وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَنُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَحْسَنَ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ 7
Translations
And those who believe and do righteous deeds - We will surely remove from them their misdeeds and will surely reward them according to the best of what they used to do.
Transliteration
Wa-alladhina amanu wa 'amilu al-salihati lanukafffiranna 'anhum sayyiatihim wa-lanajziyannhum ahsana allathi kanu ya'malun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah promises that those who believe and perform righteous deeds will have their sins expiated and will receive the best reward for their good actions. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the ayah emphasizes that sincere faith combined with good works results in divine forgiveness and the most excellent recompense, reflecting the Quranic principle that deeds are judged by their quality and sincerity rather than mere quantity.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-'Ankabut, a Meccan surah revealed during the early Islamic period when believers faced persecution. The surah's broader context addresses trials and tests of faith, and this particular ayah reassures believers that their patience and righteous actions despite hardship will not go unrewarded, serving as consolation to the oppressed Muslim community of Mecca.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of deeds is that which is done with the most sincerity and the most righteousness' (a principle reflected in various hadith collections including Sunan An-Nasa'i). Additionally, 'Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent' (Sahih Bukhari) aligns with the emphasis on righteous works accompanying faith.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that true faith must be accompanied by righteous actions, and that sincere believers should never despair of Allah's mercy—both their shortcomings will be forgiven and their good deeds will be abundantly rewarded. For modern readers, it emphasizes that spiritual growth requires both internal conviction and external moral conduct, providing hope that effort in good works is never wasted.
Related Ayahs
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَءَامِنُوا۟ بِرَسُولِهِۦ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
O you who have believed, fear Allāh and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
وَإِذْ قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱسْكُنُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةَ وَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ وَقُولُوا۟ حِطَّةٌ وَٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْبَابَ سُجَّدًا نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطِيٓـَٔـٰتِكُمْ ۚ سَنَزِيدُ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
And [mention, O Muḥammad], when it was said to them, "Dwell in this city [i.e., Jerusalem] and eat from it wherever you will and say, 'Relieve us of our burdens [i.e., sins],' and enter the gate bowing humbly; We will [then] forgive you your sins. We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]."
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِن يَنتَهُوا۟ يُغْفَرْ لَهُم مَّا قَدْ سَلَفَ وَإِن يَعُودُوا۟ فَقَدْ مَضَتْ سُنَّتُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them. But if they return [to hostility] - then the precedent of the former [rebellious] peoples has already taken place.
إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ بِهِۦ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.