Assalaamu alaikum. In the verses of Surat Al-layl, Allah said: (what means) {As for he who gives and fears Allah, and believes in the best [reward], We will ease him toward ease. But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need, and denies the best [reward], We will ease him toward difficulty.} [Quran 92: 5-10] If I am not wrong, one of the interpretations of ‘ease’, here, is Paradise, and one of the Interpretations of ‘difficulty’, here, is Hell. So does the verse indicates that if our good deeds are accepted, we will be doing more and more good deeds and hence our advance towards paradise will become easier, and vice versa?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The Arabic term Al-Yusra (ease) in verse 92:7 is interpreted to mean Paradise as well as the good deeds that lead to Paradise, and the term Al-‘Usra (difficulty) in verse 92:10 is interpreted to mean Hell as well as the deeds that lead to it.
Ibn Katheer, may Allah have mercy upon him said in his Tafseer (Quran exegesis) (8/404):
“Regarding the verse {We will ease him toward the path of ease}, Ibn ‘Abbaas said, ‘It means toward goodness.’ Zayd ibn Aslam said, ‘It means toward Paradise.’ Some scholars of the Salaf (the righteous predecessors) said, ‘The reward of a good deed is that one is enabled to do another good deed after it; and the recompense for a bad deed is that one is led to do another bad deed after it… {We will ease him toward difficulty} means toward the path of evil…There are many verses in this regard, that Allah rewards the one who intends to do a good deed by enabling him to do good deeds, and whoever intends to do evil, Allah recompenses him with desertion; all this by a predetermined divine decree, and there are many ahaadeeth in this regard…”
Also, Tafseer Al-Baghawi (8/446) reads:
“{We will ease him…} means we will prepare him in the worldly life; {toward the path of ease} which is doing acts that please Allah. {But as for he who withholds} [Quran 92:8] by not spending in goodness {and considers himself free of need} [Quran 92:8], meaning free of the need of the reward from Allah and he did not desire it; {And denies the best [reward]} [Quran 92:9], {We will ease him toward difficulty.} [Quran 92:10], meaning we will prepare him for evil; that is to say we will facilitate for him to do what displeases Allah, and thus he will deserve Hellfire. Muqaatil said, ‘We will make it difficult for him to do good.’”
Allah knows best.