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
وَأَنذِرِ ٱلنَّاسَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ فَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ أَخِّرْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ نُّجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ ٱلرُّسُلَ ۗ أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوٓا۟ أَقْسَمْتُم مِّن قَبْلُ مَا لَكُم مِّن زَوَالٍ
And, [O Muḥammad], warn the people of a Day when the punishment will come to them and those who did wrong will say, "Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will answer Your call and follow the messengers." [But it will be said], "Had you not sworn, before, that for you there would be no cessation?
يَطُوفُونَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ حَمِيمٍ ءَانٍ
They will circulate between it and scalding water, heated [to the utmost degree].
إِنَّ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ فِى عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدُونَ
Indeed, the criminals will be in the punishment of Hell, abiding eternally.
قِيلَ ٱدْخُلُوٓا۟ أَبْوَٰبَ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ فَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ
[To them] it will be said, "Enter the gates of Hell to abide eternally therein, and wretched is the residence of the arrogant."