Al-Hijr: (45-48) Indeed, the pious...

Know that after Allah (Exalted is He) explained the states of those deserving punishment, He followed it by describing the state of those deserving reward.

In this verse, there are several issues:

Issue 1: Regarding the statement: {Indeed, the pious} (Inna al-muttaqīn)

There are two opinions:

The First Opinion: Stated by al-Jubba'i and the majority of the Mu'tazila (who affirm the threat of punishment). They hold that the intended meaning of "the pious" (al-muttaqīn) refers to those who abstain from all sins. They argue that since this is a term of praise, it should only apply to those who perfectly embody it.

The Second Opinion: This is the view of the majority of the Companions and the Successors, and it is narrated from Ibn Abbas, that the intended meaning is those who guard themselves against polytheism (Shirk) and disbelief (Kufr) in Allah (Exalted is He).

My View (Al-Razi's): This second opinion is the correct and sound one. The evidence for this is that the active participle (Ism Fā'il), such as muttaqī (pious one), refers to one who performs the action (Piety/Taqwa) even once, just as ḍārib (striker) refers to one who strikes once, and qātil (killer) refers to one who kills once. Since it is not a condition for the description "striker" or "killer" to have performed every type of striking or killing, similarly, it is not a condition for the description "pious one" to have performed every type of piety.

What strengthens this argument is that one who performs a single instance of piety has indeed performed piety, because every instance of a genus must possess that genus. Thus, one who performs piety must be called pious. This confirms that performing one instance of piety suffices for the description to apply. For this reason, the exegetes agree that the apparent meaning of a command does not necessitate repetition.

Once this is established, we say: The apparent meaning of {Indeed, the pious are in Gardens and Springs} implies that Gardens and Springs are obtained by anyone who abstains from even one thing. However, the Ummah is agreed that guarding oneself against disbelief (Kufr) is a prerequisite for obtaining this reward. Furthermore, this verse follows Iblis's statement: {Except Your servants among them who are sincere} (15:40), and Allah’s statement: {Indeed, My servants have no authority over them} (15:42). Due to these contextual clues, we stipulate faith (Iman) for this ruling. Therefore, no other restrictive condition should be added, because specializing the general (Takhṣīṣ al-'Āmm) goes against the apparent meaning, and the less the specialization, the more consistent it is with the original apparent meaning. Thus, it is established that {Indeed, the pious are in Gardens and Springs} includes all those who affirm "There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," both verbally and by belief, whether they were obedient or sinful. This is a clear and evident exposition.

Issue 2: Regarding His statement: {in Gardens and Springs}

As for the Gardens, there are four, based on His statement: {And for him who feared the standing before his Lord will be two Gardens} (Ar-Rahman: 46), and then: {And beneath them two Gardens} (Ar-Rahman: 46). Thus, the total is four. The statement {And for him who feared the standing before his Lord will be two Gardens} confirms what we said, because whoever believes in Allah, their heart cannot be devoid of fear of Allah (Exalted and Majestic). The phrase {And for him who feared} is satisfied by the occurrence of this fear just once.

As for the Springs (ʿuyūn), it is possible that what is meant is what Allah mentioned in His statement: {The likeness of the Garden promised to the pious: in it are rivers of water that is never spoiled, and rivers of milk the taste of which never changes, and rivers of wine...} (Muhammad: 15). It is also possible that these springs are separate water sources distinct from those rivers.

If it is asked: Do you say that each pious person is exclusively entitled to springs, or do these springs flow from some to others? The answer is: Neither possibility is impossible. It is possible that each person has an exclusive spring from which those serving them—the Houris and the youths—benefit according to their need and desire. It is also possible that they flow from one to another because they are purified from malice and envy.

His statement: {Enter it in peace, secure} (Adkhulūhā bi-salāmin āminīn). It is possible that the speaker of {Enter it} is Allah Himself, or it could be some of His angels.

A question arises: Allah ruled before this verse that they are already in Gardens and Springs, so how can they be told: {Enter it}?

The answer is twofold:

1. Perhaps it means they were told this before entering them: {Enter it in peace}.
2. Perhaps it means that since they possess many Gardens, whenever they wish to move from one Garden to another, they are told: "Enter it."

The meaning of {Enter it in peace, secure} is to enter the Garden safe from all afflictions in the present, with the certainty that this safety will remain, and security from its removal.

Then Allah (Exalted is He) said: {And We will remove whatever is in their breasts of rancor} (Wa-nazaʿnā mā fī ṣudūrihim min ghill). Ghill is the hidden malice in the heart, derived from the saying: Aghalla fī jawfihi wa taghallghala (It settled deep in his belly). This means if anyone harbored malice toward another in the world, Allah will remove that from their hearts and purify their souls.

