Al-An'am (The Cattle): (127) For them is the Abode of Peace...

Know that when the Almighty explained the greatness of His blessings in the Straight Path, and clarified that He has prepared and made ready [this path] for those who are among the mentioned ones, He then stated the noble benefit obtained from adhering to that Straight Path, saying: {For them is the Abode of Peace with their Lord}.

In this verse, there are several honors:

The First Type: His saying, {For them is the Abode of Peace}

This implies exclusivity (restriction), meaning: The Abode of Peace is exclusively for them, and not for others.

Regarding the phrase {the Abode of Peace} (Dār as-Salām), there are two opinions:

The First Opinion: As-Salām (The Peace) is one of the Names of Allah. Therefore, Dār as-Salām is the Abode attributed to Allah, just as the Ka'bah is called the House of Allah, and the Caliph is called the Servant of Allah.

The Second Opinion: As-Salām is an attribute of the Abode. This second opinion has two aspects:

1. It means the Abode of Safety (Dār as-Salāmah). The Arabs often attach this tā’ marbūṭah (the final 'h') to many verbal nouns and sometimes omit it. They say ḍalāl and ḍalālah (error/error), safāh and safāhah (foolishness/foolishness), lidhādh and lidhādhah (delight/delight), and riḍāʿ and riḍāʿah (suckling/suckling).
2. As-Salām is the plural of as-Salāmah (safety). Paradise is named this because all types of safety are fully realized therein.

If you know these two opinions: Those who hold the First Opinion prefer it because the attribution of the Abode to Allah is the ultimate form of honoring, magnifying, and exalting its status, making the mention of this attribution an exaggeration in glorifying the matter.

Those who hold the Second Opinion favor their view for two reasons:

1. Describing the Abode as the Abode of Safety is more encouraging for attraction than attributing the Abode to Allah.
2. Describing Allah as As-Salām (The Peaceful) is fundamentally metaphorical; He is described as such only because He is the Source of Peace (Dhū as-Salām). Therefore, if the statement can be taken literally, it is preferable.

The Second Type: The Benefits Mentioned in this Verse

This is His saying, {with their Lord} (ʿinda Rabbihim). There are several interpretations for this:

The First Interpretation: It means it is prepared and present with Him, just as rights are prepared, ready, and present. A parallel is His saying: {Their reward is with their Lord}. This signifies the utmost certainty of their attainment and their security regarding it.

The Second Interpretation (Closer to the Truth): The phrase {with their Lord} implies that this reserved matter is characterized by closeness to Allah. This closeness is not spatial or directional; therefore, it must be closeness in honor, rank, and station. This indicates that the thing has reached such a peak of perfection and loftiness that its true nature is known only to Allah. A parallel is His saying: {And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for the eyes} (As-Sajdah: 17).

The Third Interpretation: Allah described the angels by saying: {And those who are with Him are not too proud to worship Him}. He described the believers in this world by saying: "I am with those whose hearts are broken for My sake." He also said: "I am as My servant expects Me to be." He described them on the Day of Resurrection by saying: {In a seat of truth, with a Sovereign, All-Powerful} (Al-Qamar: 55). He described their Abode by saying: {For them is the Abode of Peace with their Lord}. He described their reward by saying: {Their reward is with their Lord} (Al-Bayyinah: 8). This indicates that the attainment of the perfection of servitude is achieved through the attribute of being "with" (closeness).

The Third Type: The Honors Mentioned in this Verse

This is His saying, {and He is their Guardian/Protector} (wa Huwa Waliyuhum). Al-Wali means the close one.

Thus, {with their Lord} indicates their closeness to Allah, and {and He is their Guardian} indicates Allah's closeness to them. We do not see in reason a higher station for the servant than this station.

Furthermore, {and He is their Guardian} implies exclusivity: there is no guardian for them except Him. How could it be otherwise? This honor is achieved based on the Monotheism mentioned in His saying: {So whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He expands his breast to Islam; and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast tight and constricted}.

These people have learned from this verse that the Planner and Determiner is none other than Him, that the Benefiter and the Harmer is none other than Him, that the one who brings happiness and misery is none other than Him, and that the Originator of contingent beings is none other than Him. When they knew this, they cut themselves off from everything besides Him. Their return was only to Him, their reliance was only upon Him, their intimacy was only with Him, and their submission was only to Him. Since they became entirely devoted, it is inevitable that the Almighty said: {and He is their Guardian}. This is a declaration that Allah is responsible for all their interests in religion and the world, including protection, guardianship, assistance, victory, bringing good things, and warding off afflictions and calamities.

Then the Almighty said: {because of what they used to do}. This was mentioned so that a person does not cease from action, for action is indispensable. The reality of this is that there is a strong connection between the soul and the body. Just as psychic states descend from the soul to the body—for example, if one imagines something angering, its effect appears on the body, causing it to heat up—similarly, bodily states can ascend from the body to the soul. If a person persists in acts of righteousness and goodness, the corresponding effects appear in the essence of the soul. This indicates that the seeker must engage in action, and there is absolutely no way for him to abandon it.

[Verse 128] {And [mention] the Day when He will gather them all, [and say to the jinn], "O assembly of jinn, you have [misled] many of mankind." And their allies among mankind will say, "Our Lord, some of us enjoyed the benefit of others, and we have reached our term which You had appointed for us." He will say, "The Fire is your dwelling place, to abide therein eternally, except as Allah should will. Indeed, your Lord is Wise and Knowing."}