A good life for whoever does good
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً
"Whoever does righteousness — male or female — and is a believer, We will surely cause him to live a good life."
Context
One of the clearest statements of gender equality before Allah in worship and reward in the Qurʾan. The 'good life' is the life of taqwā in any circumstance.
What the classical scholars said.
Passages from our audiobook library that reference this verse, its theme, or its vocabulary.
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"Salih peace be upon him. When the deed was done Salih was deeply moved and came to them weeping. They met him with apologies saying it was a rash act by their youth. Salih instructed them to make amends by doing good in her stead. As they followed him up a mountain it rose higher until it was beyond the reach of birds and the young camel wept. Later the young camel faced Salih and cried out three times. Salih told them enjoy yourselves in your homes for three more days this is a promise that will not be unfulfilled. He warned them that their faces would turn yellow then red and black over the next three days. On"
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"lives or within the broader community. Upholding justice and standing against wrongdoing is a fundamental principle of faith. There is a story of a man who came to Salih with a dish. When he saw Salih, he said, O Salih, may Allah reward you with goodness. Allah has alleviated my punishment due to my mother's abandonment of her previous actions. What you have given in charity on my behalf has reached me. Salih then asked, What are these dishes? The man replied, These are gifts from the living to the dead, consisting of charity, recitation, and supplication. They descend upon them every Friday, and it is said, This is a gift from"
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"The best and most delightful life, absolutely, is the life of the loving, yearning and sociable ones. Their life is truly the good life, and there is no life for the servant more pleasant, joyous and delightful than it. This is the good life mentioned in the verse from Surah An-Nahl, Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while being a believer, we will surely cause him to live a good life."
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"As اللّٰه says in سُورَة النَّحْل: "Whoever does good, whether male or female, and is a believer, We will surely grant them a good life, and We will reward them according to the best of what they used to do." And He says: "And it will be said to those who feared اللّٰه, 'What has your Lord sent down?' They will say, 'Good.' For those who do good in this world is good, and the home of the Hereafter is better." And He says in سُورَة هُود: "And seek forgiveness from your Lord and turn to Him in repentance, that He may grant you good enjoyment for a specified term and give every doer of favor his favor." And in سُورَة طه: "But whoever turns away from My remembrance, indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind.""
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"sallallahu alayhi wa sallam replied that they could hear him but could not respond. It is said that Salih peace be upon him moved to the sacred house of God and remained there until he passed away. Imam Ahmed narrated that when the Prophet Salih peace and blessings be upon him passed by the valley of Usfan during Hajj he mentioned that Hud and Salih peace be upon them had passed through it calling out to perform Hajj at the ancient house. The mention of the prophets passing through the valley of Al-Hijr from the land of Thamud during the year of Tabuk when the Messenger of Allah peace and blessings be upon him encamped with the"
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"from the mountains. Remember the favors of Allah and do not act wickedly upon the earth, spreading corruption. The arrogant among his people questioned those who believed. Do you know that Salih is sent by his Lord? They affirmed their belief, but the arrogant ones declared their disbelief. They hamstrung the she-camel and defied their Lord's command, challenging Salih to bring the punishment he promised if he was truly a messenger. Consequently, an earthquake seized them, leaving them lifeless in their homes. Salih turned away, saying, O my people, I have indeed conveyed to you the message of my Lord and advised you,"
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"be upon him, passed by their land on his way to Tabuk with his companions. The people of Thamud succeeded the people of Aad and, like them, worshipped idols. God sent among them a man from their own people, his servant and messenger, Salih, son of Ubaid. Salih called them to worship God alone, without partners, and to abandon their idols. While a group of them believed in him, the majority disbelieved and plotted against him. They even killed the she-camel that God had made a sign for them, leading to their destruction. As Allah says in Surah Al-A'raf, And to Thamud We sent their brother Salih. He said, O My people,"
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"people of Ad and like those before them, worshipped idols. Allah sent among them a man from their own people, his servant and messenger, Salih ibn Abad ibn Masih. Salih called them to worship Allah alone, without any partners, and to renounce their idols. Some among them believed in him, but the majority disbelieved. They mocked him and plotted against him, eventually killing the she-camel that Allah had made a sign for them. Consequently, Allah seized them with a mighty punishment. As Allah says in Surah Al-A'raf and to Thamud, We sent their brother Salih. He said, O my people, worship Allah. You have no deity"
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"One whose eye finds solace in Allah will find every eye at peace, but one who does not find solace in Allah will see his soul consumed by worldly regrets. Allah has promised the good life only to those who believe in Him and perform righteous deeds, as He says in Surah An-Nahl, Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while they are a believer, We will surely grant them a good life, and We will reward them according to the best of what they used to do."
