Quranic theme
Ungrateful
الكفور
26 verses
When a ship is caught in a violent storm and all false protectors vanish, human beings pray exclusively to their Creator, only to turn their backs the moment He brings them safely back to shore (17:67). This recurring image in the Quran captures the core of human ingratitude. Across twenty-six verses on the topic, a refusal to recognize divine favors is treated not as a mere lapse in manners, but as an active injustice. It is a willful blindness to reality: God gave humanity life, will cause them to die, and will resurrect them again, yet the human response defaults to thanklessness (22:66).
Why does human nature resist giving thanks? The text diagnoses ingratitude as a symptom of short-sightedness and entitlement. People are continually granted a portion of everything they ask for, surrounded by blessings so numerous they defy calculation (14:34). Despite this constant flow of provision, the human reaction to a shift in circumstances is often swift despair. When individuals are permitted to taste divine mercy and then have it temporarily withheld, they rapidly become desperate and ungrateful (11:9). They forget the history of favors they have already received. Similarly, the moment God relieves a severe hardship, some individuals immediately begin attributing partners to their Lord, crediting their salvation to false idols or their own devices (16:54).
What is the cost of denying divine favors? The Quran establishes a direct formula linking gratitude to increase, and thanklessness to ruin. The foundational promise is clear: "If you are thankful, I will give you more, but if you are thankless, My punishment is terrible indeed" (14:7). This is illustrated concretely through the parable of a once-secure town. It enjoyed ease and abundant provisions arriving from all directions. When its people became ungrateful for these blessings, God afflicted them with what the text calls a "garment of famine and fear" as a direct consequence of their actions (16:112).
Such consequences are not arbitrary. As Ibn Ajiba notes (Al-Bahr al-Madid, 4/487), total, sweeping penalties are specifically directed at those who cover up the reality of their blessings and refuse to express thanks. Those who persist in their ingratitude are issued a stark warning to enjoy their brief time, with the assurance that they will soon know the reality of their choices (16:55).
Who stands as the ultimate example of this trait? Ingratitude aligns a person with the worst forces of rebellion. Those who squander their resources are explicitly labeled the brothers of Satan, because Satan himself is described as "most ungrateful to his Lord" (17:27). The refusal to use blessings as God intended is a direct mirroring of demonic arrogance. In contrast, God defends the believers, explicitly stating that He does not love the unfaithful or the ungrateful (22:38).
The illusion of permanent safety remains the greatest driver of this arrogance. Those who safely reach the shore are asked if they can truly guarantee that God will not send them back out to sea, dispatching a violent storm to drown them for their ingratitude (17:69). Out in those deep waters, they would find no helper against Him. The divine command establishes a mutual bond before any crisis strikes: “So remember Me; I will remember you. Be thankful to Me, and never ungrateful” (2:152).
Verses
All 26 verses, in mushaf order.
فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ
So remember Me; I will remember you. Be thankful to Me, and never ungrateful.
وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَـٰهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُۥ لَيَـُٔوسٌ كَفُورٌ
How desperate and ungrateful man becomes when We let him taste Our mercy and then withhold it!
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ
Remember that He promised, “If you are thankful, I will give you more, but if you are thankless, My punishment is terrible indeed.” ’
وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ
and given you some of everything you asked Him for. If you tried to count God’s favours you could never calculate them: man is truly unjust and ungrateful.
ثُمَّ إِذَا كَشَفَ ٱلضُّرَّ عَنكُمْ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنكُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يُشْرِكُونَ
yet when He has relieved you of your hardship- lo and behold!- some of you attribute partners to your Lord.
لِيَكْفُرُوا۟ بِمَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمْ ۚ فَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ ۖ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
Let them show ingratitude for the favours We have shown them; ‘Enjoy your brief time- soon you will know.’
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ ءَامِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَذَٰقَهَا ٱللَّهُ لِبَاسَ ٱلْجُوعِ وَٱلْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْنَعُونَ
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.
إِنَّ ٱلْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوٓا۟ إِخْوَٰنَ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينِ ۖ وَكَانَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لِرَبِّهِۦ كَفُورًا
those who squander are the brothers of Satan, and Satan is most ungrateful to his Lord-
وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ ٱلضُّرُّ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ كَفُورًا
When you get into distress at sea, those you pray to besides Him desert you, but when He brings you back safe to land you turn away: man is ever ungrateful.
