Indeed those who disbelieve and bar from the way of God His path namely guidance and then die as disbelievers God will never forgive them — this was revealed regarding the men of the Well al-qalīb.
Nullifying the Disbelievers' Deeds and the Command to chase Them
Allah then informs about those who disbelieve, obstruct others from the path of Allah, oppose the Messenger and contend with him, and revert from the faith after guidance has become clear to them. He indicates that those people can never harm Allah in the least, and rather they only harm themselves and become losers on the Day of Resurrection. He will nullify their deeds. Allah will not reward them even the weight of a mosquito (i.e., the smallest thing) for any good that they did before their apostasy, but would instead totally invalidate and destroy it. Their apostasy wipes away their good deeds entirely, just as the good deeds would normally wipe away the evil deeds. Imam Ahmad Ibn Nasr Al-Marwazi reported in Kitab As-Salah (the Book of Prayer) that Abu Al-`Aliyah said, "The Prophet's Companions used to think that no sin would harm a person who says `La ilaha illallah,' just as no good deed would benefit a person who joins partners with Allah. So Allah revealed,
أَطِيعُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَلاَ تُبْطِلُواْ أَعْمَـلَكُمْ
(Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate your deeds.) This made them fear that some sins could nullify their deeds." It has also been reported from Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said, "We, the Companions of Allah's Messenger ﷺ, used to think that good deeds would all be accepted, until Allah revealed,
أَطِيعُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَلاَ تُبْطِلُواْ أَعْمَـلَكُمْ
(Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate your deeds. ) So we asked each other: `What is it that can nullify our deeds' So we said, `The major sins, great offenses that require admission into the Fire and immoral sins.' But then Allah revealed,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ
(Verily, Allah does not forgive joining partners with Him in worship, but He forgives except that to whom He wills.) (4:48) After this was revealed, we ceased saying that. We thereafter continued to fear for those who committed great sins and immoral sins and to have hope for those who did not." Then, Allah commands His believing servants to obey Him and His Messenger , which would result in their happiness in this worldly life and the Hereafter. He also prohibits them from apostasy, because that would result in the nullification of their deeds. Thus He says,
وَلاَ تُبْطِلُواْ أَعْمَـلَكُمْ
(and do not invalidate your deeds.) meaning, by apostasy. Thus, Allah says after this,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُواْ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ
(Verily, those who disbelieved and obstructed others from the path of Allah and then died as disbelievers -- never will Allah forgive them.) This is similar to His saying,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ
(Verily, Allah does not forgive joining partners with Him in worship, but He forgives except that to whom He wills.) (4:48) Allah then addresses His believing servants by saying,
فَلاَ تَهِنُواْ
(So do not lose heart) meaning, do not be weak concerning the enemies.
وَتَدْعُواْ إِلَى السَّلْمِ
(and beg for peace) meaning, compromise, peace, and ending the fighting between you and the disbelievers while you are in a position of power, both in great numbers and preparations. Thus, Allah says,
فَلاَ تَهِنُواْ وَتَدْعُواْ إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنتُمُ الاٌّعْلَوْنَ
(So do not lose heart and beg for peace while you are superior.) meaning, in the condition of your superiority over your enemy. If, on the other hand, the disbelievers are considered more powerful and numerous than the Muslims, then the Imam (general commander) may decide to hold a treaty if he judges that it entails a benefit for the Muslims. This is like what Allah's Messenger ﷺ did when the disbelievers obstructed him from entering Makkah and offered him treaty in which all fighting would stop between them for ten years. Consequently, he agreed to that. Allah then says:
وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ
(And Allah is with you) This contains the good news of victory and triumph over the enemies.
وَلَن يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَـلَكُمْ
(and He will never deprive you of (the reward of) your deeds.) meaning, Allah will never invalidate your deeds, nullify them, or deprive you of them, but rather He will give you your rewards complete, without any reduction." And Allah knows best.
إن الذين جحدوا أن الله هو الإله الحق وحده لا شريك له وصدُّوا الناس عن دينه، ثم ماتوا على ذلك، فلن يغفر الله لهم، وسيعذبهم عقابًا لهم على كفرهم، ويفضحهم على رؤوس الأشهاد.
