Quran Universe
35:7

ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٞ شَدِيدٞۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِ لَهُم مَّغۡفِرَةٞ وَأَجۡرٞ كَبِيرٌ

Allatheena kafaroo lahum AAathabun shadeedun waallatheena amanoo waAAamiloo alssalihati lahum maghfiratun waajrun kabeerun

Those who disbelieve will have a severe punishment, and those who believe and do righteous deeds will have forgiveness and great reward.

Word by word
  1. ٱلَّذِينَThose who
  2. كَفَرُواْdisbelieve
  3. لَهُمۡfor them
  4. عَذَابٞ(will be) a punishment
  5. شَدِيدٞۖsevere
  6. وَٱلَّذِينَand those
  7. ءَامَنُواْwho believe
  8. وَعَمِلُواْand do
  9. ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِrighteous deeds
  10. لَهُمfor them
  11. مَّغۡفِرَةٞ(will be) forgiveness
  12. وَأَجۡرٞand a reward
  13. كَبِيرٌgreat
Fatir · 35:7Makkah

Two roads, two endings, set side by side.

Denial and its punishment, faith with forgiveness

Where each road ends
those who disbelieveobeyed Shaytan
meet
severe punishment
faith plus good deedsobeyed the Merciful
meet
forgiveness, great rewardsins wiped, deeds repaid
What the reward includes
only the perfectno room for my sins
forgiveness firstthen reward for the good

Right after warning about Shaytan's followers, the verse shows both endings. Ibn Kathir notes that believers get forgiveness for whatever sins they did and a great reward for the good they did.

You look back at last year and see mostly mistakes. You assume the door is closed. This verse puts forgiveness before the reward. The road is faith and good deeds, not a spotless past.

I have messed up too much for any reward to be mine.

The believer's ending starts with forgiveness. My part is faith and doing good now.

Try this

Do one small good deed today with the intention that it is a fresh start.

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

Those who disbelieve, theirs will be a severe torment; and those who believe and do righteous good deeds, theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward (7)Is he, then, to whom the evil of his deeds is made fairseeming, so that he considers it as good? Verily, Allah sends astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. So destroy not yourself in sorrow for them. Truly, Allah is the All-Knower of what they do (8)

The Punishment of the Disbeliever and the Reward of the Believer on the Day of Resurrection

Having stated that the ultimate destiny of the followers of Iblis will be the blazing Fire, Allah then tells us that for those who disbelieve there will be a severe punishment. This is because they obeyed the Shaytan and disobeyed Ar-Rahman. And He tells us that those who believed in Allah and His Messengers

 وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ 

(and do righteous good deeds, theirs will be forgiveness) meaning, from whatever sins they did,

وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ

(and a great reward.) for the good deeds that they did. Then Allah says:

أَفَمَنْ زُيِّنَ لَهُ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ فَرَآهُ حَسَنًا ۖ 

(Is he, then, to whom the evil of his deeds is made fairseeming, so that he considers it as good?) meaning, 'such as disbelievers or immoral persons who do evil deeds and believe that they are doing something good, i.e., a person who is like that has been misguided by Allah, so what can you do for him You cannot help him at all.'

فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۖ 

(Verily, Allah sends astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills.) means according to His decree.

فَلَا تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَاتٍ 

(So destroy not yourself in sorrow for them.) means, do not grieve about that, for Allah is Wise in His decree and He leaves astray whomsoever He leaves astray, and He guides whomsoever He guides, and in doing so He has perfect knowledge and wisdom. Allah says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ

(Truly, Allah is the All-Knower of what they do!)