Saba · Makki · ayah 4 of 54

Saba 34:4

لِّيَجْزِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ

“That He may reward those who believe and do righteous deeds. Those will have forgiveness and noble provision.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Here the promise of forgiveness and generous provision becomes the reason the Hour must come: good done and never repaid is still owed.

A reflection

The reason sworn to in the oath

The pairing of forgiveness and generous provision has its full treatment at 22:50. Here it does a different job. The ayah begins with li-, so that. It finishes the oath of 34:3: by my Lord, the Hour will come, so that He may reward those who believed and did good.

One classical commentator asked what use an oath is to people who think the swearer a liar. His answer: the oath is not left alone. This reason follows it, and the reason is one every conscience already knows. A later commentator spelled it out. A wrongdoer can live long in comfort and die in it. A good person can live long in pain and die in it. If nothing came after, the world's wisdom would end in a shrug.

So the Hour is not only a threat to deniers. It is a debt being honoured. Every kindness that was never thanked is still owed.

The full entry has 2 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.