Ar-Rahman: 71-72

"So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"

(71) "Hour (fair ones)": This is a substitute for (Khayrat) [good ones]. It is the plural of Hawra’, and likewise the plural of Ahwar. The intended meaning is "white-complexioned," as narrated by Ibn al-Mundhir and others from Ibn Abbas. Umm Salamah also narrated it from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Ibn al-Athir said: A Hawra’ is one who has intensely white eyes and intensely black pupils. In the Qamus, it is stated: Al-Hawr (with the vowel fatha on the waw) means the intensity of the whiteness of the eye and the intensity of its blackness, the roundness of the pupil, the thinness of the eyelids, and the whiteness of the area surrounding the eye. It is also said to mean the intensity of whiteness and blackness within the whiteness of the body, or that the entire eye is black like that of a gazelle; this does not exist in the human species but is used for them metaphorically. If the narration of Umm Salamah is authentic, one should not deviate from the interpretation provided by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

(72) "Maqsurat (confined) in the tents": That is, secluded. It is said: A woman is qasira and maqsurah, meaning she is secluded and remains in her house, not roaming the streets. Kathir ‘Azzah said: "And you are the one who made every Qasirah (secluded woman) beloved to me, and you did not realize that I meant by that the Qasirat al-hijāl (women of the curtained chambers), and I did not intend those who are short of step, the worst of women, the Baḥātir (short ones)." Women are praised for their remaining in their homes, as it signifies their chastity, as Qays ibn al-Aslat said: "And she becomes lazy about her neighbors, so they visit her, and she is heedless of their homes (so she is excused)."

This interpretation is reported from Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan, and al-Dahhak, and it is one narration from Mujahid. Ibn Abi Shaybah, Hannad ibn al-Sari, and Ibn Jarir narrated from him that he said: Maqsurat [means] their hearts, their gazes, and their souls are confined to their husbands. The first [interpretation] is more apparent.

(Fi al-khiyam) [In the tents] is attached to Maqsurat in the first interpretation. In the second, it is possible it is attached in the same way, or it may be a second attribute for Hour—so do not be heedless of this.

Al-Khiyam is the plural of Khayma (tent). According to [the book] al-Bahr, it is a house made of wood, thamam (a type of grass), and other shrubs. If it is made of hair, it is called a bayt (house) and is not called a khayma. Others have said: It is every circular house, or three or four poles over which thamam is thrown to provide shade from the heat, or any house built from tree branches. It is also pluralized as khayamat, khiyam (with fatha followed by a sukun), khayam (with fatha), and like ‘inab. Al-khiyam here refers to houses of pearls. Ibn Abi Shaybah and a group of others narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: A tent is [made of] a single hollowed-out pearl, four farsakhs in width, having four thousand doors made of gold. A group narrated from Abu al-Darda’ that he said: The tent is a single pearl having seventy doors of pearls. Al-Bukhari, Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, and others narrated from Abu Musa al-Ash’ari from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that he said: "The tent is a hollowed-out pearl, its height in the sky is sixty miles. In every corner of it, there are people for the believer whom the others do not see; the believer visits them all," along with other reports of this nature.

His saying, the Almighty, “Fi hinna...” (In them are...) and so on, is less than what preceded in the two previous gardens—namely, His saying, the Almighty, “Fi hinna qasirat al-tarf...” (In them are those of restrained gaze) up to His saying, “Ka’annahunna al-yaqut wa al-marjan” (As if they were rubies and pearls) regarding the [degree of] praise, according to those who hold the first two [gardens] in higher regard than the latter two. It is said [this is] because the second interpretation of Maqsurat implies a forced confinement. As for the first interpretation, its being less [in status] is apparent, even if one does not consider the aspect of being secluded [as a negative] in what preceded, or one treats His saying, “Ka’annahunna al-yaqut wa al-marjan,” as a metaphor for it, because they are things that are protected, as it is said: "A jewel whose worthiness is the inner chambers."

As for those who prefer the latter two [gardens], they say: This is more descriptive of praise, due to the generality of “Khayratun hisan” (good and beautiful ones) covering all good qualities, both in creation and character. This includes the restraint of gaze and other things indicated by the comparison to rubies and pearls. Al-qasir (the restrainer), according to the second interpretation of Maqsurat, is [a description of] natural restraint dictated by the context; thus, it contains an indication that it is impossible for them to cease that restraint. As for “Qasirat al-tarf,” it perhaps suggests that the restraint is by their own choice, so they restrain when they wish and do not when they do not wish.