| Jonah: (27) And those who have earned evil deeds...

Issues in the Verse:

The verse describes the state of those who commit evil deeds, contrasting it with the reward for the righteous mentioned previously. There are four main points:

1. {A recompense for an evil deed is its like}: This phrase emphasizes the difference between rewards for good deeds and recompense for evil deeds. For good deeds, Allah grants an increase (favor/grace). For evil deeds, the recompense is strictly like for like. An increase in punishment beyond what is deserved would be an injustice. If Allah were unjust, the entire system of promises and warnings would collapse, as trust in divine justice is predicated on His wisdom. This is the position adopted by the Qadi (Judge) based on his school of thought.

2. {And darkness/gloom will cover them} (وترهقهم ذلة): This signifies humiliation and contempt. Since perfection is inherently desirable and imperfection inherently detestable, when an imperfect soul dies, its remaining state of imperfection causes it to feel humiliation, disgrace, and torment.

3. {They will have no protector from Allah} (ما لهم من الله من عاصم): No one can protect them from Allah, neither in this world nor the Hereafter, as His decree encompasses all creation, and His power is effective over all created things. However, those inclined to disobedience are usually preoccupied with their worldly actions and desires during life. After death, everyone will admit they have no protector from Allah.

4. {And those who have earned evil deeds, a recompense for an evil deed is its like, and gloom will cover them}: This confirms what was negated for the fortunate ones in the preceding verse: {And gloom and humiliation will not cover their faces} (Jonah: 26).

Scholarly Insight: The Islamic sages state that the "darkness" (سواد) mentioned here refers to the darkness of ignorance and the gloom of misguidance. Just as knowledge is inherently light, ignorance is inherently darkness. Therefore, {Faces that Day will be radiant, laughing, rejoicing} refers to the light, spirit, cheerfulness, and glad tidings of knowledge. Conversely, {And faces that Day will be covered with dust, gloom will cover them} refers to the darkness of ignorance and the murkiness of misguidance.

There are two interpretations:

1. It is coordinated with {For those who did good} (Aal Imran: 172), meaning: "For those who did good, the best reward, and for those who earned evil deeds, a recompense for an evil deed is its like."
2. The implied structure is: "And the recompense of those who earned evil deeds is a recompense for an evil deed like it," meaning they are repaid only for one evil deed with one like it, with no addition. This shows that Allah's dealing with the righteous is based on Grace (Fadl), while His dealing with the wicked is based on Justice ('Adl).

Some scholars argue that this refers specifically to the disbelievers (Kuffar). Their evidence includes:

• The blackness of the face is a sign of disbelief, as seen in {Then as for those whose faces turned black, [He will say], "Have you disbelieved after your faith?"} (Aal Imran: 106).
• The description {And faces that Day will be covered with dust, gloom will cover them; those are the ones whose faces turned black} (referring to the context of the following verse) is followed by {And the Day We will gather them all} (Al-An'am: 22), where the pronoun refers to these people, who are subsequently described as polytheists.
• Knowledge is light and authority; the ultimate knowledge is knowing Allah. A heart possessing knowledge of Allah cannot experience darkness. Al-Shibli (may Allah have mercy on him) used to recite poetry reflecting this:

  Every house you inhabit needs no lamp; Your hoped-for face is our proof on the Day people bring arguments.

The Qadi argues that the phrasing is general, encompassing both the disbeliever and the sinner (Fasiq). However, we maintain that although the form is general, the aforementioned evidence specifies it to the disbelievers.

Al-Farra suggests two possibilities:

1. The implied structure is: "Then for them is a recompense for an evil deed like it," similar to {then the ransom is a fast} (Al-Baqarah: 196), meaning "it is incumbent upon him."
2. The recompense is linked by the preposition bi (ب) in {with its like} (بمثلها). Ibn al-Anbari states that under this second structure, there must be a relative pronoun referring back to the antecedent. The implied structure is: "Then the recompense for an evil deed from them is its like."

As for {And gloom will cover them} (وترهقهم ذلة), it is coordinated with the implied verb yujazi (He recompenses), because {A recompense for an evil deed is its like} implies "He recompenses an evil deed with its like." It was also read with a ya' (ولا ذلة) instead of a ta' (وترهقهم).

Further Analysis of the Subsequent Verse (Jonah: 28)

{Their faces will be covered with pieces} (أغشيت وجوههم قطعا): Meaning, they will be clothed in blackness. Ibn Kathir and Al-Kisai read قطعا (with a sukūn on the ṭā’), meaning "pieces" or "parts" (like in {saying, "O Lot, indeed we are messengers from your Lord"} (Hud: 81), meaning a delegation/piece). The rest read قطعًا (with a fatḥa on the ṭā’), which is the plural of قطعة (piece).

The meaning is that their faces will be described by blackness, as if they were covered by darkness, similar to {You see those who lied about Allah, their faces will be blackened} (Az-Zumar: 60), and {Then as for those whose faces turned black, [He will say], "Have you disbelieved after your faith?"} (Aal Imran: 106), and {The criminals will be recognized by their marks} (Ar-Rahman: 41), which is the blackness of the face and the blueness of the eyes.

{Dark} (مظلماً): Al-Farra and Al-Zajjaj state it is an adjective describing the "pieces" (قطعا). Abu Ali al-Farisi suggests it can be a circumstantial adverb (Hāl), meaning: "Their faces will be covered with pieces of the night while it is dark."

Jonah 7: {And the Day We will gather them all, then We will say to those who associated others [with Allah], "Stay in your place, you and your partners." So We will separate them, and their partners will say, "You used not to worship us. So Allah is sufficient as a witness between us and you, that we were unaware of your worship of us."}