"; and its news is his saying: "to"; meaning: a giving that is exalted; established upon "knowledge"; meaning: great; and earnest from me; through the means of earning; and striving; and the avenues of seeking and scheming; so that was a reason for its coming to me; or: knowledge from Allah of his deserving it.

And when the decree was: "It is not so; nor is it a blessing"; he said - indicating the evil of that gift; and its insignificance; because it is one of the causes of his misguidance; by feminizing it -: (p-530) ﴿Rather, it is﴾; meaning: the gift; and the blessing; ﴿a trial﴾; for testing him; whether he will be grateful; or will be ungrateful; so that the proof may be established against him; for if it leads to the Fire, it is a gradual entrapment; and he feminized the pronoun to belittle it; in relation to His power - glorified and exalted is He -; and because it led to delusion; after He first reminded its pronoun; to magnify it; for the obligation of being grateful for it.

And when it is from the deluded ones who are aware; and they are the few; he said - gathering; indicating the intention of the generality; and that his expression first; by using the singular pronoun; is an indication that most people are as if they are in that evil character one soul -: ﴿But most of them﴾; meaning: most of those who say this words; ﴿do not know﴾; meaning: they do not have any renewed knowledge at all; because they have been sealed with coarseness; and ignorance; and foolishness; so if they called us while they are in Hell, we would answer them; and bestow upon them our blessing; and attribute it to others as they used to do in this world; equally.

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