“When We make people have a taste of Our Mercy, they exult in it; and when any misfortune befalls them in consequence of their deeds, then lo and behold, they despair. Do they not see that Allah enlarges and straitens the sustenance of those whom He pleases? There are Signs in this for those who believe.”
(Al Qur’ān – 30:36-37)
The ayah 30:36 takes man to task for his meanness and puerility. When he acquires wealth, power and esteem and everything seems to be going well, he forgets that he owes all this to God. He tends to think of himself as one inherently possessed of extraordinary qualities, which make him worthy of whatever he has come to possess and of which others remain deprived. Such delusions intoxicate him with arrogance and hauteur with the result that he neither pays any heed to God nor to God’s creatures.
However, no sooner than his success begins to fade, does he feel totally shattered and despondent. Driven by frustration, he feels no qualm in committing the most degrading acts, including suicide.
The believers are capable of drawing the right lesson from noting the impact of unbelief and polytheism on the one hand, and of belief in God on man’s conduct, on the other. Those who truly believe in God and regard Him alone as the sole Master of all resources of sustenance cannot stoop to the pettiness which often characterises the attitude of those who are oblivious of Him. When such people are faced with straitened circumstances, they still remain patient and honest.