ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ
And say, "Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so, will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do."
Tafsir
Verse range: 9:105
This statement encompasses both encouragement (Targhīb) and deterrence (Tarhīb).
If the worshipped being were unaware of the deeds of the worshippers, the worshipper would gain no benefit from their actions. This is why Abraham (peace be upon him) said to his father:
{Why do you worship that which neither hears nor sees, nor can avail you in anything?} (Maryam: 42)
In some gatherings, I have noted that the intent of Abraham's argument was not merely to criticize the idol as a deity—since everyone knows it is stone or wood, subject to destruction—but rather to refute the philosophers of his time who believed the world's God is necessary by essence (wājib bi-l-dhāt) and not a creator by will and choice.
Abraham's point was: If the Necessary Being is not aware of good things, is not capable of benefiting or harming, does not hear the pleas of the needy, nor see the supplications of the miserable, what is the use of worshipping it? Thus, Abraham's proof targeted the view that the Divine is necessarily causative.
However, if the Divine is an Agent of Choice (fāʿil mukhtār) and aware of particulars, then great benefits accrue to the servants. When a servant obeys, the Worshipped One knows the obedience and is able to deliver reward in this world and the Hereafter. If the servant disobeys, the Worshipped One knows that too and is able to deliver punishment in this world and the Hereafter.
Therefore, the verse:
{And say: 'Work [righteousness], for Allah will see your work...'}
is a great encouragement for the obedient and a great warning for the sinful. It is as if the Almighty is saying: Strive in the future, for your deeds have consequences in this world and consequences in the Hereafter.
The consequence in this world is that Allah, His Messenger, and the Muslims will see the deed. If it is obedience, great praise and immense reward follow in this world and the next. If it is sin, great condemnation follows in this world and severe punishment in the Hereafter. Thus, this single phrase encompasses everything a person needs in their religion, worldly life, livelihood, and ultimate return.
This verse indicates several principles of Usūl (Theology/Foundations):
The verse indicates that Allah is a Seer (rāʾī) of visible things. The verb to see (raʾā) when directed to one object means sight/vision (ibṣār), as in "I saw Zayd as knowledgeable." When directed to two objects, it means knowledge (ʿilm), as in "I saw Zayd knowledgeable."
Here, the verb is directed to one object ("your work"), meaning it signifies sight/vision. This proves Allah is one who sees things, just as Abraham’s statement {nor sees} proves Allah is one who sees.
What strengthens the argument that this "seeing" here cannot mean knowledge is that Allah described Himself with knowledge after this verse:
{And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed.}
If this "seeing" meant knowledge, it would result in a redundant repetition, which is invalid.
Our scholars hold that every existing thing is capable of being seen (yuṣiḥḥu ruʾyatuhu). They use this verse as proof, arguing that the seeing mentioned here is directed to one object, and linguistic rules confirm that "seeing" directed to one object means vision (ibṣār).
Actions are divided into:
Therefore, Allah must be a Seer of all of them, meaning all these things are visible to Allah.
Al-Jubba'i used this verse to argue that Allah only sees movements, stillness, conjunctions, and separations (i.e., physical actions of the limbs). When told that if this reasoning holds, it implies Allah sees the actions of the heart, he replied that Allah subsequently mentioned the Messenger and the believers (wa-rasūluhu wa-l-muʾminūn), who only see the actions of the limbs. Thus, since this vision is restricted to the actions of the limbs concerning the conjoined subjects, it must be restricted in the same way for the primary subject (Allah).
This argument is weak because conjunction (ʿaṭf) only implies a basic sharing (tashārruk). Equality in all aspects is not necessary. Furthermore, a specification applied to the conjoined term does not necessitate the same specification for the primary term.
One could also counter the initial argument by saying: Allah's seeing is instantaneous (fī l-ḥāl). However, the meaning indicated by the word in the verse, {fa-sa-yarā Allahu ʿamalakum} (Allah will see your work), refers to a future event, as the prefix sīn (sa-) is specific to the future. Therefore, it must refer to the recompense (jazāʾ) for the deeds.
