Living The Quran
From Issue: 1010 [Read full issue]
Words and Deeds
Fatir (The Originator) - Chapter 35: Verse 10
"Whosoever desires might— to God belongs might altogether. Unto Him ascends the good word, and He uplifts the righteous deed. As for those who plot evil deeds, theirs shall be a severe punishment, and their plotting shall come to ruin."
Whosoever desires might means whoever desires honour, power, and glory in this world and the next. To God belongs might altogether reminds one to be obedient toward God, as all such qualities come from God; it is thus understood as a command not to seek such might from idols or other gods or from disbelievers. It is also understood to mean that any who seek true honour, power, and glory and are sincere in their desire, so that they seek with humility and poverty before God, will find these qualities with God and they will be unveiled to them.
The good word may refer to the remembrance and invocation of God, the recitation of the Quran, and supplicatory prayer or to the declaration of God's Oneness. This sentence can be understood to mean that all good words and righteous deeds ascend to God and that one is thus rewarded for them, or that God uplifts the righteous deed over the good word because the deed constitutes the verification of the word, since it is putting faith into action. The subtle phrasing of this verse also allows for it to be read, "Unto Him ascends the good word and the righteous deed uplifts it," meaning the deed uplifts the word, as in a saying attributed to Ibn Abbas: "The good word is the remembrance of God, which is taken up to God, and the righteous deed is the performance of obligatory duties. Whosoever remembers God while performing an obligatory duty, his deed carries his remembrance of God and takes it up to God. Whosoever remembers God and does not perform the obligatory duties, his words will be rejected, as will his deed".
But it must also be recognized that the good word is a good deed in and of itself. The phrase could also be understood to mean, "Unto Him ascends the good word, and as for the righteous deed, it uplifts it", meaning that the good word uplifts the righteous deed in the sense that no good deed is accepted by God unless there is a sincere declaration of faith that precedes or accompanies it. He uplifts it is thus understood to mean that God makes it reach Him due to the presence of sincerity toward God within it.
Those who plot evil deeds is understood as a reference to people of duplicity and hypocrisy who perform "righteous deeds" only to deceive others into thinking that they obey God and whose deeds do not ascend. Their plotting shall come to ruin, because God knows that they perform such deeds only to be seen of others and not because of belief in God.
Compiled From:
"The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary" - Seyyed Hossein Nasr