It is narrated from Ali (peace be upon him) that he hoped that he, Uthman, Talha, and Al-Zubayr would be among them. It is related that Al-Harith ibn Al-A'war was sitting with Ali (peace be upon him) when Zakariyya ibn Talha entered. Ali said to him: "Welcome, nephew. By Allah, I hope that I and your father are among those about whom Allah said: {And We will remove whatever is in their breasts of rancor}." Al-Harith replied: "No, Allah is too just to place you and Talha in the same place." Ali (peace be upon him) said: "Then for whom is this verse? May your mother be lost to you, O one-eyed man!"

It is narrated that the believers will be detained at the Gate of Paradise, and retribution will be exacted between some of them for others, then they will be commanded to Paradise. Allah has purified their hearts from rancor, deceit, malice, and envy.

His statement: {as brothers} (ikhwānan) is in the accusative case indicating a state (ḥāl). It does not mean kinship by lineage, but brotherhood in affection and sincerity, just as He said: {Close friends, that Day, will be enemies to one another, except for the pious} (Az-Zukhruf: 67).

His statement: {on couches facing one another} (ʿalā sururin mutaqābilīn). The sareer (couch/throne) is known, and its plural is asurrah and surur. Abu Ubaydah said that both surur (with a ḍammah) and surur (with a fatḥah) are used, as with every doubled form of faʿīl, its plural is faʿal and fuʿul, like surur and surur, and judud and judud. Al-Mufaddal said that some of Tamim and Kalb use the fatḥah because they find two consecutive ḍammāh sounds heavy in two letters of the same type. Some scholars of meaning said that the sareer is an elevated seat prepared for joy (surūr), derived from it because it is a seat of joy. Al-Layth said: The sareer al-ʿaysh (couch of life) is the resting place where one settles in a state of joy and happiness. Ibn Abbas said: It means on thrones of gold studded with emeralds, pearls, and rubies. A sareer is as large as the distance between Sana'a and Al-Jābiya.

His statement: {facing one another} (mutaqābilīn) means facing each other, which is the opposite of turning away (tadābur). Undoubtedly, facing each other is the most honorable state.

His statement: {No fatigue will touch them therein} (lā yamassuhum fīhā naṣab). Naṣab means exhaustion and tiredness; i.e., no toil will reach them there.

{Nor will they be expelled from it} (wa mā hum minhā bi-mukhrajīn). This refers to their eternal existence without cessation, permanence without annihilation, perfection without deficiency, and triumph without deprivation.

Know that reward has four conditions: that the benefits are accompanied by honor, are pure from impurities, and are permanent.

1. The First Condition: Being a benefit. This is indicated by His statement: {Indeed, the pious are in Gardens and Springs}.

2. The Second Condition: Being accompanied by honor. This is indicated by His statement: {Enter it in peace, secure}, because when Allah (Exalted and Majestic) says this to His servants, it signifies the utmost honor and highest reverence.

3. The Third Condition: The benefits being pure from harmful impurities. Know that harms are either spiritual or physical. Spiritual harms are malice, envy, rancor, and anger. Physical harms are exhaustion and fatigue. His statement: {And We will remove whatever is in their breasts of rancor, as brothers, on couches facing one another} indicates the negation of spiritual harms, and His statement: {No fatigue will touch them therein} indicates the negation of physical harms.

4. The Fourth Condition: The benefits being permanent and secure from removal. This is indicated by His statement: {Nor will they be expelled from it}. This is a fine and rational arrangement based on the four conditions considered essential to the nature of reward.

The philosophers of Islam have a comment on this verse: They said that the meaning of {And We will remove whatever is in their breasts of rancor} is an indication that the rational, pure souls are cleansed and purified from the attachments of the appetitive and wrathful faculties, and absolved from the accidents of illusion and imagination. His statement: {as brothers, on couches facing one another} means that since those souls became clear from the turbidity of the bodily world and the temptations of imagination and illusion, and the lights of the world of Majesty and Glory shone upon them, they became radiant with those Divine lights and glittered with those Eternal splendors. Thus, every light that flowed onto one of them was reflected from it onto the others, like facing, aligned mirrors. Because of this description, they were expressed as {as brothers, on couches facing one another}. And Allah knows best.

| 7 < { Announce to My servants that surely I am the Forgiving, the Merciful * And that My punishment is the painful punishment } > 7

<