Quran Universe
30:44

مَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيۡهِ كُفۡرُهُۥۖ وَمَنۡ عَمِلَ صَٰلِحٗا فَلِأَنفُسِهِمۡ يَمۡهَدُونَ

Man kafara faAAalayhi kufruhu waman AAamila salihan falianfusihim yamhadoona

Whoever disbelieves - upon him is [the consequence of] his disbelief. And whoever does righteousness - they are for themselves preparing,

Word by word
  1. مَنWhoever
  2. كَفَرَdisbelieves
  3. فَعَلَيۡهِthen against him
  4. كُفۡرُهُۥۖ(is) his disbelief
  5. وَمَنۡAnd whoever
  6. عَمِلَdoes
  7. صَٰلِحٗاrighteousness
  8. فَلِأَنفُسِهِمۡthen for themselves
  9. يَمۡهَدُونَthey are preparing
Ar-Rum · 30:44Makkah

Doing good is preparing a bed for yourself.

Every deed lands back on its doer

Who carries it
disbeliefweighs on the one who chose it
good deedspreparing a place
for
themselvesa resting place ready
Who benefits
others, not mea sacrifice
I doI prepare my own place

The verse right after the division of people. Ibn Kathir explains: whoever disbelieves will suffer from it, and whoever does good prepares a good place for themselves. Each deed lands back on the one who did it.

You make your bed in the morning and come home to it tired and grateful. Every good deed is like that, smoothing a place you will rest in. The prayer at dawn, the kind word, the hidden charity: you are setting up your own room.

Good deeds are sacrifices I make for others.

Every good deed is me preparing my own resting place.

Try this

Do one quiet good deed today and think: I am preparing my place.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 30:43)

So, set you your face to the straight and right religion, before there comes from Allah a Day which none can avert. On that Day men shall be divided (43)Whosoever disbelieves will suffer from his disbelief, and whosoever does righteous good deeds, then such will prepare a good place for themselves (44)That He may reward those who believe and do righteous good deeds, out of His bounty. Verily, He likes not the disbelievers (45)

The Command to follow the Straight Path before the Day of Resurrection

Here Allah commands His servants to hasten to obedience to Him and to hasten to do good deeds.

فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ الْقَيِّمِ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۖ 

(So, set you your face to the straight and right religion, before there comes from Allah a Day which none can avert.) The Day of Resurrection, for when Allah wants it to happen, no one will be able to avert it.

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصَّدَّعُونَ

(On that Day men shall be divided.) means, they will be separated, with one group in Paradise and another in Hell. Allah says:

مَنْ كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ ۖ وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِأَنْفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ - لِيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ ۚ

(Whosoever disbelieves will suffer from his disbelief, and whosoever does righteous good deeds, then such will prepare a good place for themselves. That He may reward those who believe. and do righteous good deeds, out of His bounty.) meaning that He may reward them from His bounty, in return for one good deed, he will get the reward for ten, up to seven hundred like it, as much as Allah wills.

إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ

(Verily, He likes not the disbelievers.) yet He is still just with them and does not oppress them.