In Surah 16 – An-Nahl – Ayah 97, Allah says in the Qur’ān: “Whoever does righteous deeds, whether man or woman, and is a believer, We shall most certainly give a good life. And We shall indeed reward these according to the best that they ever did.”
The first item in this rule is that the two sexes, male and female, are equal with regard to their deeds and the reward they receive for them. They enjoy the same relationship with Allah, the Exalted, and the same standing in His regard. Hence, He rewards them equally, applying one measure to both of them. Although the term, ‘whoever’, with which the ayah opens, includes both men and women, the Qur’ānic statement emphasises this by stating it very clearly: “Whoever does righteous deeds, whether man or woman.” This equality is stressed emphatically in the same surah that gives us an image of how Arab ignorance (jahiliyyah) society looked upon women.
It tells us how society looked down upon women, and the extent of the depression a father felt when he was given the news of the birth of a girl, leading him to hide away from his friends and acquaintances, because of the shame he felt.
This ayah removes the wrong notions of both the Muslims and the disbelievers who are of the opinion that those who adopt a just honest and pious attitude are most surely losers in this world, though they might be gainers in the hereafter. Allah removes this misunderstanding, as if to say: This presumption of yours is wrong. The righteous attitude not only leads to a happy life in the hereafter, but it also guarantees, by Allah’s grace, a pure and happy life even in this world. And this is a fact that the people who are sincerely righteous, honest, pure and fair in their dealings enjoy a much better life in this world. For they enjoy that confidence and real honour and respect because of their spotless character, which is not enjoyed by those who lack these virtues. They obtain such pure and outstanding success as are denied to those who employ dirty and disgusting ways to win success. Above all, they enjoy, even though they might be living in poor houses, that peace of mind and satisfaction of conscience which is denied to the wicked dwellers of mansions and palaces.
As for righteous believers, says Ibn Atiyyah, Allah, the Exalted, blesses them with a life full of pleasure, contentment and gracefulness right here in this world as well, something that never changes whatever the condition. That their life will be graceful while they enjoy health and extended means is all too obvious, particularly so on the ground that they just do not have the greed to keep their wealth increasing unnecessarily, an urge that keeps harassing one under all circumstances.
And even if they have to face lean days or sickness of some sort, they always have a strong support to fall back on. They are perfect believers in the promises made by Allah. They have strong hopes of seeing ease after hardship and comfort after pain. These strengths never let their life become graceless. It is like the work of a farmer who has made his farm ready for crops. No matter how much pain he takes in working to see his crops grow, yet he welcomes all that for the sake of the comfort he is going to have. In a short time, he is certain; he is going to have the best of return for what he has done.
A businessman or a wage earner would do the same. They would face all sorts of hardship in their job, even a little disgrace once in a while. But, they brave through everything and remain happy and hopeful. They believe that their business will bring profit and their job, a salary. The believer too believes that he is getting a return for every hardship and when comes the life of the hereafter, his return for every hardship will come to him in the form of blessings that are great and everlasting. As for the life of the present world, it is not such a big deal as compared to that of the hereafter. Therefore, a believer finds it easy to remain patient against worldly variations in living conditions.
Another aspect of this general rule is that good action must have a strong foundation, which must be faith. Without it, good action cannot be cemented into a well-built structure. It remains haphazard, and it soon becomes like ashes blown in every direction by a strong wind. Faith provides the axis around which all bonds turn. It gives good action a motive and an aim. Thus it gives goodness a strong foundation so that it is not swayed by fleeting desires.
The rule also establishes that when good action is coupled with faith, it is rewarded by a goodly life in this world. It need not be a life of affluence and riches. It may be a goodly life with or without plenty of money. There are many things in life, other than money, which provide a goodly feeling and happiness. A strong bond with Allah, the Exalted, and a feeling of trust in Him and His abounding grace make life happy indeed. Life may also be blessed with good health, a peaceful and blessed living, love and compassion. It may have the rejoice generated by good action and its effects on oneself and society. Money is only one aspect, and little of it is sufficient when one looks up to what is more blessed and longer lasting.
This general rule also makes clear that a goodly life in this world will not reduce in any way one’s good reward in the life to come. Indeed the reward is based on the best actions believers do in this world. This implies, as stated earlier, that Allah, the Exalted, will forgive them their sins. This is indeed the best reward to which human beings may aspire.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The amount of reward is in accordance with the amount of suffering. When Allah loves some people, He tries them (with affliction). He who then is content (with Allah’s decree) has achieved the acceptance (of Allah), and he who is dissatisfied (with Allah’s decree) will attain the anger (of Allah).” (At-Tirmidhi)