Surah Al-Jathiyah — Verse 21

Word Meanings:

• اجْتَرَحُوا (ijtarahu): They earned, acquired, or committed with their own hands and actions.
• السَّيِّئَاتِ (al-sayyi'at): Evil deeds, sins, and acts of disobedience.
• سَوَاءً (sawa'an): Equal, the same, alike.
• مَّحْيَاهُمْ وَمَمَاتُهُمْ (mahyahum wa mamātuhum): Their life and their death — meaning their condition in this world and their fate in the Hereafter.
• سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ (sā'a mā yahkumūn): How evil is the judgment they make — a severe rebuke of their false reasoning.

Tafsir (Explanation):

Do those who have earned evil deeds — by committing sins, rejecting the messengers of Allah, and worshipping others besides Him — truly think that We will make them equal to those who believed in Allah, affirmed His messengers, performed righteous deeds, and devoted their worship sincerely to Him alone? Do they imagine that their lives and deaths will be treated the same?

This is a rhetorical question that exposes the absurdity of such a thought. In this worldly life, the believer and the disbeliever may appear similar — both eat, drink, enjoy health, face illness, and receive provisions from Allah. The sun shines on both, and the rain falls on both. But this apparent equality in worldly matters does not mean they will be equal in the Hereafter. The believer dies upon faith and enters eternal bliss in Paradise, while the disbeliever dies upon disbelief and faces the torment of Hellfire. How could these two ever be the same?

The verse condemns this faulty reasoning severely, saying: "How evil is the judgment they make!" It is a judgment built on falsehood, arrogance, and a complete misunderstanding of Allah's justice and wisdom. Allah is All-Wise and All-Just — He never treats the obedient like the disobedient, nor the righteous like the wicked.

This verse carries a profound message of hope for the believers and a stern warning for the sinners. It reassures the righteous that their efforts are not wasted, and it reminds the wrongdoers that they will not escape accountability. The scales of Allah are precise, and every soul will be recompensed exactly for what it earned.

So, dear reader, reflect on your own life: Are you among those who earn good deeds, or those who earn evil ones? The choice is yours, and the outcome is certain — for Allah never wrongs anyone, and His judgment is perfect and just. Let this verse inspire you to hasten towards righteousness, for the Day will surely come when every soul will see the results of what it sent forth.