21:94

فَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِ وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنٞ فَلَا كُفۡرَانَ لِسَعۡيِهِۦ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ كَٰتِبُونَ

Faman yaAAmal mina alssalihati wahuwa muminun fala kufrana lisaAAyihi wainna lahu katiboona

So whoever does righteous deeds while he is a believer - no denial will there be for his effort, and indeed We, of it, are recorders.

Word by word
  1. فَمَنThen whoever
  2. يَعۡمَلۡdoes
  3. مِنَ[of]
  4. ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِ[the] righteous deeds
  5. وَهُوَwhile he
  6. مُؤۡمِنٞ(is) a believer
  7. فَلَاthen not
  8. كُفۡرَانَ(will be) rejected
  9. لِسَعۡيِهِۦ[of] his effort
  10. وَإِنَّاAnd indeed,We
  11. لَهُۥof it
  12. كَٰتِبُونَ(are) Recorders
Al-Anbya · 21:94Makkah

Good done with faith is never rejected. We write it down.

No sincere effort is wasted


The rule
righteous deeds
with faith
are
recordednot one lost
What happens to effort
unseen, wastedno one noticed
written downvalued by Allah

Whoever does good while believing, his heart believes and his deeds are righteous, the tafsir says. His efforts will not be wasted; they will be appreciated, without a speck of injustice. All his deeds are recorded, and nothing is lost.

The night feeds no one thanked you for. The report your boss took credit for. The care for a parent who no longer recognises you. It feels invisible. It is written down.

If nobody notices what I do, it doesn't really count.

Every good I do with faith is recorded. None of it is lost.

Try this

Do one unseen good deed today and tell no one.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 21:92)

Truly, this, your Ummah is one, and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me (92)But they have broken up and differed in their religion among themselves. (And) they all shall return to Us (93)So whoever does righteous good deeds while he is a believer, his efforts will not be rejected. Verily, We record it for him (in his Book of deeds)(94)

Mankind is One Ummah

إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً

(Truly, this, your Ummah is one,) Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Sa'id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and 'Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "Your religion is one religion." Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "In this Ayah, Allah explains to them what they should avoid and what they should do." Then He said:

إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً

(Truly, this, your Ummah is one religion,) "Meaning, your path is one path. Certainly this is your Shari'ah (Divine Law) which I have clearly explained you." So Allah says:

وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ

(and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me.) This is like the Ayah:

يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا

(O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibat (good things) and do righteous deeds.) Until His saying,

وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاتَّقُونِ

(And I am your Lord, so have Taqwa of Me.)(23:51-52) The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

نَحْنُ مَعَاشِرَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ أَوْلَادُ عَلَّاتٍ دِينُنَا وَاحِدٌ

(We Prophets are brothers from different mothers and our religion is one.) What is meant here is that they all worshipped Allah Alone with no partner or associate, although the Laws of each Messenger may have differed, as Allah says:

لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا

(To each among you, We have prescribed a Law and a clear way)(5:48)

وَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ

(But they have broken up and differed in their religion among themselves.) meaning, the nations were divided over their Messengers; some of them believed in them and some rejected them. Allah says:

كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ

((And) they all shall return to Us.) meaning, 'on the Day of Resurrection, when We will requite each person according to his deeds. If they are good, then he will be rewarded and if they are evil then he will be punished.' Allah says:

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ

(So whoever does righteous good deeds while he is a believer,) meaning, his heart believes and his deeds are righteous.

فَلَا كُفْرَانَ لِسَعْيِهِ 

(his efforts will not be rejected.) This is like the Ayah:

إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلًا

(certainly We shall not make the reward of anyone who does his deeds in the most perfect manner to be lost.)(18:30) which means, his efforts will not be wasted; they will be appreciated and not even a speck of dust's weight of injustice will be done. Allah says:

وَإِنَّا لَهُ كَاتِبُونَ

(Verily, We record it for him.) means, all his deeds are recorded and nothing of them at all is lost.