Surah Ar-Ra'd (13): Verses 20–24

Connection of the Verses

There are two main opinions regarding the connection of these verses to the preceding ones:

First Opinion: They are connected to what came before. This connection has two possibilities:

1. The phrase {Those who fulfill the covenant of Allah} is an attribute of Uli al-Albab (those of understanding) mentioned previously.
2. It is an attribute of the statement: {Is he who knows that what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth...} (Ar-Ra'd: 19).

Second Opinion: The phrase {Those who fulfill the covenant of Allah} is the subject (mubtada'), and {and those will have the best of dwellings} is its predicate (khabar), similar to the structure in: {And those who break the covenant of Allah after its confirmation and sever what Allah has ordered to be joined and spread corruption on earth—for them will be the curse, and they will have the worst of dwellings} (Ar-Ra'd: 25).

This entire passage (from the beginning of verse 20) constitutes a single conditional sentence (Shart and Jaza'), where the condition includes nine constraints, and the consequence also includes constraints.

Constraints in the Condition (The Attributes of the Blessed)

There are several interpretations:

1. Ibn Abbas (RA): It refers to the covenant Allah took from them when they were in the loins of Adam, when He made them testify concerning themselves: {Am I not your Lord? They said, "Yes, we testify."}
2. General Meaning: The covenant of Allah refers to every matter for which the evidence (dalil) confirms its truthfulness. This evidence is twofold:
   • Matters established by decisive rational proofs that admit no abrogation or change.
   • Matters established by transmitted (auditory/scriptural) proofs, where Allah clarified those rulings.
   • Conclusion: Everything proven by evidence falls under {fulfill the covenant of Allah}. The term covenant (ahd) can rightly be applied to proof (hujjah), as no covenant is stronger than proof and guidance. If someone swears an oath, they are only bound to fulfill it if its obligation is established by proof, not merely by the oath itself. Similarly, a servant fulfills the covenant only by performing all these required actions. This includes performing all commands, abstaining from all prohibitions, fulfilling contracts in dealings, and rendering trusts. This view is the preferred and correct interpretation of the verse.

There are three opinions:

1. Majority Opinion: This is very close in meaning to fulfilling the covenant. Fulfilling the covenant implies not breaking the covenant/pact. These two concepts are distinct but mutually necessitating (if one exists, the other must be absent). Fulfilling the covenant necessitates not breaking the pact.
   • Fulfilling the covenant is among the highest ranks of happiness. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "He who has no trustworthiness has no faith, and he who has no covenant has no religion." Many verses in the Quran address this topic.
2. Second Opinion: The Mithaq (pact) refers to what the accountable person binds upon themselves through their own choice, such as vowing obedience or good deeds. Thus, {fulfill the covenant of Allah} refers to what Allah initially commanded, while {do not break the covenant} refers to the voluntary obligations the servant undertakes.
3. Third Opinion: Fulfilling the covenant refers to the covenant of Lordship and Servitude. The Mithaq refers to the covenants mentioned in the Torah, the Gospel, and other divine books regarding the obligation to believe in the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH) upon his appearance.

Note on Breaking Covenants: Fulfilling covenants is praiseworthy in intellect and law. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever makes a covenant with Allah and then betrays it, has a trait of hypocrisy in him." He also said: "Three people I will be an adversary against on the Day of Resurrection, and whoever I am an adversary against, I will defeat him: a man who gave a covenant and then betrayed it; a man who hired a laborer, took his work, and withheld his wages; and a man who sold a free person into slavery and consumed his price." (A historical anecdote about Mu'awiyah and the Roman Emperor is mentioned to illustrate the importance of keeping covenants.)

A Question Arises: Since fulfilling the covenant and not breaking the pact already encompass performing all commands and avoiding all prohibitions, what is the benefit of mentioning these subsequent constraints?

The Answer is Twofold:

1. It is mentioned so that no one assumes this applies only to matters between the individual and Allah; thus, matters concerning dealings with people are singled out.
2. It serves as emphasis (ta'kid).

