Quran Garden

Session 464

Chapter 3

Verse 136

Their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens under which rivers flow, staying there forever.  How excellent is the wage for those who work!  (Chapter 3: Verse 136)

The pronoun "their" refers to the believers God described in the previous verses.  He says:

Hurry towards your Lord's forgiveness and a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth prepared for the righteous.  They are those who donate, both in ease and hardship, restrain their rage, and pardon people.  God loves those who do good.  They are those who, upon committing an evil deed or wronging themselves, remember God, seek forgiveness, and do not knowingly persist in sin – who forgives sins except God?  (3:133-135)

The believers donate in times of ease and prosperity out of gratitude to God and in times of adversity because they are humble and mindful of their Lord.  When you have blessings in your life, you show appreciation to your Lord by helping those less fortunate.  Likewise, when you go through hardship, you show humility by helping those going through rougher times.  Hence, as a believer, you always give regardless of your circumstances. 

People who are doing well in life often forget that God is the One blessing them.  They think that success is the result of their work and intelligence.  God says:

But he answered, "This wealth was given to me on account of the knowledge I possess." Did he not know that God had destroyed many generations before him, who had greater power than him and built up greater wealth?  The guilty will not be questioned about their sins.  (28:78)

On the other hand, many people going through hard times are too preoccupied with their troubles to feel the pain of others.  They become focused on their own problems and may even be angry at God.  But the believer always remembers his or her Lord regardless of the circumstances.   That is why they say, "So-and-so never stops giving: on the day of his wedding and the day of his imprisonment."

The phrase "They are those who, upon committing an evil deed or wronging themselves, remember God and seek forgiveness" reassures you that, even when you slip or follow Satan's temptations, you still have God's love and the door of repentance wide open before you.  Allah is the All-Forgiving, and "who forgives sins except God?" Those who rush back to their Lord after sin are included in the description of successful believers. 

Take note that God has enclosed the description of the successful believers between two parentheses.  The opening parenthesis is an invitation: "Hurry towards your Lord's forgiveness and a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth."  While the closing parenthesis is a promise: "Their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens under which rivers flow, staying there forever."

The word "wage," translated from the Arabic أَجْرُ (Ajr), usually refers to the money a worker earns as compensation for his or her labor.  The worker gets a paycheck from the employer, and market conditions determine the value of that wage.  For example, if multiple employers are looking for people with your skills, each employer will try to raise the wage to entice you to work for them.  On the other hand, if the market is flooded with people looking for work, you may accept the first job offer, even if it pays very little.  In other words, wages depend on the business owners' need for your labor. 

What about the Hereafter?  God is offering you what sounds like an amazing wage.  He says, "Their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens under which rivers flow, staying there forever.  How excellent is the wage for those who work!" Does that mean that God is paying this astronomically high wage because He desperately needs your work?  Of course not.  Allah does not need anything from you.  In fact, you are in desperate need of Him!  Yet He showers you with love and pays you a Paradise as wide as the heavens and earth if you follow His teachings.  God says:

O humankind!  You are all poor before God and in absolute need of Him, whereas He is the All-Wealthy and Self-Sufficient, the All-Praiseworthy.  (35:15)

Let's pause and study this matter.  God, the All-Sufficient, All-Mighty, does not need your work and gains no benefit from your prayers and Zakat almsgiving.  Yet He rewards you for your work and says, "I guarantee you this minimum wage of Paradise, and I can double and redouble from here!" 

When you go to your job, you may earn enough money to satisfy your family's needs for a day, or a few days at best, which is a good wage.  But Allah does not pay you a wage according to your work, but according to His infinite ability.  Thus, if you follow His teachings for a few years on earth, He will pay you a Paradise as wide as the universe that lasts for eternity.  Indeed "How excellent is the wage for those who work!"

We thank our Lord for the blessing of faith.  We thank our Lord for the gift of Islam and the excellent reward of those who follow His teachings.