سورة الأعراف

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Firon used to kill the sons of Bani Isra'il, but when he saw these miracles of Musa he issued such a command again; then Bani Isra'il complained of this to Musa (peace be upon him), and Musa (peace be upon him) said: "Seek help from Allah in repelling the affliction of Firon from you, and remain steadfast upon your religion. یُورِثُها مَنْ یَشاءُ [He gives it as inheritance to whom He wills] — meaning He transfers it to whomever He wills by way of inheritance. وَ الْعاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِینَ [and the end is for those who guard against evil] — meaning: be people of taqwa (Allah-consciousness), for a good end in both worlds belongs to people of taqwa."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): وَ اسْتَعِینُوا بِاللهِ وَ اصْبِرُوا إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لِلهِ یُورِثُها مَنْ یَشاءُ مِنْ عِبادِهِ وَ الْعاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِینَ [And seek help from Allah and be patient; indeed the earth belongs to Allah, He gives it as inheritance to whomever He wills of His servants, and the end is for those who guard against evil]; do not hasten a matter before its time arrives, for you will regret it. And do not let the term seem long to you, lest your hearts grow hard.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Removing mountains is easier than removing and bringing to an end a nation to which Allah has turned [His favour, willing its continuance]; فَاسْتَعِینُوا بِاللهِ وَ اصْبِرُوا إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لِلهِ یُورِثُها مَنْ یَشاءُ [So seek help from Allah and be patient; indeed the earth belongs to Allah, He gives it as inheritance to whomever He wills].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ammar Sabati said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: إِنَّ الأَرْضَ لِلهِ یُورِثُهَا مَن یَشَاء مِنْ عِبَادِهِ [Indeed the earth belongs to Allah; He causes to inherit it whomever He wills of His servants]. Whatever belongs to Allah also belongs to His Messenger, and whatever belongs to His Messenger also belongs to the Imam after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Among the Bani Israil there was a man who used to often say this sentence: "Praise and thanks be to Allah, and the good end is for the people of taqwa (piety)." Iblis became enraged by this man's act and sent one of his agents to him, telling him to say, in response to that man's slogan and utterance: "The good end is for the wealthy." He came and did so. The two agreed that the first person they came across, they would make him the arbiter and judge over them, and whichever of them was ruled against, his hand would be cut off. They told the dispute to the first person they met. That person judged against this believer and said: "The good end is for the wealthy." As a result the believer's hand was cut off, and he returned, yet he did not give up his slogan and utterance. Satan said: "Are you still repeating your words?" He answered: "Yes, I am ready for my other hand to be cut off too." So they set off and entrusted the judgement to the first person they met. It happened that this time too the judgement was against him and his other hand was cut off as well, yet even so he still did not give up his true utterance. Satan said: "Are you ready that this time the outcome of judging between us be that your neck be struck and you be killed?" The believing man said: Yes, I am ready! The two set off until they met the first person they saw. This time that person judged against Satan and in favour of the believing man, and that judge joined the hands of that believer back and asked Allah for his cure. So his hands became sound and returned to their original state. Then he struck the neck of that vile one and killed him. Then he said: The good end thus belongs to the people of taqwa (piety).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Bakr al-Hadrami said: When Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) was taken to Syria to Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik and arrived at his court, Hisham [said] to his companions and to those present in the gathering from the Bani Umayyah ... When he fell silent, that gathering present, one by one, turned to the Imam and rebuked him until the last of them, and when they all fell silent, the Imam stood up and said: "O people, where are you going, and where are you being taken? Allah guided the first of you through us, and He will bring the last of you to conclusion through us as well. If you have a hasty, passing kingdom, we too have a promised kingdom, after which there is no kingdom, for we are the people of the [final] outcome, as Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: الْعاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِینَ [And the [good] end is for the pious]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Ali ibn Uqba narrates from his father: When the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief) rises, he will establish justice among the people, and tyranny and oppression will be removed in his time, and the roads will become safe. In his time the earth will bring forth its blessings, and the Qa'im will return every right to its rightful owners. At his appearance, all the people upon the earth will accept the religion of Islam ... Our state will come at the end of all states, and all will attain rule before us, and this is so that they may not say, 'Had we too been given rule, we would have acted with justice like these ones.' And this is the word of Allah the Exalted, who said: وَ الْعاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِینَ [And the end is for those who guard against evil].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Abaya says: I heard Ali (peace be upon him) saying: I am the master of the elders, and in me is a practice of Ayyub (peace be upon him) ... Allah the Exalted will gather his children for him, just as He gathered them for Yaqub (peace be upon him), and the gathering of Yaqub (peace be upon him) with his children took place in this world. So Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) too must be like that, and in his return (raj'a) to this world, they will be gathered around him. And his children are the Imams (peace be upon them), and in their authentic and explicit hadiths, texts have come regarding their return, and the end is for those who guard against evil, and the Imams (peace be upon them) are those very ones who guard against evil.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): A man from the people of Qum will call the people to the truth, and a group like pieces of iron will rise with him, whom fierce winds will not shake, who will know and desire nothing but battle, and who rely upon Allah: وَ الْعاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِینَ [And the end is for those who guard against evil].