Ali 'Imran 195: Upon this, their Lord (Allah) accepted their supplication (and said); “Whether male or female – and you are of one another – I will not make anyone’s deeds, who work among you, go in vain. They are the ones who have migrated, who were driven away from their homes, who suffered oppression for Allah’s path, who fought and who were killed. Verily, I will cover their sins and I will put them in paradises, below which rivers flow. This reward is from Allah. Verily, the beautiful reward is on your Lord’s side.

Thereupon their Lord accepted their prayers. Yes, Allah Almighty is At-Tawwab. Whoever prays and, with a sincere heart, turns to his Lord on condition of never returning to his time of ignorance — would our Lord, Allah, whose mercy is abundant, whose pardon and forgiveness are abundant, not forgive us? Is that possible? Yes. So thereupon their Lord accepted their prayers. Say: I — whether male or female — you are all of one another. Yes. Whether male or female. We are of one another. Because He separated it from His essence. He gave a soul to the Prophet.

He created Adam, gave him a wife so that those souls could come into the world, and those souls, on bodies created from one another, outwardly He secured our hearts. So we are all of one another. There is no separation or division among us. Those who fall into division do so to their own harm. They fall into division, wronging their own selves. Pride and arrogance, fame and glory, grandeur and ego.

They drag people to ruin by drawing them into love of the world. The nafs, for its part, wants to rule over people. It wants to display a craving for ego in itself. And Satan helps it in this. And the world, with its allure, appears (?) to this. In this way man prepares his own ruin.

Say: I — whether male or female — you are all of one another. I will not let the deeds of anyone among you who strives go to waste.

The striving here is the worship we perform for Allah Almighty. None of your striving will go to waste. What does He say? I will judge you by the best of what you did in the world. The best. He will reward you with whatever you did.

Those who — those who emigrated. Emigration. They emigrated from Makkah al-Mukarramah to Madinah al-Munawwarah. They were driven from their homes. They suffered harm in My way.

They fought and were killed. Allah Almighty swears by His own essence: I swear, I will cover their misdeeds and place them in gardens beneath which rivers flow. This reward is from Allah. The reward, the best of rewards, is with Him, He says.

Who are these? The Companions. Who else? Only them? No. Those who fight and strive in jihad in Allah's way. Those who die. The veterans. Who else? The scholars, who are the heirs of the prophets. They too are striving in jihad. With their knowledge, with the knowledge their Lord gave. What does it say? The ink of scholars is like the blood of martyrs. Yes, Allah Almighty too says, I swear, I will cover their sins, them — gardens, gardens beneath which, beneath whose ground, rivers flow. Imagine: I have a vineyard, in that vineyard a mansion, and that is not enough, a palace too. In that vineyard all kinds of trees, and flowing streams, those rushing sounds, (?) and birdsong, the weather constantly changing, colorful, everything lush green, in a certain measure, everywhere clean and well kept.

Endless pleasure and delight. Attendants going around you,

drinks that do not make you drunk,

seats whose height perhaps cannot be (?), facing their spouses, He says, in conversation. Such endless pleasure and delight.

In this world, doesn't a person long for a yacht, a seaside mansion? Doesn't he long for a palace? Well, you long for something that is a shadow in a fleeting life, so why don't you long for such a place in the bliss of eternal life? Does Allah tell you: work and give it to Me? Or does He say: spend what you earn in My way? Know Me, worship Me, worship Me. Purify your nafs, be compassionate and merciful toward My creatures. And be (?), generous. Gossip (?), carry on your life minding what is halal and haram — try to. Well, is He asking anything of you? Are these hard? He even wants you to be a good person.

He wants you to be an example to people. This human He created for humanity's sake, this most honored human He created — He wants him to keep his honored place. Is this hard for a person? But it is hard for one who goes with his nafs. Because that nafs, in a debased state, pushes him toward baseness. And he, with his imperfect mind, thinks he is living; he spends his world among the flowers of a swamp, is deceived by the swamp's flower and, thinking he will finally vanish in that swamp, ends up subject to the eternal cruelty of the hereafter.

