أَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَلَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتُ ٱلْمَأْوَىٰ نُزُلًۢا بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ 19
Translations
As for those who believed and did righteous deeds, for them will be the Gardens of Refuge as accommodation for what they used to do.
Transliteration
Ammā alladhīna āmanū wa 'amilū aṣ-ṣāliḥāti fa-lahum jannātu al-ma'wā nuzulan bimā kānū ya'malūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the reward of the believers who have faith and perform righteous deeds—they will have Gardens of Refuge as hospitality (provision) for what they used to do. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this verse emphasizes that Paradise is not merely a gift but a fitting reward ('nuzul') proportionate to one's actions, demonstrating the justice of Allah's recompense. The phrase 'Jannat al-Ma'wa' (Gardens of Refuge/Shelter) signifies a place of safety, comfort, and ultimate sanctuary for the faithful.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah As-Sajdah, a Meccan surah that contrasts the fates of believers and disbelievers on the Day of Judgment. It appears in the concluding verses of the surah (32:15-22) where the believers' ultimate success in the Hereafter is delineated, serving as encouragement during the early Meccan period when Muslims faced persecution.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'Paradise has one hundred levels which Allah has prepared for those who fight in His Cause. Between each level is a distance like that between the sky and the earth.' (Sahih Bukhari 2790). Additionally, 'The most merciful among you toward people will be the closest to me on the Day of Resurrection' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1910), emphasizing that righteous deeds determine proximity to reward.
Themes
Key Lesson
True faith must be accompanied by righteous actions to earn Paradise, and one's deeds in this life directly determine the quality and measure of reward in the Hereafter. This ayah encourages believers to maintain both sincere belief and consistent moral conduct, knowing that Allah's recompense is just and perfectly calibrated to their efforts.
Related Ayahs
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَـٰذَا ٱلْفَتْحُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
And they say, "When will be this conquest, if you should be truthful?"
وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَءِذَا ضَلَلْنَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَءِنَّا لَفِى خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍۭ ۚ بَلْ هُم بِلِقَآءِ رَبِّهِمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ
And they say, "When we are lost [i.e., disintegrated] within the earth, will we indeed be [recreated] in a new creation?" Rather, they are, in the meeting with their Lord, disbelievers.
فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أُخْفِىَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes [i.e., satisfaction] as reward for what they used to do.
وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فَسَقُوا۟ فَمَأْوَىٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ ۖ كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُوٓا۟ أَن يَخْرُجُوا۟ مِنْهَآ أُعِيدُوا۟ فِيهَا وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ ذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ
But as for those who defiantly disobeyed, their refuge is the Fire. Every time they wish to emerge from it, they will be returned to it while it is said to them, "Taste the punishment of the Fire which you used to deny."