أَمْ حَسِبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱجْتَرَحُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ سَوَآءً مَّحْيَاهُمْ وَمَمَاتُهُمْ ۚ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ 21
Translations
Or do those who commit evils think We will make them like those who have believed and done righteous deeds - [make them] equal in their life and their death? Evil is that which they judge [i.e., assume].
Transliteration
Am hasibulladhina jtaraḥu as-sayyiāti an naj'alahum ka-alladhīna āmanū wa'amilū aṣ-ṣāliḥāti sawā'an muḥyāhum wa-mamātuhum; sā'a mā yaḥkumūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns the false assumption of those who commit evil deeds that they will be treated the same as the believers who have faith and perform righteous works, whether in this life or the afterlife. The verse emphasizes that Allah will never equate the evildoers with the righteous—their lives, deaths, and ultimate judgment are fundamentally different. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain this as a rhetorical rejection of the disbelievers' misconception about justice and accountability, reinforcing that deeds have eternal consequences.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Jathiyah, a Meccan surah that addresses the arguments of those who rejected the message of the Qur'an and denied the resurrection and accountability. The surah's broader context deals with refuting the false reasoning and denial of the disbelievers regarding the Day of Judgment and divine justice.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those with the best character' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). This hadith complements the ayah by emphasizing that righteousness and good deeds determine one's standing with Allah. Additionally, the hadith 'Actions are but by intentions' (Sahih Bukhari) relates to the quality of righteous deeds mentioned in the ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that there is no equivalence between righteousness and wickedness in Allah's sight, and that our choices in this life carry weight in the next. It should motivate us to evaluate our own deeds and strive for sincere faith combined with righteous action, knowing that Allah's judgment is perfectly just and will distinguish between the righteous and the wicked.
Related Ayahs
وَأَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْيَمِينِ مَآ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْيَمِينِ
The companions of the right - what are the companions of the right?
قُلْ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ أَبْغِى رَبًّا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ ۚ وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
Say, "Is it other than Allāh I should desire as a lord while He is the Lord of all things? And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ."
ثُمَّ فِى سِلْسِلَةٍ ذَرْعُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًا فَٱسْلُكُوهُ
Then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits insert him."
فَإِن يَصْبِرُوا۟ فَٱلنَّارُ مَثْوًى لَّهُمْ ۖ وَإِن يَسْتَعْتِبُوا۟ فَمَا هُم مِّنَ ٱلْمُعْتَبِينَ
So [even] if they are patient, the Fire is a residence for them; and if they ask to appease [Allāh], they will not be of those who are allowed to appease.