Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:45

(There shall be passed around them): This is either a new sentence intended to explain what they will experience during their moments of intimacy, or it is a circumstantial state (hal) pertaining to the pronoun in "facing one another," or to one of the two prepositional phrases. It has been permitted that it be an adjective for "honored." The agents of this circulation—as has been stated—are the children of the polytheists who died before the age of responsibility; it is mentioned in the authentic traditions that they are the servants of the people of Paradise. This has been explicitly stated in another place, namely the words of the Almighty, "There will circulate among them boys made eternal [in youth]," and His words, "There will circulate among them servants of their own."

(A cup): That is, wine, as has been narrated from Ibn Abbas. Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn Jarir, and others recorded from al-Dahhak that he said: "Every cup mentioned by Allah, the Almighty, in the Quran refers only to wine." This has also been transmitted from al-Habr [Ibn Abbas] and al-Akhfash, and it is a well-known metaphor that holds the status of a literal truth. To this effect is the saying of al-A'sha: "A cup I drank for pleasure, and another with which I sought a cure." The evidence that he intended wine by it—applying the container to the contents—is his saying "I drank." To suggest "I drank what was in it" is unnecessary effort. The contextual indicator here is what follows.

It is also permitted to interpret it by its literal meaning: a vessel containing wine. Most linguists hold that a wine vessel is not called a "cup" (ka's) in the literal sense unless it contains wine; if it is empty, it is a qadah (goblet). However, that it must be wine is not definitively settled. It is stated in al-Bahr that the "cup" is what is made of glass containing wine or similar fermented drinks, and it is not called a "cup" unless it contains such. Al-Raghib said: "The cup is the vessel together with the drink within it, though each may be called a cup individually." It is said: "Empty," and it is said: "I drank a cup," and "a good cup." Perhaps his statement is clearer in that naming an empty one a "cup" is metaphorical. It was narrated from some that they said: "The cup, among vessels, is anything with a wide mouth that has no handle, without regard for whether it is for wine or something else."

This is in the position of an adjective for "cup," meaning: originating from a specific drink or a specific spring. That is, apparent to the eyes, flowing upon the surface of the earth just as rivers flow, or emerging from springs and sources. Its root is ma'yun from the verb ‘ana (the water appeared or gushed forth), assuming the mim is an addition; or it is from ma'ana, making it the form fa'il, assuming the mim is original.

The wine of Paradise is described with this [as a spring] to liken it to water in its abundance, to the point that it becomes flowing rivers in the Gardens. This indicates its refinement, delicacy, and that it has not been trodden upon by feet like the wine of this world, as the latter’s being trodden upon is indicated by the poet’s saying: "A daughter of the vine, whose mother left her an orphan, then they humiliated her by treading with feet; then they returned and made her the judge among them—woe to them from the injustice of an oppressed judge!" And the saying of another: "And a shamulah (wine) from the era of 'Ad, which has been left prostrate, trodden by the feet of the pressers; it became soft for them until they were intoxicated, so it took hold of them, and then it cried out for vengeance among them."

This is based on the assumption that it is wine in reality. It is also possible that it is water possessing the pleasure and the intoxicating effect of wine, in which case the description is clear. The verse conveys the description of their water as having pleasure and intoxicating effect. What was mentioned first [that it is wine] is the apparent meaning. Indeed, more than one scholar has said: "There is no commonality between what is in this world and what is in Paradise except in name; the reality of the wine of Paradise is different from the reality of the wine of this world, and likewise for everything else therein."