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ʿalā l-ʾarāʾiki yanẓurūna
observing, [as they recline] on couches.
— Ali Quli Qarai
83Al-MuṭaffifīnالمطففينVerse 23 of 36
Defrauding83. Al-Muṭaffifīnالمطففين
al-Muṭaffifīn
The Defrauding
MeccanVerse 23 of 36
83Al-MuṭaffifīnالمطففينVerse 23 of 36
The Defrauding
observing, [as they recline] on couches.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Mutaffifin, Verses 18-28
18. “Nay, verily the Record of the Righteous is (preserved) In ‘Illiyin’,”
19. "And what explains to thee what ‘Illiyin’ is?"
20 “(It is) a written record,”
21. “(Which is) witnessed by the ones Nearest (to Allah).”
22. “Surely the Righteous will be in Bliss:”
23. “(Sitting) on thrones (of Dignity), they will command a sight (of all things):”
24. "You will recognize in their faces the radiance of Bliss”
25. “Their thirst will be slaked with pure drink sealed”
26. “Whose seal is musk, and for that let (all) those strive who strive (fo Bliss)”
27. “And whose mixture is of 'Tasnim’ “
28. “A spring from which drink the ones Nearest (to Allah).”
‘Illiyin is Anticipating the Righteous
In contrast to the destiny of the Record of the Wicked, which was described in the previous verses, the following verses talk about the Righteous, whose honour and merits, compared with those of the Wicked, will make the situations of them, both, more clear. At first, to negate their false thoughts about the resurrection, it says:
The term /'illiyin/ is the plural form of /‘ulayy /which basically means 'properly, High places or the persons who sit in high places, or the dwellers of high parts of the mountains'. Some commentators have rendered it, here, to mean 'a name of the upper part of the skies or upper part of Heaven'. Some have also said that the term is mentioned in the plural form for emphasis where it means 'highness over highness'. Furthermore, similar to the two commentaries we had about 'Sijjin', in the former verses, we have the same about ''Illiyin', as well.
The first commentary says that /kitab-al-abrar/ means 'the Record of the Righteous'. They intend to say that the record of their deeds is registered in a ledger, (a complete work), which shows the whole deeds of all believers, and is in a very high and honourable position. Or, it means that their record is preserved in the highest and the most honourable abode in Heaven over their places, all of which illustrate that their own rank is extremely high. A tradition from the Prophet (S) says that ' 'Illiyin' is the seventh sky and is below the throne of Allah'. And this is just contrary to the record of the Wicked, which is in the lowest part of Hell.
The second commentary says that /kitab/, here, means 'destiny' and 'the definite end' that Allah has defined for the Righteous in the highest levels of Heaven. Of course, these two commentaries can also both come together, i.e. their Record is registered in a ledger and the ledger resides totally in heaven. Meanwhile, the Divine command governs high over them concerning the position of the Righteous, themselves, and considers them to be in the highest levels of Heaven.
Then, to make the greatness and the highness of ' 'Illiyin’ clear, it goes on to say:
This means that it is a position beyond the imagination and comprehension, so high that no one, not even the Prophet (S), can know the peak of its highness. Then, the Qur'an, itself, explains it further and says:
This idea is according to the commentary that means: ''Illiyin’ is a ledger for the righteous deeds, while according to the second commentary the verse means that this is a decisive destiny that Allah has written for the Righteous that their position is in the highest stages of Heaven. (Note: Therefore, 'a written record' is an interpretation for 'the Record of the Righteous' not for ''Illiyin’).
