Tafsir of Yunus 10:26

"For those who have done good" means [in] their deeds, in that they performed what was commanded and avoided what was forbidden. The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—explained "Ihsan" (doing good) by his saying: "To worship Allah, the Exalted, as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you."

"The best" means the best station, which is Paradise.

"And an increase" means looking at the Countenance of their Generous Lord—glorified be His Majesty. This is the interpretation narrated from Abu Bakr, Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—Ibn Abbas, Hudhayfah, Ibn Mas'ud, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, and a host of others. It has been narrated as a marfu' (attributed to the Prophet) hadith through various chains. At-Tayalisi, Ahmad, Muslim, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibban, Abu al-Shaykh, Ad-Daraqutni, Ibn Mardawayh, and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Asma wa al-Sifat all recorded from Suhayb that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—recited this verse, "For those who have done good..." and said: "When the people of Paradise enter Paradise and the people of the Fire enter the Fire, a caller will cry out: 'O people of Paradise! You have a promise with Allah, the Exalted, which He intends to fulfill for you.' They will say: 'And what is it? Has He not weighed our scales, whitened our faces, admitted us into Paradise, and distanced us from the Fire?' He said: 'Then the veil will be removed for them, and they will look upon Him—Glorified be He.' By Allah, Allah, the Exalted, has not given them anything more beloved to them than looking at Him, nor anything more pleasing to their eyes."

To introduce this interpretation with "it is said," as did Al-Baydawi—may Allah forgive him—is inappropriate. As for the statement of Az-Zamakhshari—may Allah deal with him according to His justice—that the hadith is "fabricated" (marqu', with a qaf), meaning invented and only issuing from a fool, it is [a claim] rejected, for its authenticity is agreed upon, and it has been narrated by memorizers [of hadith] whose caliber is beyond question.

Yes, interpretations other than this have been mentioned, but they do not possess this degree of authenticity, nor do they contain a clear marfu' report. Ibn Jarir narrated from Mujahid that the "increase" is forgiveness and approval. He also narrated from Al-Hasan that it is the multiplication of a good deed ten to seven hundred times. He narrated from Ibn Zayd that it is that He will not hold them accountable for what He bestowed upon them in this world. And he narrated from Al-Hakam ibn Utaybah from Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—that it is a chamber made of a single pearl with four doors, though Ibn al-Jawzi critiqued this by stating it is not authentic. It is also said that the "increase" is that a cloud will pass by them and say, "What do you desire? Shall I rain upon you?" And they will desire nothing but that it rains upon them.

Some have reconciled these narrations by stating that there is no obstacle to Allah, the Exalted, bestowing upon them all that has been mentioned, for it would be correctly described as an "increase" over the Paradise He has already bestowed upon them. This is supported by what Sa'id ibn Mansur, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Al-Bayhaqi narrated from Sufyan, who said: "There is no contradiction in the interpretation of the Quran; rather, it is comprehensive speech intended to encompass this and that."

What led Az-Zamakhshari to reject the narrations declaring that the "increase" means the vision of Allah, the Exalted, was his corrupt assumption—shared by his companions—that Allah, the Exalted, is not seen. You already know the source of that assumption, and the people of the Sunnah have refuted it with many arguments.

"Neither darkness nor humiliation will cover their faces" means no dust, no blackness, nor any trace of disgrace or gloom shall envelop them. The meaning is that what befalls the people of the Fire shall not be presented to them, or that which would necessitate such [a state]—namely sadness and a wretched condition—shall not occur. The speech in the first case is literal, and in the second case, it is metaphorical; for the non-occurrence of that [covering] is a necessary consequence of the non-occurrence of what causes it. Thus, the consequence is mentioned in order to lead from it to the antecedent. This is deemed more eloquent, as it serves to express the purity of their bliss from the stains of adversity immediately after describing the bliss bestowed upon them by the Exalted.

It is also said that this is mentioned to remind them of what He has saved them from, for when they remember that, their delight and joy increase—just as when the people of the Fire remember the bliss they missed, their grief and regret increase. It is also said that the purpose is to bring them joy by reminding them of the condition of their enemies, the people of the Fire, for when a human knows that his enemy is in disgrace and a wretched state, his joy increases. Indeed, we have observed those who are content with the harm of their enemy rather than the attainment of their own benefit—or even those who are pleased by their enemy’s harm even if they themselves are harmed. The fronting of the object before the subject is to emphasize that what is shielded from [this] humiliation is the most noble of their parts, to create longing for what follows, and because there is a type of detailing regarding the subject.

"Those" — i.e., those mentioned in consideration of their being characterized by what has preceded — "are the companions of Paradise; they will abide therein forever," meaning they will remain without cessation, and this necessitates the non-cessation of its bliss.