تَرَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ وَهُوَ وَاقِعٌۢ بِهِمْ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فِى رَوْضَاتِ ٱلْجَنَّاتِ ۖ لَهُم مَّا يَشَآءُونَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَضْلُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ 22
Translations
You will see the wrongdoers fearful of what they have earned, and it will [certainly] befall them. And those who have believed and done righteous deeds will be in lush regions of the gardens [in Paradise] having whatever they will in the presence of their Lord. That is what is the great bounty.
Transliteration
Tara az-zalimina mushfiqina mimma kasabu wa-huwa waqiun bihim. Wa-alladhina amanu wa-amilu as-salihati fi rawdati al-jannati. Lahum ma yasha'un inda rabbihim. Dhalika huwa al-fadl al-kabir.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents a vivid contrast between the fate of the wrongdoers (az-zalimun) who will be filled with fear and anxiety regarding their evil deeds which will inevitably befall them on the Day of Judgment, and the believers who performed righteous deeds who will dwell in the gardens of Paradise. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, the fear (ishfaq) of the wrongdoers is not merely regret but an actual terror of the consequences they face, while 'waqiun bihim' (falling upon them) emphasizes the certainty and inevitability of divine punishment. The believers, in contrast, will have whatever they desire with their Lord, which represents the supreme grace (al-fadl al-kabir) that transcends their expectations.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Ash-Shuraa, a Meccan surah that addresses fundamental Islamic beliefs including tawhid (monotheism), prophethood, and the afterlife. The surah's broader context emphasizes consultation (shura) as a principle and contrasts the rewards and punishments of the hereafter, making this ayah part of the thematic framework establishing divine justice and accountability.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Each soul will know what it has sent forward and kept back' (Quran 82:5), which relates to the certainty of reckoning. Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet described Paradise's rewards saying: 'I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that our actions have inevitable consequences that we cannot escape, motivating genuine introspection about our deeds. For believers, it offers profound reassurance that sincere faith combined with righteous action leads to incomparable rewards that exceed all expectations, encouraging perseverance in obedience despite worldly hardships.