38:46 Saad (The letter Saad)

{ إِنَّا أَخْلَصْنَاهُمْ بِخَالِصَةٍ } عظيمة، وخصيصة جسيمة، وهي: { ذِكْرَى الدَّارِ } جعلنا ذكرى الدار الآخرة في قلوبهم، والعمل لها صفوة وقتهم، والإخلاص والمراقبة للّه وصفهم الدائم، وجعلناهم ذكرى الدار يتذكر بأحوالهم المتذكر، ويعتبر بهم المعتبر، ويذكرون بأحسن الذكر.

وقوله تبارك وتعالى "إنا أخلصناهم بخالصة ذكرى الدار" قال مجاهد أي جعلناهم يعملون للآخرة ليس لهم هم غيرها وكذا قال السدي ذكرهم للآخرة وعملهم لها وقال مالك بن دينار نزع الله تعالى من قلوبهم حب الدنيا وذكرها وأخلصهم بحب الآخرة وذكرها وكذا قال عطاء الخراساني وقال سعيد بن جبير يعني بالدار الجنة يقول أخلصناها لهم بذكرهم لها وقال في رواية أخرى ذكرى الدار عقبى الدار وقال قتادة كانوا يذكرون الناس الدار الآخرة والعمل لها وقال ابن زيد جعل لهم خاصة أفضل شيء في الدار الآخرة.

The Chosen and the Best among the Prophets

Allah tells us about the virtues of His servants the Messengers and His Prophets:

وَاذْكُرْ عِبَادَنَآ إِبْرَهِيمَ وَإِسْحَـقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ أُوْلِى الاٌّيْدِى وَالاٌّبْصَـرِ

(And remember Our servants, Ibrahim, Ishaq, and Ya`qub, Ulil-Aydi wal-Absar.) meaning, righteous deeds, beneficial knowledge, strength in worship and insight. `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

أُوْلِى الاٌّيْدِى

(Ulil-Aydi) "Of great strength and worship;

وَالاٌّبْصَـرُ

(wal-Absar) means, understanding of the religion." Qatadah and As-Suddi said, "They were given strength in worship and understanding of the religion."

إِنَّآ أَخْلَصْنَهُمْ بِخَالِصَةٍ ذِكْرَى الدَّارِ

(Verily, We did choose them by granting them the remembrance of the Abode.) Mujahid said, "This means: We made them strive for the Hereafter, and there is nothing else for them besides that." As-Suddi also said, "The remembrance of the Hereafter and striving for it." Malik bin Dinar said, "Allah removed the love of this world from their hearts, and singled them out for land remembrance of the Hereafter." Qatadah said, "They used to remind the people about the Abode of the Hereafter and to strive for it."

وَإِنَّهُمْ عِندَنَا لَمِنَ الْمُصْطَفَيْنَ الاٌّخْيَارِ

(And they are with Us, verily, of the chosen and the best!) means, they are among those who have been elected and chosen, and they are the best and the chosen ones.

وَاذْكُرْ إِسْمَـعِيلَ وَالْيَسَعَ وَذَا الْكِفْلِ وَكُلٌّ مِّنَ الاٌّخْيَارِ

(And remember Isma`il, Al-Yasa`, and Dhul-Kifl, all are among the best.) We have already discussed their characteristics and stories in detail in Surat Al-Anbiya', may peace be upon them, and there is no need to repeat it here.

هَـذَا ذِكْرُ

(This is a Reminder) means, a reminder to those who will be reminded. As-Suddi said, "This means the Holy Qur'an."

Assuredly We purified them with an exclusive thought namely the remembrance of the Abode of the Hereafter in other words to always remember it and to work for it a variant reading for bi-khālisatin dhikrā’l-dār has the genitive construction bi-khālisati dhikrā’l-dār making this dhikrā al-dār ‘remembrance of the Abode’ the explicative thereof.

Concern for 'Akhirah is a distinct attribute of the noble prophets

The word 'home' in the statement: ذِكْرَ‌ى الدَّارِ‌ (remembering the [ eternal ] Home [ in the Hereafter ]- 38:46) refers to the 'Akhirah, (the Hereafter, the life-to-come). Instead of using the word: 'Akhirah, the text has used the word: الدَّارِ‌ (ad-dar: home) whereby it has warned human beings that they must take 'Akhirah as their real Home, and make the concern for it the basis for whatever they think and do. Right from here, we also come to know that the concern for 'Akhirah further sharpens and furbishes one's intellectual and physical faculties (helping it to flourish in an essentially true perspective). Hence, the view of some atheists that such concern blunts human faculties is baseless.