قوله تعالى "إن الذين كفروا وصدوا عن سبيل الله ثم ماتوا وهم كفار فلن يغفر الله لهم" كقوله سبحانه وتعالى "إن الله لا يغفر أن يشرك به ويغفر ما دون ذلك لمن يشاء" الآية.
ثم بين - سبحانه - سوء مصير الذين استمروا على كفرهم حتى ماتوا عليه فقال : ( إِنَّ الذين كَفَرُواْ ) بالله - تعالى - ، وبكل ما يجب الإِيمان به .( وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ الله ) أى : ومنعوا غيرهم عن الطريق التى توصلهم إلى طاعة الله ورضاه . ( ثُمَّ مَاتُواْ ) جميعا ، ( وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ) دون أن يقلعوا عن كفرهم .( فَلَن يَغْفِرَ الله لَهُمْ ) شيئا من ذنوبهم ، لأن استمرارهم على الكفر حال بينهم وبين المغفرة .ومن الآيات الكثيرة التى تشبه هذه الآية فى معناها قوله - تعالى - : ( إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَمَاتُواْ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِم مِّلْءُ الأرض ذَهَباً وَلَوِ افتدى بِهِ أولئك لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ )
وقوله ( إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: إن الذين أنكروا توحيد الله, وصدوا من أراد الإيمان بالله وبرسوله عن ذلك, ففتنوهم عنه, وحالوا بينهم وبين ما أرادوا من ذلك, ثم ماتوا وهم كفار: يقول: ثم ماتوا وهم على ذلك من كفرهم ( فَلَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ ) يقول: فلن يعفو الله عما صنع من ذلك, ولكنه يعاقبه عليه, ويفضحه به على رءوس الأشهاد.
( إن الذين كفروا وصدوا عن سبيل الله ثم ماتوا وهم كفار فلن يغفر الله لهم ) قيل : هم أصحاب القليب . وحكمها عام .
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ (34(هذه الآية تكملة لآية { إن الذين كفروا وصدّوا عن سبيل الله وشاقوا الرسول } [ محمد : 32 ] الخ لأن تلك مسوقة لعدم الاكتراث بمشاقّهم ولبيان أن الله مبطل صنائعهم وهذه مسوقة لبيان عدم انتفاعهم لمغفرة الله إذ ماتوا على ما هم عليه من الكفر فهي مستأنفة استئنافاً ابتدائياً .واقتران خبر الموصول بالفاء إيماء إلى أنه أشرف معنى الشرط فلا يراد به ذو صلة معيّن بل المراد كل من تحققت فيه ماهية الصلة وهي الكفر والموت على الكفر .
هذه الآية والتي في البقرة قوله: { وَمَنْ يَرْتَدِدْ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ } مقيدتان، لكل نص مطلق، فيه إحباط العمل بالكفر، فإنه مقيد بالموت عليه، فقال هنا: { إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا } بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر { وَصَدُّوا } الخلق { عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ } بتزهيدهم إياهم بالحق، ودعوتهم إلى الباطل، وتزيينه، { ثُمَّ مَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ } لم يتوبوا منه، { فَلَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ } لا بشفاعة ولا بغيرها، لأنه قد تحتم عليهم العقاب، وفاتهم الثواب، ووجب عليهم الخلود في النار، وسدت عليهم رحمة الرحيم الغفار.ومفهوم الآية الكريمة أنهم إن تابوا من ذلك قبل موتهم، فإن الله يغفر لهم ويرحمهم، ويدخلهم الجنة، ولو كانوا مفنين أعمارهم في الكفر به والصد عن سبيله، والإقدام على معاصيه، فسبحان من فتح لعباده أبواب الرحمة، ولم يغلقها عن أحد، ما دام حيا متمكنا من التوبة.وسبحان الحليم، الذي لا يعاجل العاصين بالعقوبة، بل يعافيهم، ويرزقهم، كأنهم ما عصوه مع قدرته عليهم.
بين أن الاعتبار بالوفاة على الكفر يوجب الخلود في النار .وقد مضى في " البقرة " الكلام فيه .وقيل : إن المراد بالآية أصحاب القليب .وحكمها عام .
