Tafsir for verse: 38:28
أَمۡ نَجۡعَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ كَٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أَمۡ نَجۡعَلُ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ كَٱلۡفُجَّارِ ٢٨ ﴿28
28Shall We make those who believe and do righteous deeds equal to those who commit mischief on the earth? Or shall We make the God-fearing equal to the sinners?
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Commentary

And when the decree was: "Shall we create that in vain; so there will be no outcome in which His wisdom appears; and we are exalted above folly?"; He followed it with His saying - in denial of what must result from leaving resurrection, from the equalization between what deserves difference in it; and that is more severe than folly; and if He were to do that; for nothing is unbecoming of Him -: "Or shall we make"; meaning: despite our greatness; "those who have believed"; meaning: in compliance with our commands; "and have done"; meaning: in affirmation of their claim of faith; "righteous deeds"; from actions; like those who caused corruption; and did evil deeds; or shall we make the reformers in the earth "like the corrupters"; meaning: those who are inclined towards corruption; firmly established in it; "in the earth"; meaning: in disbelief and otherwise; and the equalization between them, no rational person doubts that it is folly; "Or shall we make"; despite what we have of honor and might; those who are conscious of Allah like those who transgressed; or shall we make "the righteous"; meaning: those firmly established among the believers in piety that requires refraining from everything for which there is no evidence; "like the wicked"; meaning: those who are outside without refraining from the circle of piety; from those who have disbelieved; or from others; in that each of the mentioned lives according to what the situation has led him to in this world; and most often the life of the wicked is higher than the life of the righteous; then he dies and there is nothing after that?! And there is no doubt that the equality between the reformer; and the corrupter; and the pious; and the transgressor; no wise person sees it; nor does anyone else from all types of the rational; for He does not do it - glorified is He - even if He had the right to do that; for nothing is obligatory upon Him; nor is anything unbecoming of Him; and it has been known that the verse is from the interweaving; and that it refers to another interweaving; for He mentioned "those who have believed"; first; as a proof for "those who caused corruption"; second; and He mentioned "the corrupters"; second; as a proof for "the believers"; first; and this was understood by mentioning those who are conscious of Allah; and their opposites; and the secret of what was mentioned; and what was omitted; is that He mentioned the lowest levels of faith as a reminder of its nobility; and that it is the cause of happiness; even if it is at the lowest of levels; and He mentioned the highest states of corruption; as an indication that He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills; and He mentioned the highest states of piety; hinting that no one is described by it and deserves its reward except the one who is firmly established in it; encouraging the believer to ascend to its peaks.

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