We gradually reduce the land from its outlying borders

(page 174) Question 104: What does the Al-mighty’s saying mean: {See they not that We gradually reduce the land from its outlying borders? (Where) Allah commands there is none to put back His command: and He is swift in calling to account.}[1], and His Al-mighty’s saying: {..see they not that we gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders? Is it then they who will win?}[2]?

Answer: The Earth expands by the dropping of sperm within it and it reduces by the upheaval of sperm from it, and it receives this expansion and reduction by new humans entering into this physical world, or by humans leaving this physical world through death. So this is what is mentioned in the verses of the Earth reducing i.e. the sperm exiting from it as a result of death.

As for the Earth’s outlying borders then this is the Hujjas (proofs of Allah (pbut)) from the Prophets and Messengers and Imams (pbut), so the outlying border of an object is its end and its conclusion or its start and its beginning, and inside the Earth’s outlying borders is the Hujja (pbuh) upon the Earth’s people; because he is the reason for the abundance that descends from the skies to the Earth, so the subject of receiving this abundance is the Earth’s outlying border, and as such this abundance is the light that is representative in the Earth from outlying border to outlying border, and without it the Earth would be desecrated by its people and would be returned back to nothingness.

Thus the Hujja is the Earth’s outlying border and he is the start and the end, and he is the beginning and the conclusion, so by the death of the Hujja (a.s) the Earth reduces its outlying borders, and without the presence of the Hujja of Allah’s authority in His Earth the Earth would be desecrated by its people, if the Earth is emptied from the subject of Allah’s abundance and light (the Glorified and Al-mighty) coming down to the Earth:

{Whether We shall show thee (within thy lifetime) part of what We promised them or take to Ourselves thy soul (before it is all accomplished), Thy duty is to make (the Message) reach them: it is Our part to call them to account. * See they not that We gradually reduce the land from its outlying borders? (Where) Allah commands there is none to put back His command: and He is swift in calling to account.}[3].

{Nay, We gave the good things of this life to these men and their fathers until the period grew long for them; see they not that we gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders? Is it then they who will win?}[4].

And inside both these two verses is a reminder of the death and the return to Allah that is inevitable, so if the Hujja’s (a.s) demise and death was a forced event, then for people other than these misguided people is the termination of the remembrance of Allah firstly and (ahjah), {We granted not to any man before thee permanent life (here): if then thou shouldst die would they live permanently?}[5].

[1] The Holy Qur’an: Surat Al-Ra’ad (13: 41).
[2] The Holy Qur’an: Surat Al-Anbiya’ (21: 44).
[3] The Holy Qur’an: Surat Al-Ra’ad (13: 40-41).
[4] The Holy Qur’an: Surat Al-Anbiya’ (21: 44).
[5] The Holy Qur’an: Surat Al-Anbiya’ (21: 34).