52 . Surah At-Tur
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِنَّ
الْمُتَّقِينَ
فِي جَنَّاتٍ
وَنَعِيمٍ
﴿١٧﴾
52: 17. As to the Righteous, they will be in Gardens, and in Happiness
C5049. The Righteous will be in Bliss far beyond their merits: their sins and faults will be forgiven by the grace of Allah, which will save them from the penalties which they may have incurred from human frailty. It will be their own effort or striving which will win them Allah's grace: see verse 19 below. But the fruits will be greater than they could strictly have earned.
فَاكِهِينَ
بِمَا آتَاهُمْ
رَبُّهُمْ
وَوَقَاهُمْ
رَبُّهُمْ
عَذَابَ الْجَحِيمِ
﴿١٨﴾
52: 18. Enjoying the (Bliss) which their Lord hath bestowed on them, and their Lord shall deliver them from the Penalty of the Fire.
كُلُوا
وَاشْرَبُوا
هَنِيئًا ...
52: 19. (To them will be said:)
C5050. The bliss of the Righteous is described in three aspects:
- their individual bliss, verses 17-20:
- their social bliss, verses 21-24; and
- their satisfaction in the dissipation of past shadows, and their full understanding of the goodness of Allah, verses 25-28.
"Eat and drink ye, with profit and health,
C5051. Individual satisfaction is expressed in three types or figures of speech.
- eating and drinking,
- couches of dignity,
- the joy of individual companionship.
But the eating and drinking will be free of all drawbacks, such as excess, aftereffects and satiety: here there will be pure health, profit, and enjoyment.
So about the other two: see the notes following.
Cf. with this the description of heaven in 77:40-49: while the general account is the same, special phases are brought out in the two passages to correspond with the context.
... بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٩﴾
because of your (good) deeds."
مُتَّكِئِينَ
عَلَى سُرُرٍ
مَّصْفُوفَةٍ...
52: 20. They will recline (with ease) on Thrones (of dignity) arranged in ranks;
C5052. Every one will have a couch of dignity, but it does not follow that the dignity will be the same. Every one's Personality will be purified but it will not be merged into one general sameness.
...وَزَوَّجْنَاهُم بِحُورٍ عِينٍ ﴿٢٠﴾
and We shall join them to Companions, with beautiful, big and lustrous eyes.
C5053. Cf. 54:54, and notes 4728 and 4729, where the meaning of Hur is fully explained.
This is the special sharing of individual Bliss one with another.
The next verse refers to the general social satisfaction shared with all whom we loved in this earthly life.
وَالَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ
ذُرِّيَّتُهُم
بِإِيمَانٍ
أَلْحَقْنَا
بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ...
52: 21. And those who believe and whose families follow them in Faith -- to them shall We join their families:
C5054. Durriyat. literally, progeny, offspring, family; applied by extension to mean all near and dear ones.
Love is unselfish, and works not merely, or chiefly, for Self, but for others; provided the others have Faith and respond according to their capacities or degrees, they will be joined together. Even though on individual merits their rank might be less.
This applies specially to a Prophet and his Ummah (or following)
...وَمَا أَلَتْنَاهُم مِّنْ عَمَلِهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ...
nor shall We deprive them (of the fruit) of aught of their works:
...كُلُّ امْرِئٍ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٌ ﴿٢١﴾
(Yet) is each individual in pledge for his deeds.
C5055. As already explained in the last note, though the love poured out by Prophets, ancestors, descendants, friends, or good men and women, will secure for their loved ones the enjoyment of their society, it is an indispensable condition that the loved ones should also, according to their lights, have shown their faith and their goodness in deeds. Each individual is responsible for his conduct.
In the kingdom of heaven there is no boasting of ancestors or friends. But it is part of the satisfaction of the good ones who poured out their love that those who were in any way worthy to receive their love should also be admitted to their society, and this satisfaction shall in no way be diminished to them.
وَأَمْدَدْنَاهُم
بِفَاكِهَةٍ
وَلَحْمٍ مِّمَّا
يَشْتَهُونَ
﴿٢٢﴾
52: 22. And We shall bestow on them, of fruit and meat, anything they shall desire.
