﴿ إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُۥ بَعِيدًۭا ﴾

“behold, men look upon that [reckoning] as something far away –”

Lo! They see it as being far off,! while We see it [to be] near.He said:This means that they see the death, resurrection and reckoning that are decreed for them as far away (baʿīd), due to the far-fetched nature (buʿd) of their hopes; while We see it [to be] near, for indeed everything in existence (kāʾin) is close and that which is distant does not even exist. Then he said:The scholars sought [the justification] for having scruples (waswasa), concerning the Book and the Sunna, but they could not find a basis for it except legitimate inquisitiveness (fuḍūl al-ḥalāl), and legitimate inquisitiveness is that the servant considers a time other than the time he is in. This, [however] is [on the basis of] hope (amal). It is related from Ḥubaysh on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās y that the Prophet would pass water and then wipe himself with earth. So he [Ibn ʿAbbās?] said, �O Messenger of God, there is water near you!�, to which he replied, �I do not know, it may be that I won�t reach it.� And [the Prophet said to Usāma (b. Zayd)], �Our nearness to [obtaining water] is two months away. Indeed, Usāma has far-reaching hopes (ṭawīl al-amal)!�Sahl was asked, �How does the world leave the heart?� He replied:By the shortening of hope.[Then] he was asked: �What is it that shortens hope?� He replied:It is cutting off from concerns (humūm) with what is guaranteed (maḍmūn), and finding reliance(sukūn) on the Guarantor (al-Ḍāmin).His words, Exalted is He: