Tafsir of Ar-Rahman 55:50

Surah Ar-Rahman (50): {فيهما عينان تجريان}

(In them are two springs, flowing.)

The saying: {possessing branches} (Ar-Rahman: 48), and {In them are two springs, flowing}, and {In them are two kinds of every fruit} are all descriptions of the two Gardens mentioned. Thus, it is like a single statement. The meaning is: Two Gardens, possessing branches, in which are two springs, in which are two kinds of every fruit.

If one asks: What is the wisdom in separating some of these descriptions by saying {Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?} three times, when in the description of the punishment, the speech was not separated by it? For He said: {He will send against you both smoke of fire and vapor, and you will not be victorious} (Ar-Rahman: 35), even though sending smoke is different from sending vapor. And He said: {They will go around between them and between boiling water} (Ar-Rahman: 44), even though the boiling water is different from the Hellfire. Likewise, He said: {This is Hell which the criminals used to deny} (Ar-Rahman: 43), which is a complete statement, and His saying: {They will go around between them and between boiling water} (Ar-Rahman: 44) is another statement, and they were not separated by the mentioned verse.

The Answer: This is due to prioritizing the aspect of Mercy. The verses of punishment were listed consecutively and mentioned collectively to shorten their account. The reward, however, was mentioned piece by piece because mentioning it is pleasing to the listener. Therefore, He separated them and repeated the pronoun referring back to the general term by saying: {In them are two springs}, {In them are two kinds of every fruit}, because repeating the mention of the beloved is beloved, and elaborating on the mention of pleasures is commendable.

His saying, the Exalted: {In them are two springs, flowing} means in each one there is one flowing spring, as mentioned before. And His saying: {In them are two kinds of every fruit} means each one of them has two kinds, or it means in each one of them there are two kinds of fruits. It is also possible that the meaning is similar: that in each one of the two Gardens there is a pair of every fruit, so in both of them together there are two pairs of every fruit. This is if we take the two pronouns (huma) to refer to the two kinds. Or we say: {of every fruit} is to clarify the state of the two kinds. An example is when you use min (from/of) on something that cannot possibly exist in a thing, like your saying: "In the house, from the East, is a man," meaning: there is a man from the East in it.

It is also possible that the intended meaning is that in each one of them there are two kinds. Under this interpretation, it is descriptive, indicating what is implied by "of every fruit," as if He said: In them is something of every fruit, and that something is two kinds. This is clear when what is mentioned is internal to the thing, which cannot be anything else within it, like your saying: "In the house, of every resident," (meaning: there is a resident in the house). If we say: {In them are two kinds of every fruit}...

When mentioning the branches (afnān), if He had said: {In them are two kinds of every fruit}, it would have been more coherent, because the fruits are on the branches. So what is the wisdom in mentioning the springs between these two interconnected things?

The Answer: The description of the Garden followed the custom of those who enjoy themselves. When they enter an orchard, they do not immediately rush to eat the fruits; rather, they prioritize viewing before eating. Moreover, a person in an earthly garden does not eat until he becomes hungry and has a painful desire. How much more so in Paradise? Therefore, He mentioned what completes the viewing—the greenness of the trees and the flowing of the rivers—and then mentioned what comes after the viewing, which is eating the fruits. So, Glory be to Him Who brings forth verses with the best meanings in the clearest structures.