The Quran Says About Allah’s Mercy
مَا یَوَدُّ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا مِنۡ اَہۡلِ الۡکِتٰبِ وَلَا الۡمُشۡرِکِیۡنَ اَنۡ یُّنَزَّلَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ مِّنۡ خَیۡرٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ ؕ وَاللّٰہُ یَخۡتَصُّ بِرَحۡمَتِہٖ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَاللّٰہُ ذُو الۡفَضۡلِ الۡعَظِیۡمِ ﴿۱۰۵﴾
” Those who disbelieve from the People of the Book and the polytheists do not wish that any good be sent down to you from your Lord. But Allah selects for His mercy whom He wills. And Allah is the possessor of great bounty.”
This verse from Surah Al-Baqara reveals an important truth about the nature of envy and opposition that believers may face. Allah informs the Muslims that those who reject faith do not wish for any good to be sent down to them from their Lord. Yet despite this hostility, Allah makes it clear that His mercy is entirely in His hands, and He bestows it upon whomever He wills. The verse closes with a magnificent declaration: that Allah is the possessor of great bounty. For anyone seeking reassurance that Allah’s blessings cannot be blocked by the ill-wishes of others, this verse provides a powerful and comforting reminder.
There is a deep lesson in this verse about not allowing the negativity or jealousy of others to shake one’s confidence in Allah’s favour. People may not want good for you, they may try to discourage you, undermine your efforts, or resent the blessings you receive. But this verse teaches the believer that no human being has any power over what Allah chooses to give. His mercy is not a limited resource that can be withheld by the envy of others; it is vast, intentional, and directed by His perfect wisdom. This should free the believer from worrying about the opinions or hostility of those who wish them harm. Instead of focusing on those who do not want good for them, the believer should focus on the One who is the source of all good. The more a person turns to Allah with sincerity and trust, the more they open themselves to receiving from His limitless bounty.
Allah says in Surah Yunus of the Quran, “Say, in the bounty of Allah and in His mercy, in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate” (Quran 10:58), reminding believers that the greatest joy comes from recognising Allah’s favour upon them. As Al-Wahhab, Allah is the Bestower who gives without being asked and without limit. When a believer understands that their blessings come from Allah alone, the envy of others becomes irrelevant, and their heart finds peace in the knowledge that His bounty can never be taken away.
