Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan provides valuable insights into verses 83 to 85 of Surah Al Isra of the Noble Qur'an.
“And when We bestow favor upon the disbeliever, he turns away and distances himself; and when evil touches him, he is ever despairing. Say, "Each works according to his manner, but your Lord is most knowing of who is best guided in the way. And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, "The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind has not been given of knowledge except a little."
What do these verses mean?
Allah says in the Qur'an that when He bestows His blessings on man, we turn a blind eye to them. Man is not grateful for the blessings that came his way when he was in need of them and for which he had prayed to Allah. He alienates himself from Allah and becomes the embodiment of arrogance and egotism. But when calamities and trials begin to resurface, he loses his patience and becomes desperate and again turns to Allah for help.
The Lord is observant of the state of everyone and knows which path is better and which mode of guidance will prove more fruitful. the reality of the ‘spirit’ or the Ruh is beyond the comprehension of mankind and it is that which lies as one of the innumerable secrets of Allah SWT. The knowledge and understanding of mankind are trivial, limited and very minimal when attempted to compare with Allah SWT.