Quran Universe
7:43

وَنَزَعۡنَا مَا فِي صُدُورِهِم مِّنۡ غِلّٖ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهِمُ ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُۖ وَقَالُواْ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِي هَدَىٰنَا لِهَٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهۡتَدِيَ لَوۡلَآ أَنۡ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُۖ لَقَدۡ جَآءَتۡ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِٱلۡحَقِّۖ وَنُودُوٓاْ أَن تِلۡكُمُ ٱلۡجَنَّةُ أُورِثۡتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ

WanazaAAna ma fee sudoorihim min ghillin tajree min tahtihimu alanharu waqaloo alhamdu lillahi allathee hadana lihatha wama kunna linahtadiya lawla an hadana Allahu laqad jaat rusulu rabbina bialhaqqi wanoodoo an tilkumu aljannatu oorithtumooha bima kuntum taAAmaloona

And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment, [while] flowing beneath them are rivers. And they will say, "Praise to Allah, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allah had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with the truth." And they will be called, "This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do."

Word by word
  1. وَنَزَعۡنَاAnd We will remove
  2. مَاwhatever
  3. فِي(is) in
  4. صُدُورِهِمtheir breasts
  5. مِّنۡof
  6. غِلّٖmalice
  7. تَجۡرِيFlows
  8. مِنfrom
  9. تَحۡتِهِمُunderneath them
  10. ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُۖthe rivers
  11. وَقَالُواْAnd they will say
  12. ٱلۡحَمۡدُAll the praise
  13. لِلَّهِ(is) for Allah
  14. ٱلَّذِيthe One Who
  15. هَدَىٰنَاguided us
  16. لِهَٰذَاto this
  17. وَمَاand not
  18. كُنَّاwe were
  19. لِنَهۡتَدِيَto receive guidance
  20. لَوۡلَآif not
  21. أَنۡ[that]
  22. هَدَىٰنَا(had) guided us
  23. ٱللَّهُۖAllah
  24. لَقَدۡCertainly
  25. جَآءَتۡcame
  26. رُسُلُMessengers
  27. رَبِّنَا(of) our Lord
  28. بِٱلۡحَقِّۖwith the truth
  29. وَنُودُوٓاْAnd they will be addressed
  30. أَن[that]
  31. تِلۡكُمُThis
  32. ٱلۡجَنَّةُ(is) Paradise
  33. أُورِثۡتُمُوهَاyou have been made to inherit it
  34. بِمَاfor what
  35. كُنتُمۡyou used to
  36. تَعۡمَلُونَdo
Al-A'raf · 7:43Makkah

Every grudge removed, and they praise the One who guided.

Paradise begins with clean hearts

At the gate
resentmentremoved from their chests
then
rivers beneatha home they inherit
praisewe were guided by Him
How they got there
my deeds aloneI earned my way
His mercydeeds, and His favor

The Prophet ﷺ said believers will be held at a bridge until wrongs between them are settled, then enter Paradise. They praise Allah for guiding them. He ﷺ also said no one's deeds alone admit him, not even his own, unless Allah covers him with mercy.

The cousin you have not spoken to since the inheritance fight. The friend who never paid you back. In Paradise, that weight is lifted off the chest. You could start putting it down now.

Some grudges I will carry forever.

Paradise has no room for resentment, so letting go starts here.

Try this

Pray for one person you hold a grudge against, by name, today.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 7:42)

But those who believed, and worked righteousness – We burden not any person beyond his scope – such are the dwellers of Paradise. They will abide therein (42)And We shall remove from their breasts any Ghill; rivers flowing under them, and they will say: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has guided us to this, and never could we have found guidance, were it not that Allah had guided us! Indeed, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth." And it will be cried out to them: "This is the Paradise which you have inherited for what you used to do. (43)

Destination of Righteous Believers

After Allah mentioned the condition of the miserable ones, He then mentioned the condition of the happy ones, saying,

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ

(But those who believed, and worked righteousness)

Their hearts have believed and they performed good deeds with their limbs and senses, as compared to those who disbelieved in the Ayat of Allah and were arrogant with them. Allah also said that embracing faith and implementing it are easy, when He said,

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ - وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِي صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ

(But those who believed, and worked righteousness – We burden not any person beyond his scope – such are the dwellers of Paradise. They will abide therein. And We shall remove from their breasts any Ghill;) meaning, envy and hatred. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِذَا خَلَصَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ مِنَ النَّارِ حُبِسُوا عَلَى قَنْطَرَةٍ بَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ فَاقْتُصَّ لَهُمْ مَظَالِمَ كَانَتْ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَتَّى إِذَا هُذِّبُوا وَنُقُّوا أُذِنَ لَهُمْ فِي دُخُولِ الْجَنَّةِ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ إِنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ بِمَنْزِلِهِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَدَلُّ مِنْهُ بِمَسْكَنِهِ كَانَ فِي الدُّنْيَا

(After the believers are saved from entering the Fire, they will be kept in wait by a bridge between Paradise and Hellfire. Then, transgression that occurred between them in the life of this world will be judged. Until, when they are purified and cleansed, they will be given permission to enter Paradise. By He in Whose Hand is my soul! One of them will be able to find his dwelling in Paradise more so than he did in the life of this world.) As-Suddi said about Allah's statement,

وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِي صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمُ الْأَنْهَارُ

(And We shall remove from their breasts any Ghill; rivers flowing under them,)

"When the people of Paradise are taken to it, they will find a tree close to its door, and two springs from under the trunk of that tree. They will drink from one of them, and all hatred will be removed from their hearts, for it is the cleansing drink. They will take a bath in the other, and the brightness of delight will radiate from their faces. Ever after, they will never have messy hair or become dirty."

An-Nasa'i and Ibn Marduwyah (this being his wording) recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

كُلُّ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ يَرَى مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ، فَيَقُولُ: لَوْلَا أَنَّ اللهَ هَدَانِي، فَيَكُونُ لَهُ شُكْرًا، وَكُلُّ أَهْلِ النَّارِ يَرَى مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَيَقُولُ: لَوْ أَنَّ اللهَ هَدَانِي، فَيَكُونُ لَهُ حَسْرَةً

(Each of the people of Paradise will see his seat in the Fire and he will say, 'Had not Allah guided me! And this will cause him to be grateful. Each of the people of the Fire will see his seat in Paradise, and he will say, 'Might that Allah had guided me!' So it will be a cause of anguish for him.)

This is why when the believers are awarded seats in Paradise that belonged to the people of the Fire, they will be told, "This is the Paradise that you inherited because of what you used to do. " This means, because of your good deeds, you earned Allah's mercy and thus entered Paradise and took your designated dwellings in it, comparable to your deeds. This is the proper meaning here, for it is recorded in the Two Sahihs that the Prophet ﷺ said,

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ عَمَلُهُ الْجَنَّةَ

(And know that the good deeds of one of you will not admit him into Paradise.) They said, "Not even you, O Allah's Messenger?" He said,

وَلَا أَنَا إِلّا أَنْ يَتَغَمَّدَنِيَ اللهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنْهُ وَفَضْلٍ

(Not even I, unless Allah grants it to me out of His mercy and favor.)