As a result of these prayers, since Allah Almighty is At-Tawwab, He accepts people's prayers. He forgives their sins. You are all of one another, He says. Allah Almighty says: whether woman or man, of anyone among you who strives, whether in worship or in jihad, in spreading Allah's religion or in conveying the truth — I will not let the deeds of any of you go to waste, He says.

Yes. Those who emigrated, were driven from their homes, suffered harm in My way, fought and were killed. Although this verse concerns the noble Companions, it is in fact an address to all who come in every age until the Day of Judgment. As I said a moment ago. Those who were driven from their homes and, in Allah's way, without compromising with Allah, were patient.

They did not trade the hereafter for this world. Living for Allah, they were patient for Allah and died for Allah. I will cover the misdeeds of such people and place them in the paradise beneath which rivers flow, says Allah Almighty. Whoever gives his life to Allah, whoever, from the wealth he earned for Allah, gives in charity to Allah's creatures — would Allah leave them alone? Yes.

This reward is from Allah. Who else but Allah could give a reward anyway? The reward Allah gives is eternal. People reward one another for outstanding achievements. But those are temporary, and after a while they are forgotten. Or, with people's deaths, their worldly rewards also pass into history and become of no use to them. But the reward Allah gives will come with you to the hereafter, and with it, in the abode of eternal bliss, under Allah Almighty's mercy, it is the person's own. What is that reward? Mansions, palaces, vineyards, gardens, streams, those rivers, attendants and servants going around you.

Pleasure and delight, never-ending pleasure and delight. Yes. The best reward is with Him. Of course the best reward is with Allah. The best reward. Because, from that beautiful reward He gives, since the human soul is immortal, if, in an immortal, everlasting life, in pleasure and delight, a grace is bestowed, is this not the finest of rewards? Of the madmen, one says this: whoever busies himself with a shadow is nothing, and whoever busies himself with nothing is a nothing too, he says.

Another says: whoever busies himself with a shadow is nothing, and busying oneself with nothing is madness. Yes.

The world is the field of the hereafter. If you busy yourself with this shadow, with what will come to nothing, that is, if you turn your back on your Lord and become absorbed in what your Lord gave, put love of it in your heart and rebel against your Lord, you have busied yourself with a nothing. But if you gave what your Lord gave in charity in Allah's way, knew the value of what was given, and complied with Allah's commands and prohibitions, you abided by the truth, and that truth will come with you to the hereafter. And you will see its reward. What you did with that nothing will wipe you out and drag you to a punishment.

Surely the best reward is with Allah. For the good deeds you have done. Allah gives man increasing and multiplying (?). And they are the provisions of the hereafter. What does it say? It likens the (?) they performed to a grain of wheat. That wheat grew seven ears. In each ear a hundred grains. That is, seven hundred, of course. Up to seven hundred. It increases your reward. As long as you say Allah and spend for Allah's sake. And Allah (?) to you.

And they are the provisions of the hereafter. The goods of the world stay in the world. No one can take even a speck from the world. Or do you own even a speck of your world? He says. If that were so, you would be given nothing of your world. The inheritance of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah, He says. Yes.

Allah Almighty says in a verse: or do you own even a speck of your world? That people have wealth, property and adornments, those (?), does not mean they own them. That is, they are their trustees. All created things belong to Allah. The meaning of owning here: or are you able to create a speck from nothing? If you had created a speck from nothing, your other needs too you would create; you would reach that state. You would not show any need for Allah. And Allah would give you nothing of your world. That is what He says: I would give you nothing of your world, He says. All the goods and things you received for your work stay in the world.

You leave behind what you were given and depart to the hereafter. But Allah gives you the reward of your work, your worship, without wasting any of it, in full. Where? On the Day of Judgment, at the Supreme Court. Allah Almighty, who says 'Today the judgment is Mine alone', with His attribute of justice, without any wrong being done to anyone, will give them their rewards in full. That is how it is. The reward that is not (?) is beautiful. And this is a beautiful reward from Allah. So is it this? This reward is beautiful.