Quranic theme
Tiredness
التعب
9 verses
When traveling, Moses asks his servant for their lunch, remarking that their travels have been very tiring (18:62). This moment of physical exhaustion in the life of a prophet highlights that fatigue is an inescapable part of human biology. The Quran addresses weariness not as a moral failing, but as a physical boundary—contrasting human limits with the divine, while recognizing exhaustion as a currency for spiritual reward.
Does God or the angels experience fatigue? The text sharply distinguishes the Creator from His creation through the absolute absence of weariness. God states that He brought the heavens, the earth, and everything between them into existence in six days without tiring (50:38). The beings in the unseen realm share a similar immunity to physical limits. Those in God's presence glorify Him continuously, night and day, never growing weary or becoming too proud to worship Him (21:19, 41:38). Human beings, by contrast, are bound by exhaustion in almost every endeavor, with one exception where their stamina appears limitless: a person never tires of asking God for good things, even though they quickly become despondent when affliction strikes (41:49).
Is there a reward for exhaustion in a good cause? Physical depletion is not merely a side effect of labor; when directed toward a righteous purpose, it is formally logged as a good deed. Addressing the people of Medina and the desert Arabs who supported the Messenger, the Quran guarantees that any weariness, hunger, or thirst suffered in God’s cause is recorded in their favor, as God never wastes the reward of those who do good (9:120). As Ibn Kamal Pasha observes (Tafsir Ibn Kamal Pasha, 4/414), the reward for an action corresponds to the hardship it demands, making the tiredness involved in obedience a direct reason to pursue it. To manage the daily toll of this worldly exhaustion, humanity relies on the night. Al-Zamakhshari notes that the night was specifically designed as a period of tranquility, allowing those depleted by the day to rest and recover (Tafsir al-Kashshaf, 2/49).
Will believers feel tired in Paradise? The temporary rest of the night is eventually replaced by a permanent physical state. In the Quranic descriptions of Paradise, the complete removal of fatigue is highlighted as one of the primary shifts in human existence. Those who enter will recognize this transformation immediately, praising God for entirely separating them from sorrow and recognizing Him as most forgiving and appreciative (35:34). They are assured that they will never face expulsion, nor will any weariness ever touch them there (15:48).
The ultimate relief from exhaustion is framed not just as an end to physical labor, but as a permanent settling of the human condition. Recognizing this final rest, the believers will declare that God has, through His bounty, placed them in the everlasting Home where no toil or fatigue will ever touch them (35:35).
Verses
All 9 verses, in mushaf order.
مَا كَانَ لِأَهْلِ ٱلْمَدِينَةِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَعْرَابِ أَن يَتَخَلَّفُوا۟ عَن رَّسُولِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَرْغَبُوا۟ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يُصِيبُهُمْ ظَمَأٌ وَلَا نَصَبٌ وَلَا مَخْمَصَةٌ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَطَـُٔونَ مَوْطِئًا يَغِيظُ ٱلْكُفَّارَ وَلَا يَنَالُونَ مِنْ عَدُوٍّ نَّيْلًا إِلَّا كُتِبَ لَهُم بِهِۦ عَمَلٌ صَـٰلِحٌ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
The people of Medina and their neighbouring desert Arabs should not have held back from following God’s Messenger, nor should they have cared about themselves more than him: if ever they suffer any thirst, weariness, or hunger in God’s cause, take any step that angers the disbelievers, or cause any harm to an enemy, a good deed is recorded in their favour on account of it- God never wastes the reward of those who do good-
لَا يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ
No weariness will ever touch them there, nor will they ever be expelled.’
فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَىٰهُ ءَاتِنَا غَدَآءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِن سَفَرِنَا هَـٰذَا نَصَبًا
They journeyed on, and then Moses said to his servant, ‘Give us our lunch! This journey of ours is very tiring,’
وَلَهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَنْ عِندَهُۥ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِۦ وَلَا يَسْتَحْسِرُونَ
Everyone in the heavens and earth belongs to Him, and those that are with Him are never too proud to worship Him, nor do they grow weary;
وَقَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا ٱلْحَزَنَ ۖ إِنَّ رَبَّنَا لَغَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ
They will say, ‘Praise be to God, who has separated us from all sorrow! Our Lord is truly most forgiving, most appreciative:
ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحَلَّنَا دَارَ ٱلْمُقَامَةِ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ لَا يَمَسُّنَا فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَلَا يَمَسُّنَا فِيهَا لُغُوبٌ
He has, in His bounty, settled us in the everlasting Home where no toil or fatigue will touch us.’
فَإِنِ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ فَٱلَّذِينَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ يُسَبِّحُونَ لَهُۥ بِٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْـَٔمُونَ ۩
If the disbelievers are too arrogant, [remember, Prophet, that] those who are with your Lord glorify Him tirelessly night and day.
لَّا يَسْـَٔمُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مِن دُعَآءِ ٱلْخَيْرِ وَإِن مَّسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ فَيَـُٔوسٌ قَنُوطٌ
Man never tires of asking for good, but if evil touches him he loses all hope and becomes despondent.
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَمَا مَسَّنَا مِن لُّغُوبٍ
We created the heavens, the earth, and everything between, in six Days without tiring.