لِيُكَفِّرَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَسْوَأَ ٱلَّذِى عَمِلُوا۟ وَيَجْزِيَهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ 35
Translations
That Allāh may remove from them the worst of what they did and reward them their due for the best of what they used to do.
Transliteration
Liyukaffira Allahu anhum aswaa alladhee amiloo wa yajziyahum ajrahum bi-ahsan alladhee kanoo yamaloon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Allah's justice and mercy toward the believers: He will expiate their worst deeds and reward them according to their best actions. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this demonstrates Allah's clemency—He overlooks the sins of the righteous while magnifying their good deeds, reflecting the principle that sincere faith and righteous works lead to divine forgiveness and abundant reward.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Az-Zumar's discussion of sincere devotion to Allah alone and the rewards reserved for those who submit to Him. It comes within a passage addressing the station of the righteous and their ultimate success on the Day of Judgment, providing consolation to believers about Allah's merciful reckoning of their deeds.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'When Allah intends good for His servant, He hastens his punishment in this world, and when He intends ill for him, He withholds his sins until he meets Him on the Day of Resurrection' (Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith 'The best of you are those with the best character' (Sahih Bukhari) relates to the emphasis on best deeds being rewarded.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that Allah's judgment is balanced with mercy—while He accounts for all actions, He prioritizes forgiveness of sins for the sincere and magnifies their virtuous deeds as their primary record. This should encourage Muslims to strive for excellence in their actions while maintaining hope in Allah's compassion and not despairing over past mistakes.
Related Ayahs
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ وَٱلنُّورَ ۖ ثُمَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ
[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light. Then those who disbelieve equate [others] with their Lord.
فَمَنْ حَآجَّكَ فِيهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا۟ نَدْعُ أَبْنَآءَنَا وَأَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَنِسَآءَنَا وَنِسَآءَكُمْ وَأَنفُسَنَا وَأَنفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَل لَّعْنَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰذِبِينَ
Then whoever argues with you about it after [this] knowledge has come to you - say, "Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then supplicate earnestly [together] and invoke the curse of Allāh upon the liars [among us]."
يُعْرَفُ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ بِسِيمَـٰهُمْ فَيُؤْخَذُ بِٱلنَّوَٰصِى وَٱلْأَقْدَامِ
The criminals will be known by their marks, and they will be seized by the forelocks and the feet.
عَمَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
About what they used to do.