(And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then, and whoso doeth ill an atom’s weight will see it then) [99:7-8]. Said Muqatil: “These two verses were revealed about two men. One of them deemed it unworthy to give beggars one date, a small piece of bread or one walnut, saying to himself: ‘Such things are nothing. We only get rewarded when we give away something that we love’. The other man used to belittle minor sins such as small lies, backbiting and looking at that which is unlawful, saying to himself: ‘No onus is on me because of engaging in this, for Allah threatens with hellfire only those who commit enormities’. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed these two verses, encouraging people to perform even small acts of goodness, for they add up in the final run, and cautioning them against even small sins, for they add up in the final run (And whoso doeth good an atom’s weight will see it then, and whoso doeth ill an atom’s weight will see it then)”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
