Fāṭir: (32) Then We caused to inherit the Book...

Then the Almighty said: {Then We caused to inherit the Book those whom We chose of Our servants. And among them are those who wrong themselves, and among them are those who are moderate, and among them are those who are foremost in good deeds by permission of Allah.}

Most commentators agree that the intended meaning of the Book (al-Kitāb) is the Qur'an. On this view, those whom We chose (alladhīna isṭafaynā) are those who adhered to the Book, and they are the believers. The wrongdoer (ẓālim), the moderate (muqtaṣid), and the foremost (sābiq) are all among them. This is supported by His saying: {Gardens of Eden they will enter}, informing of their entry into Paradise. The word {Then We caused to inherit} (Thumma awrathnā) also indicates this, because inheritance (īrāth) occurs after revelation, and since there is no Book after the Qur'an, it must be the inherited one. Inheritance here means giving something after the one who possessed it has departed.

Alternatively, it could be argued that the Book refers to the genus of divine scriptures, as in His saying: {Their messengers came to them with clear proofs, and with the scriptures (zubur), and with the illuminating Book (al-Kitāb al-munīr)}. Under this interpretation, the meaning is: We gave the Book to those We chose, and they are the Prophets. This is supported by the fact that the term the Chosen One (al-Muṣṭafā) is frequently applied to the Prophets, but less so to others. Furthermore, the phrase {of Our servants} (min ‘ibādinā) indicates that these chosen ones are great, honored servants in relation to Him. Moreover, the chosen ones among them are superior, and it would not be fitting for someone superior to the noble ones to be described as a wrongdoer, especially since Allah often applies the term wrongdoer (ẓālim) to the disbeliever, and calls polytheism (shirk) injustice (ẓulm).

Under the first interpretation (the Qur'an being inherited): The meaning is clear: We gave the Qur'an to those who believed in Muhammad, took it from him, and then they became divided:

1. {Among them is one who wrongs himself} (ẓālim li-nafsihi): This is the one who does evil.
2. {And among them is one who is moderate} (muqtaṣid): This is the one who mixed righteous deeds with bad ones.
3. {And among them is one who is foremost in good deeds} (sābiq bi-l-khayrāt): This is the one who purified his deeds for Allah and stripped them of sins.

If someone asks: How can Allah describe someone, whom He says He chose from His servants, as a wrongdoer, when the term wrongdoer often refers to the disbeliever?

We reply: The believer, upon committing a sin, places himself in an inappropriate position, thus being a wrongdoer to himself during the act of disobedience. This is alluded to by the Prophet (peace be upon him): (The adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer). This is confirmed by the saying of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the Prophet (peace be upon him): (Our wrongdoer will be forgiven). Adam (peace be upon him), despite being chosen, said: {Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves}. As for the disbeliever, he places his heart—which is the instrument of consideration—in an inappropriate place, making him a wrongdoer absolutely. However, the heart of the believer is tranquilized by faith; he does not place it anywhere except in contemplating Allah's favors, nor does he place anything in it except the love of Allah.

There are many opinions regarding these three ranks:

1. The Wrongdoer is one whose sins outweigh his good deeds; The Moderate is one whose sins and good deeds are equal; The Foremost is one whose good deeds outweigh his sins.
2. The Wrongdoer is one whose outward appearance contradicts his inner reality; The Moderate is one whose outward and inward are equal; The Foremost is one whose inward is better.
3. The Wrongdoer is the monotheist by tongue whose limbs contradict him; The Moderate is the monotheist who restrains his limbs from contradiction through religious obligation; The Foremost is the monotheist whose monotheism makes him forget everything else (i.e., he is completely absorbed in it).
4. The Wrongdoer is the one who commits major sins; The Moderate is the one who commits minor sins; The Foremost is the infallible one (ma‘ṣūm).
5. The Wrongdoer is one who recites the Qur'an but does not know it or act upon its injunctions; The Moderate is one who recites and knows; The Foremost is one who recites, knows, and acts.
6. The Wrongdoer is the ignorant one; The Moderate is the learner; The Foremost is the knowledgeable one.
7. The Wrongdoer are the people of the left hand (ashāb al-mash’amah); The Moderate are the people of the right hand (ashāb al-maymanah); The Foremost are the foremost ones, the near ones (al-sābiqūn al-muqarrabūn).
8. The Wrongdoer is one who is held to account and enters Hell; The Moderate is one who is held to account and enters Paradise; The Foremost is one who enters Paradise without reckoning.
9. The Wrongdoer is one who persists in sin; The Moderate is the one who regrets and repents; The Foremost is the one whose repentance is accepted.
10. The Wrongdoer is one who took the Book but did not act upon it; The Moderate is one who acted upon it; The Foremost is one who took it, acted upon it, and clarified its practice to the people, so they acted upon his explanation—thus he is complete and completes others; the moderate is complete, and the wrongdoer is deficient.

The preferred view is that The Wrongdoer is one who contradicts by abandoning Allah's commands and committing what He forbade, as he places things in inappropriate positions. The Moderate is one who strives to avoid contradiction, even if he is not entirely successful, and a sin or transgression occurs from him—yet he was moderate, striving, and intending the truth. The Foremost is one who did not contradict through Allah's guidance, which is indicated by His saying: {by permission of Allah} (bi-idhn Allāh). This means he strove and was granted success in what he strove for. In what he strives for, he is foremost in good deeds, which enters his heart, and he rushes toward it before the temptation of the self (nafs). The moderate's good deed enters his heart, but the self hesitates over it. The wrongdoer is overcome by the self.

To put it another way: whoever is overcome by the commanding self (al-nafs al-ammārah) and obeys it is a wrongdoer. Whoever struggles against his self, sometimes winning and sometimes losing, is the moderate. Whoever conquers his self is the foremost.

His saying {That is the great bounty} (dhālika huwa al-faḍl al-kabīr) has several interpretations:

1. The success indicated by {by permission of Allah} is the great bounty.
2. Being foremost in good deeds is the great bounty.
3. The inheritance (īrāth) itself is a great bounty. This is based on the famous interpretation.

As for the other interpretation—that {Then We caused to inherit the Book} means the genus of the Book, as in {Their messengers came to them with clear proofs, and with the scriptures, and with the illuminating Book}—this raises several questions:

1. The word Then (Thumma): Thumma implies sequence, but giving the Book after the revelation to Muhammad (PBUH) did not happen sequentially. What is meant by Thumma?
   • Reply: It means that Allah was Knower and Seer of them, and then He caused them to inherit the Book, as if He said: We knew the inner realities and saw the outward appearances, so We chose servants, then We gave them the Mother of the Book (or the Book itself).
2. Wrongdoing among the Prophets: How can a wrongdoer be among the Prophets who were chosen?
   • Reply: The description of the wrongdoer does not refer back to the chosen Prophets, but rather the meaning is: What We revealed to you is the truth, and you are the Chosen One, just as We chose messengers and gave them Books. Among your people (min qawmik), there is a wrongdoer who disbelieved in you and what was revealed to you, a moderate who believed in you but did not fulfill everything you commanded, and a foremost one who believed and did righteous deeds.
3. Entry into Paradise: His saying {Gardens of Eden they will enter} implies that all those mentioned enter. But according to your description, the wrongdoer does not enter.
   • Reply: Those who enter are the Foremost ones. As for the moderate, his affair is suspended, or he enters Hell first, then enters Paradise. The statement is an explanation of the first group (the Foremost), not what follows. This is supported by His saying: {They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold} and {Remove from us the grief}.

7 < {Gardens of Eden they will enter; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments therein will be silk.} > 7

<