C5056. Note that this verse is embedded in the midst of the description of social bliss; the individual bliss figured by meat and drink has already been mentioned in verse 19 above.
The social pleasure will be of any kind or quantity they shall desire, but their desires will then be purified, just as their pleasures will be on a different plan. (R).
يَتَنَازَعُونَ
فِيهَا كَأْسًا
لَّا لَغْوٌ
فِيهَا وَلَا
تَأْثِيمٌ
﴿٢٣﴾
52: 23. They shall there exchange, one with another, a (loving) cup free of frivolity, free of all taint of ill.
C5057. Drinking or loving cups, in our life on this earth, are apt to be misused in two ways:
- they may be occasions for mere frivolity or the wasting of time;
- they may lead to evil thoughts, evil suggestions, evil talk, or evil deeds.
وَيَطُوفُ
عَلَيْهِمْ
غِلْمَانٌ
لَّهُمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ
لُؤْلُؤٌ مَّكْنُونٌ
﴿٢٤﴾
52: 24. Round about them will serve, (devoted) to them, youths (handsome) as Pearls well-guarded.
C5058. Maknun: well-guarded, kept close, concealed from exposure:
the beautiful nacreous lustre of Pearls is disfigured by exposure to gases, vapours, or acids; when not actually in use they are best kept in closed caskets, guarded from deteriorating agencies. (R).
Asad’s Version:
52:17 [But,] verily, the God-conscious will find themselves [on that Day] in gardens and in bliss,
(51:18) rejoicing in all that their Sustainer will have granted them: for their Sustainer will have warded off from them all suffering through the blazing fire.
52:19 [And they will be told:] "Eat and drink with good cheer as an outcome of what you were wont to do,
(52:20) reclining on couches [of happiness] ranged in rows!" 7 And [in that paradisel We shall mate them with companions pure, most beautiful of eye. 8
52:21 And as for those who have attained to faith and whose offspring will have followed them in faith, We shall unite them with their offspring; and We shall not let aught of their deeds go to waste:' [but] every human being will be held in pledge for whatever he has earned. 10
52:22 And We shall bestow on them fruit and meat in abundance - whatever they may desire:
(51:23) and in that [paradise] they shall pass on to one another a cup which will not give rise to empty talk, and neither incite to sin."
(52:24) And they will be waited upon by [immortal] youths, 12 [as if they were children] of their own," [as pure] as if they were pearls hidden in their shells.
Yuksel’s version
52:17 The righteous are in paradises and bliss.
52:18 Delighted by what their Lord has granted them; and their Lord has spared them the retribution of hell.
52:19 Eat and drink happily because of what you used to do.
52:20 They recline on arranged furnishings, and We coupled them with wonderful companions.* [[See 44:54.]]
52:21 Those who acknowledged, and their progeny also followed them in acknowledgement; We will have their progeny join them. We never fail to reward them for any work. Every person is paid for what he did.
52:22 We will supply them with fruit and meat such as they desire.
52:23 They will exchange one with another a cup in which there is no harm, nor regret.
52:24 Around them will be children like protected pearls.
[[Asad’s notes -
7 As explained by Razi in his comments on the above verse as well as on 18:31 and 55:54, the "reclining on couches" or "on carpets" in paradise is a symbol of inner fulfilment and peace of mind; and he points out that this is also alluded to in the identity of the verbal root sarra ("he was [or "became"] happy") in both the nouns sarir ("happiness") and sarir ("couch").
8 For an explanation of the expression hur 'in, see surah 56, note 8.
9 Implying that the righteousness of their children increases the merit of the parents.
10 I.e., the righteousness of the parents cannot absolve their offspring from individual responsibility.
1 1 Cf. 37:47 - "no headiness will there be in it, and they will not get drunk thereon": and 56 : 1 9 - "by which their minds will not be clouded, and which will not make them drunk" : an allegory of conscious, joyful elation. As regards the preceding reference to "fruit and meat in abundance - whatever they may desire", Razi observes that this symbolic "abundance" of sensual satisfaction will not lead to satiety but, rather, to a pleasureable desire which - contrary to what is man's lot in this world - can always be gratified.
12 See note 6 on 56:17-18. ]]