Surah Al 'Imran: (148) So Allah gave them the reward...

And know that when the Almighty explained the method of the pious ones (Rabbaniyyin) in patience and their method in supplication, He then mentioned what He guaranteed them in return in this world and the Hereafter, saying:

So Allah gave them the reward of this world and the best reward of the Hereafter.

There are several issues concerning this:

The phrase So Allah gave them implies that the Almighty granted them both things:

1. The Reward of this World: This includes victory, spoils of war, the subjugation of the enemy, beautiful praise, expansion of the chest with the light of faith, the removal of the darkness of doubts, and the expiation of sins and misdeeds.
2. The Reward of the Hereafter: This is undoubtedly Paradise, with all its benefits, pleasures, types of joy, and great honor. Since this latter reward is not immediately attainable, the meaning is that Allah decreed its attainment for them in the Hereafter. Thus, Allah's decree stands in the place of actual attainment, just as breaking Allah's promise or injustice in His judgment is impossible.

Alternatively, the word gave them (ātāhum) can be interpreted as meaning "will give them" (sayu'tīhim), following the pattern of His saying: The command of Allah has come (atā amru Allāh), meaning the command of Allah will come.

The Judge (Al-Qadi) stated that it is not impossible that this verse is specific to the martyrs. Allah the Exalted informed us about some of them that they are alive with their Lord, being sustained. Therefore, the state of these pious ones (Rabbaniyyin) might be similar; at the time of revealing this verse, Allah had already given them the best reward of the Hereafter in the gardens of Heaven.

The Almighty specified the reward of the Hereafter as "best" (ḥusna) to indicate the majesty of their reward. This is because all rewards of the Hereafter are supremely beautiful. If Allah singles out something from this category as "best," consider how great its beauty must be!

He did not describe the reward of this world as "best" because of its scarcity, its intermingling with harms, and its transient nature. Al-Qaffal, may Allah have mercy on him, suggested that best (ḥusna) might simply mean "good" (ḥasan), as in His saying: And speak kindly to people (wa qūlū lil-nāsi ḥusan) (Al-Baqarah: 83), meaning kindly. The purpose is exaggeration, as if those things were so great in goodness that they became goodness itself, similar to saying, "So-and-so is generosity and liberality" when he is at the peak of generosity and liberality. And Allah knows best.

Previously, He said: Whoever desires the reward of this world, We give him thereof; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, We give him thereof (Al 'Imran: 145), where He used the particle min (from/some of), indicating partiality. However, in this verse, He said: So Allah gave them the reward of this world and the best reward of the Hereafter without mentioning min.

The difference is:

1. Those who desired the reward of the Hereafter were engaged in servitude only to seek reward, so their rank in servitude was lower.
2. As for those mentioned in this verse, they only mentioned sin and shortcoming—which is meant by their saying: Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our extravagance in our affair (Al 'Imran: 147). They attributed guidance, support, and aid only to their Lord, which is meant by their saying: and make our feet firm and grant us victory over the disbelieving people (Al 'Imran: 147).

Therefore, the station of these latter individuals in servitude was one of complete perfection. Consequently, those first ones attained some of the reward, while these attained all of it.

Furthermore, those first ones desired the reward, whereas these individuals did not desire the reward; they only desired service to their Master. Consequently, those were deprived (of the ultimate reward), and these were given (the complete reward), to teach that whoever turns to the service of Allah, turns away from serving anything other than Allah.

Then He said:

And Allah loves the doers of good (Al-Muḥsinīn).

There is a subtle point here: These people acknowledged their bad state by saying: Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our extravagance in our affair. When they confessed this, Allah described them as doers of good (Muḥsinīn). It is as if Allah the Exalted is telling them:

"If you confess your bad deeds, your helplessness, and your shortcomings, I describe you as doers of good and make you beloved to Myself." This shows that the servant has no path to reach the Divine Presence except by displaying humility, neediness, and incapacity.

Also, when they intended to proceed to Jihad, they asked Allah for firmness in their religion and victory over the enemy. Upon this, He described them as doers of good. This indicates that the servant cannot perform a good deed unless Allah grants him that good deed and aids him in it. Moreover, He said: Is the reward for good anything but good? (Ar-Rahman: 60) and For those who do good is the best [reward] and even more (Yunus: 26). All of this indicates that He, the Sublime, is the one who grants the good deed to the servant, and then rewards him for it, so the servant knows that everything comes from Allah and with Allah's help.

| Al 'Imran: (148) O you who have believed, if you obey those who disbelieve, they will turn you back on your heels, and you will return [as] losers. * Rather, Allah is your protector, and He is the best of helpers.