Quran Universe
3:22

أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ حَبِطَتۡ أَعۡمَٰلُهُمۡ فِي ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّـٰصِرِينَ

Olaika allatheena habitat aAAmaluhum fee alddunya waalakhirati wama lahum min nasireena

They are the ones whose deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and for them there will be no helpers.

Word by word
  1. أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَThose
  2. ٱلَّذِينَ(are) the ones who
  3. حَبِطَتۡbecame worthless
  4. أَعۡمَٰلُهُمۡtheir deeds
  5. فِيin
  6. ٱلدُّنۡيَاthe world
  7. وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةِand (in) the Hereafter
  8. وَمَاAnd not
  9. لَهُم(will be) for them
  10. مِّنany
  11. نَّـٰصِرِينَhelpers
Ali 'Imran · 3:22Madinah

Their deeds came to nothing, here and after.

When good works are emptied out

What remained
their workswhatever they built
became
worthlessin this world and next
no helpersno one to save them
What makes deeds count
deeds alonethe size of my good
deeds with humilityaccepting the truth

This continues the previous verse about those who rejected the truth and harmed its callers. Ibn Kathir notes they were punished with humiliation in this life and loss in the Hereafter, their works lost and with no helpers.

You give, volunteer, help out, then hold it over people. Or you do good while refusing to hear any correction. Good deeds need a humble heart to carry them.

As long as I do good things, it all counts.

Arrogance can empty out my deeds, so I guard my heart as well as my actions.

Try this

Do one good deed today and tell no one, not even as a hint.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 3:21)

Verily, those who disbelieve in the Ayat of Allah and kill the Prophets without right, and kill those men who order just dealings, then announce to them a painful torment (21)They are those whose works will be lost in this world and in the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers (22)

Chastising the Jews for Their Disbelief and for Killing the Prophets and Righteous People

This Ayah chastises the People of the Book for the transgression and prohibitions they committed by their denials in the past and more recent times, of Allah's Ayat and the Messengers. They did this due to their defiance and rejection of the Messengers, denial of the truth and refusal to follow it. They also killed many Prophets when they conveyed to them what Allah legislated for them, without cause or criminal behavior committed by these Prophets, for they only called them to the truth,

وَيَقْتُلُونَ الَّذِينَ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْقِسْطِ مِنَ النَّاسِ

(And kill those men who order just dealings) thus, demonstrating the worst type of arrogance. Indeed, the Prophet ﷺ said,

الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ

(Kibr (arrogance) is refusing the truth and degrading people)

This is why when they rejected the truth and acted arrogantly towards the creation, Allah punished them with humiliation and disgrace in this life, and humiliating torment in the Hereafter. Allah said,

فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

(then announce to them a painful torment) meaning, painful and humiliating,

أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ

(They are those whose works will be lost in this world and in the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers.).