وَٱتَّقُوا۟ يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
“And guard yourselves against a day in which ye will be brought back to Allah. Then every soul will be paid in full that which it hath earned, and they will not be wronged.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Taberî, this expression indicates that no sin committed by no one will be imposed on anyone, and no sinner will be held responsible for another's sin, and similarly, no doer of good will be deprived of the reward of their good deed. Allah, as required by His wisdom, punishes or rewards both groups from the people of good and evil with what they deserve; since injustice means placing something in a place where it does not belong, Allah never places anything outside of the place it deserves. The text also conveys reports that this verse is the last verse revealed in the Qur'an.
لا يجازى المسيء منهم إلا عقوبة على ذنبه، لا على ما لم يعمل، ولا يحمل عليه ذنب غيره، ولا يبخس المحسن منهم ثواب إحسانه
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
Zemahşerî rejects reports of the Israelite type concerning Yusuf's chastity (such as Gabriel coming, seeing an idol representation, the woman covering the idol). According to him, the Qur'an's praise of Yusuf as 'muhlesîn' (those who excel in doing good) is clear evidence that he is free from this transgression and that he persevered through struggling against his soul with determination and strength. He describes those who narrate such contrary reports as 'people of fabrication and compulsion' who slander the prophets, and states that this is not the way of the people of justice and monotheism.
وأهل العدل والتوحيد ليسوا من مقالاتهم ورواياتهم بحمد الله بسبيل ، ولو وجدت من يوسف عليه السلام أدنى زلة لنعيت عليه وذكرت توبته واستغفاره
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, this verse announces the day on which each person will return to Allah according to the deeds they have earned (the Day of Resurrection/the Day of Reckoning); it emphasizes that good deeds will not receive less reward and evil deeds will not receive more. It is stated that in the expression 'illallah' there is an elided genitive construction (His judgment regarding Allah, the execution of His decree). It is also stated that the verse carries clear evidence that reward and punishment are tied to the earning of deeds, and that this is a refutation of the Jabarite school.
وفي هذه الآية نص على أن الثواب والعقاب متعلق بكسب الأعمال وهو رد على الجبرية
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
In this section, Ibn Kesîr conveys reports regarding the revelation location of Surah Al-Baqarah, its naming, and whether this verse is the last verse revealed in the Qur'an, more than the exegesis of the verse itself. It is narrated that the surah was revealed in Medina, along with the counts of verses, words and letters, and the report that the Prophet Muhammad died nine days after this verse was revealed. In addition, a weak hadith stating that naming the surah 'Al-Baqarah' is disliked, and reports that the Companions were called 'O people of Surah Al-Baqarah' in battles are also mentioned.
وقد روى أن هذه الآية آخر آية نزلت من القرآن العظيم فقال ابن لهيعة حدثني عطاء بن دينار عن سعيد بن جبير قال آخر ما نزل من القرآن كله وعاش النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بعد نزول هذه الآية تسع ليال ثم مات يوم الأثنين لليلتين خلتا من ربيع الأول
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, the expression 'the day you will be returned' in the verse means the Day of Resurrection or the day of death, and this points to the fact that people need to prepare themselves for their return to Allah. Every soul will see the full recompense of what it has earned; it will not be wronged by reducing its reward or unjustly increasing its punishment. Furthermore, according to a report narrated from Ibn Abbas, this verse is the last verse brought by Gabriel, and it is reported that it was established as the 280th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah; the Prophet lived for a short time after this verse with different reports of 21 days, 81 days, 7 days, or 3 hours.
وعن ابن عباس رضي الله تعالى عنهما (أنها آخر آية نزل بها جبريل عليه السلام وقال ضعها في رأس المائتين والثمانين من البقرة) وعاش رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بعدها أحدا وعشرين يوما
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, the verse expresses that every responsible person will receive the full recompense of their deed when they return to Allah, and their right will reach them without any reduction. While the Waidiyyah, based on this verse, assert with certainty that the transgressors will be punished, the school to which the author belongs contends that since a believer's reward must reach them, eternal residence in Hell is not possible, and they base this on this verse.
المراد أن كل مكلف فهو عند الرجوع إلى الله لا بد وأن يصل إليه جزاء عمله بالتمام
Comparison
Common ground
Taberî, Kurtubî, Beydâvî and Râzî unite on the point that the verse emphasizes that a person will see full and just recompense according to their deed, with neither reduction in reward nor unjust increase in punishment. Furthermore, Taberî, Ibn Kesîr, and Beydâvî commonly transmit reports that this verse is the last verse revealed in the Qur'an.
Differences
While Taberî uses linguistic analysis together with reports, Kurtubî directs toward a theological conclusion by emphasizing that the verse carries a refutation of the Jabarite school. Râzî, on the other hand, places the same verse on a different ground of evidence in the Waidiyyah-Ahl al-Sunnah discussion; this shows how school differences can yield different theological conclusions from the same text. While Ibn Kesîr focuses more on revelation circumstances and report material than exegesis, Zemahşerî (even if in the context of another verse) rejects Israelite reports through rational/doctrinal principles, demonstrating a different method. Beydâvî draws attention to variant readings and contextual layers of meaning.
Historical context
In the process extending from Taberî to Râzî, the fundamental meaning (just recompense) has remained fixed, but over time the exegetical method has evolved from a report-heavy approach (Taberî, Ibn Kesîr) to more systematic theological/doctrinal reasoning (Kurtubî, Râzî). This reflects how the exegetical tradition has increasingly harmonized narration with rational and school-specific discussions in a more conscious manner; no single 'correct' reading stands out.
Modern connection
This comparative reading reminds us of the principle that one is responsible for one's own effort and intention, and will not be blamed for another's error; this can nourish individual responsibility consciousness with a sincere and constructive life attitude. Furthermore, the various readings different exegetes have of the same verse point to the importance of multifaceted thinking in the scholarly tradition and a culture of respectful dialogue.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar