The Repentance (At-Tawbah): Verses 20–22

Those who believed and emigrated...

Verse 20

Know that the Almighty has previously indicated, through allusion, the preference of faith and striving (Jihad) over providing water (Siqayah) and maintaining the Sacred Mosque (Al-Masjid al-Haram). He then followed this up by explicitly stating this preference in this verse: Indeed, whoever is described by these four characteristics holds a greater rank with God than those characterized by providing water and maintenance.

These four characteristics are:

1. Faith (Iman).
2. Emigration (Hijrah).
3. Striving in God's path with wealth (Jihad bil-Mal).
4. Striving in God's path with self/life (Jihad bin-Nafs).

We assert that those described by these four characteristics possess the utmost majesty and elevation because a human being possesses only three essential components: the spirit, the body, and wealth.

• The Spirit: When disbelief is removed and faith is attained, the spirit reaches the ranks of happiness appropriate to it.
• The Body and Wealth: Due to emigration, these components suffer deficiency, and due to engagement in Jihad, they become exposed to destruction and annihilation.

Undoubtedly, the soul and wealth are what a person loves. A person only relinquishes what they love to attain something beloved that is more perfect. If seeking God's pleasure were not more complete for them than the self and wealth, they would not have preferred the Hereafter over their lives and possessions, nor would they have consented to sacrificing their lives and wealth to seek God's pleasure.

Therefore, it is established that upon acquiring these four characteristics, a person reaches the ultimate degree of humanity and the initial ranks of the angels. What comparison is there between this high station and undertaking the provision of water and maintenance merely out of imitation of ancestors and for the sake of leadership and reputation? Thus, this certain proof confirms the truth of the Almighty's saying:

Know that the Almighty did not say "greater in degree than those engaged in providing water and maintenance" because if He had specified them, it might imply their virtue was only relative to them. By omitting the mention of the lesser group, it indicates that they are superior to everyone else absolutely, as no higher or more perfect happiness or virtue can be conceived for a human being than these characteristics.

Know that His saying, {with Allah}, indicates that being "with God" means being completely immersed in servitude and obedience to Him, not proximity in terms of direction or place. At this point, it becomes clear that just as the angels attained the distinction of proximity in His saying, {And those near Him are not too proud to worship Him} (Al-Anbiya: 19), so too can purified human spirits, once cleansed from the filth of bodily attributes and physical impurities, shine with the lights of Majesty, have the reflections of the world of perfection manifested in them, and ascend from servitude to proximity. Indeed, perhaps there is no perfection in servitude except through witnessing the reality of proximity, which is why He said: {Exalted is He who took His Servant by night} (Al-Isra: 1).

If it is asked: Since you mentioned that these characteristics were found among both Muslims and disbelievers, how can He describe them as having "a greater degree" when disbelievers have no degree [of virtue]?

We answer with several points:

1. This statement is made according to the degree and virtue they presumed for themselves with God. This is analogous to His saying: {Say, "Allah is better, or what they associate [with Him]"} (An-Naml: 59), and {Is that better as a lodging, or the tree of Zaqqum?} (As-Saffat: 62).
2. It means they are greater in degree than everyone who was not described by these characteristics. This serves as a reminder that since they are superior to the believers who lacked these characteristics, it is even more fitting that they should not be compared to the disbelievers.
3. It means the believing emigrant and striver is superior to those engaged in providing water and maintenance, indicating a preference for these actions over those actions. There is no doubt that providing water and maintenance are acts of goodness, but their reward is nullified for disbelievers because disbelief—the greatest transgression—prevents the manifestation of that effect.

Know that when the Almighty clarified that those described by faith and emigration have a greater degree with God, He then stated that {they are the successful}. This inclusion implies exclusivity. The meaning is that they are the ones who attain the high, noble, and sacred degree alluded to by His saying, {with their Lord}—the degree of proximity. This is because whoever believes in and knows God rarely keeps his heart attached to the world. Then, he needs to remove this knot from the essence of the spirit. Removing the love of the world is only achieved by separating the self from worldly pleasures. When this separation persists and attachment to worldly love diminishes, this separation and reduction are achieved through emigration (Hijrah).

Following this, it is necessary to despise the world, recognize its flaws, and view it in the eyes of the wise as something that necessitates self-renunciation. This is only accomplished through Jihad, which is exposing the self and wealth to destruction and ruin. If he did not despise the world, he would not do this.

At this point, the statement of some profound scholars is realized: Gnosis (Irfan) begins with separation, deficiency, abandonment, and rejection. Once this state is achieved, the heart becomes occupied with contemplating the attributes of Majesty and Honor. In witnessing these, the self and wealth are offered up, and the person becomes a witness, beholding the world of Majesty, unveiled by the light of Grandeur, and affirmed by the Almighty's saying: {Their Lord gives them good tidings of mercy from Him and His pleasure and Gardens wherein for them is lasting bliss.} Upon this, arrival at the Presence of the One, the Self-Sufficient (Al-Ahad As-Samad) is achieved, which is what is meant by {with their Lord}. Here is the proper stopping point in attainment.

Verses 21–22

Know that this glad tidings encompasses various types of high ranks, and the Almighty began with the most noble, descending to the least noble. We will interpret this in two ways: first, according to the method of the theologians (Mutakallimin), and second, according to the way of the Gnostics (Arifin).

The first rank, the highest and noblest, is that this good tidings comes from {Their Lord} with {mercy and His pleasure}. This signifies glorification and reverence from God.

His saying {and Gardens for them} points to the attainment of great benefits. His saying {wherein is bliss (Na'im)} points to the benefits being pure, free from disturbances, as Na'im is an intensification of Ni'mah (blessing), and intensification implies freedom from mixing with impurities. His saying {lasting (Muqim)} signifies that it is permanent and unending.

