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hum wa-ʾazwājuhum fī ẓilālin ʿalā l-ʾarāʾiki muttakiʾūna
—they and their mates, reclining on couches in the shades.
— Ali Quli Qarai
36Yā-SīnيسVerse 56 of 83
Ya-Sin36. Yā-Sīnيس
Yā Sīn
Ya Sin
MeccanVerse 56 of 83
36Yā-SīnيسVerse 56 of 83
Ya Sin
—they and their mates, reclining on couches in the shades.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Ya-Sin - Verses 55-58
55. “Verily the inhabitants of Paradise that ِay are busy in rejoicing,”
56. “They and their wives shall be in the shades, reclining on raised coaches;”
57. “They shall have fruits therein, and they shall have whatever they desire.”
58. “‘Peace’: is the word from a Merciful Lord (for them).”
In Paradise, there will be life without death, health with no sickness, youth with no senility, honour with no disgrace, favour with no indebtedness, permanence with no distraction, joy with no wrath, and intimate ease with no fear. Moreover, in Paradise there will be received a consent and a significant greeting from the side of Allah. And, however, this holy verse refers to the part of the rewards of the believers and, before anything else, emphasizes on the peace of mind and says:
They are busy with the bounties of Allah and are aloof from any annoying thought, so they will be in the utmost joy and happiness. The Arabic word /šuqul/ and the term /šuql/ both are with the sense of events and moods that come to man and make him busy to them whether they are happy or sad. But since the Qur’anic term /fakihun/ has immediately been mentioned after it, and this term is the plural form of /fakih/ in the sense of joyful, happy, and laughing, it can be a hint to the affairs which make man so busy to him that he may neglect the annoying affairs totally in a way that he will be in full rejoicing and no grief or sorrow dominates him, and he forgets even the horror and fear that he gets at the time of the establishment of Hereafter and attending in the Divine court of justice.
If this horror does not really go, the shade of anxiety and sorrow will constantly have heaviness on the man’s heart. Therefore, one of the effects of this business of mind is forgetting the terror of the Hereafter. However, next to the peace of mind which is the source of all bounties, and it is the condition of using all merits, it refers to the explanation of other bounties. It says:
The Arabic term /’azwaj/ here means ‘the heavenly wives’, or it means the faithful wives whom they had in this world. And that some have said that it may be in the sense of ‘their associates’, like Surah As-Saffat, No. 37, verse 22 which says:
that here it seems very improbable, in particular that the Qur’anic term /’ara’ik/, the plural form of /’arikah/, according to a group of commentators and philologists is in the sense of some beds which are in bridal chamber.2 The application of the Arabic word /zilal/ (shades) refers to the shades of the trees in Paradise amidst which the thrones of the people of Heaven have been erected. Or it refers to the shades of the castles in Paradise. All of these show that there is sunshine there, too; but there is not a tormenting sunshine. Yes, they have some other kind of pleasure and happiness under the pleasant shades of the Heavenly trees.
In addition to that, the verse says:
It is clearly understood from other verses of the Qur’an that the food of the people of Paradise is not only fruits, but the abovementioned verse shows that the best food of the people of Heaven is fruit, the special fruits which are completely different from the fruits of this world. And, even in this world, according to the confession of the specialists of nutriment, fruits are the best and the most suitable nutriment for man. The Qur’anic term /yadda‘un/ is derived from /da‘ayah/in the sense of ‘demand’, i.e. whatever they demand and desire it will available for them, and they will not have any wish which will not be done for them.
In Majma‘-ul-Bayan the Late Tabarsi says:
“An Arab uses this meaning in respect to /tamanni/ and he says: ‘whatever you desire you may demand from me’.”
And thus, whatever today man may think of and whatever does not come into his mind from among the kinds of merits and the bounties, they will be available and prepared there, and the entertainment of Allah from His guests will be done in the highest possible level. But, the most important of all are the spiritual merits which are referred to in the last verse of the verses under discussion. It says:
This enlivening and pleasant call, which is full of His love and affection, attracts the man’s attention to itself so deeply, and gives him joy, happiness and spirituality, that does not match any other bounty. Yes hearing the call of the beloved one, is a call filled with love and mixed with grace which causes the people of Paradise to be thoroughly rejoicing, a moment of which is superior to the whole world and whatever exists in it. A tradition narrated from the Prophet of Islam (S) indicates that he said:
“While the people of Paradise are busy enjoying the bounties of Heaven there will appear a light above them.
This is the light of Allah which is cast upon them and at the same time a call will be heard saying:
‘Peace and greeting on you, O’ the people of Paradise!’
And this is the same thing which has been mentioned in the Qur’an. It is here that the view of Allah attracts them so strongly that they neglect His all other things and, in that state, they forget the whole bounties of Paradise.
It is here that the angels come out from every door and say:
‘Peace upon you’.” 3
Yes, the ecstasy of the intuition and presence of the Beloved and the visit of the Lord’s Grace are so delightful and gratifying that a moment of which is not equal with any blessing, even with the whole world. The lovers of visiting Him are so that if this spiritual gift might be ceased from them, they would die. Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) in a tradition said:
“If I remain walled from the visit of the Lord for a moment, I will die.”
It is interesting that the apparent of the verse is that this greeting of Allah unto the believers in Paradise is a direct greeting without any intermediator. It is a greeting from the Lord, Allah, the greeting which originates from His special Mercy, i.e., the rank of His specific Mercy, and all grace and favours are gathered in it. Oh, what a blessing it is! In principle, Paradise is ‘the Abode of Peace’, as Surah Yunus, No. 10, verse 25 says:
And the people of Paradise, who are the dwellers of this abode, will sometimes face with the angel’s greeting. At the time of arrival into Paradise, the angels arrive to them from every door and say:
And sometimes the dwellers of ’A‘raf call them and say:
And sometimes they will be faced with the angels’ greeting after entering into Paradise:
Sometimes, at the time of taking their souls, this greeting is delivered to them from the side of the angels of death. They say:
And sometimes they themselves greet each other. And, in principle, in their greeting there is ‘Peace’, the Qur’an says:
And, finally, the superior and above all of these is the greeting of Allah:
Briefly speaking, there will be heard there neither a vain word nor a sinful thing. There will be only ‘peace’ and ‘peace’. The Qur’an says:
Of course, it is not a greeting in mere pronunciation, but it is a greeting the effect of which penetrates in the depth of man’s soul and makes it thoroughly full of tranquillity, peace, and health.
Footnotes