Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 17 Al-Isra, Ayat 100-100

قُلْ لَّوۡ اَنۡـتُمۡ تَمۡلِكُوۡنَ خَزَآئِنَ رَحۡمَةِ رَبِّىۡۤ اِذًا لَّاَمۡسَكۡتُمۡ خَشۡيَةَ الۡاِنۡفَاقِ​ ؕ وَكَانَ الۡاِنۡسَانُ قَتُوۡرًا‏ ﴿17:100﴾

(17:100) Tell them, (O Prophet): "Even if you owned the treasures of my Lord's Mercy you would have held them back for fear of spending them." Man is indeed ever niggardly.112


Notes

112. This verse also suggests the same thing that has already been mentioned in Ayat 55. This hints at the real psychological reason why the disbelievers of Makkah were not inclined to accept Muhammad (peace be upon him), their contemporary, as a Prophet. For thus they would have to acknowledge his superiority and one does not easily acknowledge the superiority of his contemporary. This verse may be expanded like this: Those people who are so narrow minded that they are unwilling even to acknowledge the real superiority of another, cannot be expected to be generous in spending on others, if they possessed the keys of the treasures of Allah’s blessings.