Tafsir of Al-Infitar 82:6

If you ask: What is the meaning of His saying: "What has deceived you concerning your Generous Lord?" And how does the description of "Generosity" (al-karam) correspond to the denunciation of being deceived by Him? For one is only deceived by the generous—as it is narrated of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he called his servant several times and received no answer. When he looked, he found him at the door. He asked, "Why did you not answer me?" The servant replied, "Because of my trust in your forbearance and my security from your punishment." Ali admired his answer and freed him. It is also said: "It is part of a man's generosity that his servants have poor manners."

I say: The meaning is that it is not right for a human to be deceived by Allah’s generosity toward him—in that He created him alive to benefit him, and favored him with that—to the point that he covets, after having been empowered and tasked, that Allah would favor him with reward and remove punishment despite his disobedience and ingratitude for the initial favor. This is a denial [of reality] that falls outside the bounds of wisdom. Hence:

• The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said when he recited this: "His ignorance deceived him."
• Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "His foolishness and ignorance deceived him."
• Al-Hasan said: "By Allah, his wicked devil deceived him," meaning: he beautified sins for him and said, "Do as you wish, for your Lord is the Generous One who favored you with what He favored you with at first, and He will favor you again," until he ensnared him.
• It was said to Al-Fudayl ibn Iyad: "If Allah stands you on the Day of Resurrection and says to you: 'What has deceived you concerning your Generous Lord?' what will you say?" He replied: "I will say: Your lowered veils have deceived me." This is by way of confessing the error of being deceived by the covering, not an excuse as the greedy think, and as the Hashwiyya (literalists) imagine, who narrate from their leaders: "He only said 'your Generous Lord' instead of His other attributes to prompt His servant to answer: 'The generosity of the Generous One deceived me.'"

Sa'id ibn Jubayr read: (Ma agharraka)—either as an expression of astonishment or as an interrogation—from the saying: "The man was ghar (deceived/heedless)," meaning he was negligent, as in the saying: "The enemy raided them while they were gharun (heedless)." And aghrahu ghayruhu means: he made him heedless.

{فسواك} (Then He fashioned you): He made you sawiyan (sound), with healthy limbs.

{فعدلك} (And balanced you): He made you proportionate and well-proportioned in creation without disparity. He did not make one hand longer, nor one eye wider, nor some limbs black and others white, nor some hair jet-black and some blonde. Or, it means He made you balanced in stature, walking upright, not like the beasts.

• It is also read as (fa-'adalaka) with the light [non-doubled] 'dal': This has two meanings:
  1. It is synonymous with the doubled form: He balanced some of your limbs with others until you were symmetrical.
  2. It means "He diverted you" (sarrafaka). It is said: "He diverted him ('adalahu) from the path," meaning: He diverted you from the creation of others and created you with a beautiful form distinct from all other creatures. Or, He diverted you into certain shapes and forms.

{في أي صورة ما شاء ركبك} (In whatever form He willed, He assembled you): The "ma" in ma sha'a is an augmentative particle. It means: He assembled you in whatever form His will and wisdom required, from the various forms in beauty, ugliness, height, shortness, masculinity, femininity, resemblance to relatives, or lack thereof.

If you ask: Why was this clause not conjoined [with a conjunction] like the one before it? I say: Because it is an explanation of fa-'adalaka (He balanced you).

If you ask: What does the prepositional phrase relate to? I say: It is permissible for it to relate to rakkaba-ka (He assembled you), meaning: He placed you in a certain form and empowered you within it. Or it relates to an implied verb, meaning: "He assembled you, [while you were] existing in a certain form." Its place is in the accusative as a state (hal). It is also permissible for it to relate to 'adalaka, and for ayyi (which) to carry the meaning of astonishment—i.e., "He balanced you in an astonishing form." Then He said: ma sha'a rakkabaka, meaning: He assembled you with whatever assembly He willed, meaning a beautiful assembly.

{كلا بل تكذبون بالدين * وإن عليكم لحافظين * كراما كاتبين * يعلمون ما تفعلون} (No! But you deny the Recompense. And indeed, [appointed] over you are keepers, noble and recording; they know whatever you do.)