Interpretations of this phrase:

1. Maintaining Kinship (Silat al-Rahim): The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Three things will come on the Day of Resurrection: the womb will complain, 'O Lord, I have been cut off!' Trust will complain, 'O Lord, I have been abandoned!' And a blessing will complain, 'O Lord, I have been denied!'"
2. Supporting the Prophet (PBUH): It refers to supporting, aiding, and assisting Muhammad (PBUH) in Jihad.
3. Upholding All Rights of Servants: This includes maintaining kinship ties, the brotherhood of faith (as in {The believers are but brothers}), extending aid by bringing good and warding off harm as much as possible, visiting the sick, attending funerals, spreading greetings (salam), smiling, and refraining from harming others. This even extends to animals, like cats and chickens. (An anecdote about Fudayl ibn 'Iyad emphasizes that even mistreating a chicken negates being among the good-doers.)
   • Summary: {Fulfill the covenant of Allah and do not break the pact} refers to the reverence for Allah's command, while {maintain that which Allah has ordered to be joined} refers to compassion for Allah's creation.

Even if one performs everything required for honoring Allah's command and showing compassion to creation, fear of Allah must dominate the heart. This fear is twofold:

1. Fear of deficiency, excess, or flaw in one's worship and obedience that might invalidate the act or reduce its reward.
2. Fear of Majesty (Khawf al-Jalal): Just as one in the presence of a mighty, overwhelming sovereign maintains awe of majesty and loftiness, even if not actively obeying, the believer maintains this awe toward Allah.

The fourth constraint points to Khawf (fear/awe), while this fifth constraint points to the fear of the severe reckoning. This indicates that the Khawf mentioned previously refers to the awe of Majesty and Greatness, otherwise, it would be redundant.

This includes patience in performing acts of worship, patience under the burden of illness, harm, grief, and sorrow, and patience in abandoning desires (i.e., patience in refraining from sins and performing obedience).

Motivations for Patience: A person may practice patience for several reasons, none of which constitute the perfection of the soul:

1. To be praised for their strength in enduring calamities.
2. To avoid being blamed for showing impatience.
3. To prevent enemies from gloating.
4. Because they know impatience is futile.

True Patience (Seeking the Countenance of the Lord): True patience occurs when one endures affliction because they know it is a decree from the All-Wise Judge, free from fault or folly, and that this decree contains profound wisdom and superior benefit. They accept it as the Owner's disposition of His property, against which there is no objection. Alternatively, they are so absorbed in witnessing the Bestower (Al-Mubli) that the pain of the affliction is forgotten. This is the highest station of the truthful ones (Siddiqin). This means patience is sought solely for Allah's reward and the desire for His pleasure.

Subtlety: The phrase {seeking the countenance of their Lord} carries a subtle meaning, analogous to a lover who, when struck by the beloved, looks upon the striker with joy. Similarly, the servant endures affliction and is content with it because they are absorbed in perceiving the Light of Truth.

Although prayer and charity are included in the first general constraint (fulfilling the covenant), Allah singled them out to indicate their superiority over other acts of worship. (The exegesis of establishing prayer was covered previously, and voluntary prayers are also included here.)

First Issue: Al-Hasan said this refers to obligatory Zakah. If one is not suspected of neglecting Zakah, it is better to give it secretly. If suspected, it is better to give it publicly. Another view suggests the secret giving refers to voluntary charity (Tattawwu'), while public giving refers to obligatory Zakah.

Second Issue (Mu'tazila Argument): Allah encourages spending from all that He has provided as sustenance (Rizq). This proves that nothing unlawful can be considered Rizq, because if the unlawful were Rizq, Allah would be encouraging the spending of the unlawful, which is impermissible.

There are two interpretations:

1. If they commit a sin, they repel and remove it with repentance. The Prophet (PBUH) told Mu'adh ibn Jabal: "If you do a bad deed, follow it immediately with a good deed that erases it."
2. They do not meet evil with evil, but meet evil with good. As Allah says: {And when they pass by ill speech, they pass by with dignity} (Al-Furqan: 72). (Quotes from Ibn Umar and Al-Hasan illustrate this: the truly patient is one who forgives when capable, and the truly generous is one who gives when deprived and shows preference when given.)

Constraints in the Consequence (The Reward)

There are four constraints mentioned in the consequence:

This means the ultimate outcome ('aqibah), which is Paradise, as it is the destination Allah intended for the inhabitants of the world. Al-'Uqba is like Al-'Aqibah. It can be a verbal noun (masdar) like shura or qurba, or a noun like najwa. Here, it is a masdar added to the implied actor: "The consequence of their deeds will be the dwelling, which is Paradise."

