Surah 18

Surah 18:104

"(They are) those whose striving goes astray in this present life, even though they think that they are doing good in (regard to their) work."
The Greatest Losers in respect of (Their) Deeds Verses 18:103-106
Show Full Scripture Context (18:103-106) — 4 Verses
Verse 103

قُلۡ هَلۡ نُنَبِّئُكُم بِٱلۡأَخۡسَرِينَ أَعۡمَٰلًا

Say: ‘Shall We inform you about the worst losers in (regard to their) deeds?

Verse 104

ٱلَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعۡيُهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَهُمۡ يَحۡسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمۡ يُحۡسِنُونَ صُنۡعًا

(They are) those whose striving goes astray in this present life, even though they think that they are doing good in (regard to their) work.

Verse 105

أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّهِمۡ وَلِقَآئِهِۦ فَحَبِطَتۡ أَعۡمَٰلُهُمۡ فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ وَزۡنٗا

Those – (they are) those who disbelieve in the signs of their Lord and in the meeting with Him. So their deeds have come to nothing. We shall not assign any weight to them on the Day of Resurrection.

Verse 106

ذَٰلِكَ جَزَآؤُهُمۡ جَهَنَّمُ بِمَا كَفَرُواْ وَٱتَّخَذُوٓاْ ءَايَٰتِي وَرُسُلِي هُزُوًا

That is their payment – Gehenna – because they disbelieved and took My signs and My messengers in mockery.

Al-Bukhari recorded from ‘Amr that Mus'ab who said: “I asked my father - meaning Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas - about Allah Is saying,

4 Say : " Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of (tlxeir) deeds?"} I

‘Are they the Haruriyyah?’ He said, ‘No, they are the Jews and Christians. As for the Jews, they disbelieved in Muhammad 535, and as for the Christians, they disbelieved in Paradise and said that there is no food or drink there, and the Haruriyyah are those who break Allah’s covenant after ratifying it.’ Sa‘d (L used to call them Al-Fasiqin (the corrupt). 1 ' 1 ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, 121 Ad-Dahhak and others said: “They are thje Haruriyyah,” so this means, that according to ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, this Ayah includes the Haruriyyah just as it includes the Jews, the Christians and others. This does not mean that the Ayah was revealed concerning any of theije groups in particular; it is more general than that, because the Ayah was revealed in Makkah, before the Qur’an addressed the Jews and Christians, and before the Khawarij existed at all. So the Ayah is general and refers to everyone who worships Allah in a way that is not acceptable, thinking that he is right in doing that and that his deeds will be accepted, but he is mistaken and his deeds will be rejected, as Allah says:

iSome faces, that Day will be humiliated. Laboring, weary. They will enter in the hot blazing Fire.} [88:2-4]

iAnd We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust.} [25:23]

iAs for those xvho disbelieved, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert. The thirshj one thinks it to be water, until he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing } [24:39]

And in this Ayah Allah says:

iSay: "Shall We tell you..."} meaning, ; Shall We inform you;’

ithe greatest losers in respect of (their) deeds?}
Then Allah explains who they are, and says:

4Tliose ivhose efforts have been wasted in this life}

meaning, they did deeds that do not count, deeds that are not in accordance with the prescribed way that is acceptable to Allah.

i while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds.}

means, they thought that there was some basis for their deeds and that they were accepted and loved.

iThey are those who deny the Ay at of their Lord and the meeting with Him.}

they denied the signs of Allah in this world, the proofs that Hs has established of His Oneness and of the truth of His Messengers, and they denied the Hereafter.

iand on the Day of Resurrection, We shall assign no weight for them.'}

means, *We will not make their Balance heavy because it is empty of any goodness.’ Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said:

«A huge fat man will come forward on the Day of Resurrection and he xoill weigh no more than the wing of a gnat to Allah. Recite, if you wish :»

iand on the Day of Resurrection, We shall assign no weight for them }

It was also recorded by Muslim. [1!

iThat shall be their recompense, Hell; because they disbelieved }

means, *We will punish them with that because of their disbelief and because they took the signs and Messengers If Allah as a joke, mocking them and disbelieving them in the worst way.’

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.