55.Surah Ar-Rah Man
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
فِيهِنَّ
قَاصِرَاتُ
الطَّرْفِ ...
55: 56. In them will be (Maidens), Chaste,
C5209. See notes 4728-29 to 44:54. (R).
... لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌّ ﴿٥٦﴾
restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched --
Their purity is the feature chiefly symbolized.
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٥٧﴾
55: 57. Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?
كَأَنَّهُنَّ
الْيَاقُوتُ
وَالْمَرْجَانُ
﴿٥٨﴾
55: 58. Like unto rubies and coral.
C5211. Delicate pink, with reference to their complexions and their beauty of form. The gems also indicate their worth and dignity.
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٥٩﴾
55: 59. Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?
هَلْ
جَزَاء الْإِحْسَانِ
إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ
﴿٦٠﴾
55: 60. Is there any Reward for Good -- other than Good?
C5212. This is the summing up of all the description used to express the Fruit of Goodness or Good. But the fullest expression can only be given in abstract terms:
"Is there any reward for Good-other than Good?"
Can anything express it better?
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٦١﴾
55: 61. Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?
وَمِن
دُونِهِمَا
جَنَّتَانِ
﴿٦٢﴾
55: 62. And besides these two, there are two other Gardens --
C5213. See n. 5205 above.
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٦٣﴾
55: 63. Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?
55: 64. Dark green in color (from plentiful watering).
C5214. "Dark-green in colour": these Gardens will also be fruitful and flourishing, and watered plentifully; but their aspect and characteristics will be different, corresponding to the subjective differences in the ideas of Bliss among those who would respectively enjoy, the two sets of Gardens.
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٦٥﴾
55: 65. Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?
فِيهِمَا
عَيْنَانِ
نَضَّاخَتَانِ
﴿٦٦﴾
55: 66. In them (each) will be two springs pouring forth water in continuous abundance:
C5215. In comparison with the Springs in the other two Gardens, described in 55:50 above, these Springs would seem to irrigate crops of vegetables and fruits requiring a constant supply of abundant water.
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٦٧﴾
55: 67. Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?
فِيهِمَا
فَاكِهَةٌ
وَنَخْلٌ وَرُمَّانٌ
﴿٦٨﴾
55: 68. In them will be Fruits, and dates and pomegranates:
C5216. See last note. Cf. also with 55:52 above, where "fruits of every kind" are mentioned.
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٦٩﴾
55: 69. Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?
فِيهِنَّ
خَيْرَاتٌ
حِسَانٌ
﴿٧٠﴾
55: 70. In them will be fair (companions), good, beautiful --
C5217. See n. 5209 above.
Goodness and Beauty are specially feminine attributes.
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٧١﴾
55: 71. Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?
55: 72. Companions restrained (as to their glances),
C5218. Maqsurat here is the passive participle of the same verb as the active participle Qasirat in 55:56, 37:48 and 38:52.
As I have translated Qasirat by the phrase "restraining (their glances)", I think I am right in translating the passive Maqsurat by "restrained (as to their glances)". This is the only place in the Quran where the passive form occurs.
... فِي الْخِيَامِ ﴿٧٢﴾
in (goodly) pavilions --
C5219. The Pavilions seem to add dignity to their status. In the other Gardens (55:58), the description "like rubies and corals" is perhaps an indication of higher dignity.
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٧٣﴾
55: 73. Then which of the favor of your Lord will ye deny?
لَمْ
يَطْمِثْهُنَّ
إِنسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ
وَلَا جَانٌّ
﴿٧٤﴾
55: 74. Whom no man or Jinn before them has touched --
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٧٥﴾
55: 75. Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?
مُتَّكِئِينَ
عَلَى رَفْرَفٍ
خُضْرٍ ...
55: 76. Reclining on green Cushions,
C5220. Cf. the parallel words for the other two Gardens, in 55:54 above, which suggest perhaps a higher dignity.
Rafraf is usually translated by Cushions or Pillows, and I have followed this meaning in view of the word "reclining".
But another interpretation is "Meadows", in view of the adjective "green"-
... وَعَبْقَرِيٍّ حِسَانٍ ﴿٧٦﴾
and rich Carpets of beauty.
abqari: carpets richly figured and dyed, and skillfully worked.
فَبِأَيِّ
آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا
تُكَذِّبَانِ
﴿٧٧﴾
55: 77. Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?
تَبَارَكَ
اسْمُ رَبِّكَ
ذِي الْجَلَالِ
وَالْإِكْرَامِ
﴿٧٨﴾
55: 78. Blessed be the name of thy Lord, full of Majesty, Bounty and Honor.
This minor echo completes the symmetry of the two leading Ideas of this Sura,-the Bounty and Majesty of Allah, and the Duty of man to make himself worthy of nearness to Allah.
Asad’s Version:
55:56 In these [gardens] will be mates of modest gaze, whom neither man nor invisible being will have touched ere then. 27
(55:57) Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
(55:58) [When you are promised splendours] as though [of] rubies and [of] pearls - (55:59) which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
(55:60) Could the reward of good be aught but good?
(55:61) Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
55:62 And besides those two will be yet two [other] gardens 28 –
(55:63) which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow? - (55:64) two [gardens] of the deepest green. 29
(55:65) Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
55:66 In [each of] these two [gardens] will two springs gush forth.
(55:67) Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
(55:68) In both of them will be [all kinds of] fruit, and date-palms and pomegranates. (55:69) Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you
disavow?
55:70 In these [gardens] will be [all] things most excellent and beautiful.
(55:71) Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
(55:72) [There the blest will live with their]
companions pure 30 and modest, in pavillions [splendid] –
(55:73) which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
(55:74) [companions] whom neither man nor invisible being will have touched ere then. (55:75) Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
55:76 [In such a paradise will they dwell,] reclining upon meadows green and carpets rich in beauty. (
55:77) Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
55:78 HALLOWED be thy Sustainer's name, full of majesty and glory!