وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ مِن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ نَقِيرًا 124
Translations
And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer - those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even as much as] the speck on a date seed.
Transliteration
Wa man ya'mal mina as-salihati min dhakarin aw untha wa huwa mu'min fa-ula'ika yadkhulun al-jannata wa la yuzlamun naqiran
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the principle of gender equality in reward for righteous deeds, affirming that both men and women who perform good works while maintaining faith will enter Paradise without any diminishment of their reward. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this verse was revealed to refute pre-Islamic Arabian notions that women's deeds held less spiritual value, establishing that piety and virtue are the sole criteria for Divine reward regardless of gender. The phrase 'wa la yuzlamun naqiran' (and they will not be wronged even by the weight of a date-seed) underscores the absolute justice of Allah's accounting, meaning no good deed, however small, will be overlooked or diminished.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah An-Nisa (revealed in Madinah), which comprehensively addresses women's rights, inheritance, and social status in Islam. The broader context of this surah addresses women's legal standing and dignity, and this particular verse directly counters the pre-Islamic Arab custom of devaluing women's spiritual and moral contributions.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their wives, and I am the best among you to my wives' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, 'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) is recorded in Sahih Bukhari as having transmitted numerous hadiths, exemplifying women's equal capacity for knowledge and spiritual contribution.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that spiritual worth and reward are determined solely by faith and righteous action, not by gender or social status, encouraging all believers—regardless of circumstance—to pursue excellence in character and deed with the certainty that no effort in obedience to Allah goes unrecognized or unrewarded.
Related Ayahs
وَمَن يَكْسِبْ خَطِيٓـَٔةً أَوْ إِثْمًا ثُمَّ يَرْمِ بِهِۦ بَرِيٓـًٔا فَقَدِ ٱحْتَمَلَ بُهْتَـٰنًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا
But whoever earns an offense or a sin and then blames it on an innocent [person] has taken upon himself a slander and manifest sin.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَرَبَّصُونَ بِكُمْ فَإِن كَانَ لَكُمْ فَتْحٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ قَالُوٓا۟ أَلَمْ نَكُن مَّعَكُمْ وَإِن كَانَ لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ نَصِيبٌ قَالُوٓا۟ أَلَمْ نَسْتَحْوِذْ عَلَيْكُمْ وَنَمْنَعْكُم مِّنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۚ فَٱللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۗ وَلَن يَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا
Those who wait [and watch] you. Then if you gain a victory from Allāh, they say, "Were we not with you?" But if the disbelievers have a success, they say [to them], "Did we not gain the advantage over you, but we protected you from the believers?" Allāh will judge between [all of] you on the Day of Resurrection, and never will Allāh give the disbelievers over the believers a way [to overcome them].
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَـٰلًۢا بَعِيدًا
O you who have believed, believe in Allāh and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before. And whoever disbelieves in Allāh, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.
إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ لِتَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِمَآ أَرَىٰكَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَلَا تَكُن لِّلْخَآئِنِينَ خَصِيمًا
Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], the Book in truth so you may judge between the people by that which Allāh has shown you. And do not be for the deceitful an advocate.