The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 205
CH. 57 PT. 27 AL-HADID 22. "Vie with one seeking forgiveness from your سَابِقُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ another in لا عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ Lord and for a Garden the value whereof is equal to the value of b upidij أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللهِ وَرُسُلِهِ the heaven and the earth; it has ذلِكَ فَضْلُ اللهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ been prepared for those who وَاللهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيْمِ believe in Allah and His Messengers. That is Allah's grace; He bestows it upon whomsoever He pleases, and Allah is the Lord of immense grace. 4164 Commentary: a3:134; 35:33. Life spent in forgetfulness of God and disregard of its higher values is, as described in the verse under comment, but a sport and a pastime, otherwise man's life on earth is a most serious fact. It has a great mission and a noble object to fulfil. The verse implies that at the time when the great Promised Reformer to whom reference is impliedly made in the preceding verse would make his appearance, men would neglect the grim and noble purpose of their lives and would give themselves up, body and soul, to the pursuit of petty and paltry pleasures of life and there would be a mad craze and unhealthy competition among them, and vying with one another, for amassing wealth and material resources. But the end of all this competition and rivalry, says the verse, would be like the end of a blooming and blossoming crop over which a scorching wind has blown turning it into broken pieces of straw. 3101 4164. Important Words: عرض value is derived from) عرض ('arada). means, he showed, manifested, presented the thing to such a one means, breadth, width; vastness; latitude. Sebas means, he went lengthwise and breadthwise. The word also means, worldly goods; price; gain; a compensation; a substitute; any goods or commodities except gold or silver; etc. (Lane). Commentary: In view of different meanings of given under Important Words the verse would mean that the heavens and the earth—the whole universe— would be given to believers as a reward for the good works they had done in this life, which signifies that the reward of the righteous in the afterlife would be beyond measure or count. Or the Paradise comprising both the heavens and the earth may signify that the believers will live in Paradise both in this life and in the