Surah Ibrahim (14:7)

Arabic Text:

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ‌ وَلَئِنْ كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ

English Translation:

Also call to mind when your Lord proclaimed: “If you give thanks, I will certainly grant you more; but if you are ungrateful for My favours, My chastisement is terrible.” 1

Tafsir (Explanation) from Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abul Ala Maududi:

That is, if you are grateful, you will appreciate Our favors and make right use of them, and will not rebel against Our commandments, but will surrender and submit to Us to show your gratitude to Us. 1

But if you are ungrateful for My favours, My chastisement is terrible. 1

A reference to Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) and his people has been made here to warn the people of Makkah of the consequences of their ingratitude towards this favor of Allah that He has raised Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from among them. This was a timely warning, for at that time they were showing ingratitude by rejecting that message. They were, therefore, warned to learn a lesson from the miserable condition of the Israelites, which was the result of their ingratitude to and rebellion against Allah’s favors. 1

As the Quraish themselves could see the consequences of that rebellious attitude of the Israelites, they were, so to say, asked this question: Do you also desire to meet with the same consequences by showing ingratitude towards the message which is a great favor to you? 1

Footnotes:

11. That is, if you are grateful, you will appreciate Our favors and make right use of them, and will not rebel against Our commandments, but will surrender and submit to Us to show your gratitude to Us. 1
12. Deuteronomy (Bible) contains a long and detailed discourse to this effect. According to it, Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), on the eve of his death, reminded the Israelites of all important events from their history, and reiterated all the divine commandments of the Torah which Allah had sent to them through him. Then he told them in a long speech that if they obeyed their Lord, they would be given great rewards. But if they adopted the attitude of disobedience, they would get a terrible punishment. This discourse spreads over chapters 4, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 28, 30. Some of these passages are so impressive and instructive that it will be worthwhile to quote a few of them: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deut. 6: 47). 1

And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways; and to love him, and to serve the Lord Thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is thy Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. (Deut. 10: 12-14). 1

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto. The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. And thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath. (28: 1-13). 1

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all those curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do. The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee. And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them. Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes. Therefore, shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: And he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other. (Deut: 28: 15-64). 1

13. It should be noted that a reference to Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) and his people has been made here to warn the people of Makkah of the consequences of their ingratitude towards this favor of Allah that He has raised Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from among them. This was a timely warning, for at that time they were showing ingratitude by rejecting that message. They were, therefore, warned to learn a lesson from the miserable condition of the Israelites, which was the result of their ingratitude to and rebellion against Allah’s favors. 1

As the Quraish themselves could see the consequences of that rebellious attitude of the Israelites, they were, so to say, asked this question: Do you also desire to meet with the same consequences by showing ingratitude towards the message which is a great favor to you? 1

Obviously, the great favor which was shown to the Quraish was that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was raised from among them with that message about which he assured them over and over again: Accept this Message of mine: all the Arabs and the non-Arabs will surrender and submit to you? 1

Tafseer Ibn kathir

Surah Ibrahim (14:7)

Arabic Text:

﴿وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ﴾

English Translation (Sahih International):

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.’ 22

Tafsir (Explanation) from Tafsir Ibn Kathir:

Allah states that Musa reminded his people about Allah’s annals and days and of Allah’s favors and bounties that He bestowed on them, when He saved them from Firawn and his people and the torment and disgrace they used to exert on them. They used to slaughter whomever they could find among their sons and let their females live. Allah delivered them from all this torment, and this is a great bounty, indeed. This is why Allah described this affliction, وَفِى ذَلِكُمْ بَلاَءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ (and in it was a tremendous trial from your Lord.)for He granted you (O Children of Israel) a great favor for which you are unable to perfectly thank Him.’ Some scholars said that this part of the Ayah means, what Firawn used to do to you was a tremendous بَلاَءً (trial.)’ Both meanings might be considered here and Allah knows best.

Allah said in another Ayah, وَبَلَوْنَـهُمْ بِالْحَسَنَـتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ (And We tried them with good and evil in order that they might turn (to Allah).) 7:168

Allah’s statement next, وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ (And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed) means, proclaimed and made known His promise to you. It is possible that this Ayah means, your Lord has vowed and sworn by His might, grace and exaltness. Allah said in a similar Ayah, وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكَ لَيَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ (And (remember) when your Lord declared that He would certainly keep on sending against them (i.e. the Jews), till the Day of Resurrection.) 7:167

Allah said, لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ (If you give thanks, I will give you more;) meaning, `if you appreciate My favor on you, I will give you more of it, وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ (but if you are thankless) if you are not thankful for My favors, covering and denying them, إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ (verily, My punishment is indeed severe), by depriving you of the favor and punishing you for being unappreciative of it.’ A Hadith states that, «إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيُحْرَمُ الرِّزْقَ بِالذَّنْبِ يُصِيبُه» (A servant might be deprived of a provision (that was written for him) because of a sin that he commits.)

