Describing Paradise in the Quran

[إبن سينا]

There are so many grades and ranks of the paradise prosperity; the prosperity of the excellent pious men is beyond imagination

Quran: Soora 76
(In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful)

1. Did not a long period of time pass, concerning man [: before his creation] when he was nothing [of importance, so as ] to be mentioned [by angels]? a

2. We have created man from a "scanty [seminal] fluid": sperms, mixed [with the ovum of woman] b, to try him c, and have made him hear and see.

3. We have shown to him the [correct] way d; [and have given to him the free choice] whether to be grateful or ungrateful. e

4. Surely, We have prepared, for disbelievers, chains and yokes f [binding hands to necks] and a blazing fire.
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a It means: Man was not anything of importance or activity, and the angels did not mention him by their tongues: that there was any man on earth; but he was mere dust on the earth surface, trodden by the jinn with their hoofs, as did the cattle tread on it with their hoofs also.

Then when We made him a human being seeing, hearing and understanding, he became arrogant against Us, did not comply with Our command and did not show gratitude to Our grace, but He blasphemed about his Creator and denied His favors.

b The meaning: We create him from the sperm of man and the ovum of woman, and they will mix and unite with each other.

c By the religious duties with which We task him to see he will obey Our commands or he will disobey; in order that We may reward him according to his deeds and punish him according to his acts.

d And We explained to him the evidences to recognize the Creator, and We forbade him from worshipping idols and statues and from the evil acts.

e So if he show gratitude, he will go to Paradise; and if he is ungrateful, his destiny will be in the Fire.

f Which are some iron tools used for binding and seizing.

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[About the praise of the pious who do charity, His saying – be glorified – was revealed:]

5. The charitable a [in the life of the World] shall drink [in Paradise] a cup of wine mixed with the Kafoor b [flavor.]

6. [Therein is] a [water-] spring of which the [righteous] servants of God shall drink [and in which they shall bathe], and make it gush out [as they please.] c

7. [They who] fulfill their vowing [to God] d, and fear a day e whereof the evil is wide-spreading [involving all disbelievers and the guilty.]

8. And they feed, for the love of [God] f, the needy, the orphan and the captive.g

9. [Saying to them:] "We feed you only for the sake of God [and in His way]; we desire no recompense from you, nor gratitude."

10. "We fear of a day, from our Lord, which will be hard and tough."

11. So God averted them from the evil of that day [by admitting them into the Paradise of Refuge, and they did not remain on earth after their death], and let them have [in Paradise] beautiful scenic views and gladness.

12. And, on account of their perseverance h, [God] recompensed them with a Garden [in which they dwelt] and silk [garments which they wore.]

13. Reclining in the [Garden] upon couches; they shall neither see therein sun [or heat] nor moon [or piercing coldness.] i

14. [The trees giving] the shade thereof being close above them, and [the tree branches thereof, bearing] the fruit bow down meekly above them. j

15. And there shall be passed, round about them, dishes of silver [in which food is put] and goblets [in which water is put; in the World such goblets were] transparent glass goblets.

16. Crystal [as if they were – and as the people of Paradise estimate –] of silver, according to their estimation. k

17. And in the [Garden] they shall be given to drink [another] cup [of wine], which was l mixed with ginger m.

18. Therein is a [water] spring named Salsabiel.

19. And there will wait on [and attend] them immortal youths n [who will not grow older o.] When you [man] see them, you suppose them some pearls scattered about.

20. When you see [the prosperity of Paradise], you do see there a [perpetual] prosperity and a tremendous possession [which will never be demolished or disappear forever.]

21. There [will] be, on their [ethereal bodies], some green garments of fine silk and thick brocade;
and they [will] be adorned [on their wrists] with bracelets [which issued] from the silver p [bracelets, which were in the life of the World];
and their Lord [will] give them to drink a purifying beverage q.

22. [And it will be said to them:] "This [prosperity] was [prepared] for you as a recompense [of obeying your Lord’s commands]; and your striving [for God's good pleasure] is accepted and approved."
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a To the poor and the weak; i.e. feed and honor them.

b Which is else than the camphor in the life of the World.

c i.e. they widen the water-springs, so the water comes out of them profusely to where they want; that is on account of their sweet water.

d If they vow to God.

e Which is the day when the earth will stop its axial rotation, and which will involve all people: so the evil will involve all the residents of the day side and the residents of the night side; this event will happen one thousand years before Doomsday; while believers will not be involved with such evil, because they will ascend to the Paradise of Refuge together with the angels before this event; it means their souls will ascend.
The tense in the aya is in the past, which implies that God warned them before its occurrence, which is His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 22: 47, which means:
(For a day with your Lord is as [long as] one thousand of your years)
It means: Such day is prepared for chastising the guilty and the disbeleivers

f And in the way of God

g But nowadays, people started to offer the food for the sake of imams and sheikhs, and they do not feed the poor in the way of God; so this is the ‘association’ about which they will not be rewarded but will be punished according to it

h To the Jihad (or struggling for the cause of God), and to God’s obedience

i Because the present sun will tear up on Doomsday and will afterwards become planets. And the moon will split into two halves before Doomsday and the sun will draw it towards itself
The meaning: Neither heat nor coldness inflicts them in the Garden, but they will be in a perpetual spring

j It means: the branches are soft and yielding so the fruit will be redundant so as to be near for culling

k It means: The people of Paradise, who drink by such goblets, consider the goblets as the silver: concerning their whitishness, and as the glass: in their clarity; therefore, from this aspect they are like the diamond
They in fact are ethereal goblets formed inside some glass goblets in the life of the World, then the angels took them to Paradise

l In the life of the World
I have previously said that the ethereal is the issue of the matter; for inside every material thing, an identical structure of ether is formed, which will be its true copy, just like how the soul forms inside the body.

