Difference between Ni'ma نِعْمَة and Fadl فَضْلٍ?

As-salaamu'alaikum wa rahmatAllahi wa barakaatuhu shaykhee -),

Ramadan Mubarak! May Allah grant you a means of tazkiya wal maghfirah in this month and grant you and your family Jannah.

I had a question coming across and comparing the verses in Surat Al Baqarah:

يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَوْفُواْ بِعَهْدِي أُوفِ بِعَهْدِكُمْ وَإِيَّايَ فَارْهَبُونِ

Al Baqarah 40. O Children of Israel! Remember My Favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfill (your obligations to) My Covenant (with you) so that I fulfill (My Obligations to) your covenant (with Me), and fear none but Me.

and one of my favorite ayaat:

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ خَرَجُواْ مِن دِيَارِهِمْ وَهُمْ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ اللّهُ مُوتُواْ ثُمَّ أَحْيَاهُمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَشْكُرُونَ

Al Baqarah 243: Did you (O Muhammad SAW) not think of those who went forth from their homes in thousands, fearing death? Allah said to them, "Die". And then He restored them to life. Truly, Allah is full of Bounty to mankind, but most men thank not.

Allah a'zza wa jal when addressing a group of people He ta'la, uses Ni'ma (translated as "favor") and when addressing mankind uses Fadl (translated as "bounty"). I took this as Fadl being the higher of the two. Since Allah ta'la wishes to DRAW our attention to the bounties that we don't thank him for, in so many ayaat; since a BOUNTY is something that is GIVEN (inherently/intrinsically) and rather a FAVOR is something GRANTED. I was wondering if this is lexically correct as well?

What IS the full difference between the two?

Do the scholars of lugha identify between them as well? I can't read Zamakhshari or found anything else from the tafasir.

JazaakaAllahukhairan.
wa AsalAllaha anyaghfiralaka wa anyarfaa'adarajaataka wa anyajzeeaka al ajra wath thawab.

WAllahu A'lam

I'm still wondering about this..

I would like to know as well. Isn't Ni'ma blessing and Fadl favor, bounty, etc.

After reading your post, I remembered a lecture I heard by Shaykh Muhammad Al Shareef (last Ramadan) where he compared the word fadl to water being poured in a glass so much that there is extra falling on the ground. So, fadl would be that extra water that falls out.

I just checked Al Mawrid to look up both root words:

Ni'ma - root word is in'am: to bestow upon, confer upon, grant, give, accord, award, present to, bless, gift, favour

Fadl - root word fadala: to remain, be left over, be left behind, to be surplus, be in excess.

So, allahu'alam, your guess about fadl being a greater favour would be correct according to the meaning here.. because ni'ma is defined as just blessing while fadl is so much blessing that there is plenty left over.. like you have much more then you need.

Wallahu'alam.