God Inheriting the earth

[Rafiqqq]

Dear Brother Joseph. Peace to u and hope this finds u well. I had a very interesting discussion with a senior of mine from high school on a facebook post, and the following discussion ensued. I would appreciate your views on the discussion. I hope God-willing, that you make time to honor my request.

Bernards Question
I have a question for my Muslim friends:
The Qur'an says that God will inherit the heavens and the earth. I thought that everything in heaven and earth already belongs to God, so how is he going to inherit what is already his?
Sura 3:180 "It is God who will inherit the heavens and earth: God is well aware of everything you do." Rafiq Iddrisu, any thoughts?
Haleem, M. A. S. Abdel. The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics) (p. 48). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.

My Answer
Peace be upon u Snr. Bernard. Hope u're well. With regards to ur query, going by ur reference to Quran 3:108 from Oxford Press; I do not see the conflict, and my reasons n understanding r as follows; Though God is sovereign and is the source of all things, He has given man free will and dominion within His domain (earth) for a stipulated period, so though He owns all things, He placed man on the earth as a vicegerent (02:30 "Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "Indeed, I am going to place a vicegerent on the earth."...). When that day is come, where God calls His creation (mankind) to account for how they led their lives on the earth in which He placed them to worship Him, the creation will cede that delegated power that God bestowed on them over the earth, thus the earth will be inherited by its creator. The reference to "the heavens" in my opinion re-emphasizes God's encompassing power over all things be they in the heavens or the earth. So to speak to ur question, Yes, everything in the heavens n earth do belong to God, n d above r my thoughts on how He will inherit what is already His.

Bernard’s Answer
Okay, the Qur'an also says that the Torah and the Gospels were given by God. I believe what the Qur'an says. Some of the things in the Qur'an and in the bible are written in such a way that only a truly discerning reader who reads with a believing heart can grasp their true meaning. That said, I think you have only partially answered my question. If something belongs to a person, then it belongs to him, period. The Qur'an and the bible both teach that the heavens and the earth belong to God. They have always belonged to God and will forever remain his possession. You still haven't convincingly answered my question about how God can inherit heaven and earth if they already belong to him. Notice that the verse I quoted said that God will inherit the heavens and earth? You might say that the earth has been given to a vice-regent for a while, but what do you have to say about God inheriting the heavens, which are his eternal possession?

[Hamzeh]

Asalamu Alykum brother Rafiqq

I would be inclined to say that first the translation of what Bernard wrote is not precise. I dont see any translations saying that "It is God who will..."

Sura 3:180 "It is God who will inherit the heavens and earth: God is well aware of everything you do."

Please check the translation of the verse 3:180. Some translations are below

Sahih International
And let not those who [greedily] withhold what Allah has given them of His bounty ever think that it is better for them. Rather, it is worse for them. Their necks will be encircled by what they withheld on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth. And Allah , with what you do, is [fully] Acquainted.

Pickthall
And let not those who hoard up that which Allah hath bestowed upon them of His bounty think that it is better for them. Nay, it is worse for them. That which they hoard will be their collar on the Day of Resurrection. Allah's is the heritage of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is Informed of what ye do.

Yusuf Ali
And let not those who covetously withhold of the gifts which Allah Hath given them of His Grace, think that it is good for them: Nay, it will be the worse for them: soon shall the things which they covetously withheld be tied to their necks Like a twisted collar, on the Day of Judgment. To Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.

Salam

[Rafiqqq]

Peace to u brother Hamzeh,

Hope all's well on ur end. Thanks for ur efforts at helping out on the subject.

However, some translations render it as such. These include translations by; Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri; Mohammad Shafi; The Monotheist Group (2013 Edition); Ali Bakhtiari Nejad; Maududi etc.

[wanderer]

Here is a good site to use that may help clear up confusion around differences in translations:
http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=3&verse=180#(3:180:1)
Hope that helps
wanderer

[Hamzeh]

Peace

Alhamdulila. Your very welcome Rafiqq.

The translation that Bernard is aware of really does seem not accurate. Although some translators may have translated that way, from my little understanding of the Arabic I can recognize that its not correct. Further more it can be verified from the site Wanderer has shared word by word. The site seems to break down and explain the Arabic.
 
The translation of "Walillahi" is not "It is God who will" as there is more information in the translation than what the word really says. I think it is better translated as "And for Allah" as the site suggests.


Peace

[Rafiqqq]

Peace to u both, brothers Hamzeh and Wanderer. Thanks for the assistance, it definitely made things clearer.