Qurʾānic vocabulary
The meaning of baṭira
When Prosperity Becomes a Cause of Destruction — بَطِرَ
بَطِرَ — becoming arrogantly/exultantly ungrateful because of prosperity.
Allāh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى says:
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ بَطِرَتْ مَعِيشَتَهَا فَتِلْكَ مَسَاكِنُهُمْ لَمْ تُسْكَنْ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا وَكُنَّا نَحْنُ الْوَارِثِينَ
“ And how many a town have We destroyed which became arrogantly ungrateful because of its prosperity! Those are their dwellings, which were not inhabited after them except a little. And We were the inheritors .”
[Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ: 58]
Lisān al-ʿArab (famous dictionary) explains:
الْبَطَرُ الطُّغْيَانُ عِنْدَ النِّعْمَةِ
“ Batar is transgression when one has blessings .”
And:
بَطِرَ النِّعْمَةَ... لَمْ يَشْكُرْهَا
“ He showed batar toward a blessing — he did not give thanks for it .”
Ibn Kathīr (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) explains بَطِرَتْ مَعِيشَتَهَا:
طَغَتْ وَأَشِرَتْ وَكَفَرَتْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ
“ They transgressed, became arrogantly exultant, and were ungrateful for the blessing of Allāh” — for the provision He had bestowed upon them .
Shaykh al-Saʿdī (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) explains:
فَخَرَتْ بِهَا، وَأَلْهَتْهَا، وَاشْتَغَلَتْ بِهَا عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ بِالرُّسُلِ
“ They became proud of their prosperity; it distracted them, and they became occupied with it away from faith in the Messengers .”
Then Allāh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى destroyed them, removed the blessing from them and brought punishment upon them.
A powerful warning..
Prosperity itself is a blessing. But when people indulge in prosperity and merriment, become proud and self-satisfied because of it, allow it to distract them from obedience, and fail to thank Allāh for what He has given them, this is بَطِرَ.
Such people expose themselves to the warning contained in this āyah...
Because the One Who gave prosperity is also able to take it away.
Another instance of بطر in the Qurʾān
The word ٌبَطَر also appears when Allāh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى describes Quraysh as they marched towards Badr:
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا مِن دِيَارِهِم بَطَرًا وَرِئَاءَ النَّاسِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
“ And do not be like those who came out of their homes boastfully and to be seen by people, and hinder others from the path of Allāh .”
[Sūrat al-Anfāl: 47]
Ibn Kathīr (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) mentions that after the caravan was already safe and Quraysh were told to return, Abū Jahl insisted:
“ By Allāh, we will not return until we reach the water of Badr, slaughter camels, drink wine, and have the singing women perform for us .”
He wanted the Arabs to hear about their display and continue to fear them. Ibn Kathīr then says that the entire matter was turned against them at Badr.
This is بَطَر in a vivid real-life scene:
strength, wealth and security producing boastfulness, merriment, showing off and self-confidence instead of gratitude to Allāh.
بَطِرَ — becoming arrogantly/exultantly ungrateful because of prosperity.
Allāh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى says:
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ بَطِرَتْ مَعِيشَتَهَا فَتِلْكَ مَسَاكِنُهُمْ لَمْ تُسْكَنْ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا وَكُنَّا نَحْنُ الْوَارِثِينَ
“ And how many a town have We destroyed which became arrogantly ungrateful because of its prosperity! Those are their dwellings, which were not inhabited after them except a little. And We were the inheritors .”
[Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ: 58]
Lisān al-ʿArab (famous dictionary) explains:
الْبَطَرُ الطُّغْيَانُ عِنْدَ النِّعْمَةِ
“ Batar is transgression when one has blessings .”
And:
بَطِرَ النِّعْمَةَ... لَمْ يَشْكُرْهَا
“ He showed batar toward a blessing — he did not give thanks for it .”
Ibn Kathīr (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) explains بَطِرَتْ مَعِيشَتَهَا:
طَغَتْ وَأَشِرَتْ وَكَفَرَتْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ
“ They transgressed, became arrogantly exultant, and were ungrateful for the blessing of Allāh” — for the provision He had bestowed upon them .
Shaykh al-Saʿdī (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) explains:
فَخَرَتْ بِهَا، وَأَلْهَتْهَا، وَاشْتَغَلَتْ بِهَا عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ بِالرُّسُلِ
“ They became proud of their prosperity; it distracted them, and they became occupied with it away from faith in the Messengers .”
Then Allāh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى destroyed them, removed the blessing from them and brought punishment upon them.
A powerful warning..
Prosperity itself is a blessing. But when people indulge in prosperity and merriment, become proud and self-satisfied because of it, allow it to distract them from obedience, and fail to thank Allāh for what He has given them, this is بَطِرَ.
Such people expose themselves to the warning contained in this āyah...
Because the One Who gave prosperity is also able to take it away.
Another instance of بطر in the Qurʾān
The word ٌبَطَر also appears when Allāh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى describes Quraysh as they marched towards Badr:
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا مِن دِيَارِهِم بَطَرًا وَرِئَاءَ النَّاسِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
“ And do not be like those who came out of their homes boastfully and to be seen by people, and hinder others from the path of Allāh .”
[Sūrat al-Anfāl: 47]
Ibn Kathīr (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) mentions that after the caravan was already safe and Quraysh were told to return, Abū Jahl insisted:
“ By Allāh, we will not return until we reach the water of Badr, slaughter camels, drink wine, and have the singing women perform for us .”
He wanted the Arabs to hear about their display and continue to fear them. Ibn Kathīr then says that the entire matter was turned against them at Badr.
This is بَطَر in a vivid real-life scene:
strength, wealth and security producing boastfulness, merriment, showing off and self-confidence instead of gratitude to Allāh.