Tafsir of Hud 11:10

{And if We let him taste a favor}—such as health, security, and wealth—{after a hardship that touched him}—such as illness, fear, and poverty.

The attribution of "tasting" (idhaqah) to Him, the Exalted, instead of "touching" (mass), implies that the tasting of the favor is intended in essence, whereas the touching of hardship is only intended by accident (i.e., as a consequence). From this, some have suggested that the "min" (from) in His, the Exalted’s, saying "from him" (minhu) should be interpreted as causal—meaning: We removed it because of his misery, the evil of his deeds, and the ugliness of his actions. Thus, the "from" (minhu) points to this meaning and conforms to it, just as He, the Exalted, said: "Whatever good befalls you is from Allah, and whatever bad befalls you is from yourself." However, it is not hidden that interpreting "from" (minhu) in this way is contrary to the apparent and immediate meaning, and there is no necessity to resort to it.

Indeed, the transition from favor to hardship and vice versa was not presented in the same manner. Rather, the expression differs between the two; the first began with the granting of favor and the bestowal of mercy, while the second did not begin with the arrival of hardship in the same pattern. This is a warning that mercy precedes wrath, and it highlights the concern for mercy. Furthermore, expressing the connection to mercy and favor through "tasting" (dhawq)—which suggests, as is said, their pleasure and being things that are desired—and expressing the connection to hardship through "touching" (mass)—which implies the lowest level of encounter—contains a subtlety that is not hidden, perhaps reinforcing the immense status of mercy.

Some have mentioned that in the terms "tasting" and "touching," based on the fact that taste is what flavors are tested with and touch is the first point of contact, there is a warning that what a person finds in this world—both gifts and trials—is a model for what he will find in the Hereafter, and that he falls into ingratitude and arrogance over the slightest thing.

{He will surely say, "The evils have departed from me"}—meaning the calamities that displease me, and their likes will not beset me again—{for he is elated, boastful}. He is elated and arrogant regarding the favor, deceived by it. Its original form is "farih," but it was transformed to the form you see for the sake of hyperbole. In Al-Bahr, it is stated that "fa'il" (with a kasra on the 'ayn) is the standard measure for the active participle of an intransitive verb. It has also been recited as "furuh" (with a damma on the ra), as one would say "nadus" or "natus." Most instances of "joy" (farah) in the Qur'an are for condemnation; if praise is intended, it is qualified, as in His, the Exalted's, saying: "Rejoicing in what Allah has given them of His bounty."

{Boastful}—arrogant toward people because of the favors he has been given, preoccupied with that to the exclusion of fulfilling their due rights.

The "lam" in "la-in" (if) in these four verses is a muwatti'ah (preparatory) for an oath, and its response takes the place of the conditional response, as in the saying: "If 'Abd al-'Aziz returns to me with the like of it and enables me to have it, then I will not accept it."