Salaam and welcome to another episode of our weekly series titled “Path towards Enlightenment” which is an endeavour to make you and us familiar with an easy and fluent explanation of God’s Final Scripture to all mankind, the holy Qur’an that was revealed to the Last and Greatest of all Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

Today, we will be concluding our explanation of “Surah Rahman, which is considered the crown of the Holy Qur’an since it opens with the word “Ar-Rahman” or the “All-Beneficent”, thus proclaiming one of the most beautiful attributes of the Almighty Creator. As we have said before, this Surah highlights the All-Merciful Lord’s wonders of creation, describes the end of the material world, and paints an evocative picture of the delights of Paradise. Hell is briefly contrasted in Ayah 43 with the joys that await the righteous. The refrain فبای آلاء ربکما تکذبان     which means “So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both (mankind and jinn) deny?” runs throughout the Surah.

We continue from where we left you last week and here are Ayahs 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, and 69 of the said Surah:

“Beside these two, there will be two (other) gardens.

“So which of Your Lord’s bounties will you both deny?

“Dark green (in appearance due to the density of trees);

“So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both deny?

“In both of them will be two gushing springs.

“So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both deny?

“In both of them will be fruits, date-palms and pomegranates.

“So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both deny?”

If you might recall, in our explanation of the previous Ayahs of Surah Rahman last Friday, we spoke of the unimaginable bounties of Paradise that include gardens where an infinite variety of fresh fruits and shady trees of verdant branches abound, through which springs of limpid water flow. We also said that chastity and loyalty are the characteristics of virtuous women, who will indeed be granted the eternal bliss of heavenly Paradise, and if they so desire they will have the company of their virtuous husbands and even offspring. Thus, how can anyone, whether human beings or jinn deny the bounties of God Almighty Whose rewards for the faithful are beyond comprehension?

The Ayahs that we recited to you now speak of two other lush green gardens in Paradise for every believer, besides the two mentioned earlier. Springs of fresh water flow in these gardens, and the word “gushing” is used, since enjoying the delightful sight of beautiful landscapes where the flow of water creates an enchanting spectacle, is in the nature of human beings.

All these indicate the infinite Munificence of the Almighty Creator Who grants the people of Paradise each and every good thing required by their virtuous nature for enjoyment. These evergreen gardens are always full of various kinds of fruits, since Paradise is not subject to seasonal changes. Dates and pomegranates have been especially mentioned because of their high nutritional qualities and delicious taste. So how can anyone deny the bounties of the Lord Most High?

From these Ayahs we learn that:

1. The perpetual bliss of Paradise where lush green gardens and gushing springs abound, along with orchards of various kinds of fresh fruit, are beyond our imagination.
2. It is part of innate human nature to enjoy natural landscapes which are indeed delightful to the eyes.
3. Denial of the Divine Blessings in the transient life of the mortal world is a sign of disbelief in the Infinite Power and Mercy of the Almighty Creator; hence disbelievers will have no place in Paradise.

Now let us listen to ayahs 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 of the same Surah:

“In them are maidens good and lovely.

“So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both deny?

“Hooris secluded in pavilions.

“So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both deny?

“Whom no human has touched before, nor jinn;

“So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both deny?

These Ayahs speak of spouses, as among the other blessings of Paradise, and mean to say that for companionship there shall be maidens of attractive appearance and of virtuous character, devoted entirely to their consorts. Their characteristics include: kindness in speech, cleanliness in disposition, beautiful to look at, and in short, all the physical and spiritual virtues expected in an ideal spouse. It is said a virtuous wife will accompany her virtuous husband in Paradise, and both of them will be endowed with exceptional beauty. According to other Ayahs of the holy Qur’an, a pair of believing and virtuous husband-and-wife, will join each other in Paradise and shall enjoy their lives in the best manner. According to certain hadith, owing to their firm faith, virtue, and good deeds, such women are more exalted in Paradise than the Hooris, which are a separate species of females, other than mankind and jinn, created to provide company to believers.

Ayah 74 elaborates on the nature of Hooris who will have secluded pavilions of their own in the gardens of Paradise. The word Hooris is the plural of Hawra which denotes a maiden, the pupils of whose eyes are jet black, while their whiteness is quite transparent. Their pavilions, in terms of vastness and beauty, cannot be compared to worldly pavilions, while their chastity is such that no man or jinn has ever touched them.

From these Ayahs we learn that:

1. The delights of Paradise are not the carnal desires of the mortal world, since cleanliness and purity prevails everywhere in the blissful atmosphere, even if the virtuous men and women keep each other’s company as husband-and-wife and have a variety of tasty food and delicious drinks for consumption, but without any bodily discharges.
2. The wives in paradise are beautiful both inwardly and outwardly, but chaste and pure, without displaying themselves to anyone other than their husbands.
3. The Houris, which are a different species of females, other than jinn and human beings, are meant to provide companionship to the virtuous men in Paradise, while for the virtuous jinn there will be virtuous females from their own kind.

In conclusion of this week’s episode of Path towards Enlightenment, here are the last three Ayahs of Surah Rahman, that is, 76, 77, and 78:

“Reclining on green cushions and lovely carpets;

“So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both deny?

“Blessed is the Name of your Lord, the Majestic and the Munificent!”

Ayah 76 provides the last depiction of the blessings in Paradise, saying the virtuous men and women recline on couches covered by the best and the fairest of green fabrics, not comparable to anything manufactured by human beings in the world.

In short, these and other expressions reflect that all things in Paradise, including fruits, food, palaces, couches, carpets, and companions, are all best and unrivaled in terms of quality. It should, however, be noted that such expressions may not fully convey to us the innumerable blessings of Paradise, but merely reflect shadows of the same.

The last Ayah is a reference to the Greatness and Glory of the One and Only Creator of the universe, Who is the Absolute Owner of everything, and among His attributes are Magnanimity, Graciousness, Mercy, Forgiveness, and Bountifulness. Thus, this Surah opens with the Divine Attribute of “ar-Rahman” or the All-Beneficent, to denote some of His innumerable blessings, and after questioning at frequent intervals the irrationality of the deniers of Divine Bounties, ends with the phrase “Blessed is the Name of your Lord, the Majestic and the Munificent!”

Here, an important point needs to be emphasized, and that is the prime position of the Last and Greatest of Prophets and his Infallible Progeny, who are guides and beacons of light towards the bliss of Paradise, which means that any denial of their Divinely-designated role is disobedience of God’s commandments and refusal of His Bounties.

These Ayahs teach us the following points:

1. The quality of the comforts in Paradise is beyond our imagination, and cannot be compared to any project designed or anything manufactured by human beings.
2. The blessings mentioned in this Surah are a mere reflection of the actual bounties in Paradise which are innumerable.
3. Allah the Exalted, the One and Only Creator and Possessor of the universe, is Majestic and Glorious, as well as Merciful and Munificent.

On this note we come to the end of Surah Rahmān and Insha Allah, next week, we take up explanation of the next Surah, that is named al-Waqe’ah.

RM/AS/SS