m It is some roots with a whitish color and a good smell. Such roots, after grinding, may be mixed with spices and with the jam. The ginger is also a neuro-tonic. In medicine, it is used for healing the rheumatism; and after soaking, its infusion is drunk with the cinnamon after boiling

n To serve them

o Because they are ethereal souls

p It means: ethereal bracelets taken from the silver bracelets which were in the life of the World

q By which He [will] purify their inside from rancor and envy, as [will] He adorn their outside by clothes and ornaments

The interpretation is by Mohammed-Ali Hassan Al-Hilly

[إبن سينا]

Quran 76: 23. It is, we [: the angels together with Gabriel] that have brought down the Quran [from heaven] on you [Mohammed], piecemeal.

24. So [O Mohammed] persevere patiently to your Lord’s command a, and obey not anyone of them that is sinful or ungrateful b.

25. But mention with glorification your Lord's name [always:] early and late in the day c.

26. And, in some [hours] of the night, prostrate yourself in prayers d to Him, and glorify Him [after the prayers] the night long e.
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a To convey the message, and do not lose patience because of their denying and mocking you.

b Concerning their inviting you: to leave them with their idol-worship, and so they might leave you with your religion.
But invite people to worship your Lord and to abandon the idols and statues.

c The meaning: Always remember and mention Him continuously with glorifying and praising.

d Which is the ‘isha’ or early night prayers.

e It means: the night is long for it is one of the winter nights, so you ought not to pass it in sleep.
Anyhow, there is no contradiction between this aya and between His saying – be glorified – in theQuran 73: 7, which means:
(Surely, you have a long day time during which you may glorify [your Lord] as you like.)
That is because the soora or chapter 73 of the Quran is a Meccan soora, revealed in the beginning when the Muslims were little in number; therefore, God – be glorified – commanded His messenger to recite the Quran at night, so that people might hear and believe in it, and to make the glorification in day time.
While the soora or chapter 76 is Medinite; so when it was revealed, people were believers; and therefore, God – be glorified – commanded His messenger to perform the prayers and glorification at night.

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Quran 76: 27. Surely these [associaters] love the present fleeting a [life of the World], and leave be behind them [: after their death] a heavy day b.

28. It is We Who have created them and made their feet firm [and their gait steady c.]
But if We will [to destroy them], We can [destroy them and] substitute them, by [creating] others like them. d

29. This [soora] is indeed an admonition; therefore whoso likes [to be successful in the Next Life], let him follow a way [leading] to [the Paradise of] his Lord. e

30. But you will not [to follow a way to your Lord] except as God wills that f; for God is All-Knowing g, Most Wise h.

31. He [will] admit, into His mercy [: His Paradise], whomsoever He [will] please [if he is not a wrong-doer.]
As for the wrong-doers, He has prepared for them a painful chastisement [in the Next Life.]
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a i.e. they prefer the lusts and the immediate advantages.

b To which they have not prepared its requirement, and which they have not taken into consideration; that is Doomsday.
The meaning: They will be chastised twice: the first, in the Barzakh world [: the Afterlife] when they will die; and the other chastisement on Doomsday will be far more severe than the Barzakh [: the Afterlife] chastisement.

c After the infancy; i.e. We confirmed and fortified their feet to the succession of their gait and walking on the ground, after they had been infants unable to walk on them.

d It means: We destroy them and form people other than they are.

e It means: Whoso likes to follow a way leading him to the paradises to dwell together with the angels and prophets, and be in the neighborhood of his Lord, let him believe in God and follow His messenger and avoid the disobedience and work the righteous work, and then he will reach by his way to the paradises to be the guest of God Most Gracious.
f The meaning: If God loves the manners of a man, He will guide him to the way of the truth, so he will believe and work the righteous work; and so he will take a road leading him to the paradises.
But such good manners are not available with every man, because most of people are wrong-doers, disobedient and hypocrites; and God does not guide the people that are disobedient, to a standard and straight path of the monotheism.

g About His servants, so He will chose out of them, for guidance, whoever is kind-hearted, generous, truthful, fulfilling his covenant, having good intention and conscience; but he does not guide anyone opposite of that.

h With His acts.

The interpretation is by Mohammed-Ali Hassan Al-Hilly, the inspired interpreter of the Quran and the Bible.

By God's help, the interpretation of the soora 76 of the Quran is completed;
So (praise be to God: Lord of the worlds.)