Transliteration:( Saabiqooo ilaa maghfiratim mir Rabbikum wa jannatin 'arduhaa ka-'ardis samaaa'i wal ardi u'iddat lillazeena aamanoo billaahi wa Rusulih; zaalika fadlul laahi yu'teehi many yashaaa'; wal laahu zul fadlil 'azeem )
"Compete with each other in seeking forgiveness from your Lord and to obtain Paradise [70], the value of which is equal to the width of the heavens and the earth [71], prepared for those who believe in Allah and His Messengers. This is the Grace of Allah [72]. He bestows it upon whom He wills. And Allah is the Lord of great Bounty [73]."
✅ [70] Healthy Competition in Religion
Believers are urged to race toward repentance and righteous deeds, striving to outdo one another in sincerity and worship. In worldly matters, competition can lead to jealousy, but in religion, such ambition is considered an act of worship. According to the Sufi perspective, Shari‘ah (Islamic law) is the clear path to Paradise, and Tariqat (the mystical path), though subtler, is a path of love and closeness to Allah—yet always within the bounds of Shari‘ah.
✅ [71] The Incomprehensible Vastness of Paradise
Paradise is described as having a width equal to that of the heavens and the earth combined. If the width is so vast, its length and depth are beyond human imagination. This imagery is meant to fill the hearts of believers with awe and longing for what Allah has prepared for them.
✅ [72] Paradise is a Gift of Grace
Entry into Paradise is not by deeds alone, but by Allah’s mercy and grace. While good deeds are the means, ultimate success lies in divine acceptance. Some will enter Paradise through their deeds, others purely by Allah’s favor, but none without faith.
✅ [73] Allah’s Bounty is Boundless
The verse concludes by affirming that Allah’s bounty is vast, because He is Supreme and Independent. His grace reaches whom He wills, and no one can limit His generosity. Paradise is proof of His unmatched mercy and favor toward the believers.
The tafsir of Surah Hadid verse 21 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Hadid ayat 20 which provides the complete commentary from verse 20 through 21.
(57:21) So vie with one another[37] in seeking to attain your Lord’s forgiveness and a Garden whose width is as the width of the heaven and the earth,[38] one which has been prepared for those who believe in Allah and His Messengers. That is Allah’s bounty which He bestows upon those whom He pleases. Allah is the Lord of abounding bounty.
37. Musabaqat (from which sabiqu of the original is derived) means to compete and vie with each other in order to excel. The meaning is: Give up your rivalries with one another for amassing wealth, and pleasures and benefits of the world and instead make the forgiveness of your Lord and Paradise the object of your struggle and rivalries.
38. Some commentators have taken the word ard in arduha ka-ardis-samai wal-ard in the sense of breadth, but actually this word has been used here in the meaning of spaciousness and extensiveness. In Arabic the word ard is not only used for breadth, as a counterpart of length, but also for spaciousness, as it has been used in (Surah HaMim As-Sajdah, Ayat 51): fadhu dua in arid: Then he is full of long supplications. Besides, one should also understand that the object here is not to foretell the area or extent of Paradise, but to give an idea of its vastness and extensiveness. Here its vastness has been described as the vastness of the heaven and earth, and in Surah Aal-Imran it has been said: Hasten to follow the path that leads to your Lord’s forgiveness and to Paradise whose vastness is that of the universe, which has been prepared for the righteous (Surah Al-Imran, ayat 133). When both these verses are read together, one gets the idea that the gardens and palaces man will receive in Paradise will only serve as his dwellingplace but the entire universe will be his home. He will not be restricted to one place as he is in this world, where just for reaching the moon, his nearest neighbor in space, he has had to struggle hard for years and expend excessive resources only to overcome the difficulties of a short journey. There the whole universe will be accessible to him. He will be able to see whatever he would desire from his station and be able to visit whichever place he would like easily.
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