Surah Az-Zumar (39) — Ayah 10

(Ayah 10) ➊ { قُلْ يٰعِبَادِ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوا اتَّقُوْا رَبَّكُمْ:} From the beginning of the Surah, the subject of monotheism is being discussed. Now, with great affection, the believers are addressed as "My servants" and are commanded to convey this message: that merely professing monotheism with the tongue is not sufficient, rather, adopt the piety of your Lord. The root of {’’تَقْوٰي‘‘ ’’وَقٰي يَقِيْ وِقَايَةً‘‘} is, its literal meaning is "to save oneself." The intended meaning is to abandon all those actions which may lead to the fear of Allah's punishment, and to perform all those actions whose abandonment may lead to the fear of His punishment. That is, adhere to the commands of Allah and avoid His disobedience.

➋ In { لِلَّذِيْنَ اَحْسَنُوْا فِيْ هٰذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ: ’’ حَسَنَةٌ ‘‘}, the tanween is for magnification. {’’ فِيْ هٰذِهِ الدُّنْيَا ‘‘} is connected with {’’ اَحْسَنُوْا ‘‘}, meaning those who did righteous deeds in this world, for them is a great good. By this good is meant both the good of this world and the good of the Hereafter, because the frequent supplication of the Messenger (peace be upon him) was: [اَللّٰهُمَّ آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَّ فِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَّقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ ] [ بخاري، الدعوات، باب قول النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ربنا … : ۶۳۸۹ ] "O Allah! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and save us from the punishment of the Fire." See also the commentary of Surah Al-Baqarah (201). For details of this good in both worlds, see the commentary of Surah An-Nahl (97).

➌ {وَ اَرْضُ اللّٰهِ وَاسِعَةٌ:} This is a reference to migration (hijrah). That is, if in any place you cannot adhere to the piety of Allah and there is any hindrance in practicing the religion of Allah, then Allah's earth is vast, go to another place where you can freely act upon Allah's commands. For a detailed commentary on this sentence, see verses (97 to 100) of Surah An-Nisa and their commentary.

➍ The literal meaning of { اِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصّٰبِرُوْنَ اَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ:} (sabr) is to bind. The scholars have described three types of patience: patience in adhering to Allah's commands, patience in avoiding what He has forbidden, and patience in facing hardships and calamities. The patient one is he whose very trait is patience. It is said, those whose trait is patience, only they are the ones who will be given their reward without measure. In this, there is encouragement to be patient over the hardships faced during migration and glad tidings of a reward without measure. By reward without measure is meant Paradise, because it is everlasting. Every blessing of this world, no matter how great, is bound to end, and everything that ends can be accounted for, as He said: « وَ مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّنْ ذَكَرٍ اَوْ اُنْثٰى وَ هُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَاُولٰٓىِٕكَ يَدْخُلُوْنَ الْجَنَّةَ يُرْزَقُوْنَ فِيْهَا بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ» [ المؤمن : ۴۰ ] "And whoever does a righteous deed, whether male or female, and is a believer, then these will enter Paradise, in which they will be given provision without measure."

10. 1 By obeying Him, avoiding sins, and making worship and obedience sincere for Him.

10. 2 These are the benefits of Taqwa. The good reward refers to Paradise and its eternal blessings. Some interpret it to mean that those who do good deeds will have a good reward in this world, i.e., Allah grants them health, well-being, success, and spoils, etc., in this world. But the first interpretation is more correct.

Say, "O My servants who have believed, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world, there is good [20]. And Allah's earth is spacious [21]. Indeed, those who are patient will be given their reward without measure."

[20] Here, goodness does not refer only to wealth and riches, although wealth and riches are also included in this goodness. That is, it is possible that in this world, the pious may be granted wealth and riches, and it is also possible that they may not be granted wealth and riches. However, there are many other types of goodness which they certainly receive. For example, everyone respects such people, whether those who respect them are religious or worldly. The words of such people are considered trustworthy. Such people have a good reputation, and the goodness of the Hereafter is, in any case, certain for such people.

[21]
Those Who Migrated to Abyssinia:

From this verse, it is understood that this Surah was revealed before the migration to Abyssinia or around that period, when the lives of the Muslims had been made difficult. And they were facing severe hardships from the disbelievers of Makkah in fulfilling the commands of Islam. That is, if the land of Makkah or the surrounding area has become constrained for you, then Allah's earth is very vast—go to another country where you can freely fulfill the commands of Islam. In the matter of leaving your homeland, you will also face various kinds of difficulties, and wherever you go, you may also face initial hardships. If you endure these hardships with patience and steadfastness, you will receive an immense reward for it. It should be clear that patience relates both to those Muslims who migrated and to those who, due to the companionship of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or for some other reason, did not migrate but remained in Makkah and, despite the hardships from the disbelievers, remained steadfast in their religion.