Tafsir of Ya seen 36:54

Surah Ya-Sin (36): Verse 54

{فَالْيَوْمَ لَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ وَلَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ}

This verse contains two clauses:

1. {لَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ} (No soul will be wronged): This is a reassurance for the believer.
2. {وَلَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ} (And you will not be recompensed except for what you used to do): This is meant to cause despair for the criminal/disbeliever.

There are several important issues (Masā'il) concerning this verse:

What is the wisdom in using the direct address form (second person plural, tujzawna) when referring to the despair of the criminal ("And you will not be recompensed"), but using the passive/impersonal form (tuzlamu) when referring to the security of the believer ("No soul will be wronged"), instead of saying, "And you believers will not be wronged"?

Answer: The phrase {لَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا} (No soul will be wronged at all) carries a general meaning, applying to everyone, as no soul will ever be wronged.

However, {وَلَا تُجْزَوْنَ} (And you will not be recompensed) is specific to the disbeliever. Allah will recompense the believer (with reward), even if He did not explicitly state it here. The recompense given to the believer is a specific grace (faḍl) from Allah, whereas the general principle of justice applies to all. Furthermore, the structure implies a specific promise/assurance (bashārah) for the believer.

What necessitates the mention of the conjunction of immediate consequence (fā’ al-ta‘qīb) in {فَالْيَوْمَ} (So this Day)?

Answer: Since Allah mentioned previously (in verse 53) that they will be gathered ({مَحْضُورُونَ}), and gathering is for the purpose of judgment and reckoning, it is as if Allah is saying: Once they are gathered, they are gathered only for the purpose of judgment based on justice. Therefore, the absence of injustice is a direct consequence of being gathered for justice. This is why one might say to a judge or ruler: "You have sat down for justice, so do not be unjust," implying that the latter necessitates and follows the former.

Does "you will not be recompensed except for what you used to do" mean they will receive the exact essence of what they did, or rather, they will be recompensed according to what they did?

The literal reading suggests the recompense is the exact deed itself. However, the verb jaziya (to recompense) can be transitive by itself or with the preposition bā’ (e.g., jaziytuhu khayran or jaziytuhu bi-khayrin). When using the preposition bā’, the good deed is not the direct object; rather, the bā’ indicates equivalence or causality (as if saying: "I recompensed him a recompense because of what he did").

Answer (Two perspectives):

1. Emphasis on Exact Equivalence (Mubālaghah): The phrase might be an indication of extreme precision, meaning there will be no addition or subtraction. The recompense will be exactly equivalent to the deed. If one says, "He answers me word for word," it means he leaves nothing out. This interpretation strongly reinforces the despair of the criminal.

2. Reference to the Genus (Jins): The word mā (what) does not refer to the specific individual deed but to the category or genus of the action. It means: "You will only be recompensed for the type of action you performed." If it was a good deed, it will be a good deed (reward); if it was a bad deed, it will be a bad deed (punishment). This aligns with the verse: {وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا} (And the recompense of a bad deed is a bad deed like it) (Surah Ash-Shura, 42:40).

Then, He clarified the state of the doer of good:

{إِنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ الْيَوْمَ فِي شُغُلٍ فَاكِهُونَ * هُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُمْ فِي ظِلَالٍ عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ مُتَّكِئُونَ * لَهُمْ فِيهَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَلَهُمْ مَا يَدَّعُونَ}