Fussilat (Explained in detail)

34. The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel [the evil] with one which is better; then verily he between whom and you there was enmity [will become] as though he was a close friend.

One way of calling people unto Allah is to erase tensions and do good in return for the evil acts committed by others.

One is not supposed to think that the passage of time consigns everything to oblivion. Positive and negative reactions are not on a par as they impress minds. It is worthy of note that indifferent and ill-mannered people confront those who call people unto Allah.

In this vein, the propagators of religion are supposed to face them with their good disposition and tolerance or else they may not succeed in their call.

The blessed Verse in question is advising callers to do good in return for the evil acts committed by other people and abstain from taking vengeance, as reflected in the prayer of Excellences of Disposition (Makarim al-Akhlaq), in which Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (as) invokes Allah to bestow upon him the favor of saying good things about people in return for their slanders and backbiting, forgive them, and associate with those who turn away from him.

There are many an account in the biographies of the Noble Prophet (S) and the Infallible Ahl al-Bayt regarding such excellences of dispositions through which the strictest opponents turned into their adherents.

In other words, it is evident that good and evil are not on a par - wrong-doers and the just, believers and disbelievers, monotheists and polytheists, the knowledgeable and the ignorant, the generous and the close-fisted are not equal as the truthful and righteous people whose words are substantiated by their deeds are not equal with the lying and the ill-mannered man.

Thus, the Most Gracious Lord Whose Mercy encompasses all His creatures and servants commands the Messenger of His Mercy who represents His Graciousness and Mercifulness and calls Him a Mercy to the world:

“O Muhammad (S)! Turn evil and sin into something better and wrath into clemency and conceal sin with forgiveness or words and refute falsehood with truth.”

In other words, God Almighty is saying unto His Noble Prophet (S) that no matter how disbelievers utter slanderous words against you and do wrong to you, you should return their evil words with clemency and speak unto them gently and kindly so that your enemies and foes may befriend you and turn to the Islamic faith.

It is mentioned elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an¹ :

“And argue with them in a way that is better.”

It was the Noble Prophet’s (S) disposition to behave with his enemies and foes in a friendly manner and treated them kindly and gently and it is said that most of those who embraced the Islamic faith did so through his favorable disposition.

Thus it is said in the Holy Qur’an concerning his disposition:

“Indeed you the best in terms of good disposition.”

A tradition is narrated from Imam Sadiq (as) concerning the blessed Verse in question in Tafsir Burhan according to which the Noble Imam (as) said:

“The good deed (hasana) is discretionary concealment of one’s beliefs under duress (taqiya) and keeping secrets and the vicious deed (sayi’a) is disclosure of secrets.”

Concerning the meaning of:

“Repel [the evil] with one which is better,”

the Noble Imam (as) said:

“Defend yourself through discretionary concealment of beliefs under duress which is the good deed.”

It is said in the Tafsir Atyab al-Bayan under the blessed Verse in question that good and evil deeds are interpreted in many traditions as discretionary concealment of one’s beliefs under duress and disclosure of secrets respectively, saying:

“It is a significant issue since the Noble Imams (as) hardships under Umayyad, Marwanid, and ‘Abbasid tyrranous rules were caused by the statements uttered by some ignorant Shi’is who disclosed their secrets. Had they concealed their beliefs out of discretion, they would not have suffered so many afflictions. Even today, one is at times supposed to conceal one’s beliefs out of discretion.”