Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 202 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:202

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ

“Those will have a share of what they have earned, and Allāh is swift in account.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Those who ask for both worlds receive a share of what they earned; and Allah reckons every deed of every soul without delay or effort.

A reflection

No counting on fingers

On election night, hundreds of counters sit at long tables in a sports hall. They work until four in the morning to tally the votes of one town. Then there is a recount.

'And Allah is swift in reckoning'. A major classical commentator explains why Allah describes Himself this way. He counts the deeds of His servants without folding fingers, without thought or deliberation, the way weak creatures must. Nothing on earth or in the heavens is hidden from Him.

The word ḥisāb is from a root the lexicons connect with both counting and sufficiency. The same letters give 'reckoning' and 'enough'. The One who reckons everything is also the One who suffices.

Set this beside the ego. We are proud of what we can track: our steps, our savings, our followers, our productivity. Every one of those counts takes effort, and still we lose track. Allah holds the whole of creation's account at once, every intention and every breath, and it costs Him nothing.

Does He need us to admire His reckoning? No. He is free of all need (35:15). The description is for us. It tells the person who prayed in secret that nothing was lost. It tells the one who wronged in secret that nothing was missed. And it humbles anyone who thinks his own ledger is the one that matters.

The counters in the sports hall did their best. The One who reckons all creation needs no hall, no night and no recount.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.