In his Sahih, Muslim recorded that Abu Dharr said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that his Lord the Exalted and Most Honored said, «يَا عِبَادِي لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ كَانُوا عَلَى أَتْقَى قَلْبِ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنْكُمْ، مَا زَادَ ذَلِكَ فِي مُلْكِي شَيْئًا، يَا عِبَادِي لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ كَانُوا عَلَى أَفْجَرِ قَلْبِ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنْكُمْ، مَا نَقَصَ ذَلِكَ فِي مُلْكِي شَيْئًا، يَا عِبَادِي لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ قَامُوا فِي صَعِيدٍ وَاحِدٍ، فَسَأَلُونِي،فَأَعْطَيْتُ كُلَّ إِنْسَانٍ مَسْأَلَتَهُ، مَا نَقَصَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ مُلْكِي شَيْئًا إِلَّا كَمَا يَنْقُصُ المِخْيَطُ إِذَا أُدْخِلَ الْبَحْر» (O My servants. If the first and the last among you, mankind and Jinns among you, had the heart of the most pious and righteous man among you, that will not increase my kingdom in the least. O My servants! If the first and the last among you, mankind and the Jinns among you, had the heart of the most wicked man among you, that will not decrease My kingdom in the least. O My servants! If the first and the last among you, the mankind and Jinns among you, stood in one flat area and each asked me (what they wish ), and I gave each one of them what they asked, that will not decrease My kingdom except by that which the needle carries ( of water ) when inserted in the ocean.) 22

Comparison Between Tafheem-ul-Quran (Maududi) and Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Both tafsirs emphasize the core message of the verse: gratitude to Allah leads to an increase in blessings, while ingratitude (kufr, often interpreted as denial or ungratefulness) results in severe punishment. They frame the verse within the context of Prophet Musa (Moses) addressing the Children of Israel (Bani Isra’il), reminding them of Allah’s favors, such as deliverance from Pharaoh’s oppression.

• Similarities:
• Historical Context: Both highlight the verse as part of Musa’s reminder to Bani Isra’il about their trials and Allah’s deliverance, underscoring the “tremendous trial” (bala’) as a favor from Allah.
• Gratitude and Increase: Maududi explains gratitude as appreciating favors, using them rightly, and submitting without rebellion. Ibn Kathir similarly describes it as appreciating favors, leading to more blessings, and ties ingratitude to deprivation and punishment.
• Warning Aspect: Both convey the severe consequences of ingratitude, with Ibn Kathir adding that punishment involves depriving favors and direct chastisement.
• References to Bani Isra’il: They connect the verse to the Israelites’ history, using it as a lesson in divine favor and accountability.
• Differences:
• Application and Audience: Maududi applies the verse directly to the people of Makkah (Quraish), warning them against rejecting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as ingratitude for Allah raising a prophet among them. He draws a parallel between the Israelites’ rebellion and the potential fate of the Quraish. Ibn Kathir stays more focused on the Quranic narrative with Bani Isra’il, without extending it to the Meccans in this specific explanation.
• Sources and References: Maududi incorporates extensive Biblical parallels from Deuteronomy, quoting passages about blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience to reinforce the promise of increase or punishment. Ibn Kathir relies on Quranic cross-references (e.g., 7:167, 7:168) and authentic hadiths, such as one about sins depriving provisions and another emphasizing Allah’s infinite richness and independence from human actions (narrated by Abu Dharr in Sahih Muslim).
• Linguistic and Theological Depth: Ibn Kathir provides linguistic analysis, such as interpreting “proclaimed” (ta’adhdhana) as making a promise known or a vow by Allah’s might. He also explores the dual meaning of “trial” (bala’) as both affliction and favor. Maududi is more interpretive in a modern, contextual sense, focusing on moral lessons like submission as gratitude.
• Length and Style: Maududi’s tafsir is concise and lesson-oriented, with footnotes for Biblical quotes and historical warnings. Ibn Kathir’s is more detailed, incorporating scholarly opinions (e.g., on “trial”) and hadiths for broader theological insight.

Overall, Maududi’s approach is more reformist and applicative to contemporary audiences (e.g., warning the Quraish), while Ibn Kathir’s is classical, rooted in hadith, linguistics, and Quranic intertextuality, providing a foundational exegesis.