Verses 22–36
These verses elaborate on some of the lofty ranks and stations of the righteous in the eyes of God, and their lush lifestyles in paradise. Though the disbelievers mock, wink and smirk at them in this world, they will deride the disbelievers in the hereafter as they observe the punishment that befalls them.
Commentary
إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ ٢٢
(83:22) Indeed the virtuous shall be amid bliss (naʿīm),
Naʿīm means abundant niʿmah (blessing, bounty, boon). Its indefinite form indicates exaltation and glorification. The meaning is: “Indeed the virtuous shall abide in such plentiful bounties that are beyond description.”
عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنْظُرُونَ ٢٣
(83:23) observing, [as they recline] on couches (al-arāʾik).
Arāʾik is the plural of arīkah, which is “the bed in a bridal chamber.” The verse does not specify the object of their observance. This supports the interpretation that they will be looking at the refreshing scenes of paradise and the eternal blessings therein. Some have said that they will be observing the retribution of the disbelievers. However, this is not plausible [given the next verses].
تَعْرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ النَّعِيمِ ٢٤
(83:24) You will perceive in their faces the resplendence (naḍrah) of bliss.
Naḍrah means “radiance, freshness.” The verse is addressed to the Prophet on the account that he will be entitled to observe and realize this. Hence, it has a general audience, saying: “Anyone who looks at their face will recognize the freshness and happiness of the bliss in which they are.”
يُسْقَوْنَ مِنْ رَحِيقٍ مَخْتُومٍ ٢٥
(83:25) They are served with a sealed distilled wine (raḥīq).
Raḥīq means “pure wine” that is not adulterated with any substance. That is why it is used with the adjective sealed, because one would naturally seal a precious commodity to preserve it from any impurity or mixture that may contaminate it.
خِتَامُهُ مِسْكٌ ۚ وَفِي ذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ ٢٦
(83:26) Its seal (khitām) is musk, and for such let the viers vie.
There are two suggested definitions for khitām: (1) “That which seals something.” The meaning would be: “The above mentioned wine is sealed with musk—as opposed to clay and other things which are used in this world to seal wine.” (2) “The end of something.” The meaning would be: “One who drinks the above mentioned wine will taste the flavor and aroma of musk at the end of their drink.”
… and for such (fī dhālika) let the viers vie (fal-yatanāfas al-mutanāfisūn, from tanāfus): Tanāfus means “rivalry over acquiring something.” In this context, it means “competing, racing.” God says: Race towards forgiveness from your Lord (); So vie one with another in good works (). Hence, the verse encourages the audience to the sealed distilled wine () which was described above.
وَمِزَاجُهُ مِنْ تَسْنِيمٍ ٢٧
(83:27) And whose seasoning (mizājuhu) is from Tasnīm,
Mizāj (mixture, additive) is “a means and instrument for blending.” Based on the verses below, Tasnīm is the name of a fountain in paradise. Linguistically speaking, there are two main elements in its root meaning: (1) rafʿ (elevation, height, rising); (2) milʾ (repletion, fullness, brimming). The verb sannama is used when one raises something, and also when one fills a vessel. The hump of a camel is called sanām.
عَيْنًا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا الْمُقَرَّبُونَ ٢٨
(83:28) a spring (ʿaynan) where those brought near [to Allah] drink (yasharbu bihā, from shariba).
This verse is an interpretation for Tasnīm (). It is said that the verb shariba can be used either with or without the letter bāʾ (by, with, at), without any difference in meaning. The word ʿaynan is manṣūb in terms of inflection (in the accusative form) since there is an implied verb at the beginning of the verse, which can be either “I praise” or “I specifically mean.”
This verse implies that al-muqarrabūn (those brought nigh, the nearmost ones) drink from Tasnīm purely and entirely, unlike al-abrār (the virtuous, the righteous, the pious) who get to have only a mix of Tasnīm in their sealed distilled wine (): And whose seasoning is from Tasnīm (). This shows two points: (1) Tasnīm is a higher drink compared to the sealed distilled wine (), because the latter gets a boost of taste when it is seasoned by some additive from the former. (2) Al-muqarrabūn are higher in rank compared to al-abrār ()—who are main subject of these verses.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا كَانُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَضْحَكُونَ ٢٩
(83:29) Indeed the guilty used to laugh at the faithful,
The context shows that the faithful are the same as the virtuous () who were the subject of the previous verses. They are called the faithful because they were laughed at on the account of their faith. Similarly, the faithless are called the guilty to indicate that they were guilty by deriding the believers.
وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ ٣٠
(83:30) and when they passed them by they would wink at each other,
The conjunction “and” connects this verse to used to laugh (). The meaning is: “When the guilty came across the believers, they would hint at one another with the eye, with disdain for the believers.”
