Tafsir of Al-Hadeed 57:21

"Race toward forgiveness..." (i.e., hasten with the haste of those who outstrip their peers on the racecourse) toward the causes of a great forgiveness from your Lord. The speech is based on metaphor or synecdoche, utilizing the term to denote its necessary consequence. This is necessary because the intended meaning is that one who performs the deeds that serve as a cause for forgiveness and entry into Paradise should hasten, rather than necessarily preceding another in performing them or being characterized by that precedence.

It has been said: The meaning is, race before the Angel of Death cuts you off from the deeds that lead to what has been mentioned. It has also been said: Race before Iblis obstructs you from that with his deception and guile; and this is as you see it.

The intended meaning of those causes are righteous deeds of various types. Regarding this verse, Ali—may God ennoble his countenance—said: "Be the first to enter the mosque and the last to leave it." Abdullah said: "Be in the first row of battle." Anas said: "Be present for the opening takbir (of prayer) with the Imam." All of this is by way of illustration. Scholars have used this command as evidence that praying at the beginning of its time is superior to delaying it.

"...and a Paradise whose breadth is like the breadth of the heaven and the earth" (i.e., like their breadth if one were joined to the other). Since the breadth—the shorter of the two dimensions—is described as vast, it indicates by priority the vastness of the length. Thus, limiting it to the breadth is more eloquent than mentioning the length alongside it. It has been said that the meaning of 'ard (breadth) here is expansiveness, which is why it is used to describe supplication and the like, which do not possess dimensions. A different opinion regarding the interpretation of the parallel verse in Surah Al-Imran has preceded. The mention of forgiveness before Paradise is due to the principle of "emptying" (takhliya) preceding "adorning" (tahliya).

"...prepared for those who believed in God and His messengers." (i.e., readied for them). This is used as evidence that Paradise already exists now, due to His saying, "prepared" (u‘iddat) in the past tense; any interpretation otherwise contradicts the apparent meaning, and the contrary has been explicitly stated in authentic hadiths. The complete discussion is in the science of theology (kalam). It is also used as evidence that faith alone is sufficient to merit Paradise, because it is mentioned alone in a position that implies it is the cause of the preparation. Including deeds within the meaning of faith—when the verb is transitive via the particle ba—is not conceded; this is what they have said. Yet, when by "those who believed" it is intended that they possess a degree of faith that counts, and it is argued that this does not come about without righteous deeds—as you have heard from us recently—the second line of reasoning regarding Paradise becomes flawed, as is not hidden.

Al-Naysaburi mentioned, regarding the reason for using "Race" (sabiqū) here while using "Hasten" (sāri‘ū) in the verse of Al-Imran; and "heaven" (al-samā') here while using "heavens" (al-samāwāt) there; and "like the breadth" (ka-'ard) here while using "breadth" ('ard) there without a comparative particle, a discourse based on the idea that the "righteous" (al-muttaqin) mentioned there are the forerunners who are brought near, while those who "believed" here are in a state lower than those—so contemplate this.

"That is the bounty of God; He gives it to whom He wills." (i.e., His giving and that which is not obligatory upon Him; He bestows it upon whom He wills). "And God is the Possessor of great bounty." Thus, it is not far-fetched for Him—Exalted and Majestic is He—to bestow this upon whom He wills, even if the value of that [bounty] is great. The sentence is a concluding affirmation to substantiate what it follows.