The Qur’an at the end of the verse says: “…the good end is for the pious ones.

The Qur’an at the end of the verse says: “…the good end is for the pious ones.” The word ‘end’ in its vast concept is ‘the good end’, victory in this world, and Heaven and its bounties in the next world. We saw what an evil fate had the people like Korah and Pharaoh, though their might was unique. Since they were not pious they afflicted the most painful fate. We conclude the speech about this verse by a tradition narrated from Imam Sadiq (as).

“Whoever brings good, he shall have (reward) better than it, and whoever brings evil, then those who commit misdeeds shall not be requited except for what they used to do.” After mentioning this fact that the good abode of Hereafter and its bounties are specific to the humble, pious truth-seekers, in this verse the Qur’an refers to stating a general law which is a complex of ‘justice’ and ‘favour’ concerning both reward and retribution.

It says: “Whoever brings good, he shall have (reward) better than it…” This is the stage of favour or kindness. That is, Allah is not ill-liberate, as some people are, that they try to pay the wage or reward of someone so just and exact in order to observe justice. Sometimes, He gives the reward of a deed tenfold and sometimes one hundred fold out of His unending grace, and at least He pays ten fold of it, as Surah Al-’An‘am, No.

6, verse 160 says: “Whoever brings a good (deed), he shall have ten times its like…” And only Allah knows its maximum, a part of which concerning the payment of the alms-tax in the way of Allah is mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah, No. 2, verse 61. Of course, this is not an additional or undue reward. It depends on the level of purity of the deed, sincerity, good intention and serenity of the heart, and this is the stage of Divine favour for the righteous.

Then the Qur’an points to the punishment of the wrong doers.