al-Wāqi‘ah

وَظِلٍّ مَّمْدُودٍ

وَمَاء مَّسْكُوبٍ

وَفَاكِهَةٍ كَثِيرَةٍ

لَآ مَقْطُوعَةٍ وَلَآ مَمْنُوعَةٍ

30. And in shade long extended,

31. And by waterfalls,

32. And fruit in plenty,

33. Whose supply is not cut off, nor are they out of reach,

The four blessed Verses further depict heavenly Blessings like long extended shades. Some Qur’anic exegetes interpret the long extended shade as a state between the twain risings when shades encompass everywhere. According to a tradition narrated from the Noble Prophet of Islam (S),

"long extended shade"

connotes that the people of Paradise shall never be harmed by sunlight, but they shall rest in extended and pleasant shades at all times.¹¹ The blessed Verse 31 is saying that the people of Paradise abide by quite beautiful waterfalls. The Arabic word maskub denotes flowing and since waterfalls create the most beautiful landscapes and its whispers gives delight to the soul and its scenery pleases the eyes, it is regarded as one of the Divine Blessings bestowed upon the people of Paradise.

The blessed Verse 32 is saying that such trees and flowing water are accompanied by different fruits. Thus, the blessed Verse 33 is saying that fruits of Paradise are different from those of this world in that they are never cut off nor are they out of reach. Fruits of this world are limited to certain seasons and solely appear on branches for a few weeks or months. Besides heavenly fruits never entail harms for certain people, namely, unlike fruits of this world, they possess general availability.

Footnotes

1. 11. Rawdha al-Kafi; Tafsir Nur al-Thiqalayn, vol. 5, p. 216.