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Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

Verse 11of 78

وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرْفٍۢ ۖ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُۥ خَيْرٌ ٱطْمَأَنَّ بِهِۦ ۖ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ ٱنقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِۦ خَسِرَ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةَ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْخُسْرَانُ ٱلْمُبِينُ﴿١١﴾

Translation (Sahih International)

And of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge. If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face [to the other direction]. He has lost [this] world and the Hereafter. That is what is the manifest loss.

Word-by-word meaning

وَمِنَwaminaAnd among
ٱلنَّاسِl-nāsithe mankind
مَنman(is he) who
يَعْبُدُyaʿbuduworships
ٱللَّهَl-lahaAllah
عَلَىٰʿalāon
حَرْفٍۢ ۖḥarfinan edge
فَإِنْfa-inAnd if
أَصَابَهُۥaṣābahubefalls him
خَيْرٌkhayrungood
ٱطْمَأَنَّiṭ'ma-annahe is content
بِهِۦ ۖbihiwith it
وَإِنْwa-inand if
أَصَابَتْهُaṣābathubefalls him
فِتْنَةٌfit'natuna trial
ٱنقَلَبَinqalabahe turns
عَلَىٰʿalāon
وَجْهِهِۦwajhihihis face
خَسِرَkhasiraHe has lost
ٱلدُّنْيَاl-dun'yāthe world
وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ ۚwal-ākhirataand the Hereafter
ذَٰلِكَdhālikaThat
هُوَhuwa[it]
ٱلْخُسْرَانُl-khus'rānu(is) the loss
ٱلْمُبِينُl-mubīnuclear

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The meaning of worshipping Allah as it were upon the edgeMujahid, Qatadah and others said:عَلَى حَرْفٍ(upon the edge) means, in doubt. Others said that it meant on the edge, such as on the edge or side of a mountain, i.e., (this person) enters Islam on the edge, and if he finds what he likes he will continue, otherwise he will leave. Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas said:وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ(And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were upon the edge.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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