Commentary:
One of the unique advantages of the Qur'an is that it states the most meaningful matters in the most concise terms, among which reference may be made to the sentence 'Peace be upon you' which is a very concise yet very meaningful sentence. Its historical perspective goes back to the previous prophets like 'Ibrahim, Noah, and Adam (a.s.) "Peace be upon Noah among the nations. " (Sura As- Saffat, No. 37, verse 79)
The Qur'anic term/ salam/ (Peace) is one of Allah's names, and it is one of the ways of greetings of Allah to the prophets, the Divine congratulations on the people of Paradise, the whisper of the angles; the international saying of all the Muslims; the slogan of all the paradise- deserving in this world and in the other one; the common words of the Creator and the created; the voice heard on arrival and departure, and the beginning of every speech and of every letter which is said to both the living and the dead, and on the aged and the young. Answering and returning it, however, is obligatory for a believer.
The message of/ salam/ (peace) is a message of respect, congratulations, prayer and greetings from Allah. "Peace; a word from a Merciful Lord. " (Sura Yasin, No. 36, verse 58) When we utter at the end of each of our prayers: "Greetings 'peace' to us and to the righteous servants of Allah", with this greeting/ salam/ all the dividing lines in the realm of race, absurd privileges of senility, sexuality, property, position,
language, and time will be obliterated and we can establish communications with all the righteous people to whom we send our greetings.
Some Islamic quotations denote that some people go to Paradise without having settled their accounts. When the angels ask the reason, they will be answered: "We used to keep waiting for obedience of Allah and used to keep our patience while we were struck by disasters and why suffering from difficulties. " By hearing this answer, the angels will welcome them by saying/ salamun 'alykum/ (peace be on you) . (Tafsir Qurtubi)
Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: "We are among those who keep their patience though our Shi'ite followers are more patient than us, for our patience is upon what we know, but they are keeping their patience as to what they do not know. (Tafsir Safi)
1- We must regard Allah as the source of all patience: " and your patience is not but by Allah " (Sura An- Nah l, No. 16, verse 127)
2- We must do consider the Divine consent as the main purpose and objective of our patience, not for the sake of fame or anything else: "And for the sake of your Lord, be patient. " (Sura Al- Mudathir No. 74, verse 7)
3- Patience is one of the traits of the prophets and the key to Paradise: "Or did you suppose you would enter Paradise untouched " (Sura Al- Baqarah, No. 2, verse 214)
4- Patience, when kept in the face of the calamities and the Divine trials is the criterion for cognition of the true
profile of those who are patient: "And most certainly We will try you until We have known those among you who exert themselves hard, and the patient, " ( Sura Muhammad, No. 47, verse 31)
5- Patience leads one to receive Allah's blessings: "Those are they on whom are blessings and Mercy from their Lord, " (Sura Al- Baqarah, No. 2, verse 157)
6- Perhaps one of the reasons for sending greetings to the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and his Ahl- ul- Bayt (a.s.) is that they were among the most patient of the people.
7- Patience with regard to faith is just like the head as for the body. The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) remarks: "Patience is a part of Faith, just like the head and the body. " (Bihar, vol. 9, p. 203)
8- Patience categorizes the hierarchy of those who deserve Paradise: "These shall be rewarded with high places because they were patient, " (Sura Al- Furqan, No. 25, verse 75) ; "And He will reward them for their patience, with a garden and clothes of silk (in Heaven) . " (Sura Insan, No. 76, verse 12)
9- Patience has got a hierarchy; and we read in an Islamic tradition that patience in case of calamities has got 003 degrees; in case of religious worship has got 006 degrees, and with regard to restraining from sins has got 009 degrees. (Bihar, vol. 71, p. 92)
10- Throughout the Qur'an, one finds that only the reward for those who are patient is so vast and is indefinitely unlimited: " only the patient will be paid back their reward in full without measure. " (Sura Az- Zumar, No. 39, verse 10)
11- Alongside patience, the glorious Qur'an has also dealt with the issue of gratitude as well. It also alludes to the
fact that difficulties also constitute blessings: " for every patient, grateful one. " (Sura 'Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 5)
21- 'Patience' is involved in the will of Imam Hussayn (a.s.) passed down to his son, Had rat Sajjad (a.s.) : " O my son! Be patient with the Truth even if it is bitter! " (Bihar, vol. 07, p. 184)
31- Sometimes, there are several kinds of patience observed in one occasion; as in the case of Had rat 'Ibrahim (a.s.) in sacrificing Ishmael, in which case, patience with regard to obedience and submission to the will of Allah, as well as patience with regard to the calamity are involved and are required.
41- Patience, among all, stands at the top of all perfections and virtues.
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(25) وَ الَّذينَ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ ميثاقِهِ وَ يَقْطَعُونَ ما أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَنْ يُوصَلَ وَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ أُولئِكَ لَهُمُ اللَّعْنَةُ وَ لَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّارِ
25. " And there are those who break the covenant of Allah after its confirmation and cut asunder what Allah has commanded to be joined, and make mischief in the earth; they, theirs shall be the curse and theirs shall be the evil abode. "
Commentary:
In some former holy verses, the traits of the possessors of intellect were explained.
As the good and evil can well be differentiated once they are compared and juxtaposed against each other, the Qur'an recounts here some of the main traits of the ones who incite corruption and those who have lost their true sense of reasoning where it says:
" And there are those who break the covenant of Allah after its confirmation and cut asunder what Allah has commanded to be joined, and make mischief in the earth; they, theirs shall be the curse and theirs shall be the evil abode. "
In fact, all of their ideological and scientific corruptions can be summarized in the following three categories:
1- Breaking of the Divine testaments which includes the inherent testaments, the rational testaments, and, finally, the religious testaments.
2- Cutting off relationships, the relationship with Allah, the relationship with Divine religious leaders, the relationship with people, and the relationship with one's own self.
3- The last part, which is the consequence of the above two, is the corruption on the earth.
Explanations:
1- The Qur'an refers to a group who have the opposite of the attributes which characterize the good prominent traits of the possessors of intellect as in their keeping of their promise and relationships with whatever Allah has preordained. That is, they break their promises and cut off the relationships which have been commended to be established. Thus, there are 'evil abodes' designated for them instead of 'Ultimate abodes'.
2- Corruption on the Earth: There are actions dealt with in the Qur'an which are attributed to individuals, among which the Pharaoh has been noted as an example of those who incite corruption. The Qur'an concerning him says: " Verily he was one of the mischief- makers. " (Sura Qas as, No. 28, verse 4) . Actions like homicide, destruction of tillage and generation, inciting and provoking differences, and murder are also among the corruption cases on the earth. (Sura Al- Baqarah, No. 2, verse 205) . The Qur'an considers 'execution' or amputation for punishing of the 'corrupt ones on the earth'. And as for those who have ambitions in their thinking for corruption, the Qur'an considers them as the ones who are deprived from the Divine blessings on the Day of Resurrection.
3- Imam Sajjad (a.s.) writes in his will to his son: "Abstain from association and avoid the company of those who cut off their relationship with their relatives, for I have
found them cursed in the Qur'an". (Bihar- ul- 'Anwar, vol. 74, p. 197)
Messages:
1- The separation of man from Allah is the turning point in the onset of deviations.
2- Cutting off of the relationship with one's kinds is one of the capital sins, for Allah (s.w.t.) has vowed as to their punishment.
(26) اللَّهُ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَنْ يَشاءُ وَ يَقْدِرُ وَ فَرِحُوا بِالْحَياةِ الدُّنْيا وَ مَا الْحَياةُ الدُّنْيا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلاَّ مَتاعٌ
26. " Allah enlarges the sustenance for whomever he pleases and straitens (it for whomever He wishes) and they rejoice in the life of the world, while the life of the world beside the Hereafter is naught but a temporary enjoyment. "
Commentary:
The amplification and the straitening of one's means of subsistence has been attributed to Allah in this verse, but it goes without saying that the acts of Allah, the Wise, are planned according to pragmatism and are philosophical, as some of its reasons can be seen explained in some verses of the Qur'an and in the Islamic quotations. For instance, committing sin causes changes in the life and means of subsistence of many individuals.
We read in the supplication of Kumayl that: "O' Allah: Forgive those sins of mine which change the course of the blessings which you have bestowed upon me. " At times, the differences, which exist in one's means of subsistence, are because of the trial of these individuals. 'Sura Al- Baqarah, No. 2, verse 155 ' says: "And We will surely test you (all) with something of fear and hanger and loss of property, lives and fruits; but give glad tidings to the (stead fast) patient. " At times, being deprived is due to the deprivation which is inflicted on other people from their rights, like the garden which burned under fire, which Sura Al- Qalam No. 86 has
made allusion to. At other times, lack of concentration on the circumstances of orphans results in straitening of one's means of subsistence. "Nay! But you honour not the orphans. " (Sura Al- Fajr, No. 89, verse 17)
What is important is the fact that we must not feel rude and arrogant once our means of subsistence is amplified, forgetting everything; nor must we become desperate of everything when our means of subsistence is at stake, for the Divine system is one which is based on His Wisdom and has got trial basis, and it is not based on luck, chance and good omens.
Anyway, usually those who are affluent in their means of subsistence and are given sustenance in abundant, tend to forget it and ignore the Hereafter, sticking to the mortal world and its beauty, while this worldly life is nothing else but limited in its scope and is a mortal one as compared to the Hereafter, for the latter is immortal. The verse says:
" Allah enlarges the sustenance for whomever he pleases and straitens (it for whomever He wishes) and they rejoice in the life of the world, while the life of the world beside the Hereafter is naught but a temporary enjoyment. "
Explanations:
1- One's means of subsistence depends on Him alone. It is not dependent upon one's shrewdness, bigotry, breaking of testaments, and cutting off of those relationships which probably require disbursing and giving away.
2- Low scale for means of subsistence is also allocated according to a divine philosophical echelon which is predetermined already.
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