Al-Baqarah: (82) And those who believed and did righteous deeds...

Know that the Exalted and Sublime has not mentioned a verse of threat (wa'īd) in the Qur'an without mentioning alongside it a verse of promise (wa'd). This is for several benefits:

1. To manifest His absolute Justice: Since He decreed eternal punishment for those persistent in disbelief, it was necessary to decree eternal bliss for those persistent in faith.
2. To balance the believer's fear and hope: As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "If the fear and hope of a believer were weighed, they would balance." This balance is only achieved through this method.
3. To reveal the perfection of His Mercy through promise and the perfection of His Wisdom through threat, which becomes a means of gnosis (ma'rifah).

Herein lie several issues:

The First Issue: Righteous Action is Outside the Meaning of Faith (Iman)

The argument is that if Iman (faith) implied righteous action, then mentioning "and did righteous deeds" (وعملوا الصالحات) after "those who believed" (والذين آمنوا) would be redundant repetition.

The Qadi (Judge) responded that although Iman encompasses all righteous deeds, the statement "they believed" (آمنوا) only indicates that they performed one act of faith. Therefore, it is appropriate to say, "And those who believed and did righteous deeds."

The Rebuttal: The past tense verb (آمنوا) indicates the occurrence of the verbal noun (the masdar, i.e., the state of belief) in a past time. Iman is the verbal noun. If this single statement implied all righteous deeds, then the word "believed" would be evidence for the issuance of all those deeds from them. And Allah knows best.

The Second Issue: This Verse Indicates That the Sinner of a Major Sin May Enter Paradise

We are discussing one who performed faith and righteous deeds, then committed a major sin (كبيرة) without repenting. This person, before committing the major sin, was correctly described as one who "believed and did righteous deeds" at that time. If this description applied to him then, it must still apply to him now. If it applies to him, he must be included under the saying: {Those are the companions of Paradise, they will abide therein eternally}.

Objection: The statement {and did righteous deeds} (وعملوا الصالحات) does not apply to him unless he performs all righteous deeds. Repentance is among the righteous deeds. If he does not repent, he has not performed righteous deeds, and thus is not included under the verse.

Response: We have already established that before committing the major sin, the description "believed and did righteous deeds" applied to him at that time. If that description applied to him then, it means the composite description applied to him. When the composite description is true, the singular components must also be true. Furthermore, if he commits the major sin, it is not true that he "believed and did righteous deeds" at all times. However, our statement "believed and did righteous deeds" is more general than saying "he was so at all times or at some times." What is considered in the verse is the common denominator (the shared essence). Thus, it is established that he falls under the ruling of the promise.

What remains is their assertion that the wicked person's sin nullifies the reward of his obedience, thus tipping the scale toward the threat. However, the discussion regarding this point has already preceded.

The Third Issue: Proof for Merit-Based Entry into Paradise

Al-Jubba'i used this verse as proof that whoever enters Paradise does not enter it by grace (favor/bounty, tafaddul). This is because the statement {Those are the companions of Paradise} (أولئك أصحاب الجنة) implies restriction (exclusivity, hasr). It indicates that Paradise has no companions other than these who believed and did righteous deeds.

Response: Why should it not be that the meaning is that they are the ones who deserve it, and whoever is given Paradise by grace does not fall under this specific ruling? And Allah knows best.

< { And [recall] when We took the covenant from the Children of Israel, [ordering them]: "Worship none but Allah; and do good to parents, and to relatives, and to orphans, and to the needy; and speak kindly to people; and establish prayer and give zakāh." Then you turned away, except a few of you, while you were turning away. } >