وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَـٰتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوا۟ ۖ وَلِيُوَفِّيَهُمْ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ 19
Translations
And for all there are degrees [of reward and punishment] for what they have done, and [it is] so that He may fully compensate them for their deeds, and they will not be wronged.
Transliteration
Wa likull daragaat mimma amiloo wa liyuwaffiyahum aʿmaalahum wa hum laa yuzlamoon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that every person will have ranks and stations in the Hereafter according to their deeds, and Allah will give each soul its full recompense without any injustice or diminishment. As Ibn Kathir explains, the different degrees of reward in Paradise correspond to the quality and quantity of righteous works performed in this life, ensuring perfect divine justice where no one is wronged even by the weight of an atom.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Ahqaf's discussion of the Day of Judgment and the consequences of one's actions. It follows the mention of those who reject the signs of Allah and precedes the description of believers' ultimate reward, establishing that differentiation in the Hereafter is based on objective merit rather than arbitrary divine will.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The most beloved deeds to Allah are the most consistent ones, even if they are small' (Sahih Bukhari 6464), which relates to how different levels of deeds produce different grades of reward. Also relevant is the hadith: 'Every deed's reward is known according to its intention' (Sahih Bukhari 1), emphasizing that deeds' weights and values determine their recompense.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches Muslims that effort in good deeds matters immensely, as even small consistent righteous acts contribute to one's eternal standing, while also providing assurance that Allah's judgment is perfectly just with no possibility of unfairness or loss of reward.