{Those are the believers}

(Those) – meaning those described with the aforementioned praiseworthy attributes, in view of them being such – (are the believers in truth). This is because they have realized their faith by appending to it the finest of righteous deeds. Al-Tabarani recorded from Harith bin Malik al-Ansari that he passed by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who said to him, "How have you reached the morning, O Harith?" He replied, "I have reached the morning as a believer in truth." The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) then said, "Observe what you are saying, for everything has a reality, so what is the reality of your faith?" He said, "My soul has turned away from the world; I have spent my nights awake and my days thirsty, and it is as if I am looking at the people of Paradise visiting one another, and as if I am looking at the people of the Fire screaming out to one another." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "O Harith, you have known [the truth], so hold fast to it."

"Truly" (haqqan) is in the accusative case as an attribute of an omitted verbal noun, the acting agent of which is "the believers"—meaning: "a faith that is true." Alternatively, it acts as a corroboration for the essence of the sentence, in which case the agent is an implied haqqa. It is said that it is permissible for it to be a corroboration for the essence of the sentence that follows it, making it the beginning of a new utterance; however, although this is contrary to the apparent meaning, it is only valid for those who allow the preceding of a verbal noun that corroborates the essence of a sentence before the sentence itself—a position that is apparently prohibited, just like [the placement of] ta’kid (corroboration).

Some have used this verse as evidence that no one is permitted to describe himself as being a "believer in truth," because the Glorified and Exalted only described those who possess specific qualities with this, and not everyone can verify the existence of those qualities within themselves; rather, it is necessary for him to say, "I am a believer, if Allah the Exalted wills." Some have structured the method of deduction by pointing to what was narrated from Al-Thawri, who said: "Whoever claims that he is a believer in Allah the Exalted in truth, and then does not testify that he is among the people of Paradise, then he has believed in half the verse and has not believed in the other half." This is evident in that his school of thought is that of Istithna (stating "if Allah wills"). As the Imam said, this is the school of Ibn Mas’ud, followed by a great multitude of the Companions and the Successors; it is also the view of Al-Shafi’i, and it is attributed to Malik and Ahmad. The Great Imam (may Allah be pleased with him) prohibited it. It is narrated that he said to Qatada, "Why do you make Istithna in your faith?" He replied, "In following Ibrahim (peace be upon him) in the words of Allah the Exalted: 'And who I hope will forgive me my fault on the Day of Recompense'." He [the Imam] said to him, "Why did you not follow him in his saying Bala (Yes) when he was asked, 'Have you not believed?'" Qatada was silenced. Al-Razi said: Qatada could have answered Abu Hanifah—may mercy be upon both of them—by saying: The saying of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), "But that my heart may be at ease," after his saying "Yes," was a request for additional tranquility, and this indicates the permissibility of Istithna.

In Al-Kashf, it is stated that the truth is that whoever permits Istithna only permits it when asked about faith in an absolute, general sense. However, if one is asked, "Are you a believer in the Divine Decree, for example?" and he says, "I am a believer, if Allah wills," it is not permitted—not because tabarruk (seeking blessing) has no meaning, but because of the ambiguity in a context that serves no purpose. As for the former, because the absolute statement implies perfection—which is the faith that benefits one in the Hereafter—it is linked to the will [of Allah] out of optimism and seeking blessing. This is because this word has departed from its original subject to the meaning mentioned in the custom of usage; you see them using it for everything they are concerned about obtaining, which is common among the Arabs and non-Arabs alike. Therefore, there is no basis for the one who said, "The meaning of this blessing-seeking is that I doubt my faith out of blessing-seeking." This is because the will, to him, is not something he doubts; rather, it is a suspension upon that which is inevitable, considering it the original cause and a delegation of the affair from the servant to Allah the Exalted—and whoever delegates [to Allah], He suffices him—not because the will is an unknown, unseen thing such that it would constitute doubt in faith; and it has been related: "Whoever doubts his faith has disbelieved."

How excellent is what was narrated from Al-Hasan: A man asked him, "Are you a believer?" He replied, "Faith is two types. If you are asking me about faith in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, Paradise, the Fire, the Resurrection, and the Reckoning, then I am a believer. But if you are asking me about the saying of Allah the Exalted, 'The believers are only...' [the rest of the verse], then by Allah, I do not know if I am among them or not." This, and the like, is what makes the disagreement a mere verbal one, and a group of verifiers (may they have mercy on them) have explicitly stated this.

{(They have) degrees with their Lord}—meaning nobility and height of status, provided that by "degrees" is intended moral elevation, though it may also intend sensory elevation. In a report from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "In Paradise are a hundred degrees; if the worlds were gathered in one of them, it would suffice them." From Al-Rabi’ bin Anas: "Seventy degrees; between every two degrees is the distance a trained horse runs for seventy years." The method of reconciling these two aspects is clear. The tanwin (indefinite marking) is for exaltation. The prepositional phrase is either attached to an omitted [adjective] that acts as an attribute for it, corroborating what the tanwin signifies, or it is attached to the same [element] the predicate is attached to, namely, their "stability."

Abu al-Baqa’ permitted that the acting agent for it be "degrees," as the intended meaning is "rewards." In its genitive construction to [the pronoun] that is added to their pronoun, there is increased honor for them, gentleness toward them, and an announcement that what was promised to them is certain in its establishment and safe from being missed. It is permissible for this sentence to be a second predicate for "Those," or to be an independent commencement (a new sentence) arising from a question prompted by the multiplicity of their merits; as if it were said, "What do they have in return for these qualities?" So it was answered: "They have degrees and forgiveness."

{Great, for what they have committed}—or: {and a generous provision}

{...which is what is prepared for them of the bliss of Paradise.} Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Muhammad al-Qurazi who said: "If you hear Allah the Exalted saying 'generous provision,' it is Paradise." Generosity, as Al-Wahidi narrated, is a collective noun for everything that is praised and deemed good in its category; perhaps the description of the provision with it here is literal. Some verifiers said: The meaning of the provision being generous is that its Provider is Generous. From here, they described it as being abundant and never-ending, as it is the habit of the generous to bestow bounties and not cut them off—so how then [would it be] for the Most Generous of the generous, Blessed and Exalted be He? He made it Himself generous as a metaphorical attribution for the sake of hyperbole.

They did not mention [an attribute for the forgiveness] due to the interpolation of "forgiveness." The apparent meaning, as it has been said, is that its presentation here has a point. It is sometimes said regarding the reason for mentioning these three things in this manner: the "degrees" are in return for the three qualities—namely, fear, sincerity, and trust—and this is supported by the plural [form]. "Forgiveness" is in return for "establishing prayer," and this is supported by what has been narrated in more than one report that prayers are expiations for the sins committed between them, and that they purify the person from sins just as water cleanses filth. "Generous provision" is in return for "expending," and the appropriateness of that is evident. To this points the speech of Abu Hayyan. Alternatively, it may be said: He (Exalted is He) prioritized the degrees because they are by pure grace, and He mentioned the forgiveness after them because it is more important to them than the provision, despite their sharing in that both are in return for something. This is supported by what Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu al-Shaykh recorded from Ibn Abi Zayd, who said regarding the verse: "Forgiveness is through abandoning sins, and generous provision is through righteous deeds." Reflect upon this, and Allah the Exalted knows best the secrets of His speech.