Tafsir of An-Najm 53:31

Surah An-Najm (The Star): Verse 31

{31. And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, that He may recompense those who do evil for what they have done, and recompense those who do good with what is best.}

This verse points to the perfection of His self-sufficiency (Ghani) and His power, to be followed by the statement that your Lord is the most knowing. This is because He who knows but does not have the power cannot truly execute recompense. Thus, He says: {And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth}.

There are several issues concerning this verse:

Al-Zamakhshari suggests that the lām (لـ) here is like the lām in the verse: {And horses, mules, and donkeys, that you may ride them} (An-Nahl: 8). Following his Mu'tazilite doctrine, he interprets the meaning as: "The creation of what is in the heavens and the earth is for the purpose of recompense." He does not shy away from this interpretation due to his known school of thought.

Al-Wahidi stated that the lām signifies consequence (al-āqibah), as in the verse: {so that it may become an enemy to them} (Al-Qasas: 8), meaning they took him, and the consequence was that he became an enemy to them.

The established view is that hattā (until/so that) and the lām of purpose (lām al-gharaḍ) are close in meaning, as purpose is the end point of an action, and hattā denotes the absolute limit. Thus, one can be used in place of the other. One might say, "I traveled until I entered it" (hattā adkhulahā) or "so that I might enter it" (li-ukallama adkhulahā). The lām of consequence is used where hattā denoting the limit is intended.

Another, perhaps more subtle, interpretation is that the phrase {that He may recompense} is connected to the preceding statement about straying and being guided ({ضل واهتدى}), not to His knowledge or the creation of what is in the heavens. The implied meaning is: "He is the most knowing of those who have strayed and those who have been guided, {that He may recompense}—meaning, those who stray and those who are guided will receive recompense, and Allah knows this best." In this case, {And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth} becomes an intervening parenthetical statement.

It is also possible that it relates to His command: {So turn away from them} (An-Najm: 29), meaning: "Turn away from them so that recompense may occur." This is like saying to someone intending an action, "If you stop me, I will certainly do it." This is because as long as the Prophet (PBUH) had not despaired, punishment would not descend; turning away occurs at the point of despair.

In this context, the statement {and recompense those who do good with what is best} clarifies that the punishment that occurs upon turning away is not like what is mentioned in: {And fear a trial which will not afflict only those who have wronged among you specifically} (Al-Anfal: 25). Rather, it is specific to the wrongdoers, while the good ones receive the best reward.

There is a subtlety in how the recompense is phrased: for the evildoer, it is {for what they have done} (bimā ‘amilū), but for the doer of good, it is {with what is best} (bil-huṣnā).

1. For the evildoer, since the recompense is punishment, the phrasing draws attention to what wards off injustice: one is not punished except for a sin.
2. For the doer of good, the phrase {with what is best} is used instead of "for what they have done." This implies great favor and pardon, as the reward is not merely equal to the good deed. This holds true if al-huṣnā refers to the reward itself.

If al-huṣnā refers to the good deeds themselves, there is another subtlety: equality in recompense is not mentioned for their deeds. Instead, {al-Huṣnā} (the best/most beautiful) is mentioned for the deeds of the doers of good, indicating generosity and pardon, as the best of the names is used. Al-Huṣnā is an adjective standing in for the noun (like {The Most Beautiful Names} (Al-A'raf: 180)). In this case, it is like the verse: {We will certainly expiate their evil deeds from them and recompense them for the best of what they used to do} (Al-'Ankabut: 7)—meaning, He takes their best deeds and makes the reward for every action they performed correspond to that best deed.

Alternatively, al-Huṣnā is an adjective for the reward itself, meaning: "He recompenses those who do good with the best reward (al-mithūbah al-huṣnā) or the best consequence (al-‘āqibah al-huṣnā)." This means their consequence is good. This is the recompense itself; the additional favor, which is grace upon grace, is not included in this.

{32. Those who avoid the major sins and indecencies, except for minor faults. Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness. He is most knowing of you when He brought you forth from the earth, and when you were embryos in the wombs of your mothers. So do not claim purity for yourselves; He is most knowing of who is righteous.}