Tafsir of Az-Zumar 39:73

Surah Az-Zumar (The Crowds): Verse 73

{And those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in groups}

It is noted that after explaining the state of the people of punishment in the preceding verse, the Almighty explains the state of the people of reward in this verse.

Inquiry: Driving (سوق - sūq) the people of Hell to torment is understandable, as they are commanded to go to the place of punishment and misery. But why is driving necessary for the people of reward, who are being led to a place of honor, comfort, and bliss?

Answers (Four Points):

1. Mutual Love: The affection and friendship among the pious remain on the Day of Resurrection (as stated: "Friends, that Day, will be enemies to one another, except for the God-fearing" [Az-Zukhruf: 67]). If one of them is told to enter Paradise, he might say, "I will not enter until my beloved friends enter with me." This delay necessitates that they be driven (escorted) into Paradise.
2. Absorption in Divine Majesty: Those who feared their Lord worshipped God not for Paradise or Hell. Their intense absorption in witnessing the manifestations of Majesty and Beauty prevents them from desiring Paradise on their own accord. Thus, they require being driven to it.
3. The Simple-Minded: The Prophet (PBUH) said: "The majority of the inhabitants of Paradise are the simple-minded (al-bulh), and the highest ranks ('illiyyūn) are for the righteous (al-abrār)." This simplicity might necessitate driving.
4. Difference in the Nature of Driving: Both groups are driven, but the meaning differs. Driving the people of Hell is by expulsion with contempt and harshness, like an imprisoned captive being driven to confinement. Driving the people of Paradise is the escorting of their mounts, as they will only enter riding. This driving signifies hastening them toward the abode of honor and pleasure, similar to how honored guests arriving before kings are expedited. Thus, the two types of driving are vastly different.

{until, when they reach it, and its gates are opened, and its keepers will say to them}

This entire statement is a single conditional clause composed of several conditions:

1. Condition 1: Their arrival at Paradise.
2. Condition 2: {and its gates are opened}.
   • Inquiry: Why is the conjunction wāw (and) used here, whereas for Hell, it was stated without the wāw?
   • Answer: The gates of Hell are only opened upon the entry of its inhabitants. However, the gates of Paradise are opened before the arrival of its people, as evidenced by the verse: "Gardens of Eden, with their gates opened for them" (Sad: 50). Therefore, the wāw is used here, implying: "until, when they reach it, while its gates were already open."
3. Condition 3: {and its keepers will say to them, "Peace be upon you; you have been good, so enter it eternally"}.

The Almighty clarifies that the keepers of Paradise address the people of reward with these three statements:

1. {Peace be upon you}: This signifies their assurance of safety from all afflictions.
2. {you have been good (ṭibtum)}: Meaning, you have purified yourselves from the stain of sins and cleansed yourselves from the impurity of transgressions.
3. {so enter it eternally}: The fā’ (so) in {so enter it} indicates that this entry is conditional upon their goodness and purity.
   • Mu'tazilite View: Some argue this proves that no one enters unless they are completely pure from all sins.
   • Rebuttal: This is weak, as God replaces their evil deeds with good deeds, making them pure and good by God's grace.

Inquiry: This preceding statement was the condition; where is the response (jawāb) to the conditional sentence?

Answers (Two Views):

1. The response is omitted, and its omission signifies that the state reached is one of such perfection that it cannot be described.
2. The response is {and its keepers will say to them, "Peace be upon you..."}, with the wāw omitted from the conjunction. The first view is considered sounder.

Then, God informs us that when the angels address the pious with these words, the pious will respond: {All praise is due to Allah, Who has made good His promise to us} (referencing the promise in Surah Fussilat: 30: "Do not fear, nor grieve, and rejoice in the Paradise you were promised").

{and He has caused us to inherit the earth}

The term "earth" here refers to the land of Paradise. This inheritance is expressed for several reasons:

1. Original Ownership: Paradise was originally intended for Adam (peace be upon him), as God said: "Dwell in it freely wherever you will" (Al-Baqarah: 35). When Paradise returns to the descendants of Adam, it is termed an inheritance.
2. Metaphor of Acquisition: The term is derived from the saying: "This action inherited that," or "This effort inherited that." Since their obedience earned them Paradise, they say, {and He has caused us to inherit the earth}. The meaning is that God caused them to inherit Paradise by enabling them to perform the deeds that necessitate inheriting it.
3. Unrestricted Possession: An heir possesses what he inherits as he wishes, without dispute or opposition. Similarly, the believing pious will dispose of things in Paradise as they desire. This similarity is the basis for the beautiful metaphor.

