Tafseer of The Cave · Al-Kahf · 18:88
But as for one who believes and does righteousness, he will have a reward of Paradise, and we will speak to him from our command with ease."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The statement concerning the interpretation of the word of Allah the Exalted: وَأَمَّا مَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَهُ جَزَاءً الْحُسْنَى وَسَنَقُولُ لَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِنَا يُسْرًا (88)
Allah says: as for whoever among them has affirmed Allah and acknowledged Him as the One, and has acted in accordance with His obedience — for him with Allah is the good (al-ḥusnā), that is, the Garden (al-janna), as a reward (jazāʾan), that is, as a recompense for his faith and his obedience to his Lord.
The reciters differed concerning the reading of this word. The majority of the reciters of Medina and a portion of the reciters of Basra and Kufa read (fa-lahu jazāʾu l-ḥusnā) — with jazāʾ in the nominative and joined to al-ḥusnā.
If it is read thus, there are two possible methods of interpretation:
The first: that by al-ḥusnā his faith and his good deeds are meant; the meaning of the statement would then be, if this is what is meant by it: as for whoever believes and performs good deeds — for him is the reward for that, that is: the recompense for these good deeds.
The second: that by al-ḥusnā the Garden is meant, and that jazāʾ is joined to it, as it is said and the home of the Hereafter is better — while the home is the Hereafter itself — and as it is said and that is the religion of rectitude (dīn al-qayyima) — while the religion is the rectitude itself.
Others read it as: (fa-lahu jazāʾan l-ḥusnā), with the meaning: for him is the Garden as a reward — with jazāʾ in the accusative as a verbal noun (maṣdar), with the meaning: He rewards them with the reward of the Garden.
The reading which in my opinion is most correct is the reading of the one who reads it as (fa-lahu jazāʾan l-ḥusnā) — with jazāʾ in the accusative and tanwīn — in accordance with the meaning I have described: that for them the Garden is the reward, with jazāʾ in the accusative as an explanatory word (tafsīr).
His word (and We will speak to him of Our affair something that is easy) means: We will teach him in this world what We can easily teach him of that which brings him near to Allah, and We will address him kindly. Mujāhid used to say something that corresponds to what we have said here.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us — and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — all together on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning his word (of Our affair something that is easy): he said: the well-known good.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — in accordance with the same.
