Al-Anbya · Makki · ayah 89 of 112

Al-Anbya 21:89

وَزَكَرِيَّآ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِى فَرْدًا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلْوَٰرِثِينَ

“And [mention] Zechariah, when he called to his Lord, "My Lord, do not leave me alone [with no heir], while You are the best of inheritors."”

Saheeh International

Essence

An old man asked not to be left alone, then let go of the answer: and if not, You are the best of heirs.

A reflection

Every owner passes; the Heir remains

Wa anta khayru al-wārithīn: and You are the best of inheritors. The commentators explain the title simply. Allah is the One who remains after every creature has perished. The best of those who stay on, after everyone else has died.

The root of wārith pictures something belonging to one people passing into other hands. The lexicons quote a poet speaking of what he inherited from truthful fathers, to pass on to his sons at death. It passes without any contract. These are established usages. Inheritance is the one transaction no one can refuse and no one escapes.

Picture an auction room on a grey Tuesday. On sale is the estate of a collector who spent fifty years acquiring clocks, maps and porcelain. He travelled the world for some of these pieces. He catalogued each one in his own hand. In a single afternoon, lot by lot, all of it goes to strangers, most of whom have never heard his name. By five o'clock the room is empty.

That is the truth about every owner, however grand. Kings, collectors, companies, families: all of us are temporary holders of things that will pass to others. The ego builds its sense of self on what it owns. This title of Allah calmly shows where everything ends up. Every heir is eventually inherited from. Only One is never succeeded.

That should make our possessions lighter in our hands. It should also make our deeds heavier, because they are the only thing we hand forward to the One who remains.

Does Allah need to be called the best of heirs? He needs nothing. Everything was His before anyone held it. The words were for Zakariya, and for us: so we stop clutching what was only lent.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.