Allah is Subtle and Kind with His servants; He gives provision to whom He wills.
“Allah is Subtle and Kind with His servants; He gives provision to whom He wills.”
Allah is kind towards His servants. He provides for whoever He wills and expands their provision, and He narrows it for whoever He wills out of mercy for them, even though it may appear otherwise. He is the Strong, Whom none can overpower and the Mighty, Who takes retribution from His enemies.
The plain meaning, from Al-Mukhtasar fi at-Tafsir
ٱللَّهُ لَطِيفٌۢ بِعِبَادِهِۦ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْقَوِىُّ ٱلْعَزِيزُ
Allah is Subtle with His servants; He gives provision to whom He wills. And He is the Powerful, the Exalted in Might.
What does Quran 42:19 mean?
The name at the head of the verse, al-Latif, is the one the commentators dwell on: kindness so fine it is not always visible as kindness. That is why the verse pairs it with provision being widened for some and narrowed for others — the narrowing, they say, can itself be the mercy, even when it does not look like one.
Written from Al-Mukhtasar fi at-Tafsir