Then the author cites several verses, among them the Almighty’s words: “Every soul shall taste death, and you will be paid in full your rewards only on the Day of Resurrection” (Aal ʿImran 3:185).

“Every soul”—that is, every being possessed of a soul, whether from the children of Adam or from other creatures—will inevitably taste death. The verb “taste” is used because death has a bitter flavor that every human being detests.

Yet when the believer’s appointed time arrives and he is given glad tidings of what Allah has prepared for him, he grows eager to meet his Lord and no longer recoils from death. The Mighty and Majestic also says, “and you will be paid in full your rewards only on the Day of Resurrection,” meaning that you will receive them in a complete and perfect form on that Day.

Should a person receive some recompense in this world, that is not the whole of his reward; the comprehensive and flawless repayment by which a person collects every portion due to him is reserved for the Day of Resurrection. A believer may indeed be rewarded for his righteous deeds in this life, but that is not the full recompense; the full and perfect settlement takes place in the Hereafter.

“Whoever is kept away from the Fire”—that is, distanced from it—“and admitted to the Garden has triumphed indeed,” for he has escaped what is dreaded and attained what is desired. He has been saved from the repugnant outcome—entry into the Fire—and granted the coveted outcome—entry into Paradise. That is the supreme success, and there is no success to rival it.

“And the life of this world is nothing but the enjoyment of delusion” (Aal ʿImran 3:185). Allah, may He be exalted, has spoken the truth: worldly life is a deceptive provision—no more lasting than the small stock of supplies a traveler carries until he reaches the end of his journey. Moreover, it is an enjoyment that beguiles a person: it adorns itself, shines, beautifies itself, and appears in the most attractive guise, yet in the end it deceives him.