Surely the ledger of the pious will be in 'Illiyun (heights above the heights).
18
Tafseer
'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : (nay) truly, o muhammad, (but the record of the righteous) the works of those who are true in their faith (is in 'illiyyin
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : nay!, verily, the record of the pious, that is, the record of the deeds of the believers who were sincere in their faith, is in ‘illiyyūn — this is said to be the book [containing] all the good deeds of the angels and the believers from among the two heavy ones [sc. mankind and jinn]; but it is also said to be a place below the throne in the seventh heaven;
Sahl al-Tustari
تفسير : nay, the record of the pious is in ʿilliyyūn. he said:the record in its outward meaning in both of the two verses [18 and 19] is a reference to the [record of] deeds, the good and the evil. in its inner meaning it refers to the spirits of the believers and the spirits of the disbelievers. the spirits of the believers are gathered at the lote tree beyond which none may pass, in the form of green birds which fly freely in paradise until the day of resurrection, stamped (marqūm) with [seal] of [god’s] good pleasure (riḍā) and satisfaction (riḍwān). on the other hand the spirits of the disbelievers are gathered at sijjīn beneath the lowest earth, under the cheek of satan, may god curse him, branded with hostility (ʿadāwa) and wrath (ghaḍab). his words, exalted is he:
