Recompense

At a glance

The Quran presents recompense (الجزاء al-jaza') as a foundational pillar of divine justice and human responsibility. In its core sense, recompense means meeting like with like: answering good with goodness, and responding to evil with exact accountability. Rather than leaving our efforts to chance, Allah establishes an unbroken link between what we sow in this world and what we reap both here and in the life to come.

Understanding divine recompense frees you from the illusion of an indifferent universe. When you realize that not a single deed is overlooked, your quiet sacrifices gain eternal significance, your grief finds comfort, and your conscience is awakened to individual accountability before an all-knowing, utterly just Creator.

Key verses

1. Ar-Rahman 55:60: Allah establishes that the natural and divine return for excellence in worship and character is nothing less than complete goodness.
2. Al-Baqarah 2:48: A stern reminder of the Day of Judgment where individual responsibility is absolute, and no soul can pay or substitute for another.
3. Ash-Shura 42:40: This verse anchors the principle of equal retribution in worldly harm while praising the noble path of forgiveness and reconciliation.
4. Luqman 31:33: Allah warns believers against being deceived by worldly attachments, stressing that even parents and children cannot shoulder each other's deeds.
5. An-Nahl 16:30: The righteous are promised immediate goodness in this life, yet reminded that the eternal home of the hereafter is vastly superior.
6. Al-Qasas 28:80: People of spiritual knowledge recognize that Allah's reward far surpasses worldly glamour, though only the patient truly grasp it.
7. An-Nahl 16:126: Believers are instructed that if they retaliate, they must not exceed the harm done to them, yet exercising patience is far better.
8. Yunus 10:26: Those who excel in faith receive Paradise along with an extraordinary increase, which the scholars explain as gazing upon Allah's noble Face.
9. Fatir 35:18: Every soul carries its own load; no burdened person can lift the sins of another, even if they plead with their closest relatives.

Words to know

الجَزَاء al-jaza'

Sufficient requital or repayment for an action, returning good for good and evil for evil, used in the Quran for recompense, settlement, and substitution.

Appears 118 times in the Quran.

Most common forms: جَزَى (73), جَزاء (42), جِزْيَة (1), جاز (1), نُجازِي (1)

Root: ج ز ي

الثَّوَاب al-thawab

A return or reward given specifically in appreciation of obedience, worship, and virtuous deeds.

Root: ث و ب

العِقَاب al-'iqab

The punitive consequence or affliction that follows a sin, serving to correct wrong through strict accountability.

Root: ع ق ب

الحِسَاب al-hisab

The precise reckoning and taking to account where every action is audited without increase or deficiency.

Root: ح س ب

Good recompense and its recipients in this world

From the paper: «أولًا: الجزاء الحسن وأهله في الدنيا»

The Quran demonstrates that the rewards of righteousness are not postponed entirely to the hereafter; believers experience immediate fruits in their earthly life. Foremost among these recipients are the grateful (الشاكرون al-shakirun), exemplified by prophets such as Nuh Al-Isra 17:3 and Ibrahim An-Nahl 16:121. Gratitude invites divine increase and preservation, whereas ungratefulness brings forfeiture and hardship Ibrahim 14:7, Al-Qamar 54:33-35. Those who strive for the hereafter also receive their allotted worldly provision Ali 'Imran 3:144-145.

The godfearing (المتقون al-muttaqun) are sheltered by Allah's honor and promised lasting delight An-Nahl 16:31, Al-Furqan 25:15-16, An-Naba 78:31-36, Al-Mursalat 77:41-44. Likewise, those who pursue moral excellence (المحسنون al-muhsinun) witness Allah's care in everyday matters Ar-Rahman 55:60, An-Najm 53:31, Az-Zumar 39:34. The Quran recounts how Allah granted wisdom, authority, and rescue from distress to Yusuf Yusuf 12:22, Musa and Harun Al-Qasas 28:14, As-Saffat 37:120-121, Nuh As-Saffat 37:75-80, Ibrahim As-Saffat 37:103-105, As-Saffat 37:109-110, and Ilyas As-Saffat 37:130-131. Believers who excel in worship and worldly diligence secure heart-ease, inner peace, and security An-Nahl 16:30, An-Nahl 16:97, Az-Zumar 39:10.

Furthermore, those who spend their wealth charitably are promised immense psychological expansion and safety from fear and grief Al-Baqarah 2:274, Al-Baqarah 2:261, overcoming human anxieties and greed At-Taghabun 64:16, Al-Ma'arij 70:19-24.

Bad recompense and its recipients in this world

From the paper: «ثانيًا: الجزاء السيئ وأهله في الدنيا»

Just as good actions yield blessings, persistent rebellion against divine truth incurs worldly disgrace and ruin. The Quran documents the fate of past criminal nations (المجرمون al-mujrimun) who rejected their messengers and clung to arrogance, culminating in their complete obliteration Al-A'raf 7:40, Yunus 10:13, Al-Ahqaf 46:25, Adh-Dhariyat 51:42. Allah sets these historical ruins before later generations as a sobering trial and reminder Yunus 10:14.

Oppressors (الظالمون al-zalimun) face prompt divine curtailment so that tyranny does not run unchecked across the earth. The story of Adam's sons illustrates how the unjust aggressor bears the full weight of both his victim's wrong and his own fatal crime Al-Ma'idah 5:29, an evil fate shared by those seduced by Satan's deception Al-Hashr 59:17, Fatir 35:6, Yusuf 12:75.

Similarly, those who fabricate lies against Allah (المفترون al-muftarun) by inventing religious dogmas, declaring things sacred without authority, or twisting revelation, suffer a profound inner and social humiliation Al-An'am 6:21, Yunus 10:17, As-Saff 61:7, Al-An'am 6:138. As seen with the worshipers of the calf, fabricating falsehoods brings down divine anger and ignominy in this life Al-A'raf 7:152, a lasting pattern that afflicts anyone who substitutes human inventions for divine guidance.

Legal penalties, expiations, and retribution

From the paper: «ثالثًا: الحدود والكفارات والقصاص»

Islamic legislation establishes concrete frameworks of worldly recompense to protect society: fixed penalties (الحدود al-hudud), discretionary punishments (التعزيرات al-ta'zirat), expiations (الكفارات al-kaffarat), and just retribution (القصاص al-qisas). While victims may pardon offenses privately, once crimes like armed robbery Al-Ma'idah 5:33, theft Al-Ma'idah 5:38, unlawful intimacy An-Nur 24:2, An-Nisa 4:15, or slander An-Nur 24:4 reach the public authority, they become matters of common welfare that must be applied equitably without social favoritism.

In cases of accidental killing, Allah combines financial compensation to console the victim's family with the expiation of freeing a slave or fasting two consecutive months to cleanse the soul and instill reverence for life An-Nisa 4:92. Conversely, intentional murder carries the most severe spiritual condemnation An-Nisa 4:93, though scholars such as Ibn al-Qayyim explain that sincere repentance, profound good deeds, and afflictions can act as legal barriers against eternal ruin.

Equal retribution guarantees societal life by checking violence before it begins Al-Baqarah 2:178, Al-Baqarah 2:179. True justice allows harm to be matched only identically, forbidding any excess or transgression Al-Baqarah 2:194, Al-Ma'idah 5:45, Al-Ma'idah 5:95. While the injured party has the right to demand equal redress, the Quran continually encourages patience, grace, and noble pardon as a higher moral virtue An-Nahl 16:126-128, Al-Hajj 22:60, Ash-Shura 42:40.

Recipients and forms of good recompense in the hereafter

From the paper: «رابعًا: أهل الجزاء الحسن في الآخرة وصور منه»

Whatever good a person experiences in this fleeting world is merely a fraction of the ultimate reward reserved for the next life. The Quran repeatedly asserts that the dwelling of the hereafter is vastly better, purer, and permanent An-Nahl 16:30, Al-Qasas 28:80, Ali 'Imran 3:198, Al-A'la 87:16-17, Ad-Duha 93:4, Ali 'Imran 3:14-15.

For those who devoted themselves to moral beauty and sincere worship, Allah prepares the ultimate recompense: Paradise, described as al-husna (the best), accompanied by al-ziyadah (the increase) Yunus 10:26, An-Najm 53:31, Ar-Rahman 55:60, Al-Qasas 28:84. Scholars across early generations confirmed that this divine increase refers to the greatest honor imaginable: looking directly upon Allah's noble Face. The faithful will enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, surrounded by delightful fruits and pure companions, receiving all that their hearts could ever desire as an unfailing promise from their Lord As-Sajdah 32:17, Al-Kahf 18:88, Ta-Ha 20:74-75, Al-Furqan 25:15-16, Al-Bayyinah 98:8, Ar-Ra'd 13:18.

This boundless reward is granted through Allah's immense grace to those who answered His call with patience and faithful labor, transforming their earthly striving into everlasting peace and divine pleasure.

Recipients and forms of bad recompense in the hereafter

From the paper: «خامسًا: أهل الجزاء السيئ في الآخرة وصور منه»

The Quran cautions against assuming that wrongdoers have escaped justice simply because their punishment is delayed in this world. Complete reckoning is deliberately deferred to the Day of Resurrection Ali 'Imran 3:185.

In the hereafter, those who persisted in denial, rebellion, and leading others astray will face an unyielding, perpetual recompense. Satan will openly renounce those whom he seduced into disbelief, leaving both tempter and follower to taste the Fire together Al-Hashr 59:16-17. The deniers will endure torment from which there is neither release nor easing, longing for death to end their agony, yet finding no demise Fatir 35:36, Ta-Ha 20:74, Al-Isra 17:97, An-Naba 78:30.

Their recompense directly mirrors their worst deeds of shirk and hostility toward divine truth Fussilat 41:27, Fussilat 41:28. The gates of heaven remain firmly closed against those who arrogantly rejected revelation Al-A'raf 7:40. Those who actively turned away from Allah's clear signs and obstructed others will taste severe punishment in exact proportion to their stubborn obstinacy Al-An'am 6:157.

Rules of recompense

From the paper: «قواعد في الجزاء»

The paper outlines three fundamental Quranic rules governing recompense:

1. The recompense matches the nature of the deed (الجزاء من جنس العمل): Ibn al-Qayyim points out that both cosmic order and divine law pair like with like. When husbands return kindly to their wives, Allah meets them with forgiveness Al-Baqarah 2:226-227. Those who remember Allah are remembered by Him Al-Baqarah 2:151-152, and those who do good find Allah's mercy drawing near Al-A'raf 7:56. Conversely, those who mock, plot, or willfully ignore divine signs are forsaken, deceived, or blinded in return Al-An'am 6:108-110, Al-Baqarah 2:10, Al-A'raf 7:165, At-Tawbah 9:79, Ta-Ha 20:126, An-Nisa 4:142.

1. The recompense corresponds to the measure of the deed: Divine justice weighs every effort accurately Yunus 10:4, Ash-Shura 42:40, At-Tur 52:21, Al-Waqi'ah 56:24, An-Najm 53:39-41, An-Nahl 16:111, Ya-Sin 36:54, Ghafir 40:17. A sin is punished only by its exact likeness, whereas Allah's boundless generosity multiplies good deeds tenfold or by several hundredfold, bestowing gifts without strict reckoning Ghafir 40:40, Yunus 10:26, Saba 34:37. Misleaders face doubled misery because they carry both their personal guilt and the weight of misleading others Hud 11:20.

1. Accountability is strictly personal: On the Day of Judgment, every soul answers solely for itself Luqman 31:33, Al-Baqarah 2:48, Fatir 35:18. No parent or child can substitute for the other, nor will false loyalties or ungranted intercession intervene Al-Baqarah 2:254, Ibrahim 14:31, Abasa 80:34-37. This individual responsibility elevates human dignity, demanding sincere personal vigilance before Allah.

Takeaways

1. Gratitude brings immediate divine increase

   Whenever you practice thankfulness with your tongue, heart, and limbs, Allah guarantees preservation and multiplication of His blessings, easing your burdens in this worldly life.

2. How you treat creation is how Allah treats you

   Because recompense matches the nature of your actions, showing mercy, overlooking faults, and giving charity invites Allah's mercy, forgiveness, and generous provision into your life.

3. Pardoning wrongs is superior to equal retaliation

   While divine law grants you the right to seek fair, measured redress when wronged, choosing patience and reconciliation earns an inestimable reward directly from Allah.

4. Your moral burden cannot be shifted to others

   No social status, family lineage, or human ally can carry your spiritual accounts; realizing personal accountability empowers you to guard your integrity every day.

Reflect

• When faced with mistreatment, do you default to seeking retribution, or do you consider the spiritual reward of patient forgiveness?
• How can you actively align your daily actions with the qualities you hope to receive from Allah, such as mercy, generosity, and concealment of faults?
• In what areas of your life might you be relying on worldly security rather than preparing your individual soul for divine accountability?

