وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَـٰتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوا۟ ۚ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ 132
Translations
And for all are degrees [i.e., positions resulting] from what they have done. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do.
Transliteration
Wa li-kullin darajatun mimma 'amiloo, wa ma rabbuka bi-ghaafilin 'amma ya'maloon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that every individual will receive degrees or ranks in Paradise (or accountability) according to their deeds and efforts in obedience to Allah. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that the 'degrees' (darajat) refer to the varying levels of reward based on the quality and quantity of righteous works, and the second clause serves as reassurance that Allah is ever-watchful and never heedless of human actions. This encapsulates the Islamic principle of divine justice—that deeds are weighed and rewarded proportionally, and nothing escapes Allah's knowledge.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan period within Surah Al-An'am, a chapter that addresses fundamental Islamic beliefs including monotheism, resurrection, and divine justice. It comes in a section emphasizing Allah's omniscience and the reality of accountability, serving to encourage believers toward righteous deeds while warning against negligence, as they should remember that Allah witnesses all.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those with the best character' (Tirmidhi). Also relevant is the hadith: 'Everyone will be facilitated toward what he has been created for' (Sahih Bukhari), which relates to how actions and degrees differ according to individual capacity and effort.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that their efforts and intentions matter profoundly—each action contributes to their spiritual rank, and since Allah observes everything, one should consistently strive for excellence in deeds. It provides both comfort (that righteous works are never wasted) and accountability (that nothing escapes Allah's awareness), motivating sincere and consistent obedience.
Related Ayahs
فَكُلًّا أَخَذْنَا بِذَنۢبِهِۦ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَخَذَتْهُ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَغْرَقْنَا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
So each We seized for his sin; and among them were those upon whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those who were seized by the blast [from the sky], and among them were those whom We caused the earth to swallow, and among them were those whom We drowned. And Allāh would not have wronged them, but it was they who were wronging themselves.
ثُمَّ قِيلَ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ ذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابَ ٱلْخُلْدِ هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ
Then it will be said to those who had wronged, "Taste the punishment of eternity; are you being recompensed except for what you used to earn?"
هَـٰٓأَنتُمْ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ جَـٰدَلْتُمْ عَنْهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا فَمَن يُجَـٰدِلُ ٱللَّهَ عَنْهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ أَم مَّن يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكِيلًا
Here you are - those who argue on their behalf in [this] worldly life - but who will argue with Allāh for them on the Day of Resurrection, or who will [then] be their representative?
يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِ ۚ وَنَحْشُرُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ زُرْقًا
The Day the Horn will be blown. And We will gather the criminals, that Day, blue-eyed.