Muhammad · Madani · ayah 35 of 38

Muhammad 47:35

فَلَا تَهِنُوا۟ وَتَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلسَّلْمِ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلْأَعْلَوْنَ وَٱللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ وَلَن يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَـٰلَكُمْ

“So do not weaken and call for peace while you are superior; and Allāh is with you and will never deprive you of [the reward of] your deeds.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Do not go weak and beg for terms on higher ground; Allah is with you, and will never leave your deeds bereft.

A reflection

Never left bereft

The ayah ends with a promise in an unusual verb: "He will never yatira you of your deeds". The translations say "deprive" or "diminish". The root is older and sadder.

Watr is the odd number, the one left without a partner. The lexicons explain the verb from it. To watara a man was to kill one of his close family, or to take his wealth. It left him single, cut off from what belonged to him. One classical commentator explains the ayah's choice of word. Losing the reward of a worker's deed is likened to that kind of bereavement.

The same word appears in a saying recorded by both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Whoever misses the afternoon prayer, the Prophet ﷺ said, it is as if he has been bereft of his family and his wealth.

So deeds, in this picture, are like family. They belong to you. To lose them would be like losing people you love. And the ayah promises that Allah will never do that to the believers. One concise commentary says: He will not reduce the reward of their deeds at all.

Picture a long-distance runner in a hill race. She is the last to finish, well after dark. The crowds have gone home. The marshals are packing up the tape. Nobody claps as she crosses the line. But the timing mat beeps as she steps over it. Her chip has recorded every second of her run.

That is the comfort here, especially for those whose efforts go unseen. Others may forget what you did. Allah does not leave you bereft of a single deed. It is recorded, and it is kept.

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.