In this audio Maulana Ayub Dehlavi criticizes the traditional interpretation of الصالحون as the righteous and present another meaning I e. the word Saalih refers to the one who has the ability to rule. The Ayat under discussion is:
{ وَلَقَدۡ كَتَبۡنَا فِی ٱلزَّبُورِ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ ٱلذِّكۡرِ أَنَّ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ یَرِثُهَا عِبَادِیَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحُونَ }
And We have written in Zabūr (Psalms) after the advice that the land will be inherited by My righteous slaves.
[Surah Al-Anbiyâ’: 105]
In this ayat 21:105, the word الأرض has been interpreted by the exegetes as meaning paradise or earth. For the meaning of Paradise following Ayat is cited:
{ وَقَالُوا۟ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِی صَدَقَنَا وَعۡدَهُۥ وَأَوۡرَثَنَا ٱلۡأَرۡضَ نَتَبَوَّأُ مِنَ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ حَیۡثُ نَشَاۤءُۖ فَنِعۡمَ أَجۡرُ ٱلۡعَـٰمِلِینَ }
And they will say, “AlHamdulillāh : Praise belongs to Allah who made His promise come true for us, and made us inherit the territory, so as we can dwell anywhere we wish in Jannah (Paradise) . So, excellent is the reward of those who did (good) deeds.[Surah Az-Zumar: 74]
And if the the meaning of earth is taken, then either it’s a general rule or a specific rule. Some exegetes say that it’s specific, with a difference of opinion on whom it’s specific to. Some say it’s specific to the Bani Israel according to the Ayat:
{ وَأَوۡرَثۡنَا ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلَّذِینَ كَانُوا۟ یُسۡتَضۡعَفُونَ مَشَـٰرِقَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَغَـٰرِبَهَا ٱلَّتِی بَـٰرَكۡنَا فِیهَاۖ وَتَمَّتۡ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ عَلَىٰ بَنِیۤ إِسۡرَ ٰۤءِیلَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا۟ۖ وَدَمَّرۡنَا مَا كَانَ یَصۡنَعُ فِرۡعَوۡنُ وَقَوۡمُهُۥ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ یَعۡرِشُونَ }
We caused those people who were deemed to be weak (the Israelites) to inherit the East and West of the land that We had blessed. And the sublime word of your Lord was fulfilled for the children of Isrā’īl, because they stood patient; and We destroyed what Pharaoh and his people used to build and what they used to raise high. [Surah Al-A`râf: 137]
And Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما says that this Ayat is specific to the Ummat of Muhammad ﷺ, which is also aided by the Ayat:
{ وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمۡ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَیَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّهُمۡ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَمَا ٱسۡتَخۡلَفَ ٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ وَلَیُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمۡ دِینَهُمُ ٱلَّذِی ٱرۡتَضَىٰ لَهُمۡ وَلَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِهِمۡ أَمۡنࣰاۚ یَعۡبُدُونَنِی لَا یُشۡرِكُونَ بِی شَیۡـࣰٔاۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذَ ٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡفَـٰسِقُونَ }
Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will certainly make them (His) vicegerents in the land, as He made those before them, and will certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and will certainly give them peace in place of fear in which they were before; (provided that) they worship Me, ascribing no partner to Me. And those who turn infidel after that are the transgressors. [Surah An-Nûr: 55]
Shia exegetes make it specific to their twelfth Imam Mahdi and his followers. [***]
Or this Ayat is general in it’s application i.e. only those who are Saalih will inherit the earth.
Maulana Ayub Dehlavi’s referred audio pertains to this interpretation only since in all the other interpretations the meaning of Saalih as righteous is established. Maulana translates the word Saalih as the one who has the ability to rule while the traditional exegetes translate it as righteous.
Following Ayaat are cited for support of the traditional interpretation:
{ وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِینَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِرُسُلِهِمۡ لَنُخۡرِجَنَّكُم مِّنۡ أَرۡضِنَاۤ أَوۡ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِی مِلَّتِنَاۖ فَأَوۡحَىٰۤ إِلَیۡهِمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ لَنُهۡلِكَنَّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِینَ }
The disbelievers said to their prophets, “We shall certainly expel you from our land unless you come back to our faith.” So, their Lord revealed to them, “We shall destroy the transgressors, [Surah Ibrâhîm: 13]
{ وَلَنُسۡكِنَنَّكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡۚ ذَ ٰلِكَ لِمَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامِی وَخَافَ وَعِیدِ }
and shall certainly let you dwell in the land after them. This is for the one who is fearful of standing before Me and is fearful of My warning.” [Surah Ibrâhîm: 14]
{ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوۡمِهِ ٱسۡتَعِینُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱصۡبِرُوۤا۟ۖ إِنَّ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ لِلَّهِ یُورِثُهَا مَن یَشَاۤءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِۦۖ وَٱلۡعَـٰقِبَةُ لِلۡمُتَّقِینَ }
Mūsā said to his people, “Seek help from Allah and be patient. Surely, the land belongs to Allah. He lets whomsoever He wills inherit it from among His servants; and the end-result is in favor of the God-fearing.” [Surah Al-A`râf: 128]
Also a verse in Psalms echoes the traditional interpretation:
‘The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.’ Psalms 37:29, KJV BIBLE
Maulana’s argument against the traditional interpretation is that of historical nature, that we have seen that righteous aka Muslims, don’t always rule the earth, so the traditional interpretation is untenable. But for the correct interpretation we need to take the word’s lexical meaning i.e. somebody with requisite abilities (to rule). The Ayat then translates to ‘.. that the Earth shall be inherited by my slaves who possess requisite abilities to rule’. This interpretation can withstand the criticism of the Historical argument, Maulana surmised, as this does not presuppose the piety of the ruler; so throughout the history whoever ruled, he ruled because of his ruling abilities, not because he belonged to certain belief.
Due to following reasons Maulana’s argument becomes weak:
1. The context of the Ayat dictates that the inheritance of the Earth is a blessing accorded to Allah’s pious servants due to their piety rather than just a historical principle.
2. The traditional interpretation is also fully commensurate with another Ayat:
{ وَلَا تَهِنُوا۟ وَلَا تَحۡزَنُوا۟ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلۡأَعۡلَوۡنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِینَ }
Do not lose heart and do not grieve, and you are the upper-most if you are believers.
[Surah Âl-`Imrân: 139]
3. The above Ayat also answers Maulana’s observation of non universality both temporal and spatial, of Muslim rule; Since the Ayat guarantees success only if one is a true Muslim, so when Muslims are subjugated, the main cause is the detriment in their faith while other factors like unpreparedness for war etc are just the manifestations of this weak faith.
4. Also in the Ayah 55 of Surah Al Nur quoted above, Allah Ta’aala promises the Caliphate over the world, solely as a consequence of Belief and Good deeds for the future, and establishes the same criteria for the past as well.
Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will certainly make them (His) vicegerents in the land, as He made those before them, and will certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and will certainly give them peace in place of fear in which they were before; (provided that) they worship Me, ascribing no partner to Me. And those who turn infidel after that are the transgressors.
[Surah An-Nûr: 55]
Fiqh ud deen 