Quran Universe
16:41

وَٱلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُواْ فِي ٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا ظُلِمُواْ لَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمۡ فِي ٱلدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةٗۖ وَلَأَجۡرُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ أَكۡبَرُۚ لَوۡ كَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ

Waallatheena hajaroo fee Allahi min baAAdi ma thulimoo lanubawwiannahum fee alddunya hasanatan walaajru alakhirati akbaru law kanoo yaAAlamoona

And those who emigrated for [the cause of] Allah after they had been wronged - We will surely settle them in this world in a good place; but the reward of the Hereafter is greater, if only they could know.

Word by word
  1. وَٱلَّذِينَAnd those who
  2. هَاجَرُواْemigrated
  3. فِيin (the way)
  4. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  5. مِنۢafter
  6. بَعۡدِafter
  7. مَا[what]
  8. ظُلِمُواْthey were wronged
  9. لَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمۡsurely We will give them position
  10. فِيin
  11. ٱلدُّنۡيَاthe world
  12. حَسَنَةٗۖgood
  13. وَلَأَجۡرُbut surely the reward
  14. ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ(of) the Hereafter
  15. أَكۡبَرُۚ(is) greater
  16. لَوۡif
  17. كَانُواْthey
  18. يَعۡلَمُونَknow
An-Nahl · 16:41Makkah

They left home for Allah, and He gave them better.

The emigrants who were wronged and then settled

What they left and found
the emigrantsabout eighty, to Ethiopia
left
home, wealth, friendsafter persecution
were given
a good placehere, and more later
The exchange
giving up means lossI end up with less
Allah compensateswith something better

Ibn Kathir says this may have been revealed about those persecuted so badly in Makkah that they left for Ethiopia to be able to worship their Lord: Uthman bin Affan and Ruqayyah, Ja'far bin Abi Talib, Abu Salamah and others. Whoever gives up something for Allah, He compensates with something better.

You turn down a job that would mean cutting corners. You move cities to protect your family's faith, leaving friends behind. It feels like pure loss. The verse says the account is not closed.

What I give up for Allah is simply gone.

What I leave for Allah, He replaces with better, here and later.

Try this

Give up one small thing today purely for Allah's sake and trust Him with the gap.

Related16:42
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And as for those who emigrated for the cause of Allah, after they had been wronged, We will certainly give them good residence in this world, but indeed the reward of the Hereafter will be greater; if they but knew (41)(They are) those who remained patient, and put their trust in their Lord (42)

The Reward of the Muhajirin

Allah tells us about the reward of those who migrated for His sake, seeking His pleasure, those who left their homeland behind, brothers and friends, hoping for the reward of Allah. This may have been revealed concerning those who migrated to Ethiopia, those whose persecution at the hands of their own people in Makkah was so extreme that they left them and went to Ethiopia so that they would be able to worship their Lord. Among the most prominent of these migrants were 'Uthman bin 'Affan and his wife Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Ja'far bin Abi Talib, the cousin of the Messenger ﷺ, and Abu Salamah bin 'Abdul-Asad, among a group of almost eighty sincere and faithful men and women, may Allah be pleased with them. Allah promised them a great reward in this world and the next. Allah said:

لَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً

(We will certainly give them good residence in this world,)

Ibn 'Abbas, Ash-Sha'bi and Qatadah said: (this means) "Al-Madinah." It was also said that it meant "good provision". This was the opinion of Mujahid. There is no contradiction between these two opinions, for they left their homes and wealth, but Allah compensated them with something better in this world. Whoever gives up something for the sake of Allah, Allah compensates him with something that is better for him than that, and this is what happened. He gave them power throughout the land and caused them to rule over the people, so they became governors and rulers, and each of them became a leader of the pious. Allah tells us that His reward for the Muhajirin in the Hereafter is greater than that which He gave them in this world, as He says:

وَلَأَجْرُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ

(but indeed the reward of the Hereafter will be greater) meaning, greater than that which We have given you in this world.

لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ

(if they but knew!) means, if those who stayed behind and did not migrate with them only knew what Allah prepared for those who obeyed Him and followed His Messenger ﷺ. Then Allah describes them as:

الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ

(those who remained patient, and put their trust in their Lord.)(16:42), meaning, they bore their people's persecution with patience, putting their trust in Allah Who made their end good in this world and the Hereafter.