Surah Al-Hadid 57:28

The Believers of the People of the Scriptures will earn Double their Rewards

Earlier we mentioned a Hadith that An-Nasa'i collected from Ibn `Abbas that this Ayah is about the People of the Scriptures who believe in Islam, and that they will earn double their reward if they do so. There is an Ayah in Surat Al-Qasas to support this meaning. Also, there is a Hadith from Ash-Sha`bi from Abu Burdah from his father from Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«ثَلَاثَةٌ يُؤْتَوْنَ أَجْرَهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ آمَنَ بِنَبِيِّهِ وَآمَنَ بِي فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ، وَعَبْدٌ مَمْلُوكٌ أَدَّى حَقَّ اللهِ وَحَقَّ مَوَالِيهِ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ، وَرَجُلٌ أَدَّبَ أَمَتَهُ فَأَحْسَنَ تَأْدِيبَهَا، ثُمَّ أَعْتَقَهَا وَتَزَوَّجَهَا فَلَهُ أَجْرَان»

(Three will get their reward twice. A believer from the People of the Scriptures who has been a true believer in his Prophet and then believes in me, will get a double reward. A slave who fulfills Allah's rights and obligations as well as the duties of his master, will get a double reward. A person who has a slave-girl and he educates her properly and teaches her good manners properly (without violence) and then manumits and marries her, will get a double reward.) This Hadith is recorded in the Two Sahihs. Ad-Dahhak, `Utbah bin Abi Hakim and others agreed with Ibn `Abbas in this, and Ibn Jarir preferred it. Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

يِـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ إَن تَتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّكُمْ فُرْقَانًا وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ

(O you who believe! If you have Taqwa of Allah, He will grant you a criterion, and will expiate for you your sins, and forgive you; and Allah is Owner of the great bounty.)(8:29) Sa`id bin `Abdul-`Aziz said, `Umar bin Al-Khattab asked a Jewish rabbi, `What is the maximum a reward would be increased for you' He replied, `A Kifl (portion) which is about three hundred and fifty good merits.' So `Umar said, `Praise be to Allah who gave us two Kifls.' Then Sa`id mentioned Allah's saying:

يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِن رَّحْمَتِهِ

(He will give you a double portion of His mercy,) Sa`id said, "And the two Kifls on Friday are similar to that." This was recorded by Ibn Jarir. This view has support from the Hadith that Imam Ahmad recorded from `Abdullah bin `Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«مَثَلُكُمْ وَمَثَلُ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ اسْتَعْمَلَ عُمَّالًا فَقَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِي مِنْ صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ عَلَى قِيرَاطٍ قِيرَاطٍ؟ أَلَا فَعَمِلَتِ الْيَهُودُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِي مِنْ صَلَاةِ الظُّهْرِ إِلَى صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ عَلَى قِيرَاطٍ قِيرَاطٍ؟ أَلَا فَعَمِلَتِ النَّصَارَى، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِي مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ إِلَى غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ عَلَى قِيرَاطَيْنِ قِيرَاطَيْنِ؟ أَلَا فَأَنْتُمُ الَّذِينَ عَمِلْتُمْ، فَغَضِبَ النَّصَارَى وَالْيَهُودُ وَقَالُوا: نَحْنُ أَكْثَرُ عَمَلًا وَأَقَلُّ عَطَاءً، قَالَ: هَلْ ظَلَمْتُكُمْ مِنْ أَجْرِكُمْ شَيْئًا؟ قَالُوا: لَا، قَالَ: فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ فَضْلِي أُوتِيهِ مَنْ أَشَاء»

(The parable of you and the Jews and Christians is that of a person who employed some laborers and asked them, "Who will work for me from the Dawn prayer until midday for one Qirat (a special weight of gold) each" So, the Jews worked. The person asked, "Who will do the work for me from the Zuhr prayer to the time of the `Asr prayer for one Qirat each" So, the Christians worked. Then the person asked, "Who will do the work for me from `Asr prayer until sunset for two Qirat each" You are those who did this work. The Jews and the Christians got angry and said, "We did more work, but got less wages." Allah said, "Have I been unjust to you with your reward" They said, "No." So, Allah said, "Then it is My grace which I bestow on whomever I will.") Al-Bukhari collected this Hadith. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Musa said that the Prophet said,

«مَثَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ اسْتَعْمَلَ قَوْمًا يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ عَمَلًا يَوْمًا إِلَى اللَّيْلِ عَلَى أَجْرٍ مَعْلُومٍ، فَعَمِلُوا إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ فَقَالُوا: لَا حَاجَةَ لَنَا فِي أَجْرِكَ الَّذِي شَرَطْتَ لَنَا، وَمَا عَمِلْنَا بَاطِلٌ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: لَا تَفْعَلُوا، أَكْمِلُوا بَقِيَّةَ عَمَلِكُمْ، وَخُذُوا أَجْرَكُمْ كَامِلًا، فَأَبَوا وَتَرَكُوا وَاسْتَأْجَرَ آخَرِينَ بَعْدَهُمْ فَقَالَ: أَكْمِلُوا بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِكُمْ وَلَكُمُ الَّذِي شَرَطْتُ لَهُمْ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ، فَعَمِلُوا حَتْى إِذَا كَانَ حِينَ صَلَّوُا الْعَصْرَ قَالُوا: مَا عَمِلْنَا بَاطِلٌ، وَلَكَ الْأَجْرُ الَّذِي جَعَلْتَ لَنَا فِيهِ. فَقَالَ: أَكْمِلُوا بَقِيَّةَ عَمَلِكُمْ، فَإِنَّمَا بَقِيَ مِنَ النَّهَارِ شَيْءٌ يَسِيرٌ، فَأَبَوا. فَاسْتَأْجَرَ قَوْمًا أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا لَهُ بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِمْ فَعَمِلُوا لَهُ بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِمْ حَتْى غَابَتِ الشَّمْسُ، فَاسْتَكْمَلُوا أُجْرَةَ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ كِلَيْهِمَا، فَذلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ وَمَثَلُ مَا قَبِلُوا مِنْ هذَا النُّور»

(The parable of the Muslims, Jews and Christians is that of a man who employed laborers to work for him from morning until night for a known wage. So, they worked until midday and said, `We are not in need of the wages that you promised and our work was in vain.' So, the man said, `Do not quit now, complete the rest of the work and yours will be the full wage I have fixed for it.' However, they refused and quit, and he had to hire another batch of workers. He said (to the second batch), `Complete the work for the rest of the day and I will give you the same wage I promised the first batch.' So, they worked until the time of the `Asr prayer and said, `Whatever we have done is in vain and we forfeit the wages you promised us.' He said to them, `Complete your day's work, for only a small part of the day remains.' However, they refused, and he employed another batch to work for the rest of the day, and they worked until sunset and received the wages of the two former batches. This is an example of them (i.e., the Jews and Christians) and of those who accepted this light (i.e., Islam).) Al-Bukhari was alone in recording it. Allah the Exalted said;

لِّئَلاَّ يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَـبِ أَلاَّ يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَىْءٍ مِّن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ

(So that the People of the Scriptures may know that they have no power whatsoever over the grace of Allah,) meaning, so that they become sure that they cannot prevent what Allah gives, or give what Allah prevents,

وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ

(and that (His) grace is (entirely) in His Hand to bestow it on whomsoever He wills. And Allah is the Owner of great bounty.) This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Hadid, all praise is due to Allah, and all favors come from Him.

Allah swt memerintahkan kepada Bani Israil yang telah beriman kepada Isa bin Maryam sebagai rasul dan utusan-Nya agar beriman kepada Muhammad saw yang datang sesudah itu, mengikuti perintah-perintah dan menghentikan larangan-larangan-Nya yang terdapat di dalam Al-Qur'an dan Hadis. Perintah ini pada hakikatnya menguatkan perintah Allah yang terdapat dalam Injil yang diturunkan kepada Nabi Isa. Jika Bani Israil mengikuti perintah Allah swt, maka Allah menjanjikan kepada mereka pahala dua kali lipat dari pahala yang akan diterima orang-orang yang beriman kepada Nabi Muhammad saw saja. Di samping itu akan mengampuni dosa-dosa mereka, karena Dia mengampuni dosa-dosa orang-orang yang dikehendakiNya. Jika yang dijanjikan Allah kepada pengikut Nabi Isa dan mereka beriman pula kepada Muhammad ialah: 1. Mereka akan dianugerahi pahala dua kali lipat. 2. Mereka akan diterangi cahaya petunjuk dalam menghadapi kesengsaraan dan malapetaka di hari Kiamat dan dalam menuju surga yang penuh kenikmatan. 3. Allah swt mengampuni dosa-dosa yang telah mereka perbuat.

Dalam hadis di bawah ini diterangkan orang-orang yang akan memperoleh pahala dua kali lipat, yaitu: Diriwayatkan oleh asy- Sya'biy dari Abu Burdah dari bapaknya Abu Musa al-Asy'ari, ia berkata, "Rasulullah saw bersabda, 'Tiga macam orang yang diberi pahala dua kali lipat, yaitu ahli kitab yang beriman kepada nabinya dan beriman pula kepadaku, maka baginya dua pahala, dan budak yang menunaikan hak Allah dan hak tuannya maka baginya dua pahala, dan orang yang mendidik budak perempuannya dengan baik kemudian dimerdekakan dan dikawini, maka baginya dua pahala pula." (Riwayat al-Bukhari dan Muslim)