وَلَا تَسْتَوِى ٱلْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا ٱلسَّيِّئَةُ ۚ ٱدْفَعْ بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُۥ عَدَٰوَةٌۭ كَأَنَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌۭ
Wa laa tastawil hasanatu wa las saiyi'ah; idfa' billatee hiya ahsanu fa'izal lazee bainaka wa bainahoo 'adaawatun ka'annahoo waliyun hameem
And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.

Tafsir

76%43%48%Al-JalalaynIbn AbbasIbn Kathir
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And they are not equal the good deed and the evil deed even with respect to their subdivisions because any number of such good deeds are always above any number of the latter. Repel the evil deed with that in other words with that trait which is better such as repelling anger with endurance ignorance with forbearance and the intention to inflict harm with pardon then behold he between whom and you there was enmity will be as though he were a dear friend in other words then your enemy will become like a close friend in terms of his affection for you if you act in such a way alladhī ‘he … whom’ is the subject; ka-annahu ‘as though’ is the predicate; idhā is an adverbial particle for expressing the comparative import.

Related Hadiths

Sunan an-Nasa'i #4703It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said:Sahih
"The best of you is the one who is best in repaying."
Sunan Abu Dawud #4921Narrated AbudDarda':Sahih
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Shall I not inform you of something more excellent in degree than fasting, prayer and almsgiving (sadaqah)? The people replied: Yes, Prophet of Allah! He said: It is putting things right between people, spoiling them is the shaver (destructive).
Jami` at-Tirmidhi #2075Hudhaifah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:Da'if
“Do not be a people without a will of your own, saying: 'If people treat us well, we will treat them well; and if they do wrong, we will do wrong,' but accustom yourselves to do good if people do good, and do not behave unjustly if they do evil.”
Sunan Ibn Majah #3950It was narrated from ‘Aishah, the Mother of the Believers, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:Hasan
“The most quickly rewarded of good deeds are kindness and upholding the ties of kinship, and the most quickly punished evil deeds are injustice and severing the ties of kinship.”
Sahih al-Bukhari #5321Narrated Abu Musa:Sahih
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'The example of a good pious companion and an evil one is that of a person carrying musk and another blowing a pair of bellows. The one who is carrying musk will either give you some perfume as a present, or you will buy some from him, or you will get a good smell from him, but the one who is blowing a pair of bellows will either burn your clothes or you will get a bad smell from him."

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وَٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلْخَٰشِعِينَ
And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah]
ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Then We forgave you after that so perhaps you would be grateful.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ
O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.
ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۭ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ
Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."
فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوْا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
And if they cease, then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ وَٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ وَٱلْقَٰنِتِينَ وَٱلْمُنفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِٱلْأَسْحَارِ
The patient, the true, the obedient, those who spend [in the way of Allah], and those who seek forgiveness before dawn.

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بٱلصبر2x
وٱلصلوة2x
ٱلذين2x
ٱلله2x
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وٱستعينوا1x
وإنها1x
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على1x
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ثم1x
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