Al-Baqarah: (277) Indeed, those who believe...

Know that it is God's established practice in the Qur'an that whenever a threat (wa'īd) is mentioned, a promise (wa'd) follows it. Since God has severely warned those who deal in usury here, He immediately follows it with this promise. The exegesis of this verse has already passed in several places, and it contains several issues:

Issue 1: The Argument for Excluding Good Deeds from the Definition of Faith

Those who argue that righteous deeds are outside the meaning of Iman (faith) use this verse as evidence. They point to the phrase: {Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds} (إن الذين ءامنوا وعملوا الصالحات). They argue that the conjunction (و) implies that the righteous deeds are different from faith itself, as the conjoined term must differ from the term it is conjoined to.

Some have responded to this by asking: Is it not stated in this very verse: {and establish prayer and give zakāh} (وأقاموا الصلواة وآتوا الزكواة)? Yet, there is no dispute that establishing prayer and giving zakāh are included under {and do righteous deeds} (وعملوا الصالحات). Therefore, the same applies to what you mentioned regarding faith and deeds. Furthermore, the Almighty also said: {Those who disbelieve and hinder from the way of God} (Qur'an 47:34) and {Those who disbelieve and deny Our verses} (Qur'an 2:239; 5:10).

The first arguer (who separates faith and deeds) can reply that the principle is to interpret every word as conveying a new meaning, and this principle is only abandoned when necessary. Thus, in cases where separation is not impossible, the original principle holds.

Issue 2: The Strength of "Their Reward is with their Lord"

The phrase {Their reward is with their Lord} (لهم أجرهم عند ربهم) is stronger than saying "Their reward is upon their Lord" (أجرهم على ربهم). This is because the first phrasing is like selling for immediate cash payment; that cash is present, and the seller can take it whenever he wishes. The phrase "Their reward is upon their Lord" is like selling on credit, where the payment is due later. Undoubtedly, the first scenario is superior.

Issue 3: The Meaning of "No Fear Shall Come Upon Them, Nor Shall They Grieve"

There is a difference of opinion regarding the meaning of {No fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve} (ولا خوف عليهم ولا هم يحزنون).

• Ibn Abbas said: They will have no fear concerning the events of the Hereafter that await them, and they will not grieve over what they left behind in the world. This is because a person moving from a lower state to a higher one might grieve over some of the past states, even if they are delighted with the second due to habit and familiarity. God, the Exalted, clarified that this degree of distress will not affect the people of reward and honor.
• Al-Asamm said: They will have no fear of the punishment on that Day, nor will they grieve because they missed out on the extra blessings that other fortunate people have attained. This is because there is no competition in the Hereafter. Nor will they grieve because they did not perform more acts of obedience in the world to deserve a greater reward than what they received, because such thoughts will not occur to them in the Hereafter.

Issue 4: The Apparent Contradiction Regarding the Necessity of Deeds for Reward

There is a difficulty in the Almighty's statement: {Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds, establish prayer, and give zakāh—their reward is with their Lord} (إن الذين ءامنوا وعملوا الصالحات وأقاموا الصلواة وآتوا الزكواة لهم أجرهم عند ربهم).

The issue is this: If a woman reaches maturity knowing God, and then begins menstruating, and dies before her menses cease, or if a man reaches maturity knowing God before prayer and zakāh become obligatory upon him, and then dies—both are agreed upon to be people of reward. This indicates that the entitlement to reward is not contingent upon the actual performance of deeds. Furthermore, according to our school of thought (the Mu'tazila/Ash'ari view being debated here), God may reward a sinful believer who performed no deeds at all. If this is the case, why has God made the attainment of reward conditional upon the performance of deeds here?

The Answer: God mentioned these characteristics not because entitlement to reward is conditioned upon them, but because each one of them has an effect in attracting reward. This is similar to what He said concerning the opposite: {And those who do not invoke with God another deity...} (Qur'an 25:68), and then He said: {And whoever does that will meet a penalty} (Qur'an 25:68). It is known that one who invokes another deity alongside God does not need another deed to deserve punishment. However, God combined adultery, murder, and the justification of polytheism with invoking other deities to clarify that each one of these characteristics necessitates punishment.

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