Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:89

{ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ }

This is an exception from the most general of objects, and "man" (whoever) is in the accusative case. The meaning is: On the day when neither wealth—even if it had been spent in the world on avenues of righteousness and good deeds—nor children—even if they were righteous and deserving of intercession—will benefit anyone, except for him who comes to Allah with a heart sound (salim) from the maladies of false belief and hypocrisy. This is by necessity, given that the benefit of both [wealth and children] is conditional upon faith. In this, there is confirmation that the prayer for forgiveness made by him (peace be upon him) for his father was a request for his guidance to faith, for it is impossible that he would have sought his forgiveness after his death while he remained a disbeliever, knowing that it would be of no benefit, as such a prayer is a form of intercession.

It has been said: It is an exception from the agent of "benefit" (yanfa'u), and "man" is in the nominative case as a substitute for it. The discourse is understood with the omission of a noun attached to "man," meaning: Neither wealth nor children benefit, except for the wealth and children of the one who comes to Allah with a heart sound, in that he spent his wealth in the path of righteousness, guided his children to the truth, urged them toward goodness, and intended through them that they be servants of Allah the Exalted, obedient and intercessors for him on the Day of Resurrection.

It has also been said: It is an exception from what is indicated by "wealth and children" through the indication of the specific for the general—namely, absolute wealth. The discourse is also understood with the omission of a noun, as if it were said: On the day when no wealth benefits, except for the wealth of him who comes to Allah with a heart sound, and his wealth is the soundness of his heart; this is among the forms of spiritual wealth, to which some traditions have alluded.

Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah recorded from Thawban that he said: When the verse "And those who hoard gold and silver" was revealed, some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "If we knew which wealth is best, we would acquire it." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The best of it is a tongue that remembers, a heart that is grateful, and a righteous wife who helps the believer in his faith."

It is also said: It is an interrupted exception from "wealth," and the discourse is understood with the omission of a noun, meaning: Neither wealth nor children benefit, except for the state of the one who comes to Allah with a heart sound, and the intent by his state is the soundness of his heart. Al-Zamakhshari said: "The omission of the noun must be assumed; if it were not assumed, the exception would yield no meaning." Abu Hayyan rejected this, arguing that if one were to assume, for example, "but whoever comes to Allah with a heart sound will be saved or will benefit," the meaning would be correct. In al-Kashf, it was answered that the intent is that it is an exception from "wealth," and the meaning cannot be obtained without the assumption of the omitted noun. What the objector mentioned is a rectification from the whole of the sentence to another sentence, and it is not a matter of the discussion at all. Since this was not appropriate for the context, al-Zamakhshari treated it as settled, and he is not to be blamed for it in any way. It has been permitted to consider the exception as connected by assuming the state, treating the discourse like the expression: "A greeting between them, a painful strike," where the example would be to ask: "Does Zayd have wealth and children?" and you reply: "His wealth and his children are the soundness of his heart," meaning to negate wealth and children from him and to affirm the soundness of the heart in their stead.

Furthermore, the meaning of the "sound heart" being the heart sound from the maladies of disbelief and hypocrisy is what has been transmitted from Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Ibn Sirin, and others. The Imam said: "It is that which is void of corrupt beliefs and the inclination toward the desires and pleasures of the world, and this is followed by righteous deeds, for a sign of a sound heart is its effect upon the limbs." Sufyan said: "It is that in which there is nothing but Allah the Almighty." Al-Junayd (may his soul be sanctified) said: "It is the one stung by the fear of Allah, anxious and disturbed by the dread of severance." It is well known in the language of the Arabs that salim is applied to one who has been stung. It is said: "It is that which is sound from polytheism and sins, has surrendered itself to the command of Allah, has made peace with His allies and waged war against His enemies, has submitted when it saw and recognized, and has surrendered and yielded to Allah the Exalted, and has shown compliance to His worship, may He be glorified."

The most appropriate interpretation for the context is the transmitted meaning, rather than the interpretations of the Sufis. In al-Kashshaf, regarding what was narrated from al-Junayd (may his soul be sanctified) and those who followed him, he stated: "It is among the innovative interpretations," and Abu Hayyan agreed with him regarding the former.