Surah An-Nahl (النحل) • The Bee

Quran 16:112

16:112

وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ ءَامِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَذَٰقَهَا ٱللَّهُ لِبَاسَ ٱلْجُوعِ وَٱلْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْنَعُونَ

waḍaraba l-lahu mathalan qaryatan kānat āminatan muṭ'ma-innatan yatīhā riz'quhā raghadan min kulli makānin fakafarat bi-anʿumi l-lahi fa-adhāqahā l-lahu libāsa l-jūʿi wal-khawfi bimā kānū yaṣnaʿūna

And Allāh presents an example: a city [i.e., Makkah] which was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favors of Allāh. So Allāh made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing.

— Saheeh International

God presents the example of a town that was secure and at ease, with provisions coming to it abundantly from all places. Then it became ungrateful for God’s blessings, so God afflicted it with the garment of famine and fear, for what its people had done.

— M. A. S. Abdel Haleem

And Allâh puts forward the example of a township (Makkah), that dwelt secure and well-content: its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the Favours of Allâh (with ungratefulness). So Allâh made it taste extreme of hunger (famine) and fear, because of that (evil, i.e. denying Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) which they (its people) used to do.

— Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

Juz 14Page 280meccan

Word by Word

وَضَرَبَwaḍarabaAnd Allah sets forth
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAnd Allah sets forth
مَثَلًۭاmathalana similitude
قَرْيَةًۭqaryatan(of) a town
كَانَتْkānat(that) was
ءَامِنَةًۭāminatansecure
مُّطْمَئِنَّةًۭmuṭ'ma-innatanand content
يَأْتِيهَاyatīhācoming to it
رِزْقُهَاriz'quhāits provision
رَغَدًۭاraghadan(in) abundance
مِّنminfrom
كُلِّkullievery
مَكَانٍۢmakāninplace
فَكَفَرَتْfakafaratbut it denied
بِأَنْعُمِbi-anʿumi(the) Favors of Allah
ٱللَّهِl-lahi(the) Favors of Allah
فَأَذَٰقَهَاfa-adhāqahāso Allah made it taste
ٱللَّهُl-lahuso Allah made it taste
لِبَاسَlibāsa(the) garb
ٱلْجُوعِl-jūʿi(of) the hunger
وَٱلْخَوْفِwal-khawfiand the fear
بِمَاbimāfor what
كَانُوا۟kānūthey used (to)
يَصْنَعُونَyaṣnaʿūnado