It is mentioned in a tradition that, during the period of the Prophet Muhammad, certain Muslims opined that if they professed, ‘la ilaha illallah’ (there is nobody worth worshipping except God), they would come to no harm by any sin. In that connection, this verse 33 was revealed. In this light the verse means that a man should combine obedience with Faith. He should carry out not only the harmless commandments but also those commandments for which he has to crush his self and jeopardize his interests. If he does not do so, his earlier deeds will be of no avail. The position of weak Muslims is that they will support the Truth on the condition that they should not have to incur the displeasure of the great men of their day. When they see that supporting the Truth is becoming a cause of displeasure to them, they tilt towards them even if these great men are rejecters of the Truth or stubbornly resistant to it. Those who reject the Truth or set themselves up as its opponents can never receive the grace of God. Then how can those who side with such rejecters of Truth meet with any other fate? In Islam there is war as well as peace. But that war is not Islamic which is fought under provocation. In Islam only defensive war is permitted. Such a war should not be the consequence of an emotional reaction, but one which results from a proper decision, and is defensive by nature.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ (Those who disbelieve and prevent (others) from Allah's way, Allah will never forgive them...- 47:34): verse [ 32] has a similar warning in similar words. The present verse [ 34] seems to repeat almost the same warning. But the difference is probably that verse 32 describes the loss of the infidels in this world, and the current verse describes their loss in the next world as indicated in the commentary. It is also possible that in the earlier verse the reference was to infidels in general which included those people who embraced Islam later on. The ruling regarding them was that all the good works which they had done in the state of disbelief would go to waste. Even after embracing Islam they would not be rewarded for them. The current verse refers in particular to those infidels who persisted in their disbelief and idolatry until their dying day. The ruling regarding them is that Allah will never forgive them in the next world. Allah knows best.
(Lo! those who disbelieve) in Muhammad (pbuh) and the Qur'an; this refers to those who sponsored the feeding of the army of disbelievers on the Day of Badr (and turn from the way of Allah) and turn away people from the religion and obedience of Allah (and then die) or killed as (disbelievers) in Allah and His Messenger, (Allah surely will not pardon them) because they are disbelievers in Allah and His Messenger.
Indeed those who disbelieve and bar from the way of God His path namely guidance and then die as disbelievers God will never forgive them — this was revealed regarding the men of the Well al-qalīb.
Nullifying the Disbelievers' Deeds and the Command to chase Them
Allah then informs about those who disbelieve, obstruct others from the path of Allah, oppose the Messenger and contend with him, and revert from the faith after guidance has become clear to them. He indicates that those people can never harm Allah in the least, and rather they only harm themselves and become losers on the Day of Resurrection. He will nullify their deeds. Allah will not reward them even the weight of a mosquito (i.e., the smallest thing) for any good that they did before their apostasy, but would instead totally invalidate and destroy it. Their apostasy wipes away their good deeds entirely, just as the good deeds would normally wipe away the evil deeds. Imam Ahmad Ibn Nasr Al-Marwazi reported in Kitab As-Salah (the Book of Prayer) that Abu Al-`Aliyah said, "The Prophet's Companions used to think that no sin would harm a person who says `La ilaha illallah,' just as no good deed would benefit a person who joins partners with Allah. So Allah revealed,
أَطِيعُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَلاَ تُبْطِلُواْ أَعْمَـلَكُمْ
(Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate your deeds.) This made them fear that some sins could nullify their deeds." It has also been reported from Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said, "We, the Companions of Allah's Messenger ﷺ, used to think that good deeds would all be accepted, until Allah revealed,
أَطِيعُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَلاَ تُبْطِلُواْ أَعْمَـلَكُمْ
(Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate your deeds. ) So we asked each other: `What is it that can nullify our deeds' So we said, `The major sins, great offenses that require admission into the Fire and immoral sins.' But then Allah revealed,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ
(Verily, Allah does not forgive joining partners with Him in worship, but He forgives except that to whom He wills.) (4:48) After this was revealed, we ceased saying that. We thereafter continued to fear for those who committed great sins and immoral sins and to have hope for those who did not." Then, Allah commands His believing servants to obey Him and His Messenger , which would result in their happiness in this worldly life and the Hereafter. He also prohibits them from apostasy, because that would result in the nullification of their deeds. Thus He says,
وَلاَ تُبْطِلُواْ أَعْمَـلَكُمْ
(and do not invalidate your deeds.) meaning, by apostasy. Thus, Allah says after this,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُواْ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ
(Verily, those who disbelieved and obstructed others from the path of Allah and then died as disbelievers -- never will Allah forgive them.) This is similar to His saying,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ
(Verily, Allah does not forgive joining partners with Him in worship, but He forgives except that to whom He wills.) (4:48) Allah then addresses His believing servants by saying,
فَلاَ تَهِنُواْ
(So do not lose heart) meaning, do not be weak concerning the enemies.
