هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَـٰٓئِفَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ فَمَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُۥ ۖ وَلَا يَزِيدُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ كُفْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا مَقْتًا ۖ وَلَا يَزِيدُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ كُفْرُهُمْ إِلَّا خَسَارًا Qur’an Fatir (35:39)Huwa alla th ee jaAAalakum khal a ifa fee alar d i faman kafara faAAalayhi kufruhu wal a yazeedu alk a fireena kufruhum AAinda rabbihim ill a maqtan wal a yazeedu alk a fireena kufruhum ill a khas a r a n
See note [22] on 2:30 . In this instance, God s having made man "inherit the earth" implies the grant to him of the ability to discern between right and wrong as well as between truth and falsehood.
Inheritors: khalaif. In two senses: (1) as Vicegerents on earth, and (2) as successors to previous people who forfeited their rights by wrong-doing. The honour and dignity of (1) and the examples of the past in (2) should have kept them straight and made them truly grateful. See also vi. 165 and n. 988.
Their rejection and ingratitude only causes injury to themselves. They lose all honour and incur odium in the sight of Allah, and they complete their own undoing.