"Have the disbelievers been requited for that which they used to do?"
Quran 83:36
The 83rd surah, al-Mutaffifin, often rendered as "Those Who Defraud," ends with this question above. OK, so what's the answer?
In the related commentary in the Study Quran Nasr answers the question, sort of: "The answer to the question posed by this verse is yes and no." Now, be honest, you weren't really looking for a simpler answer, were you?
Nasr continues, "On the one hand, the disbelievers have been requited with punishment for the evil deeds they committed. On the other hand, they have not be requited for what only appear to be good deeds, since they are those whose deeds have come to naught in this world in the Hereafter (3:22; see also 7:147; 18:104; 47:8-9). From a Quranic perspective, only those deeds that are accompanied by belief in God, His prophets, His revelations, and His angels can truly be called good or righteous. Thus the phrase perform righteous deeds, which occurs over fifty times in the Quran, is always accompanied by some mention of belief in God." As we've discussed, the pairing of belief and righteous deeds is paired over fifty times in the Quran, which I chronicled in an earlier blog post. Although Martin Luther, in a similar situation, separated them in the Christian context, they're never separated in Islam. In a simpler, more practical sense, it also speaks to the need to live a life of thoughtful, intentionality, where every act must be carried out and considered in regards to why we're doing it and how it benefits others.
Quran 83:36
The 83rd surah, al-Mutaffifin, often rendered as "Those Who Defraud," ends with this question above. OK, so what's the answer?
In the related commentary in the Study Quran Nasr answers the question, sort of: "The answer to the question posed by this verse is yes and no." Now, be honest, you weren't really looking for a simpler answer, were you?
Nasr continues, "On the one hand, the disbelievers have been requited with punishment for the evil deeds they committed. On the other hand, they have not be requited for what only appear to be good deeds, since they are those whose deeds have come to naught in this world in the Hereafter (3:22; see also 7:147; 18:104; 47:8-9). From a Quranic perspective, only those deeds that are accompanied by belief in God, His prophets, His revelations, and His angels can truly be called good or righteous. Thus the phrase perform righteous deeds, which occurs over fifty times in the Quran, is always accompanied by some mention of belief in God." As we've discussed, the pairing of belief and righteous deeds is paired over fifty times in the Quran, which I chronicled in an earlier blog post. Although Martin Luther, in a similar situation, separated them in the Christian context, they're never separated in Islam. In a simpler, more practical sense, it also speaks to the need to live a life of thoughtful, intentionality, where every act must be carried out and considered in regards to why we're doing it and how it benefits others.
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