The Almighty expressed its permanence using three phrases:

1. {lasting (Muqim)}
2. {abiding therein (Khalidina fiha)}
3. {forever (Abada)}

Thus, the summary is that the Almighty gives these believing, emigrating, and striving individuals tidings of a pure, permanent benefit, coupled with glorification—this is the limit of the reward. The benefit of specifying these believers with this complete and high-ranked reward is based on each of these four constraints.

Some theologians suggest:

• {mercy from Him} refers to worldly good.
• {and His pleasure} refers to God being pleased with them while they are in the life of this world.
• {and Gardens} refers to the benefits.
• {wherein for them is bliss} refers to those blessings being pure from disturbances, as Na'im is an intensification of blessing.
• {lasting, abiding therein forever} refers to the reverence and glorification that must be present in the reward.

The interpretation of this verse according to the way of the loving, yearning Gnostics is as follows:

The first rank among the mentioned matters is His saying: {Their Lord gives them good tidings}.

Know that rejoicing over a blessing falls into two categories:

1. Rejoicing because it is a blessing.
2. Rejoicing not because it is a blessing in itself, but because the Giver singled them out and honored them with it.

If your intellect struggles to grasp the difference, consider if a servant stands in the presence of a great Sultan, and other servants are also serving. If the Sultan throws an apple to one of those servants, his joy will be immense. That great joy is not due to the apple itself, but because the Sultan honored him with that favor. It is the same here.

Some of them rejoice because they attained that mercy, while others do not rejoice over attaining the mercy itself, but only because their Master singled them out for that mercy. In this case, their joy is not for the mercy, but for the Giver of the mercy.

This station also has degrees. Some rejoice because the Giver is Merciful (Rahim). Others reach a higher level of sincerity, forgetting the mercy, and their joy is only for the Master, as He is the ultimate goal. This is because as long as the servant is occupied with the Truth as a Merciful Being, he is not completely absorbed in the Truth; rather, he is sometimes with the Truth and sometimes with creation. When the matter is complete, he is cut off from creation and submerged in the sea of the Light of Truth, heedless of love and affliction, vengeance and blessing, trial and favor.

The profound scholars (Muhaqqiqun) stopped at {Their Lord gives them good tidings}; their exultation, delight, reliance, and return are based on this. Others have not reached this high degree, and their souls are not satisfied except with the entirety of {Their Lord gives them good tidings of mercy from Him}. They do not realize that the rejoicing is upon hearing their Lord's words, but rather they rejoice over the totality of being given tidings of mercy. The second rank is that their rejoicing is for the Mercy itself—this rank is considered lower by the profound scholars.

The second subtle point in this verse is that the Almighty said: {Their Lord gives them good tidings}, which encompasses types of mercy and honor:

1. Good tidings (Basharah) are only given concerning mercy and favor.
2. The good tidings given to each person must be appropriate to their state. Since the Giver here is the Most Generous of the generous, the tidings must be of bounties that minds are incapable of describing and understanding.
3. The Almighty named Himself Lord (Rabb) here, derived from Tarbiyah (nurturing). It is as if He is saying: He who nurtured you in this world with countless blessings now gives you tidings of high bounties and perfect happiness.
4. He said {Their Lord}, attributing Himself to them, but He did not attribute them to Himself.
5. He mentioned them before mentioning Himself: {Their Lord gives them good tidings}.
6. Good tidings is news about the occurrence of something whose occurrence was not previously known. If it were already known to occur, it would not be tidings. For example, jurists say if a master says, "Whoever informs me that my son has arrived, he is free," only the first person to report the news is freed; those who report it afterward are not freed. Therefore, His saying {gives them good tidings} must be news about attaining a rank of happiness they did not know before. All the delights, goods, and pleasures of Paradise were known to them in this world through the Qur'an. Thus, this tidings must be about happiness whose description the intellects cannot possibly grasp. May God grant us attainment of it through His grace and generosity.

Know that when the Almighty said {Their Lord gives them good tidings}, He clarified what they are being given tidings about, which consists of several matters:

1. {of mercy from Him}
2. {and His pleasure (Ridwan)}

I believe—and knowledge belongs to God—that these two matters refer to what He mentioned in {Return to your Lord, content and pleasing} (Al-Fajr: 28).

Mercy (Rahmah) is the servant being content with God's decree. Whoever attains this state looks at the Afflictor and the Bestower, not at the affliction or the blessing. Whoever looks at the Afflictor and the Bestower, his state does not change, because the Afflictor and the Bestower are free from change.

The result is that his state must be free from change. However, whoever seeks mere self-gratification is perpetually changing from joy to sorrow, from delight to grief, from health to injury, from pleasure to pain. Thus, perfect mercy is only attained when the servant becomes content with God's decree.

Therefore, His saying {Their Lord gives them good tidings of mercy from Him} means He removes from their heart preoccupation with anything other than this state, making them content with His decree. Then, the Almighty becomes pleased, which is His saying {and His pleasure (Ridwan)}. At this point, these two states become those mentioned in {content and pleasing}. This is the spiritual, luminous, intellectual, sacred, divine Paradise.

Then, after mentioning this high, sacred Paradise, the Almighty mentioned the physical Paradise: {and Gardens wherein for them is lasting bliss, abiding therein forever}. The explanation of these ranks has preceded. After mentioning these states, He said: {Indeed, Allah has with Him a great reward}. The purpose is to explain the glorification of these states.

We conclude this section by stating that our scholars say that Khulud (abiding/eternity) indicates a long duration of stay, but not necessarily perpetuity. They use this verse as proof for their position: {abiding therein forever}. If Khulud implied perpetuity, mentioning Abada (forever) after Khulud would be redundant, which is impermissible.

Verse 23