وَإِذَا انْقَلَبُوا إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِمُ انْقَلَبُوا فَكِهِينَ ٣١
(83:31) and when they returned to their families they would return rejoicing (fakihīn, from fakih),
There are two possible interpretations for fakih: (1) It means “boastfully exulting.” The verse’s meaning would be: “After their mocking and winking, the guilty would retreat to their families, being very complacent about what they have done.” (2) It is derived from fukāhah, which means “friendly conversation.” The verse’s meaning would be: “They would retire to their homes while chatting humorously with one another about what they have done.”
وَإِذَا رَأَوْهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ لَضَالُّونَ ٣٢
(83:32) and when they saw them they would say, “Indeed those are the astray!”
The guilty would say this against the believers assuming the role of either a witness, or a judge. The second is more apparent.
وَمَا أُرْسِلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ حَافِظِينَ ٣٣
(83:33) Though they were not sent as guardians over them.
This verse reprimands and condemns the mockers. It means: “The guilty were not assigned as guards over the believers so that they may pass judgements on them as they wish—or may testify against them as they desire.”
فَالْيَوْمَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ يَضْحَكُونَ ٣٤
(83:34) So today the faithful will laugh at the faithless,
Today means the Day of Judgment. The guilty () are called the faithless, referring to their most fundamental quality. In the original Arabic, at the faithless is mentioned before will laugh, which is against the natural order of expression. It is said that this is meant to indicate a switch of roles. That is: “Unlike this world where the faithless used to laugh at the faithful, today it is the faithful who will laugh at the faithless.”
عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنْظُرُونَ ٣٥
(83:35) on couches, they observe:
On couches and they observe are two further predicates for the faithful ().
هَلْ ثُوِّبَ الْكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ ٣٦
(83:36) Have the faithless been requited (thuwwiba, from thawāb) for what they used to do?
The original meaning of thawāb (reward) is jazāʾ (payment, compensation) in an absolute sense, although it is more commonly used for good deeds. This verse is a complement for they observe (), and serves as the object of their observation.
The meaning is: “The believers will be reclining on couches in bridal chambers, looking at the retribution of the faithless for the various sins that they committed, including: (1) laughing at the believers []; (2) looking askance at them when they passed by them []; (3) returning to their households exulting []; (4) saying, “Indeed those are the astray!” ().
Examining Narrations
- Concerning and for such let the viers vie () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: For the reward that We mentioned, which is what a believer seeks.
- Muqātil and al-Kalbī said: The verse and when they passed them by they would wink at each other () was revealed in reference to ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib. In one occasion, he, in a group of Muslims, went to see the Prophet. The hypocrites derided them, and smirked and winked at them sardonically. When they retreated to their crew they said, “Today we saw the baldy” and had a good laugh at him. Thus the verse was revealed before ʿAlī and his companions reached the Prophet.
- Ibn ʿAbbās said: The guilty () are the hypocrites from Quraysh, and the faithful () are ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib and his companions.
- Concerning the word fakihīn () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: [It means] yaskharūna (mocking, deriding, jeering).
Some have pointed out a linguistic problem in the second half of this verse: Fī dhālika (for such) belongs to the end of the sentence, where the natural order of expression is: “and let the viers vie for such.” But this means that the letter wāw (and) is immediately followed by the letter fāʾ (so, therefore; not translated in the English). This is grammatically impermissible.
Some exegetes have responded: The verse implies a conditional clause which has been omitted, and the letter fāʾ indicates its complement. Further, fī dhālika is mentioned earlier [than its natural position] to indicate the omission. The implied meaning is: “Should anyone vie for anything, let them strive for such a prize.”
Another possible response is: The verse encourages the audience to vie for two things. One is clearly stated by fī dhālika (for such), and the other is omitted, indicated by the letter wāw (and). This can be deduced from the context, which is about a description of heavenly bliss. In other words, there is already a precedence for advertising the heavenly bounties in general. Then fī dhālika adds a specific subset of those bounties—namely the sealed distilled wine ()—to the general encouragement. This is like any other statement where a general command is followed by a specific application of it, such as: “Honor all believers, especially the righteous among them” or “Do not be a faultfinder, particularly of the scholars.” (Auth.)
Based on the second response, the meaning would be: “The viers shall vie for heavenly bliss, and especially for its sealed distilled wine.” (Ed.) ↩︎
Therefore, the appellation Tasnīm signifies “a lofty plentiful spring.” (Ed.) ↩︎
Linguistically speaking, where those brought near [to Allah] drink is an adjective for a spring. (Auth.) ↩︎
The letter bāʾ sometimes indicates immediate adjacency and contact. Hence, it need not be viewed zāʾidah (extra, supplementary, semantically empty) in this verse. It implies that Tasnīm is at the highest level of paradise, where al-muqarrabūn are stationed. They have direct access to it, while al-abrār receive a mix of it further down the stream. This complies with what the author deduces from the verse in the next paragraph. (Ed.) ↩︎
The meaning is: “I praise Tasnīm, which is a spring where…” (Ed.) ↩︎
The meaning is: “By Tasnīm I specifically mean a spring where…” (Ed.) ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. The same account is reported in al-Kashshāf. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of al-Ḥākim Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥaskānī’s Shawāhid al-tanzīl, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ. ↩︎