Ar-Rahman: (60) Is the recompense of good anything but good...

There are many interpretations of this verse, so much so that it is said there are three verses in the Qur'an, each with a hundred possible meanings.

1. The first is His saying: {So remember Me; I will remember you} (Al-Baqarah: 152).
2. The second is His saying: {If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, it is against yourselves} (Al-Isra': 8).
3. The third is His saying: {Is the recompense of good anything but good?}

We will mention the most famous and the closest interpretations.

1. The Recompense of Monotheism: Is the reward for one who says Lā ilāha illā Allāh anything other than entry into Paradise?
2. The Recompense in the Hereafter: Is the reward for good deeds in this world anything but good in the Hereafter?
3. The Recompense for Divine Favors: Is the reward for Him who has been good to you in this world with blessings, and in the Hereafter with bliss, anything other than that you be good to Him with worship and piety?

This interpretation is general: the recompense for anyone who does good to another is that the other person also does good to him. We will elaborate on the precise meaning, to which all other interpretations ultimately return.

We say that the term Ihsān (goodness/excellence) is used in three senses:

1. Establishing and Bringing Forth Goodness: As in His saying: {and He fashioned you well} (Ghafir: 64), and {Who perfected everything that He created} (As-Sajdah: 7).
2. Performing Goodness: Similar to how Izhār means bringing forth something ẓarīf (witty/charming) or Ighrāb means bringing forth something gharīb (strange/novel). As in His saying: {Whoever brings a good deed, he will have ten times the like of it} (Al-An'am: 160).
3. Knowledge: It is said, "So-and-so does not know how to write," or "does not know Al-Fātiḥah," meaning he is ignorant of them.

The apparent meaning relies on the first two senses, and the third sense is derived from them. However, the third sense (knowledge) is usually understood only through contextual usage.

Given this, we can interpret Ihsān in both places (in the verse) with one unified meaning, or with two different meanings.

Case 1: Unified Meaning

If the meaning is unified, we say: {Is the recompense of good} means: Is the reward for one who performs a good deed anything other than that a good deed be performed in return?

However, a good deed from a servant is not whatever he deems good; rather, goodness is what Allāh deems good from him. A transgressor might consider his transgression good, but it is not good. Goodness is what Allāh has commanded from him. Similarly, goodness from Allāh is everything He brings forth that the servant desires, just as the servant brought forth what Allāh desired from him. This is alluded to by His saying: {In them will be whatever the souls desire and what the eyes find delicious} (Az-Zukhruf: 71), and {They will have therein whatever they ask, and therein whatever they desire} (Al-Anbiya': 102). Also, {For those who do good is the best [reward] and even more} (Yunus: 26), meaning what is good to them.

Case 2: Two Different Meanings

We say: Is the recompense for one who establishes goodness in his deeds in this world anything other than that Allāh establishes goodness in him and in his states in both abodes?

Conversely: Is the recompense for one who establishes goodness in us, in our forms and states, anything other than that we establish goodness in Him?

However, establishing goodness in Allāh is impossible. Therefore, establishing goodness must apply to ourselves and our actions: we perfect ourselves through worship of the Divine Presence, our actions through turning toward Him, and our inner states through knowing Him, the Exalted. This is alluded to in the reports concerning the beautiful faces of the believers and the ugly faces of the disbelievers.

Case 3: Combining Both Meanings

This is when we say: The recompense for one who performs a good deed is that Allāh establishes goodness within him and in all his states, making his appearance beautiful and his condition beautiful.

The First Subtle Point: Lifting Obligation from the Common Folk in the Hereafter and Imposing it on the Elite

1. For the Common Folk: Since Allāh says, {Is the recompense of good anything but good?}, and the believer is certainly rewarded with Paradise, he receives goodness from Allāh as a recompense. One who rewards a servant for his deed does not command him to give thanks in return. Furthermore, if obligation remained in the Hereafter, and the servant neglected the obligation, he would deserve punishment. Punishment is the withdrawal of goodness. Since the servant worshipped Allāh in this world as long as he existed, it is fitting for His sublime generosity that He continues to bestow goodness upon him in the Hereafter as long as he exists. Thus, there is no punishment for leaving it, as there is no obligation.
2. For the Elite (Khawāṣṣ): The elite of Allāh worshipped Him in this world due to prior blessings He bestowed upon them. This initial gift from Allāh is a new blessing and favor, for which they owe Him thanks. They say Al-ḥamdu lillāh (Praise be to Allāh) and remember and praise Him. Thus, the very goodness from Allāh toward them becomes the cause for them to engage in thanking Him. They then voluntarily dedicate themselves to His worship. For them, even the slightest act of worship becomes an occupation that distracts them from palaces, mansions, eating, and drinking. They neither eat nor drink, nor do they insult one another or play. Their state becomes like that of the angels today: they do not marry, nor do they play. This is not a burdensome obligation like those in this world; rather, it is a pleasure exceeding all other pleasures.

The Second Subtle Point: The Verse Indicates the Servant Will Be Sovereign in the Hereafter

This verse indicates that the servant will be sovereign in the Hereafter, as Allāh says: {In them will be fruits, and therein whatever they ask for} (Yā-Sīn: 57).

We established that Ihsān is performing what is good in the estimation of the one who performed the Ihsān. Allāh demanded worship from us, and He demanded it as He willed. The believer performed it as demanded, thus becoming one who does good. This necessitates that Allāh be good to His servant and bring forth what is good in his estimation. Allāh asked for something, and the servant fulfilled it according to Allāh's will. It is as if He said: {Is the recompense of good}—meaning, is the reward for one who performs what I demanded of him according to My will—anything other than that he be given what he asks of Me according to his will? Since will is connected to the vision (of Allāh), this verse must, by virtue of the promise, be an indication of the Vision (of Allāh), in the manner of kayfiyyah (how it occurs).

The Third Subtle Point: The Promise Exceeds Human Expectation

This verse indicates that every type of goodness a person imagines from Allāh is less than the goodness Allāh has promised.

When a generous person says to a poor man, "Do this, and you will have such-and-such dinars," and says to another, "Do this, and I will be good to you," the one for whom the reward is not specified has a greater hope than the one for whom the reward is specified—provided the generous person is supremely generous and infinitely wealthy.

If this is established, then Allāh says: The recompense for one who does good is that He be good to him with a reward that causes envy, bringing him something beyond what he desires. The one who receives from Allāh receives more than he hopes for, which is in accordance with His generosity and bounty.

Then Allāh, the Exalted, said:

{And beneath them are two Gardens * So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny? * Dark green * So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny? * In them are two springs flowing * So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?}