At-Tur · Makki · ayah 19 of 49

At-Tur 52:19

كُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ هَنِيٓـًٔۢا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

“[They will be told], "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you used to do."”

Saheeh International

Essence

Eat and drink with ease, because of what you did: three ayat after 'only what you did', the same words return, and now they hold far more.

A reflection

Only what you did, and because of what you did

Three ayat apart, this surah says two almost identical things. To the deniers: innamā tujzawna mā kuntum taʿmalūn, you are only repaid what you used to do (52:16). To the mindful: bimā kuntum taʿmalūn, because of what you used to do.

A classical theologian lays the two side by side. The first has innamā, only: nothing more than the deed. The second has no 'only', because the believer is given many times what he did, and more from Allah's generosity. The first says 'what you did', as if the punishment were the deed itself. The second says 'because of what you did', a cause, not a measure. And the first uses the word for repayment, which suggests an account closed. The second avoids it.

So near-identical words describe two opposite economies. Justice for one, exact to the last line. Generosity for the other, with no ceiling.

That is the mirror. Which sentence would I rather be read?

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.