Go deeper

Linguistic meaning

Linguistically, the root means one thing standing in the place of another and compensating it, as well as settling a debt, rendering sufficiency, and providing an adequate substitute.

Technical meaning

Technically in Quranic usage, recompense is defined as that which provides complete and sufficient matching in return, whether good for good or evil for evil.

How it differs from related terms

الثواب Reward

While al-jaza' encompasses requital for both good and bad deeds according to whatever one deserves, al-thawab is used almost exclusively for positive recompense awarded specifically for acts of worship and obedience.

العقاب Punishment

Al-'iqab is restricted strictly to the negative consequence and trial that befalls a person after committing a sin, whereas al-jaza' is broader, covering both punitive retribution and righteous reward.

الحساب Reckoning

Al-hisab denotes the exact audit and taking to account where every action is audited with precise sufficiency, whereas al-jaza' is the comprehensive execution of repayment following that reckoning.

Every verse in the paper

All 174 verses the research paper discusses, grouped under its own headings.

Recompense in Quranic usage «الجزاء في الاستعمال القرآني»

76:12, 54:35, 55:60, 31:33, 53:41, 2:48, 5:95

Types of recompense «أنواع الجزاء»

Good recompense and its recipients in this world «أولًا: الجزاء الحسن وأهله في الدنيا»

76:3, 17:3, 16:121, 14:7, 54:33-35, 3:144-145, 16:31, 25:15-16, 78:31-36, 77:41-44, 55:60, 53:31, 39:34, 6:84, 12:22, 28:14, 37:120-121, 37:75-80, 37:109-110, 37:103-105, 65:2-3, 37:130-131, 16:30, 16:97, 28:80, 3:198, 87:17, 93:4, 39:10, 64:16, 2:274, 2:261, 70:19-24

Bad recompense and its recipients in this world «ثانيًا: الجزاء السيئ وأهله في الدنيا»

7:40, 10:13, 10:14, 46:25, 51:42, 5:29, 59:17, 35:6, 12:75, 6:21, 10:17, 61:7, 6:138, 7:152

Legal penalties, expiations, and retribution «ثالثًا: الحدود والكفارات والقصاص»

5:38, 5:33, 24:2, 4:15, 24:4, 4:92, 4:93, 5:95, 2:178, 2:179, 2:194, 16:126-128, 16:125, 22:60, 42:40, 40:40, 5:45

Recipients and forms of good recompense in the hereafter «رابعًا: أهل الجزاء الحسن في الآخرة وصور منه»

16:30, 28:80, 3:198, 87:16-17, 93:4, 3:14-15, 10:26, 53:31, 55:60, 28:84, 32:17, 20:74-75, 25:15-16, 98:8, 13:18, 18:87-88

Recipients and forms of bad recompense in the hereafter «خامسًا: أهل الجزاء السيئ في الآخرة وصور منه»

3:185, 59:16-17, 35:36, 20:74, 43:77, 43:74-75, 17:97, 78:30, 41:27, 18:49, 7:40, 41:28, 6:157

Rules of recompense «قواعد في الجزاء»

Recompense is of the same nature as the deed «أولًا: الجزاء من جنس العمل»

2:226-227, 6:108-110, 8:24, 28:77, 2:151-152, 7:56, 57:24, 17:7, 2:10, 9:124-125, 47:17, 7:165, 32:17, 9:79, 20:126, 7:51, 45:34, 47:7, 22:40, 4:142

Recompense is proportionate to the deed «ثانيًا: الجزاء بمقدار العمل»

10:4, 42:40, 52:21, 56:24, 37:39, 53:39-41, 20:15, 27:90, 16:111, 36:54, 40:17, 11:20, 6:164, 40:40, 10:26, 55:60, 34:37

Every soul is recompensed for itself «ثالثًا: كل نفس تجازى عن نفسها»

31:33, 17:15, 29:13, 16:25, 2:48, 35:18, 1:4, 6:164, 80:34-37, 22:2, 23:101, 2:254, 2:123, 14:31

About this source

Volume

6

Research paper

«الجزاء» (Recompense)

Read the full paper (Arabic)

Encyclopedia of Thematic Tafsir of the Noble Quran, published by the Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

This study guide summarizes the Arabic research paper. For full scholarly detail, refer to the original. This preview has not been reviewed yet.

Related topics

• Reward الثواب
• Paradise الجنة
• Accountability الحساب
• Deeds العمل
• Earning الكسب
• Hellfire النار