Inquiry: What is the meaning of {where we will settle in Paradise wherever we will}? Does one person occupy the place of another?

Answer: Each person will have a Paradise sufficient for him, so he will not need the Paradise of another. The wise scholars of Islam state that there are two types of paradises: bodily paradises and spiritual paradises. Bodily paradises do not allow for sharing, but the attainment of spiritual ones by one person does not prevent others from attaining them.

After describing the state of the inhabitants of Paradise, God says: {Excellent is the reward of the workers}.

• Qatadah's View: This statement is not from the words of the inhabitants of Paradise, but from God. After recounting the dialogue between the angels and the pious regarding the reward of the believers, God follows it with: {Excellent is the reward of the workers}.
• The Angels' Reward: Just as Paradise is the abode of reward for the believing pious, the vicinity of the Throne is the reward for the angels, as mentioned when God says: {And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne}. This means they encircle the Throne. Al-Layth said: The people surround their master, encircling him (ḥaffūn ḥaffan).

If this interpretation is accepted (that the verse describes the angels' reward):

God clarified that their abode of reward is the vicinity and sides of the Throne. Then He said: {glorifying the praise of their Lord}. This implies that their reward is this very glorification and praise. Thus, the ultimate reward is the complete immersion of the hearts of the servants in the degrees of transcendence (tanzīh) and the stations of sanctification (taqdīs).

Then He said: {And judgment was made between them with truth}. This means they are on different degrees and varying ranks. Each one has a defined limit in the degrees of knowledge and obedience that he does not exceed. This is what is meant by {And judgment was made between them with truth}.

{And it will be said, "All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds"}

This means that after judgment was made with truth, the angels said: "All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds," for His judgment between us with truth.

Here lies a subtle point higher than the previous one: They did not praise Him because the judgment reached them; rather, they praised Him for His essential attribute of being the Lord of the worlds. For whoever praises the Benefactor only because His favor has reached him, he has, in reality, praised the favor itself, not the Benefactor. But whoever praises the Benefactor irrespective of whether the favor has reached him, he has reached the depths of the ocean of Tawḥīd (Oneness).

This analysis holds if we assume {And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne} explains the reward of the angels.

Alternative Interpretation (Reward of Believers Continued):

If this verse continues to explain the reward of the believers: When the pious said, {All praise is due to Allah, Who has made good His promise to us and has caused us to inherit the earth, [that] we may settle in Paradise wherever we will}, it became evident that in Paradise, they are occupied with praising and glorifying God. God then clarifies that just as the occupation of the pious in Paradise is this praise and glorification, so too is the occupation of the angels surrounding the Throne the engagement in praise and glorification. Since the sides of the Throne are adjacent to the sides of Paradise, it becomes clear that the pious believers and the near-station angels become unified in their immersion in praising and glorifying God, which causes their mutual increase in delight in that praise and glorification.

Then He said: {And judgment was made between them with truth}—meaning, between the humans. And then: {And it will be said, "All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds"}. This means they offer glorification (tasbīḥ), which implies declaring God free from anything unsuitable for Divinity.

As for {And it will be said, "All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds"}, this means affirming His description with the attributes of Divinity.

• Tasbīḥ (Glorification) is an acknowledgment of His transcendence from everything unsuitable for Him (attributes of Majesty).
• {All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds} is an affirmation that He is described with the attributes of Divinity (attributes of Honor).

The combination of these two is what is mentioned in {Blessed is the Name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor} (Ar-Raḥmān: 78), which is what the angels used to mention before the creation of the world: {And we exalt [You] with praise of You and sanctify You} (Al-Baqarah: 30).

There is another subtlety in {And it will be said, "All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds"}: it is not specified who is saying it. This ambiguity serves to indicate that the ultimate conclusion of the speech of the wise regarding praising the Majesty and Greatness is nothing other than saying: {All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds}. This is reinforced by the description of the inhabitants of Paradise: {Their call therein will be, "Exalted are You, O Allah," and their greeting therein will be, "Peace"} (Yūnus: 10).