Аль-Анбия 21:105

وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ‌ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ‌ أَنَّ الْأَرْ‌ضَ يَرِ‌ثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ (And We have written in Zabur (Psalms) after the Dhikr (the Torah) that the land will be inherited by My righteous slaves. - 21:105) The word لزَّبُورِ‌(zabur) is the plural of زُبُرّ (zuburr), which means book. It is also the name of the book which was revealed to Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) . Opinions differ as to the meaning of the word in the present context. According to a version attributed to Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ the word ذِکر in the verse refers to Torah, and زبور to all other books revealed after Torah i.e. Zabur (Psalms), Injil (Evangel) and Qur'an. (Ibn Jarir) The same explanation is adopted by Dahhak. However, Ibn Zaid has explained that ذِکر refers to لَوحِ مَحفُوظ (the Preserved Tablet) and زبور relates to all the books which were revealed to the prophets. Zajjaj has also adopted this explanation. (Ruh ul-Ma ani)

الْأَرْ‌ضَ (the word 'land' in - 21:105) All commentators agree that the word in this verse refers to the land of Paradise. Ibn Jarir has reported this explanation from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . The same explanation is also adopted by Mujahid, Ibn Jubair, Ikrimah, Suddi and Ab Al-` Aaliyah. Imam Razi has said that another verse of the Holy Qur'an supports this explanation. The verse is وَأَوْرَ‌ثَنَا الْأَرْ‌ضَ نَتَبَوَّأُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ نَشَاءُ (And has bequeathed upon us the earth for us to make our dwelling wheresoever we will in Paradise - 39:74) The words used in the verse that the pious will inherit the أَرْ‌ضَ also lend credence to the view that the word أَرْ‌ضَ means land of Paradise, because the land of the earth can be inherited by all, whether believers or non-believers. Also the phrase that the pious will inherit the land (أَرْ‌ضَ ) follows the mention of Qiyamah, and it is well known that after the Qiymah there will be no land of the earth but only the land of the Paradise. Another version of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ says that the word أَرْ‌ضَ means just land, and includes both the land of the earth as well as of Paradise. It is quite obvious that the land of the Paradise will be inherited by the pious people. As for the land of the world also it is stated in the Holy Qur'an at several places that there will be a time when the entire land of the world will belong to the pious believers. One of such verse is: إِنَّ الْأَرْ‌ضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِ‌ثُهَا مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ۖ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ (Surely, the land belongs to Allah. He lets whomsoever He wills, from among His slaves, inherit it. And the end-result is in favour of the God-fearing. - 7:128).

In another verse it is said: وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ (Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will certainly make them (His) vicegerents in the land. - 24:55).

Yet another verse says: إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ‌ رُ‌سُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْأَشْهَادُ (Surely, We shall help Our Messengers and those who have believed in the present life, and upon the day when the witnesses arise. - 40:51).

The history has already witnessed the control of the pious believers over the better part of the world, and it will again come under their control during the time of Sayyidna Mahdi ؓ . (Ruh ul-Ma` ani Ibn Kathir)