But this does not seem to fit, because the interrogative pronoun ayy makes the verb conditional on action ( ‘amal ). That which is correct is that أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً is a nominal sentence ( jumleh-ye mubtada wa khabar ) and is the object of the verb balwa . If ayy is taken to be relative pronoun ( mawsulah ), there is a sense for the statement of al-Majlisi (M). But its interrogative character is more evident. Sawab is the opposite of khata’ (error), as mentioned by al-Jawhari.
The second ‘khashyah’ (fear) does not appear in some manuscripts, as mentioned by al-Majlisi, and should it be there, there are several probable interpretations for it, the more evident of which is that the waw here is in the sense of ma’a (with). And this phrase is narrated in the Asrar al-salat of al-Shahid al-Thani (M) وَالنِّيَّةُ الصَّادِقَةُ وَالحَسَنَةُ (‘sincere and fair intention’; instead of وَالنِّيَّةُ الصَّادِقَةُ وَالخِشْيَةُ).
Ibqa’ ‘ala al-’amal means observance of action and exercising care over it, as pointed out by al-Jawhari, who says: أبقَيتُ على فُلانٍ إذا أرْعَيتُ علَيهِ ورَحِمْتُه. Shakilah has (also) the sense of tariqah (way), shakl (shape), and nahiyah (region), as mentioned in al-Qamus and al-Sihah . Al-Qamus states: الشّاكِلةُ: الشَّكلُ والنّاحِيةُ والنّيَّة والطَّريقَةُ. We will, God willing, explain that which needs explanation in this noble hadith in course of a few sections.
The Meaning Of ‘Test’ In Relation To God The clause, “That He might try you...” (quoted in the tradition) refers to the utterance of God Almighty: ﴿تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ. الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا.﴾ Blessed is He in Whose hand is the Kingdom and Who is powerful over everything, Who created death and life, that He might try you which of you is fairest in works.
( 67: 1-2 ) The muhaqqiq al-Majlisi (Q) says, “This noble verse (which refers to the ‘creation’ of death) indicates that death is something which has being, and means either death as something that happens to life or essential non-existence.” The meaning of the noble verse indicates a sense in which creation relates to it (death) as a substance; it does not indicate a sense in which the relation is accidental, as pointed out by the muhaqqiqun.