Al-Anbiya (The Prophets): (101 - 103) Indeed, those for whom the best promise has preceded...

It is known that some people claimed that when Ibn al-Za'bari posed that question to the Prophet (peace be upon him), he remained silent until God revealed this verse as an answer to his question, because this verse is like an exception to that previous verse. However, we have demonstrated the falsehood of this view and mentioned that his question was not valid, and that there was no need for this verse to be revealed to refute his question.

If this is established, only one of two possibilities remains here:

1. It can be said that it is God's custom that whenever He explains the punishment of the disbelievers, He follows it by explaining the reward of the righteous. For this reason, this verse was mentioned after that, making it general for all believers.
2. This verse was revealed concerning that specific incident to serve as an emphasis in refuting Ibn al-Za'bari's question.

Furthermore, whoever holds that the consideration is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the occasion (which is the correct view), applies it generally, meaning that the angels, the Messiah, and Uzair (peace be upon them) are included in it, not that the verse is exclusive to them. Whoever holds that the consideration is the specificity of the occasion restricts the saying {Indeed, those...} only to these individuals.

Regarding His saying, {Indeed, those for whom the best promise has preceded from Us}:

The author of Al-Kashshaf said: Al-Husna (the best) is the preferred characteristic, and Al-Husna is the feminine form of Al-Ahsan (the best). It refers either to felicity, or the glad tidings of reward, or success in obedience.

In summary, those who affirm pardon interpreted Al-Husna as the promise of pardon, while those who deny pardon interpreted it as the promise of reward.

Then, the Almighty explained five aspects of their reward:

1. His saying: {Those will be kept far away from it}.
   • The proponents of pardon interpreted this to mean: "Those will be brought out of it." They supported this with two arguments:
     • The first: His saying, {And there is none of you who will not pass over it} (Maryam: 71), which affirms entry (wurūd), thus indicating that this removal (ib'ād) is an exit.
     • The second: The removal of a thing from another is only valid if they are close together; if they were far apart, removing one from the other would be impossible, as achieving the already achieved is impossible.
   • Judge 'Abd al-Jabbār refuted this first view with several points:
     • The saying {Indeed, those for whom the best promise has preceded from Us} implies that the promise of their reward was made in this world, which is not the state of one who exits the Fire, if that were true.
     • He said, {Those will be kept far away from it}, so how can one who has fallen into it be included?
     • His saying, {They will not hear its slightest sound} and {The Greatest Terror will not grieve them} prevent this interpretation.
   • The response to the first point: We do not concede that the meaning of {Indeed, those for whom the best promise has preceded from Us} is that the promise of their reward was made beforehand. Why can it not mean that the promise of pardon preceded? Even if we concede that Al-Husna means the promise of reward preceded, why do you claim that the promise of reward is incompatible with the state of one who exits the Fire? For us, the nullification of deeds is false, and it is permissible to combine deserving reward and punishment.
   • The response to the second point: We have explained that {Those will be kept far away from it} cannot be taken literally except for those who were in the Fire.
   • The response to the third point: His saying {They will not hear its slightest sound} is specific to what occurs after exiting.

Regarding His saying, {The Greatest Terror will not grieve them}:

The Greatest Terror is the punishment of the disbelievers. By implication (mafhūm), this suggests that the Lesser Terror will grieve them. If it does not imply that, it at least implies nothing about its occurrence or non-occurrence.

The second interpretation of {Those will be kept far away from it} is that those for whom the best promise has preceded from Us will not enter the Fire at all, nor will they approach it. This interpretation invalidates the view of those who say that all people will enter the Fire and then be brought out to Paradise, because this verse prevents that. In that case, reconciliation must be made between this verse and His saying, {And there is none of you who will not pass over it} (Maryam: 71), which has already been discussed.

The second characteristic: His saying, {They will not hear its slightest sound}. Hassīs means a sound that can be perceived by the senses. There are two questions regarding this:

1. What is the point of them not hearing its sound if they are being given good news? If they heard it, their state would not change.
   • Answer: The meaning is to emphasize their distance from it, because one who has not entered it but is near it might hear its sound.
2. Do the people of Paradise not see the people of the Fire? How then can they not hear the sound of the Fire?
   • Answer: If we interpret this as emphasis, this question is resolved.

The third characteristic: His saying, {And they will abide therein whatever their souls desire, therein}. Shahwa is the soul's desire for pleasure, meaning their bliss is eternal. The knowers said: The souls have a desire, the hearts have a desire, and the spirits have a desire. Al-Junayd said: Providence preceded in the beginning, so guardianship appeared in the end.

The fourth characteristic: His saying, {The Greatest Terror will not grieve them}. There are several views on this:

1. It is the final blast of the Trumpet, based on His saying, {And the Day the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and on earth will be terrified} (An-Naml: 87).
2. It is Death. They said: When the people of Paradise are settled in Paradise and the people of the Fire are settled in the Fire, God will send Gabriel (peace be upon him) with Death in the form of a ram. He will ask the inhabitants of both abodes, "Do you recognize this?" They will say, "No." He will say, "This is Death." Then he will slaughter it and proclaim: "O people of Paradise, eternity and no death forever!" The same applies to the people of the Fire. The proponent of this view argued that {The Greatest Terror will not grieve them} is mentioned after His saying {and they will abide therein} (Al-Baqarah: 25), so there must be a connection between the two. The Greatest Terror that negates eternity is Death.
3. Sa'id ibn Jubayr said it is the Fire closing in upon its inhabitants, causing them a great terror. Judge 'Abd al-Jabbār said: The first view is the terror upon seeing the Fire, because there is no greater terror than that. If the Almighty clarifies that this will not grieve them, then it is confirmed that the believer is safe from the horrors of the Day of Judgment. This is weak because the punishment of the Fire has degrees—the punishment of the disbelievers is more severe than that of the sinners. If the degrees of punishment in the Fire vary, the degrees of terror from it must also vary. Therefore, negating the Greatest Terror does not necessitate negating terror from the Fire itself.

The fifth characteristic: His saying, {And the angels will receive them, [saying], "This is your Day which you were promised"}. Al-Dahhak said: They are the guardians who recorded their deeds and sayings, and they will say to them as bearers of good news: {This is your Day which you were promised}.

{The Day We will fold up the heaven as the folding of a scroll for writings. As We began the first creation, We will repeat it—a promise [binding] upon Us. Indeed, We were to perform it. And We have already written in the Psalms after the message [We had sent to Moses], "Indeed, My righteous servants shall inherit the earth." Indeed, in this is a sufficient message for a people who are devoted [to God]. And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.}