your fulfilment of what He requires of you: doing good, which is, in truth, doing good to yourselves.

For Allah is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy, and “If you do good, you do good for yourselves.” His words, “Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to those who do good,” convey meaning through their explicit wording, through their indication and explanation of the underlying cause, and through their contrary implication. Their explicit wording establishes that mercy is near to those who do good. Their indication and explanation of the cause establish that this nearness is merited by doing good: it is the reason mercy is near to them. Their contrary implication establishes that mercy is far from those who do not do good. Thus, this statement conveys these three meanings.

Those who do good are singled out for the nearness of mercy because mercy is goodness bestowed by Allah, the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. His goodness is bestowed upon those who do good, for recompense corresponds to deeds: just as they did good through their actions, He does good to them through His mercy. As for those who do not do good, because they have distanced themselves from doing good, mercy has become distant from them—distance corresponding to distance, and nearness to nearness. Whoever draws near through doing good, Allah draws near to him with His mercy; and whoever distances himself from doing good, Allah distances His mercy from him. Allah, glorified is He, loves those who do good and hates those who do not. For whomever Allah loves, His mercy is the nearest thing to him; and for whomever He hates, His mercy is the farthest thing from him.

Doing good here means carrying out what one has been commanded to do, whether this benefits other people or oneself. Its greatest forms are faith, affirming Allah’s oneness, turning to Allah, devoting oneself to Him, placing one’s trust in Him, and worshipping Him as though one sees Him—with reverence, awe, modesty, love, and fear. This is the station of excellence, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, explained when Gabriel asked him about excellence: “To worship Allah as though you see Him.”

Since this is excellence, Allah’s mercy is near to the one who possesses it. Allah grants His mercy only to those who affirm His oneness and believe in Him. He has prescribed His mercy only “for those who fear Him and give zakah, and those who believe in Our signs,” and those who follow His Messenger. These are the people who receive mercy, just as they are the people who do good. As they did good, so they are recompensed with goodness.

“Is there any reward for good other than good?” That is: is there any recompense for someone who worships his Lord well other than that his Lord should bestow goodness upon him? Ibn Abbās said: “Is there any reward for someone who says, ‘There is no god but Allah,’ and acts according to what Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, brought, other than Paradise?”

Ibn Abī Shaybah and others have related a report through al-Zubayr ibn Adī, from Anas ibn