Al-Jaathiya (Crouching)

15. Whosoever does a good deed, it is for himself, and whosoever does evil, it is against [himself]. Then you will be made to return to your Lord.

Divine Retribution and Reward is just and according to man’s good and evil deeds.

The blessed Verse says:

“Whoever does a good deed, he will gain the benefits thereof and whoever commits evil acts, he will reap the evil consequences thereof.”

The same expression is recurrently attested in the Qur’an with different wordings as a reply to those who inquire what gain or loss may be made by God owing to their obedience or rebellion and is the reason behind insistence on obedience to or rebellion against Him.

These Verses express that the rewards and the evil consequences will fall into their share. It is you who tread the path of perfection through your good deeds and soar toward God and it is again you who fall into depravity, Divine Wrath, deprivation from His Mercy, and ending up with everlasting damnation out of your sins and evil deeds.

All Divinely appointed obligations, prophetic missions, and the revelation of Books are for the same purpose.

The Qur’an says:

“And whoever gives thanks, he gives thanks for [the good of] himself. And whoever is unthankful, then indeed, Allah is Self-Sufficient and Praiseworthy”1 .

It also says:

“So whosoever accepts the guidance, it is only for himself and whosoever goes astray, he goes astray merely for his loss”2 .

In another instance, the Holy Qur’an says:

“And he who purifies himself, then he purifies solely for his own benefit. And to Allah is the Return [of all]”3 .

Such expressions indicate that the call of the ‘callers to Allah’ is a great service in all its dimensions rendered to the mankind rather than a one rendered to Allah, the Self-Sufficient or to His Messengers whose Reward will be bestowed to them by Him. Attending to this fact may significantly lead to proceeding toward obedience to God and abstaining from sins.