وَتَدْعُواْ إِلَى السَّلْمِ
(and beg for peace) meaning, compromise, peace, and ending the fighting between you and the disbelievers while you are in a position of power, both in great numbers and preparations. Thus, Allah says,
فَلاَ تَهِنُواْ وَتَدْعُواْ إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنتُمُ الاٌّعْلَوْنَ
(So do not lose heart and beg for peace while you are superior.) meaning, in the condition of your superiority over your enemy. If, on the other hand, the disbelievers are considered more powerful and numerous than the Muslims, then the Imam (general commander) may decide to hold a treaty if he judges that it entails a benefit for the Muslims. This is like what Allah's Messenger ﷺ did when the disbelievers obstructed him from entering Makkah and offered him treaty in which all fighting would stop between them for ten years. Consequently, he agreed to that. Allah then says:
وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ
(And Allah is with you) This contains the good news of victory and triumph over the enemies.
وَلَن يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَـلَكُمْ
(and He will never deprive you of (the reward of) your deeds.) meaning, Allah will never invalidate your deeds, nullify them, or deprive you of them, but rather He will give you your rewards complete, without any reduction." And Allah knows best.
إن الذين جحدوا أن الله هو الإله الحق وحده لا شريك له وصدُّوا الناس عن دينه، ثم ماتوا على ذلك، فلن يغفر الله لهم، وسيعذبهم عقابًا لهم على كفرهم، ويفضحهم على رؤوس الأشهاد.
قوله تعالى "إن الذين كفروا وصدوا عن سبيل الله ثم ماتوا وهم كفار فلن يغفر الله لهم" كقوله سبحانه وتعالى "إن الله لا يغفر أن يشرك به ويغفر ما دون ذلك لمن يشاء" الآية.
ثم بين - سبحانه - سوء مصير الذين استمروا على كفرهم حتى ماتوا عليه فقال : ( إِنَّ الذين كَفَرُواْ ) بالله - تعالى - ، وبكل ما يجب الإِيمان به .( وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ الله ) أى : ومنعوا غيرهم عن الطريق التى توصلهم إلى طاعة الله ورضاه . ( ثُمَّ مَاتُواْ ) جميعا ، ( وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ) دون أن يقلعوا عن كفرهم .( فَلَن يَغْفِرَ الله لَهُمْ ) شيئا من ذنوبهم ، لأن استمرارهم على الكفر حال بينهم وبين المغفرة .ومن الآيات الكثيرة التى تشبه هذه الآية فى معناها قوله - تعالى - : ( إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَمَاتُواْ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِم مِّلْءُ الأرض ذَهَباً وَلَوِ افتدى بِهِ أولئك لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ )
وقوله ( إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: إن الذين أنكروا توحيد الله, وصدوا من أراد الإيمان بالله وبرسوله عن ذلك, ففتنوهم عنه, وحالوا بينهم وبين ما أرادوا من ذلك, ثم ماتوا وهم كفار: يقول: ثم ماتوا وهم على ذلك من كفرهم ( فَلَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ ) يقول: فلن يعفو الله عما صنع من ذلك, ولكنه يعاقبه عليه, ويفضحه به على رءوس الأشهاد.
( إن الذين كفروا وصدوا عن سبيل الله ثم ماتوا وهم كفار فلن يغفر الله لهم ) قيل : هم أصحاب القليب . وحكمها عام .
