﴿20﴾ مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الْآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ وَمَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ نَصِيبٍ

20. Whosoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, We give him increase in his reward, and whosoever desires the reward of this world, We give him thereof, and he has no portion in the Hereafter.

Exegesis:

The value of man’s deeds depend upon his intentions as well as his long term and short term goals. All Rewards shall be granted by God Almighty. Such Rewards shall be granted proportionate to man’s intention and choice. The Arabic word harth indicates earning and acting as it is said fulānun yahrithu li-'ayālihi, i.e. so and so works to earn a living for his family. The agricultural land which is plowed for sowing is figuratively called harth, since benefits will be gained from working on it as farmers plow their land in autumn and sow the seeds such that they reap the crops in summer. Act is likened to seeds, since they are supposed to be scattered onto the land, penetrate into it, remain there for some time, sprout through sunshine and irrigation, and grow and bear fruit and crops. Likewise, righteous good deeds are sown in the farmland of man’s soul and turn into permanent dispositions of mind through recurrently acting upon them and they will bear fruit in this world and/or the Hereafter. It should be known that any deed will bear fruit whose quality depends on intent and will of the agent. One who sows the seeds of good deeds in the farmland of his heart and removes

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the weeds and impurities from it through the hoe of fearing God Almighty and irrigates it with the pure water of faith and devotion aspiring to reap the harvest in the Hereafter, he has done good deeds with perfect faith and devotion. As God Almighty has said regarding expending in His Cause, He will reward him seven-hundredfold or more. To reap the crops of the good deeds in this world depends upon Divine Mercy and Grace, but it will entail being deprived of the portion of rewards to be granted by God Almighty in the Hereafter.