First Issue: Jannat 'Adn (Gardens of Eden) is an apposition (badal) to 'Uqba al-Dar. The discussion regarding Jannat 'Adn was covered previously. Second Issue (Recitation): Ibn Kathir and Abu 'Amr recite {yadkhulūnahā} (they will enter) with a passive voice (damma yā' and fatḥ khā'), while the rest recite it actively (fatḥ yā' and ḍamm khā'), attributing the entering to them.

First Issue (Recitation): Ibn 'Ulayyah recited ṣaluḥa (with a ḍamma on the lām), while Al-Kashshaf states the fatḥ is more eloquent. Second Issue (Grammar): The word man (those who) is in the nominative case due to being conjoined to the waw in {yadkhulūnahā}. It could also be accusative, similar to saying, "They entered, and Zayd [entered] with them." Third Issue (Meaning of Ṣaluḥ):

1. Ibn Abbas: It means those who believed in what the believers believed, even if they did not perform the exact same deeds.
2. Al-Zajjaj: Allah clarified that lineage is useless without righteous deeds; fathers, spouses, and offspring only enter Paradise through their own righteous deeds.
3. Al-Wahidi: The correct view is that of Ibn Abbas. Allah promised the obedient servant the joy of having his family present with him in Paradise. If they entered solely based on their own deeds, this promise would confer no special honor upon the obedient servant, as everyone righteous enters anyway.
   • Rebuttal: This argument is weak. The purpose is to delight the obedient servant with everything that increases his joy. Being assured that his parents, spouses, and children will join him undoubtedly magnifies his joy and delight. They will gather, recall their worldly experiences, and thank Allah for their salvation and attainment of Paradise. This is supported by the description of the people of Paradise saying: {He said, "Oh, I wish my people knew what my Lord has forgiven me and made me among the honored!"} (Ya-Sin: 26-27). Fourth Issue (Spouses): The term {their spouses} does not distinguish between one wife and another. It likely refers to the first wife, or the one who died before or after him. The report about Sawda (RA) asking to be gathered with the Prophet's wives upon the threat of divorce is cited as evidence.

First Issue:

1. Ibn Abbas: They will have a tent made of hollow pearl, a league long and a league wide, with a thousand doors plated with gold. Angels will enter from every door, saying: {Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured} concerning Allah's command.
2. Abu Bakr Al-Asamm: From every gate of virtue, such as the gate of prayer, the gate of Zakah, and the gate of patience. They will say: "Excellent is what Allah has given you as the consequence of the [first] dwelling."
   • Significance: If we take the first view, this is a tremendous rank, as the angels, despite their high status, enter to greet and honor them upon entry, conveying peace and the good tidings: {Excellent is the final abode}. This goes beyond the mere concept that reward is pure, eternal benefit accompanied by reverence. The Prophet (PBUH) used to visit the graves of the martyrs annually, saying: "Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. Excellent is the final abode," and the four Caliphs did the same.
   • If we take the second view, angels are in different ranks (spiritual and cherubic). When the servant trains himself in various virtues (patience, gratitude, contemplation), each rank has a corresponding spiritual essence. Upon death, these essences manifest, and specific celestial spirits related to patience, gratitude, etc., bestow unique perfections upon the soul corresponding to those stations.

Second Issue (Angels vs. Humans): Some argue from this verse that angels are superior to humans. They claim that concluding the happiness of humans with the entry of angels to greet them implies the humans are of a higher rank than the angels, because if the angels were of a lower rank, their greeting would not elevate the humans' status. (Analogy: If a man returns home, and it is said that the Prince, Minister, Judge, and Mufti visit him, it implies his rank is lower than theirs.) * Rebuttal: This analogy is flawed in this context.

Third Issue (The Greeting):

1. Al-Zajjaj: There is an omitted phrase: "And the angels will enter upon them from every gate and say, 'Peace be upon you.'" The saying is omitted because it is implied by the context.
2. As for {for what you patiently endured, excellent is the final abode}:
   • It is related to the greeting: Meaning, this safety was achieved through your patience in obedience and abandoning prohibitions.
   • It is related to an omitted phrase: Meaning, these honors and good things you see were achieved through that patience.

Verse 25: The Counterpart (The Attributes of the Condemned)