Some of the commentators have interpreted the meaning of 'the ones Nearest (to Allah) ' mentioned in this verse, as being 'the angels that are close to the throne of Allah’, the guardians for the record or the destiny of the Righteous. The next verses express clearly, that a special group of the elected believers are 'the ones Nearest (to Allah)' who possess a very high rank and are witnesses to the records of the others from the Righteous. As Surah Waqi'ah, No. 56, verses 10-11, with the names of the following two groups:
and
say:
And Surah Nahll, No. 16, verse 89, which says:
Then, concerning a part of the rewards of the Righteous, it says:
The basic meaning of the term /na'im/, as Raqib says, is 'immense blessing'. Besides that, it is mentioned in an 'indefinite form' which, here, denotes to its greatness and importance. That is, they possess the blessings and comforts that are indescribable. And this is a complete and hidden definition referring to the whole material and spiritual blessings of Heaven. Then, to describe some of them, it says:
The term /ara'ik/ is the plural form of /arikah/ 'throne'. Basically, it is used with the meaning of 'a beautiful royal throne', or 'a couch for the bride in the nuptial chamber', but, here, it means 'highly decorated seats in Heaven where the Righteous sit'. The term
is mentioned, here, without any object or objects and is to be meant in a broad sense: i.e. they look at Allah's Mercy, His unique essence, the variety of Divine blessings and the surprising beauties in Heaven.
because one of man's pleasures is 'the pleasure of sight'. Thereafter it says:
It means that a special refreshment and delight is seen on their faces, so that you need not question them. On the contrary, when you look at the Wicked, you can see grief and sorrow together with pain and misery on their faces. The term /nadrah/, as it was mentioned before, means a special refreshment and happiness resulting from the abundance of blessing and comfort seen on the faces of well-off people. After discussing about the blessings of 'throne', 'look', and 'ease with happiness', it refers to another blessing: The pure drink of the Righteous.
It says:
The pure drink of the Next World is not like the devilish drink of this world. It does not bring alcoholism and madness, for committing sin in them, hut, it increases their wisdom and intelligence safely and with complete joy. Most of the commentators have interpreted the term /rahiq/ in the sense of 'pure drink', a drink that is not obscene and is not of a polluted mixture; it is flawless. And the term
is used as an emphasis for its pureness, soundness, and a state of being intact. Moreover, the use of such complete containers is a high honor and respect to the guests; a sealed container whose lid will be opened only by the guests.
The pure drink of Heaven is not the same as the sealed wine bottles of this world which are closed tightly sometimes with a wafer of molten wax (or clay) into which is pressed the distinctive seal of the sender or the company, that may make the hands dirty when opening them, but it is sealed with musk and, when it is being opened, it smells like the perfume of musk. At the end of the same verse it says:
Tabarsi, the great commentator, says in Majma'-al-Bayan that the term, /tanafas/, means that two persons long for a worthy thing, each of which tries to obtain the same precious thing that the other one has. In Majma'-al-Bahrain the term, /tanafas/, is defined in the sense of 'proceeding the other, or friendly competition'. Each of them wishes and tries to own the precious thing that the other has. Raqib in Mufradat says: /munafasah/ means 'a man's attempt to be associated with the outstanding people and joining them without causing harm to others'.
In fact, the meaning of this verse is similar to that of Surah Hadid, No. 57, verse 21, which says:
Or, it is similar to the meaning of Surah ali-’Imran-, No. 3, Verse 133, which says:
However, the meaning of the verse is the nicest one that can be considered for the encouragement of men, to send them forth for receiving these unmatched blessings by the way of true faith and good deeds. It is a very wonderful evidence to show the eloquence of the Holy Qur'an.
It is understood from these verses that /tasnim/ is the highest drink, among the heavenly pure drinks, which the ones Nearest to Allah drink, only, but the Righteous drink some of /tasnim/, which is mixed with
which is another kind of pure drink in Heaven. Some commentators believe that this pure drink is called /tasnim /because this spring flows down from Heaven, while some others say that it is a special drink which falls from the sky of Heaven. The heavenly drinks are different, indeed. Some of them flow in rivers, as many verses of the Qur'an point out, such as is found in Surah Muhammad, No. 47, Verse 15:
And some of them are in sealed containers, like the one mentioned in the former verses. The most important one is the drink which falls from Heaven whose name is 'Tasnim', the one that none of the other drinks, in Heaven, can be compared with. Then, the effect that it has on the soul of the Righteous is, consequently, the deepest and the most attractive, whose spiritual pleasure is indescribable. It is necessary to make note of this truth, again, that these are only some hints to those heavenly facts, indeed, because our human vocabulary cannot describe the unique blessings of Heavens completely.
