Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:147
Those who denied Our signs and the meeting of the Hereafter - their deeds have become worthless. Are they recompensed except for what they used to do?
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 explanation of His word: وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَلِقَاءِ الآخِرَةِ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلا مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (147) ("And those who denied Our signs and the meeting of the Hereafter — their works have come to nothing; are they recompensed for anything other than what they used to do?" (147))
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is proclaimed, says: and these who exalt themselves arrogantly upon the earth without right, and everyone who denies the proofs of Allah and His messengers and His signs, and who denies that he will be raised again after his death on the Day of Resurrection, and who rejects the meeting with Allah in the Hereafter = their works have gone away and thus become void, and their burdens have fallen to their lot and thus become confirmed, because they worked for something other than Allah and wore themselves out in that which does not please Allah; thus their works have become a disaster for them. Allah, whose praise is exalted, says: "are they recompensed for anything other than what they used to do?", He says: are they rewarded with anything other than the reward of what they used to do? Thus the reward of their works became the eternal abode in a Fire whose walls have enclosed them, since their works were in obedience to Satan, and not in obedience to the Most Merciful — we seek refuge with Allah from His wrath. We have already previously expounded the meaning of "al-ḥubūṭ" (the coming to nothing) and "al-jazāʾ" (the recompense) and "al-ākhira" (the Hereafter), in a manner that makes repetition unnecessary.
