۞ لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا۟ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ ۖ وَلَا يَرْهَقُ وُجُوهَهُمْ قَتَرٌ وَلَا ذِلَّةٌ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ 26
Translations
For them who have done good is the best [reward] - and extra. No darkness will cover their faces, nor humiliation. Those are companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.
Transliteration
Lilladhina ahsanu al-husnaa wa ziyadah, wa la yarhaqu wujoohahum qatarur wa la dhillah. Ulaika ashabu al-jannah, hum fiha khalidun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah promises those who do good deeds (ahsanu - perfected their actions) will receive al-husnaa (the best reward, Paradise) and ziyadah (additional reward - the vision of Allah's Face, according to most classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi). Their faces will not be covered with darkness or humiliation on the Day of Judgment; rather, they are the inhabitants of Paradise dwelling therein eternally. The 'ziyadah' (surplus) is understood by scholars such as Al-Tabari as a special honor granted beyond the basic promise of Paradise itself.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Yunus, a Meccan surah primarily concerned with monotheism, divine justice, and the certainty of the Hereafter. It comes in the context of describing the rewards of the righteous and the consequences of deeds, emphasizing that Allah's justice ensures proper recompense for good actions.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The lowest of the people in Paradise will be he whose two eyes will be screened with green gardens, and he will have seventy thousand servants, and there will be seventy thousand virgins, and a tent will be pitched for him as large as the distance between al-Jabiyah and Sanaa' (Sahih Muslim). Related thematically: 'Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it' (Quran 99:7, affirming deeds are not lost).
Themes
Key Lesson
Excellence in faith and action (ihsan) is not merely about external compliance but internal perfection, and such devotion receives both the promise of Paradise and additional divine blessings. For modern believers, this teaches that sincere effort to improve oneself spiritually yields returns that exceed expectations, encouraging consistent moral and spiritual development regardless of worldly circumstances.