أَمْ أَمِنتُمْ أَن يُعِيدَكُمْ فِيهِ تَارَةً أُخْرَىٰ فَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ قَاصِفًا مِّنَ ٱلرِّيحِ فَيُغْرِقَكُم بِمَا كَفَرْتُمْ ۙ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُوا۟ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا بِهِۦ تَبِيعًا
Or can you be sure that He will not send you back out to sea, and send a violent storm against you to drown you for being so ungrateful? You will find no helper against Us there.
۞ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُدَٰفِعُ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ خَوَّانٍ كَفُورٍ
God will defend the believers; God does not love the unfaithful or the ungrateful.
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَكَفُورٌ
it is He who gave you [people] life, will cause you to die, then will give you life again- but man is ungrateful.
وَفَعَلْتَ فَعْلَتَكَ ٱلَّتِى فَعَلْتَ وَأَنتَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
And then you committed that crime of yours: you were so ungrateful.’
قَالَ ٱلَّذِى عِندَهُۥ عِلْمٌ مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَنَا۠ ءَاتِيكَ بِهِۦ قَبْلَ أَن يَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ ۚ فَلَمَّا رَءَاهُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِندَهُۥ قَالَ هَـٰذَا مِن فَضْلِ رَبِّى لِيَبْلُوَنِىٓ ءَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ ۖ وَمَن شَكَرَ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّى غَنِىٌّ كَرِيمٌ
but one of them who had some knowledge of the Scripture said, ‘I will bring it to you in the twinkling of an eye.’ When Solomon saw it set before him, he said, ‘This is a favour from my Lord, to test whether I am grateful or not: if anyone is grateful, it is for his own good, if anyone is ungrateful, then my Lord is self-sufficient and most generous.’
لِيَكْفُرُوا۟ بِمَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمْ وَلِيَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ
Let them show their ingratitude for what We have given them; let them take their enjoyment- soon they will know.
وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلنَّاسَ ضُرٌّ دَعَوْا۟ رَبَّهُم مُّنِيبِينَ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ إِذَآ أَذَاقَهُم مِّنْهُ رَحْمَةً إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يُشْرِكُونَ
When something bad happens to people, they cry to their Lord and turn to Him for help, but no sooner does He let them taste His blessing than- lo and behold!- some of them ascribe partners to their Lord,
لِيَكْفُرُوا۟ بِمَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمْ ۚ فَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
showing no gratitude for what We have given them. ‘Take your pleasure! You will come to know.’
وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُم مَّوْجٌ كَٱلظُّلَلِ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ فَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ ۚ وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارٍ كَفُورٍ
When the waves loom over those on board like giant shadows they call out to God, devoting their religion entirely to Him. But, when He has delivered them safely to land, some of them waver- only a treacherous, thankless person refuses to acknowledge Our signs.
ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَـٰهُم بِمَا كَفَرُوا۟ ۖ وَهَلْ نُجَـٰزِىٓ إِلَّا ٱلْكَفُورَ
In this way We punished them for their ingratitude- would We punish anyone but the ungrateful?
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لَا يُقْضَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا۟ وَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُم مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى كُلَّ كَفُورٍ
But those who reject the truth will stay in Hellfire, where they will neither be finished off by death, nor be relieved from Hell’s torment: this is how We reward hardened disbelievers.
فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُوا۟ فَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا ۖ إِنْ عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا ٱلْبَلَـٰغُ ۗ وَإِنَّآ إِذَآ أَذَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً فَرِحَ بِهَا ۖ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَإِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ كَفُورٌ
If they still turn away [remember that], We have not sent you [Prophet] to be their guardian: your only duty is to deliver the message. When We give man a taste of Our mercy, he rejoices in it, but if some harm befalls him on account of what he has done with his own hands, then he is ungrateful.
وَجَعَلُوا۟ لَهُۥ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ جُزْءًا ۚ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَكَفُورٌ مُّبِينٌ
Yet they assign some of His own servants to Him as offspring!Man is clearly ungrateful!
إِنَّا هَدَيْنَـٰهُ ٱلسَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا
We guided him to the right path, whether he was grateful or not.
فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تُطِعْ مِنْهُمْ ءَاثِمًا أَوْ كَفُورًا
Await your Lord’s Judgement with patience; do not yield to any of these sinners or disbelievers;
قُتِلَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مَآ أَكْفَرَهُۥ
Woe to man! How ungrateful he is!
إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لِرَبِّهِۦ لَكَنُودٌ
man is ungrateful to his Lord––