If we interpret it as recompense, someone might object: The delivery of recompense is mentioned in the verse: {Then He will inform you of what you used to do}. If we take this "seeing" to mean delivering recompense, it leads to repetition, which is impermissible.
Question: Not everyone sees their deeds, so what is the meaning of this statement?
Answer: It means the news of that deed reaches everyone. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "If a man performs a deed inside a rock that has no door or opening, his deed will emerge to the people, whatever it may be."
Question: What is the benefit of mentioning the Messenger and the believers after mentioning Allah seeing their deeds (especially for those who repent)?
Answer: There are two perspectives:
First View: The greatest incentive for a person to perform righteous deeds is the praise, honor, and glory (madḥ, taʿẓīm, ʿizz) they receive as a result. If a person knows that when they perform a good deed, the Messenger and the believers will honor them, their joy and desire for it will increase.
The subtlety here is that Allah's seeing is mentioned first, followed by the seeing of the Messenger and the believers. It is as if the Almighty is saying: If you are among the sincere servants devoted to the Truth, perform good deeds for Allah. But if you are among the weak, preoccupied with the praise of creation, perform good deeds so you may attain the praise of creation—the Messenger and the believers.
Second View (as mentioned by Abu Muslim): The believers are the witnesses of Allah on the Day of Resurrection, as stated: {And thus We have made you a community justly balanced...} (Al-Baqarah: 143). The Messenger is the witness of the Ummah, as stated: {But how [will it be] when We bring from each nation a witness and bring you, [O Muhammad], over them as a witness?} (An-Nisāʾ: 41).
Thus, it is established that the Messenger and the believers are Allah's witnesses on the Day of Resurrection. Testimony is only valid after seeing. Therefore, Allah mentioning that the Messenger and the believers see their deeds is meant to indicate that they will testify on the Day of Resurrection, in the presence of the first and the last, that these people were truthful, upright, chaste, and rightly guided.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Unseen is what they conceal, and the Witnessed is what they manifest.
I suggest that the Unseen might be the motivations and deterrents within their hearts, and the Witnessed are the actions that appear on their limbs.
Furthermore, the doctrine of the Islamic sages is that existing things hidden from the senses are either causes (ʿilal) or like causes for the perceived existing things. They hold that knowledge of the cause is a cause for knowledge of the effect. Therefore, knowledge of the Unseen must precede knowledge of the Witnessed. This is why, wherever this phrase appears in the Qur'an, the Unseen is mentioned before the Witnessed.
If we interpret the verse {for Allah will see your work} as vision (ruʾyah), then its meaning is different from {And you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Witnessed}.
However, if we interpret that "seeing" as knowledge or delivery of reward, then the verse {And you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Witnessed} serves as an explanation (tafsīr) for {for Allah will see your work}.
This means:
This means He will make you aware of the states of your deeds, and then He will recompense you for them. Recompense from Allah in the Hereafter does not occur until after this notification, so that everyone knows that what they receive is justice, not oppression. If they are among the rewarded, their joy and happiness will be greater; if they are among the punished, their grief and loss will be greater.
The Islamic sages interpreted the phrase {for Allah will see your work} as referring to spiritual reward (thawāb rūḥānī). When a servant endures various hardships in matters commanded by his Master, the servant's joy and delight increase immensely upon knowing that his Master sees him enduring those hardships. This is sweeter to him than precious robes or great wealth.
As for the phrase {And you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Witnessed}, it refers to the notification of the punishment of disgrace and shame (ʿiqāb al-khizī wa-l-faḍīḥah).
Consider the example of a servant whom the Sultan has favored with many graces. If that servant commits many sins, when he stands before the Sultan, and the Sultan enumerates all his shameful acts and disgraces, his sorrow and grief intensify, and his shame is complete. This is a form of spiritual torment, and a wise person might accept the severest physical torment to avoid it. The purpose of this verse is to make known this type of spiritual punishment. We ask Allah for protection from it and from all other torment.