And even more than that, no one can imagine them, as Surah Sajdah, No. 32, verse 17 says:
Explanation: Who are 'the Righteous' and 'the Ones Nearest to Allah'?
The names of
and
are frequently highly mentioned in the Holy Qur'an along with their rank and their rewards. They are so high that as Surah ali-’Imran, No. 3, verse 193 says that
ask Allah that their souls be taken to Himself in the company of the Righteous. And there are many great rewards mentioned, for them, in the Qur'an including Surah al-Insan, No. 7s6, verses 5-22 and, also, Surah Infitar, No. 82, verse 13 and some other verses in Surah Mutaffifin talk about Allah’s Grace, to them, as well. The term
is the plural form of /birr/ and they are the believers who have a great soul and a firm belief and do good deeds.
are those who have a close position to Allah. Then, it seems that all
are among the
but all of the latter,
are not among
There is a narration, from Imam Hassan Mujtaba (the second Imam) which says:
"By Allah, everywhere in the Qur'an where Allah says
He means no one save Ali-ibn-Abu Talib, Fatimah, me, and Hosain" ( as ). 16
Undoubtedly, the five holy ones, i.e. Muhammad, Ali, Fatimah, Hassan and Hosain (as) are the most clear examples of the Righteous and
and, as it was mentioned in the commentary of Surah al-Insan, No. 76, the very Surah is mainly about Amir-al-Mo'mineen Ali, Fatimah, Hassan and Hosain. Eighteen verses of Surah al-Insan are especially about their achievements, though the revelation of the verses about them does not hinder the broadness and generality of the meaning of those verses.
Heavenly Drinks
It is clearly understood, from many of the verses of the Holy Qur'an, that there are numerous kinds of pure drink with many names and various qualities, in Heaven, that are entirely different from the worldly impure beverages; which are the origins of enmity, murder, and corruption. They are offensive, distasteful, and impure. But, the drinks of Heaven are sweet-smelling, perfumed, and purified, so that they increase wisdom, pleasure, and love. Those who drink of them will languor in a kind of spiritual joy and delight that cannot be described.
Two varieties of the drinks of Heaven are named in these verses: /tasnim/ and /rahiq-i-maxtum/, while some other varieties are mentioned in Surah al-Insan, No. 76, and even other Surahs of the Qur'an, each of which are appropriately explained. It is interesting to note that the Divine drinks are also the reward for those who avoid drinking the worldly alcoholic drinks, as well as those who quench the needs of the deprived and extinguish the fire of sadness in the hearts of the believers.
Once the holy Prophet (S) told Hazrat Ali (as):
"O Ali! the person who leaves drinking wine, Allah will make him a drink from 'the pure drink sealed,”. 17
And, it is even more interesting to find that another tradition from him (S) says that if a person leaves off drinking wine even for the sake of anything besides Allah, He will make him drink from the pure drink. Hazrat Ali (as) says:
“I questioned him 'the sake of anything save Allah? ",
and he answered:
"Yes, the person who avoids drinking wine for the sake of protecting his life, Allah will make him a drink from the pure drink sealed'". 18
Verily, those who avoid drinking wine for the sake of their health are in fact from
And, as it is understood in Surah ali-'Imran, No. 3, verse 193 that
are also among the Righteous, who drink from the pure drinks of Heaven. A narration from Ali-ibn-Hosain (as) says:
"The person who quenches the thirst of a believer, Allah will make him a drink from 'the pure drink sealed”. 19
And, another narration says:
“The person who fasts on a hot day in summer for the sake of Allah, He will make him a drink from 'the pure drink sealed'." 20
Footnotes