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ (34(هذه الآية تكملة لآية { إن الذين كفروا وصدّوا عن سبيل الله وشاقوا الرسول } [ محمد : 32 ] الخ لأن تلك مسوقة لعدم الاكتراث بمشاقّهم ولبيان أن الله مبطل صنائعهم وهذه مسوقة لبيان عدم انتفاعهم لمغفرة الله إذ ماتوا على ما هم عليه من الكفر فهي مستأنفة استئنافاً ابتدائياً .واقتران خبر الموصول بالفاء إيماء إلى أنه أشرف معنى الشرط فلا يراد به ذو صلة معيّن بل المراد كل من تحققت فيه ماهية الصلة وهي الكفر والموت على الكفر .
هذه الآية والتي في البقرة قوله: { وَمَنْ يَرْتَدِدْ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ } مقيدتان، لكل نص مطلق، فيه إحباط العمل بالكفر، فإنه مقيد بالموت عليه، فقال هنا: { إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا } بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر { وَصَدُّوا } الخلق { عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ } بتزهيدهم إياهم بالحق، ودعوتهم إلى الباطل، وتزيينه، { ثُمَّ مَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ } لم يتوبوا منه، { فَلَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ } لا بشفاعة ولا بغيرها، لأنه قد تحتم عليهم العقاب، وفاتهم الثواب، ووجب عليهم الخلود في النار، وسدت عليهم رحمة الرحيم الغفار.ومفهوم الآية الكريمة أنهم إن تابوا من ذلك قبل موتهم، فإن الله يغفر لهم ويرحمهم، ويدخلهم الجنة، ولو كانوا مفنين أعمارهم في الكفر به والصد عن سبيله، والإقدام على معاصيه، فسبحان من فتح لعباده أبواب الرحمة، ولم يغلقها عن أحد، ما دام حيا متمكنا من التوبة.وسبحان الحليم، الذي لا يعاجل العاصين بالعقوبة، بل يعافيهم، ويرزقهم، كأنهم ما عصوه مع قدرته عليهم.
بين أن الاعتبار بالوفاة على الكفر يوجب الخلود في النار .وقد مضى في " البقرة " الكلام فيه .وقيل : إن المراد بالآية أصحاب القليب .وحكمها عام .
It is mentioned in a tradition that, during the period of the Prophet Muhammad, certain Muslims opined that if they professed, ‘la ilaha illallah’ (there is nobody worth worshipping except God), they would come to no harm by any sin. In that connection, this verse 33 was revealed. In this light the verse means that a man should combine obedience with Faith. He should carry out not only the harmless commandments but also those commandments for which he has to crush his self and jeopardize his interests. If he does not do so, his earlier deeds will be of no avail. The position of weak Muslims is that they will support the Truth on the condition that they should not have to incur the displeasure of the great men of their day. When they see that supporting the Truth is becoming a cause of displeasure to them, they tilt towards them even if these great men are rejecters of the Truth or stubbornly resistant to it. Those who reject the Truth or set themselves up as its opponents can never receive the grace of God. Then how can those who side with such rejecters of Truth meet with any other fate? In Islam there is war as well as peace. But that war is not Islamic which is fought under provocation. In Islam only defensive war is permitted. Such a war should not be the consequence of an emotional reaction, but one which results from a proper decision, and is defensive by nature.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ (Those who disbelieve and prevent (others) from Allah's way, Allah will never forgive them...- 47:34): verse [ 32] has a similar warning in similar words. The present verse [ 34] seems to repeat almost the same warning. But the difference is probably that verse 32 describes the loss of the infidels in this world, and the current verse describes their loss in the next world as indicated in the commentary. It is also possible that in the earlier verse the reference was to infidels in general which included those people who embraced Islam later on. The ruling regarding them was that all the good works which they had done in the state of disbelief would go to waste. Even after embracing Islam they would not be rewarded for them. The current verse refers in particular to those infidels who persisted in their disbelief and idolatry until their dying day. The ruling regarding them is that Allah will never forgive them in the next world. Allah knows best.
(Lo! those who disbelieve) in Muhammad (pbuh) and the Qur'an; this refers to those who sponsored the feeding of the army of disbelievers on the Day of Badr (and turn from the way of Allah) and turn away people from the religion and obedience of Allah (and then die) or killed as (disbelievers) in Allah and His Messenger, (Allah surely will not pardon them) because they are disbelievers in Allah and His Messenger.