Transliteration:( Qul inna Rabbee yabsutur rizqa limai yashaaa'u wa yaqdiru wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa ya'lamoon (section 4) )
"Please declare: 'Indeed, my Lord expands the provision for whom He pleases, and straitens it for whom He pleases. But most of the people do not know [110].'"
This verse is a direct refutation of the disbelievers' claim in the previous verse. The distribution of wealth and worldly comfort is not based on piety or disbelief, but is entirely under the wisdom and will of Allah. He grants abundance to some and limits it for others, not necessarily as a reward or punishment, but often as a test.
Many people assume that wealth equals divine approval and poverty means divine rejection. This verse clarifies that this is a misconception. Allah may bless a disbeliever with wealth or test a believer with poverty. The real measure of success is not how much one possesses, but how one responds to their circumstances—with gratitude, patience, and faith.
The analogy in the tafsir—grain and chaff being separated by the threshing process—is powerful. It shows that this world is a place of temporary mixing, where good and evil coexist. But in the Hereafter, true distinction will be made based on deeds, not material status.
Sadly, as the verse says, "most of the people do not know"—they remain trapped in superficial thinking, unable to see the divine wisdom behind trials and blessings.
The tafsir of Surah Saba verse 36 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Saba ayat 34 which provides the complete commentary from verse 34 through 38.
(34:36) (O Prophet), say to them: “My Lord grants provision abundantly to whomsoever He pleases and straitens it for whomsoever He pleases. But most people do not know this.[56]
56. They do not understand the wisdom on which the system of the distribution of provisions is based in the world, and are thus involved in the misunderstanding that whoever is being given abundantly is a beloved of Allah and whoever is being given sparingly is under His wrath. The fact, however, is that if a person looks around with open eyes he will see that in most cases the people with filthy and repulsive character are prosperous, and many good and noble people, who are known and recognized as morally pure, are found living in poverty. Now, how can a sensible person say that Allah dislikes the people of pure character and favors the wicked wrongdoers?
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