Ayah
Word by Word
وَٱلَّذِينَ
And those who
ءَامَنُواْ
believe
وَعَمِلُواْ
and do
ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِ
righteous (deeds)
لَنُكَفِّرَنَّ
surely We will remove
عَنۡهُمۡ
from them
سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمۡ
their evil deeds
وَلَنَجۡزِيَنَّهُمۡ
and We will surely reward them
أَحۡسَنَ
(the) best
ٱلَّذِي
(of) what
كَانُواْ
they used
يَعۡمَلُونَ
(to) do
وَٱلَّذِينَ
And those who
ءَامَنُواْ
believe
وَعَمِلُواْ
and do
ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِ
righteous (deeds)
لَنُكَفِّرَنَّ
surely We will remove
عَنۡهُمۡ
from them
سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمۡ
their evil deeds
وَلَنَجۡزِيَنَّهُمۡ
and We will surely reward them
أَحۡسَنَ
(the) best
ٱلَّذِي
(of) what
كَانُواْ
they used
يَعۡمَلُونَ
(to) do
Translation
Those who believe and work righteous deeds,- from them shall We blot out all evil (that may be) in them, and We shall reward them according to the best of their deeds.
Tafsir
And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, We will surely absolve them of their misdeeds, by their performance of righteous deeds, and We will indeed requite them with the best of what they used to do, namely, their righteous deeds (it [ahsana] is in the accusative because the operator of the oblique [bi] has been omitted).
Tafsir of Surah Al-Ankaboot
The Believers are tested so that it may be known Who is Sincere and Who is Lying
Allah says:
الم
Alif Lam Mim.
In the beginning of the Tafsir of Surah Al-Baqarah, we discussed the letters which appear at the beginning of some Surahs.
أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتۡرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا امَنَّا وَهُمۡ لَا يُفۡتَنُونَ
Do people think that they will be left alone because they say:We believe, and will not be tested.
This is a rebuke in the form of a question, meaning that Allah will inevitably test His believing servants according to their level of faith, as it recorded in the authentic Hadith:
أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ بَلَءً الاَۡنۡبِيَاءُ ثُمَّ الصَّالِحُونَ ثُمَّ الاَۡمۡثَلُ فَالاَۡمۡثَلُ يُبۡتَلَى الرَّجُلُ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ فَإِنۡ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ صَلَبَةٌ زِيدَ لَهُ فِي الۡبَلَء
The people most severely tested are the Prophets, then the righteous, then the next best and the next best. A man will be tested in accordance with the degree of his religious commitment; the stronger his religious commitment, the stronger his test.
This Ayah is like the Ayah,
أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُواۡ الۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعۡلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَـهَدُواۡ مِنكُمۡ وَيَعۡلَمَ الصَّـبِرِينَ
Do you think that you will enter Paradise without Allah knowing those of you who fought (in His cause) and knowing those who are the patient. (3:142)
There is a similar Ayah in Surah At-Tawbah.
And Allah says:
أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُواۡ الۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأۡتِكُم مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوۡاۡ مِن قَبۡلِكُم مَّسَّتۡهُمُ الۡبَأۡسَأءُ وَالضَّرَّاءُ وَزُلۡزِلُواۡ حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواۡ مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصۡرُ اللَّهِ أَلَا إِنَّ نَصۡرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ
Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you! They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, When (will come) the help of Allah?
Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near! (2:214)
Allah says here:
وَلَقَدۡ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ فَلَيَعۡلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعۡلَمَنَّ الۡكَاذِبِينَ
And We indeed tested those who were before them so that Allah will know those who are true, and will know those who are liars.
meaning, He will make know which are sincere in their claim to be believers from those who are lying.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, knows what has happened in the past and what is yet to come, and He knows how that which will not happen would have happened if it were to happen.
All the Imams of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah are agreed on this.
This is the view of Ibn Abbas and others concerning phrases such as the Ayah,
إِلاَّ لِنَعۡلَمَ
(only that We know). (2:143),
Meaning, only to see -- because seeing has to do with what is there, but knowledge is broader than seeing, since it includes what is not present as well as what is.
The Evildoers cannot escape from Allah
Allah said:
أَمۡ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ يَعۡمَلُونَ السَّيِّيَاتِ أَن يَسۡبِقُونَا سَاء مَا يَحۡكُمُونَ
Or think those who do evil deeds that they can outstrip Us! Evil is that which they judge!
means, those who are not believers should not think that they will escape such trials and tests, for ahead of them lies a greater and more severe punishment.
Allah says:
أَمۡ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ يَعۡمَلُونَ السَّيِّيَاتِ أَن يَسۡبِقُونَا
Or think those who do evil deeds that they can outstrip Us!
meaning, escape from Us.
سَاء مَا يَحۡكُمُونَ
Evil is that which they judge!
what they think is evil
Allah will fulfill the Hopes of the Righteous
Allah's saying;
مَن كَانَ يَرۡجُو لِقَاء اللَّهِ
Whoever hopes in meeting with Allah,
means, in the Hereafter, and does righteous deeds, and hopes for a great reward with Allah, then Allah will fulfill his hopes and reward him for his deeds in full. This will undoubtedly come to pass, for He is the One Who hears all supplications, He knows and understands the needs of all created beings.
Allah says:
مَن كَانَ يَرۡجُو لِقَاء اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ لَاتٍ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الۡعَلِيمُ
Whoever hopes in meeting with Allah, then Allah's term is surely coming, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower
وَمَن جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفۡسِهِ
And whosoever strives, he strives only for himself.
This is like the Ayah,
مَّنۡ عَمِلَ صَـلِحاً فَلِنَفۡسِهِ
Whosoever does righteous good deed, it is for himself. (41:46)
Whoever does a righteous deed, the benefit of that deed will come back to him, for Allah has no need of the deeds of His servants, and even if all of them were to be as pious as the most pious man among them, that would not add to His dominion in the slightest.
Allah says:
وَمَن جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفۡسِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الۡعَالَمِينَ
And whosoever strives, he strives only for himself. Verily, Allah stands not in need of any of the creatures.
Then Allah tells us that even though He has no need of His creatures, He is kind and generous to them. He will still give to those who believe and do righteous deeds the best of rewards, which is that He will expiate for them their bad deeds, and will reward them according to the best deeds that they did. He will accept the fewest good deeds and in return for one good deed will give anything between ten rewards and seven hundred, but for every bad deed, He will give only one evil merit, or even that He may overlook and forgive.
This is like the Ayah,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَظۡلِمُ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ وَإِن تَكُ حَسَنَةً يُضَـعِفۡهَا وَيُوۡتِ مِن لَّدُنۡهُ أَجۡراً عَظِيماً
Surely, Allah wrongs not even the weight of a speck of dust, but if there is any good, He doubles it, and gives from Him a great reward. (4:40)
And He says here:
وَالَّذِينَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَنُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنۡهُمۡ سَيِّيَاتِهِمۡ وَلَنَجۡزِيَنَّهُمۡ أَحۡسَنَ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَعۡمَلُونَ
Those who believe, and do righteous good deeds, surely, We shall expiate from them their evil deeds and We shall indeed reward them according to the best of that which they used to do.
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