Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:152

"And those who believe in Allah and His messengers and do not make distinction between any of them" — by believing in some and disbelieving in others, as the disbelievers have done. The discussion regarding the inclusion of bayna (between) after yufarriqu (make distinction) has already passed. The relative pronoun (alladhina) is the subject (mubtada'), and its predicate (khabar) is the sentence: "Those"—meaning those described with these magnificent attributes—"will He give"—meaning Allah, the Exalted—"their rewards"—the ones promised to them; the genitive construction here refers to that which is known by covenant (al-‘ahd).

Some have claimed that the predicate is omitted, meaning: "their opposites and those who oppose them [will receive punishment]." The introduction of sawfa (will) is to emphasize the promised act, which is the giving of rewards, indicating that it will inevitably occur, even if delayed, rather than informing that it is postponed to a specific time. According to al-Zamakhshari, the imperfect verb (yaf’alu), which denotes the future, is inherently set for the meaning of futurity by its very form. When sawfa enters upon it, it confirms what the verb is already set for—the affirmation of the action in the future—rather than adding a meaning that was not originally inherent in it. Thus, it is the counterpart to lan (never); the status of sawfa with yaf’alu is like the status of lan with la yaf’alu, because lan is for the negation of the future. When lan is placed in the position of la, it emphasizes the established meaning, which is the negation of the future. Therefore, the reality of both lan and sawfa is emphasis. For this reason, Sibawayh said: "Lan yaf’ala is the negation of sawfa yaf’alu."

It is as if He, the Exalted, sufficed with explaining what these believers possess, rather than stating, "Those are the believers in truth," even though this meaning is derived from what indicates the opposing condition. There is an iltifat (shift of address) in the verse from the first person to the third person. Nafi’, Ibn Kathir, and many others read it as nu’tiyahum (We will give them) with an nun, in which case there is no shift.

"And Allah has been ever Forgiving"—to those with these attributes, regarding the sins and offenses they committed in the past—"Merciful"—to them, by multiplying their good deeds and increasing their rewards beyond what was promised to them.