Tafsir

The Reward of the Good-Doers

Allah states that those who do good in this world -- by having faith and performing righteous deeds -- will be rewarded with a good reward in the Hereafter. Allah said:هَلْ جَزَآءُ الإِحْسَـنِ إِلاَّ الإِحْسَـنُ(Is there any reward for good other than good)(55:60) Then Allah said:وَزِيَادَةٌ(and even more.) the reward on the good deeds multiplied ten times to seven hundred times and even more on top of that. This reward includes what Allah will give them in Paradise, such as the palaces, Al-Hur (virgins of Paradise), and His pleasure upon them. He will give them what He has hidden for them of the delight of the eye. He will grant them on top of all of that and even better, the honor of looking at His Noble Face. This is the increase that is greater than anything that had been given. They will not deserve that because of their deeds, but rather, they will receive it by the grace of Allah and His mercy.

The explanation that this refers to looking at Allah's Noble Face was narrated from Abu Bakr, Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman, `Abdullah bin `Abbas, Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib, `Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Layla, `Abdur-Rahman bin Sabit, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, `Amir bin Sa`ad, `Ata', Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, As-Suddi, Muhammad bin Ishaq, and others from the earlier and later scholars. There are many Hadiths that contain the same interpretation. Among these Hadiths is what Imam Ahmad recorded from Suhayb that Allah's Messenger ﷺ recited this Ayah,لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُواْ الْحُسْنَى وَزِيَادَةٌ(For those who have done good is the best and even more.) And then he said:«إِذَا دَخَلَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَهْلُ النَّارِ النَّارَ نَادَى مُنَادٍ: يَا أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ إِنَّ لَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللهِ مَوْعِدًا يُريدُ أَنْ يُنْجِزَكُمُوهُ فَيَقُولُونَ: وَمَا هُوَ؟ أَلَمْ يُثَقِّلْ مَوَازِينَنَا؟ أَلَمْ يُبَيِّضْ وُجُوهَنَا وَيُدْخِلْنَا الْجَنَّــةَ وَيُجِرْنَا مِنَ النَّارِ؟

قَالَ فَيَكْشِفُ لَهُمُ الْحِجَابَ، فَيَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيهِ، فَوَاللهِ مَا أَعْطَاهُمْ اللهُ شَيْئًا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّظَرِ إِلَيْهِ، وَلَا أَقَرَّ لِأَعْيُنِهِم»(When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, a caller will say: `O people of Paradise, Allah has promised you something that He wishes to fulfill.' They will reply: `What is it Has He not made our Scale heavy Has He not made our faces white and delivered us from Fire' Allah will then remove the veil and they will see Him. By Allah, they have not been given anything dearer to them and more delightful than looking at Him.) Muslim and a group of Imams also related this Hadith. Allah then said:وَلاَ يَرْهَقُ وُجُوهَهُمْ قَتَرٌ(Neither darkness nor dust shall cover their faces. ..) meaning, no blackness or darkness will be on their faces during the different events of the Day of Judgment. But the faces of the rebellious disbelievers will be stained with dust and darkness.وَلاَ ذِلَّةٌ(nor any humiliating disgrace) meaning, they will be covered with degradation and disgrace.

The believers, however will not be humiliated internally or externally, on the contrary, they will be protected and honored. For as Allah has said:فَوَقَـهُمُ اللَّهُ شَرَّ ذَلِكَ الْيَومِ وَلَقَّـهُمْ نَضْرَةً وَسُرُوراً(So Allah saved them from the evil of that Day, and gave them Nadrah (brightness) and joy.) 76:11 meaning, light in their faces and delight in their hearts. May Allah make us among those by His grace and mercy.

The sense is that the invitation to the Abode of Peace (Daru 's-Salam) is universal, open to all human beings and, in terms of this sense, guidance too is open to all. But, there is a kind of guidance that is special. Here, a seeker is made to stand on the straight path and given the ability to move ahead on course. This is Taufiq at its best. Only fortunate people are blessed with it.

Compared in the first two verses (24, 25) were the two Abodes of the present world and the world-to-come. Mention was also made of the states in which their dwellers were. The next four verses (26-29) de-scribe the reward and punishment of both. Taken up first were the people of Paradise. About them it was said that those who opted for good, the greatest good was that of 'Iman (belief and faith) supplemented by staunch adherence to al-'amalu 's-Salih (good deeds). They will have the best of returns for what they do, not simply what is coming to them as due, but much more than it.

The tafsir of this verse was given by the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself. He explained it by saying, ` at this place, اَلحُسنیٰ :al-husna: the best [ of return ] means Jannah (Paradise) and (ziyadah: something more) means the visit to the most exalted Allah with which the people of Jannah shall be honored. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi on the authority of Sayyidna Anas ؓ .

As for the reality of Paradise, this much every Muslim knows that it is a place of bliss beyond human imagination now. And as for the visit to Allah Ta` ala, that is far superior to whatever blessings there are.

According to a narration of Sayyidna Suhayb ؓ appearing in the Sahih of Muslim, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said, ` when the people of Jannah would have entered Jannah, Allah Ta` ala will address them: "Do you need anything? If so, tell Us. We shall fulfill it." The people of Jannah will submit: "You made our faces radiant with delight. You let us be in Jannah. You delivered us from Jahannam. What else can we ask for?" That will be the time when the hi jab obstructing the view in between will be removed. The people of Jannah, one and all, will be blessed with seeing their true Lord. They will then discover that this was a blessing far more sub-lime than all other blessings of Jannah, something they had not even thought about, something the Lord of all the worlds bestowed upon them without their having to ask for it simply out of His infinite affection and mercy!'Then, the text describes the state of the same people of Jannah by saying that their faces will remain free of any effects of distaste, pain or sorrow, nor will they have to be worried about any disgrace.

These are conditions everyone faces in the mortal world one or the other time - and those who go to Jahannam will face it in the Hereafter.

In contrast, the state of the people of Jahannam has been described by saying that those who came with evil deeds in their record will have an equal return for each evil without any increase in it. They will have disgrace all over them. There will be no one to save them from the punishment of Allah. Dark will be their faces, so dark as if layers upon layers of a night have covered them up.