Suffering

The Quranic concept of suffering—specifically shaqa, meaning wretchedness, misery, or deep distress—is defined not by physical deprivation or worldly poverty, but by the severance of a person's relationship with divine guidance. When God addresses the Prophet directly regarding the immense weight of the revelation, He explicitly separates the divine text from the imposition of misery. "It was not to distress you [Prophet] that We sent down the Quran to you" (20:2). The scripture is positioned not as a source of hardship, but as an active, descending intervention against the inherent wretchedness that humanity faces when left entirely to its own unguided devices.

How did human misery begin? The origin of this specific human distress is traced directly to the first human confrontation with Satan and the subsequent expulsion from Paradise. Before the fall, God warned Adam of the precise consequence of yielding to deception: "Adam, this is your enemy, yours and your wife’s: do not let him drive you out of the garden and make you miserable" (20:117). Misery (shaqa) here is framed as the sudden, catastrophic loss of divine provision and proximity, thrusting humanity into a fractured and hostile world. When God commands Adam and Eve to leave the garden, He decrees that they will live "as each other’s enemy." Yet, in the very same decree, He provides the permanent remedy for this newly introduced earthly suffering: "Whoever follows My guidance, when it comes to you [people], will not go astray nor fall into misery" (20:123). Adhering to revelation is the exact antidote to spiritual ruin.

Who falls into wretchedness? Classical Muslim theology inextricably links the concept of shaqa to human agency and ultimate spiritual destiny. Exegetes frequently discuss this suffering in direct opposition to sa'adah (felicity or spiritual success). As Ibn Kathir notes (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 14/374), humanity is categorized by these two outcomes; those who are among the people of wretchedness will find themselves eased toward the very deeds that precipitate that ruin. Al-Wahidi similarly references the ancient decree of this wretchedness in the divine record (Al-Tafsir Al-Basit, 11/324). However, this foreknowledge does not negate human responsibility. Fahd al-Rumi observes (Ittijahat al-Tafsir, 1/142) that while God established destinies before creation, knowing exactly who would head toward wretchedness, He cemented the proof against humanity by actively sending messengers and guidance. The ruin of the wretched is ultimately rooted in their own deliberate choices. Facing the consequences of their rejection, they will plainly admit to their own culpability: "They will say, ‘Lord, our waywardness overcame us and we went astray’" (23:106).

The avoidance of this profound misery relies entirely on how a person receives divine instruction when it reaches them. The text draws a permanent, sharp boundary between those who soften to correction and those who actively turn away, thereby cementing their own terminal distress. "Those who stand in awe of God will heed the reminder, but it will be ignored by the most wicked" (87:10-11).