Tafsir of Al-Anbiya' 21:105

"And We have already written in the Zabur..."

It is apparent that this refers to the Zabur of David (peace be upon him), and this has been narrated from al-Sha'bi. Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn Abbas regarding the verse, "after the Dhikr (Reminder)," that the Dhikr is the Torah; this interpretation has also been narrated from al-Dahhak. Concerning the Zabur, he stated that it is the Books revealed after the Torah. Ibn Jubayr narrated that the Dhikr is the Torah and the Zabur is the Quran. Ibn Zayd narrated that the Zabur refers to the books revealed to the prophets (peace be upon them), while the Dhikr is the Umm al-Kitab (Mother of the Book) in which things are written beforehand—which is the Preserved Tablet, as stated in some reports; al-Zajjaj chose this interpretation, considering the application of the term Dhikr to it as metaphorical. This occurs in the hadith of al-Bukhari from the Prophet (peace be upon him): "Allah was, and nothing was before Him, and His Throne was upon the water; then He created the heavens and the earth and wrote everything in the Dhikr." It is said that the Dhikr is Knowledge, which is what is meant by the Umm al-Kitab.

The root of Zabur is any book of thick writing, derived from the phrase zabartu al-kitab azburu (with the ba vocalized with both fathah and dammah), as stated in the al-Muhkam, meaning "you wrote it with thick writing." In common usage, it is specifically designated for the Book revealed to David (peace be upon him). Some say it is a name for a book restricted to rational wisdom rather than legal rulings; hence, it is said to have been revealed to David (peace be upon him) because it did not contain any legal rulings.

It is apparent that it is an Arabic name meaning "the written book," and therefore it is permissible for the phrase "after it" (min ba'dihi) to relate to it, just as it is permissible for it to relate to "We have written" (katabna). Hamzah stated: It is a Syriac name. Regardless, if "the Books" is intended, then the definite article (al) is generic, meaning: We have written in the category of the Books.

"...that the earth shall be inherited by My righteous servants."

Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, and others narrated from Ibn Abbas that the intention by "the earth" is the land of Paradise. The Imam said: This is supported by the words of the Almighty, "And We inherited the land [of Paradise]—we settle in Paradise wherever we will." It is the land that is specifically for the righteous, for it was created for them; if others happen to be in it, it is only by way of being followers. Moreover, the verse is mentioned following the mention of the Resurrection, and after the Resurrection, there is no land in which the righteous shall settle and be favored, other than the land of Paradise. This view has also been narrated from Mujahid, Ibn Jubayr, Ikrimah, al-Suddi, and Abu al-Aliyah.

In another narration from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them), the intention is the land of the world, which the believers will inherit and gain control over. This is the view of al-Kalbi, supported by the words of the Almighty, "He will surely grant them succession in the earth." Muslim, Abu Dawud, and al-Tirmidhi narrated from Thawban that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Allah folded the earth for me, so I saw its easts and its wests, and the kingdom of my nation shall reach what was folded for me of it." This is a promise from the Almighty regarding the manifestation of the religion, the honoring of its people, and their taking control of the majority of the inhabited world where travelers frequent. Otherwise, there are parts of the earth that the believers have not trodden, such as the lands famous as the "New World" and the Western Indies. If we say that all of this will come under the possession of the believers during the days of the Mahdi (may Allah be pleased with him) and the descent of Jesus (peace be upon him), then there is no need for what was mentioned. It is said that it refers to the Holy Land, and it is said that it refers to the Levant (al-Sham). Perhaps the remaining of the disbelievers alone on the entire earth at the end of time, as confirmed by authentic reports, does not harm this inheritance, because the time between their independence on earth at that time and the establishment of the Hour is a brief period that is not counted, and that is considered among the immediate preliminaries to the Day of Judgment.

The most appropriate view is to interpret the "earth" as the land of Paradise, as the majority have held, and it is most consistent with the context. Among the oddities is the story of Sultan Selim’s optimism with this verse when he contemplated warring against al-Ghuri, and Ibn Kamal’s glad tiding to him based on what the verse symbolized regarding his conquest of Egypt in such-and-such a year; the matter occurred just as he had given the glad tiding. It is a famous story, but it is among the coincidental matters, and such things cannot be relied upon.