Surah 16 An-Nahl — Ayah 97
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَٰلِحًۭا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌۭ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُۥ حَيَوٰةًۭ طَيِّبَةًۭ ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.
man ʿamila ṣāliḥan min dhakarin aw unthā wahuwa mu'minun falanuḥ'yiyannahu ḥayatan ṭayyibatan walanajziyannahum ajrahum bi-aḥsani mā kānū yaʿmalūna
Word by word
- مَنْ man Whoever
- عَمِلَ ʿamila does
- صَـٰلِحًۭا ṣāliḥan righteous deeds
- مِّن min whether
- ذَكَرٍ dhakarin male
- أَوْ aw or
- أُنثَىٰ unthā female
- وَهُوَ wahuwa while he
- مُؤْمِنٌۭ mu'minun (is) a believer
- فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُۥ falanuḥ'yiyannahu then surely We will give him life
- حَيَوٰةًۭ ḥayatan a life
- طَيِّبَةًۭ ۖ ṭayyibatan good
- وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ walanajziyannahum and We will pay them
- أَجْرَهُم ajrahum their reward
- بِأَحْسَنِ bi-aḥsani to (the) best
- مَا mā of what
- كَانُوا۟ kānū they used (to)
- يَعْمَلُونَ yaʿmalūna do
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Righteous Deeds and their Reward
This is a promise from Allah to those Children of Adam, male or female, who do righteous deeds - deeds in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet , with a heart that believes in Allah and His Messenger , while believing that these deeds are commanded and enjoined by Allah. Allah promises that He will give them a good life in this world and that He will reward them according to the best of their deeds in the Hereafter. The good life includes feeling tranquillity in all aspects of life. It has been reported that Ibn `Abbas and a group (of scholars) interpreted it to mean good, lawful provisions. It was reported that `Ali bin Abi Talib interpreted as contentment. This was also the opinion of Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah and Wahb bin Munabbih. `Ali bin Abi Talhah recorded from Ibn `Abbas that it meant happiness. Al-Hasan, Mujahid and Qatadah said: "None gets this good life mentioned except in Paradise." Ad-Dahhak said: "It means lawful provisions and worship in this life". Ad-Dahhak also said: "It means working to obey Allah and finding joy in that." The correct view is that a good life includes all of these things. as found in the Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad from `Abdullah bin `Amr that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ، وَرُزِقَ كَفَافًا، وَقَنَّعَهُ اللهُ بِمَا آتَاه»
(He who submits becomes a Muslim has succeeded, is given sufficient provisions, and is content with Allah for what he is given.) It was also recorded by Muslim.
فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْءَانَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَـنِ الرَّجِيمِ