Tafsir of Ya seen 36:55

"Indeed, the companions of Paradise, that Day, will be in an occupation, rejoicing."

On the assumption that the preceding address is specific to the disbelievers—as part of what will be said to them on that Day—it serves to increase their regret and sorrow; for the news of their enemies' good condition, following the declaration of their own wretched state, is something that adds grief upon grief. In the narration of this, there is also a warning to these disbelievers against their current state and an invitation to emulate the conduct of the believers.

On the assumption that it is general, it is the beginning of a statement informing us of what will occur on the Day of Resurrection, when everyone has attained what has been prepared for them of reward or punishment.

Shughl (occupation) is a matter that occupies a person and distracts them from all other affairs because it is more important to them than everything else. It is either because of the perfection of joy or the perfection of misery; the intention here is the former. Its use as an indefinite noun is for glorification—as if it were an occupation whose essence cannot be grasped. What is meant by it is the bliss they are in, which distracts them from everything that might cross their minds.

It has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas’ud, and Qatada that it is the deflowering of virgins—this is also what is narrated from Ja’far al-Sadiq (may Allah be pleased with him). In another narration from Ibn Abbas, it is the striking of musical strings, and it is said to be listening to music. It is narrated from Waki’ and Ibn Kaysan that it is visiting one another. It is also said that it is the hospitality of Allah Almighty, which is the gathering in the highest Firdaws (Paradise) at the dune of musk; there, He, Glory be to Him, manifests Himself to them, and they all see Him, Majestic is His majesty. Al-Hasan said: It is a bliss that occupies them away from the punishment that the people of the Fire are in. Al-Kalbi said: It occupies them away from their relatives among the people of the Fire, so they do not remember them lest their joy be tainted. Perhaps giving it a general meaning is better.

The proponents of these views do not intend to restrict their occupation to only what they mentioned; rather, they are clarifying that these are among their various occupations. The specific mention of each of these things by each of them is attributed to the requirements of the context of the explanation. The singular noun shughl is used because it is [a state of] bliss, and it is singular in this regard.

The prepositional phrase fi shughl (in an occupation) is connected to a hidden element that serves as the predicate for Inna. Fākihūn (rejoicing) is a second predicate for it. It is also permitted that fākihūn is the primary predicate, and fi shughl is connected to it, or acts as a state (ḥāl) for its pronoun.

The meaning of fākihūn, according to what Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Ibn Abbas extracted, is "joyful." They extracted from Mujahid that the meaning is "marvelling at what they are in." Abu Zayd said: The fākih is one who is pleasant-souled and laughing; no verb was heard for it from the triliteral root. Abu Muslim said: It is derived from fukāha (with a ḍamma), which is conversing about things that cause joy. It is also said to mean enjoying and taking pleasure. It is said that fākihūn means "possessors of fruit" (fākiha), like saying lābin (possessor of milk) and tāmir (possessor of dates).

The approach of Abu Hayyan clearly indicates his preference for this. The expression of their state in a nominal sentence before its occurrence is to treat the awaited and expected event as if it has already happened, to signify the utmost speed of its realization and occurrence. In this, if the address is specific, there is an increase in the misery of those being addressed.

The people of the Two Sanctuaries (Mecca and Medina) and Abu 'Amr read it as shuġl (with a ḍamma on the shīn and a sukūn on the ġayn); it is a dialectal variant of shuġul (with two ḍammas) used by the Hijazis, as Al-Farra' stated.

Mujahid, Abu al-Summal, and Ibn Hubayra—in what Ibn Khalawayh reported from him—read it with two fatḥas. Yazid al-Nahwi and Ibn Hubayra—in what Abu al-Fadl al-Razi reported from him—read it with a fatḥa on the shīn and a sukūn on the ġayn; these are also two dialects for the word.

Al-Hasan, Abu Ja’far, Qatada, Abu Ḥaywa, Mujahid, Shayba, Abu Raja', Yahya ibn Subayh, and Nafi'—in one narration—read fākihūn as the plural of fakkh, like ḥadhir (cautious) and ḥadhirūn (cautious ones); it is an intensive adjective denoting exaggeration and permanence. Talha and al-A'mash read fākihīn with an alif and ya, as an accusative denoting a state (ḥāl), where fi shughl is the predicate. It has also been read as fākihīn without an alif but with a ya in the same way. It has also been read as fākihūn with a fatḥa on the fā' and a ḍamma on the kāf, and fa’ul (with a ḍamma on the second letter) is one of the patterns of the intensive adjective, like nuḥās, which refers to one who is sharp, precise in observation, and truthful in intuition.