Commentary
Then let the straightness be relaxed from the acknowledgment in rank. And its preference over it, because straightness has the whole matter. And similar is His saying, 'Indeed, the believers are those who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and then did not doubt.' The meaning is: then they were steadfast in acknowledgment and its requirements. And from Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him: They were upright in action just as they were upright in words.
And from him: He recited it and then said: What do you say about it? They said: They did not sin. He said: You have taken the matter to its utmost. They said:
Then what do you say? He said: They did not return to the worship of idols. And from Umar, may Allah be pleased with him: They were upright on the path and did not swerve like the swerve of foxes. And from Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him: They purified their actions. And from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: They fulfilled the obligatory acts. And Sufyan ibn Abdullah ath-Thaqafi, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I said, O Messenger of Allah, inform me of a matter I can hold fast to. He said: 'Say, My Lord is Allah, then be upright.' I said: What do you fear most for me? The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, took hold of his own tongue and said, 'This.'
The angels descend upon them at the time of death with glad tidings. It was said that the glad tidings are in three places: at death, in the grave, and when they rise from their graves. 'Do not fear' means 'do not fear anything.' Or it is a softened form of the heavy. Its origin is: that you do not fear, and the 'he' is a pronoun of the matter. And in the reading of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him: 'Do not fear,' meaning: they say, 'Do not fear.' And fear is a distress that occurs due to the anticipation of something disliked, while sadness is a distress that occurs due to the occurrence of something from the loss of what is beneficial or the attainment of something harmful. The meaning is: Allah has decreed for you safety from every distress, and you will never taste it. And it was said: Do not fear what you are approaching, and do not grieve over what you have left behind. Just as the devils are companions of the disobedient and their brothers, so too are the angels allies of the pious and their beloved ones in both abodes. You are called upon, you wish: and the provision is the sustenance of the guest, and its position is in the state.
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