Tafsir of Ar-Rahman 55:67-68

"In them are fruits, and palm trees, and pomegranates." (68)

The conjunction of the latter two with "fruit" is like the conjunction of Gabriel and Michael, peace be upon them, with the angels, as a declaration of their distinct excellence. It is said: They were mentioned separately because they are not exclusively for mere snacking, as the date palm is both a fruit and food, and the pomegranate is both a fruit and a medicine, thus counting as another genre; therefore, they were conjoined to "fruit," even though everything in Paradise is for snacking because it is pure enjoyment. From this, Imam Abu Hanifa—may Allah be pleased with him—derived that if one swears not to eat fruit and then eats a pomegranate or a ripe date, he has not violated his oath; whereas his two companions [Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani] disagreed with him. Furthermore, the date palms and pomegranates of Paradise are beyond what we know.

Ibn al-Mubarak, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Hannad, Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Ibn al-Mundhir, al-Hakim (who authenticated it), and others recorded from Ibn Abbas: "The date palms of Paradise have trunks of green emerald, stalks of red gold, and their fronds are the clothing of the people of Paradise, from which their garments and robes are cut. Their fruit is like large pitchers, whiter than milk, sweeter than honey, and softer than butter, and they have no pits." This ruling carries the status of that which is attributed to the Prophet (marfu'). In a marfu' hadith narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: "Their roots are silver, their trunks are silver, their fronds are robes, and their fruit is ripe dates..." Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Asakir also recorded from Abu Sa'id, attributed to the Prophet—upon him be prayer and peace—that he said: "I looked into Paradise, and behold, a pomegranate from its pomegranates was like a saddled camel." This praise corresponds to the apparent sense, unlike the praise in the Almighty's saying regarding the two previous gardens: "In them are two kinds of every fruit."

Those who hold that these two gardens are superior argue that the tanwin in "fruit" (in the previous verses) implies generalization due to the context, similar to what is said regarding the Almighty's saying: "A soul shall know what it has brought forth." Thus, it carries the strength of "in them is every fruit," and the glorious arrangement here adds to what was mentioned by including an indication of the praise for some of its specific varieties.

Imam al-Razi said: "The 'what' here is like the Almighty's saying: 'In them are two kinds of every fruit,' because fruit consists of terrestrial types and tree types, such as melons and other ground-grown crops, and date palms and others from the trees. So the Almighty said: 'Dark green' [referring to the previous verses] for the types of greenery that contain terrestrial fruits, and in them are also tree fruits. He—glory be to Him—mentioned two types of them: the ripe date and the pomegranate, because they are opposites. One is sweet and the other contains acidity; one is hot and the other cold; one is both fruit and sustenance while the other is fruit and [medicine]; one is from the fruits of hot climates while the other is from the fruits of cold climates; one is from trees that reach extreme height while the other is not; and one has its edible part exposed while the inedible is hidden, while the other is the opposite. Thus, they are like two contraries, and the indication of the two extremes encompasses the indication of what lies between them, just as in the Almighty's saying: 'Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests'."

This is the conclusion. Perhaps the first view is more appropriate.