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"In this world, their life is like that of animals, and they have a constricted livelihood. In the Hereafter, they face Hell, where they neither die nor live. اللّٰه has granted a good life to those who know Him, love Him, and worship Him. He says: "Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while being a believer, We will surely cause them to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward according to the best of what they used to do.""
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"The righteous are in bliss, even when life is hard, and the world becomes narrow upon them while the wicked are in torment, even if the world feels vast to them. Allah the Exalted said in Surah Al-Nahl, Whoever does good, whether male or female, and is a believer, We will surely grant them a good life. The goodness of life is the paradise of this world."
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"earth, spreading corruption. The arrogant leaders among his people said to those who were oppressed, to those who believed among them, Do you know that Salih has been sent by his Lord? They said, Indeed we believe in that with which he was sent. The arrogant ones said, Indeed we, in that which you have believed, are disbelievers. So they hamstrung the she-camel and were insolent toward the command of their Lord, and said, O Salih, bring us what you promise us, if you should be of the messengers. So the earthquake seized them, and they became within their homes, corpses fallen prone. And he turned away from them and said, O my people, I had"
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"like advisors. In Surah Hud, Allah says, And to Thamud we sent their brother Salih. He said, O my people, worship Allah. You have no deity other than him. He has produced you from the earth and settled you in it. So ask forgiveness of him, and then repent to him. Indeed my Lord is near and responsive. They said, O Salih, you were among us a man of promise before this. Do you forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? And indeed we are in disquieting doubt about that to which you invite us. He said, O my people, do you see? If I should be upon clear evidence from my Lord, and he has given me mercy from himself, who would"
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"home of permanence. Whoever does evil will not be recompensed except accordingly. And whoever does good, whether male or female, and is a believer, those will enter paradise, He called them to the path of righteousness and truth, which is to follow the prophet of God, Moses, and to believe in what he brought from his Lord. He then discouraged them from the trivial, perishable world, urging them to seek the reward from God, who does not ignore the efforts of His workers. God Almighty, whose dominion is in His hands, gives abundantly for a little, and in His justice only recompenses evil with its like. He informed them that"
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"The hadith, "Fever is from the heat of Hell and is the believer's share of the fire," was reported by Ahmad from the narration of Abu Salih al-Ash'ari from Abu Umamah. Abu Salih is not known, and his name is unknown. The hadith, "Allah revealed to His Prophet, peace be upon him, saying, 'I assign the accounting of your community to you,' and he replied, 'No, O Lord, You are better for them than I,'" is connected to the explanation of His saying, "{On the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet}."
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"Just as high determination and sincere will and pursuit are from the perfection of life, they are also a cause for attaining the most complete and pleasant life. The good life is achieved through high determination, sincere love, and pure will. The extent of these qualities determines the quality of the good life. The most wretched in life are those with the lowest determination and the weakest love and pursuit, and the life of animals is better than theirs."
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"Conversely, the people of happiness and success enjoy the finest life in this world, and they have the best reward in the Isthmus and the hereafter. Allah says, Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while being a believer, we will surely cause him to live a good life. This is concerning this world. Then Allah says, Had Al-An'ya and We will surely give them their reward in the hereafter, according to the best of what they used to do."
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"they will say, 'Oh, we wish we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger. The man fainted, then came to and said, "Recite more, Salih, for I feel distress. So, Salih recited: "Every time they wish to get away from it, they will be forced back into it. The man fell dead. It is narrated that Zarara ibn Abi Awfa once prayed Fajr leading the people, and when he recited "And when the Trumpet is blown," he fell unconscious and was carried away dead."
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