Tafsir of Al-Waqi'ah 56:15

The Event: (15) Upon Couches Lined [with rich material]

"Upon couches lined [with rich material]" (على سرر موضونة)

• "Mawḍūnah" (موضونة) means tightly woven with strong warp and weft. Similarly, a tightly woven coat of mail (armor) is called mawḍūnah.
• "Al-Waḍīn" (الوضين) refers to a thick rope whose strength comes from its dense warp and weft, used for securing loads.
• The couches belonging to kings have supports made of solid material, and their seating surfaces are crafted from silk and similar materials, as these are softer than wood or other hard substances.
• These couches have supports made of precious jewels, and their floors are made of beaten gold.
• The Almighty's saying: "{Leaning upon them}" (متكئين عليها) serves for emphasis. The meaning is that they will be situated upon couches, leaning upon them, facing one another.
• The benefit of this emphasis is to negate the possibility that they might be resting on these couches while leaning on something else—as happens when someone sits on a small chair that doesn't allow for full leaning, requiring an additional object underneath for support. Thus, saying "upon couches, leaning upon them" indicates that their entire stability and repose are supported solely by the couches.

"{Facing one another}" (متقابلين) has two interpretations:

1. That no one turns their back to another.
2. That none of the inhabitants (of Paradise) look down upon another.

The second interpretation is closer to the meaning. If we take the first interpretation—that everyone faces someone else simultaneously—this only makes sense where there is no difference in orientation. In that case, the meaning would be that they are spirits having no back or front, implying that the inhabitants referred to are luminous spirits whose entire form is like light, facing everything and turning their back to nothing. However, the first interpretation aligns better with descriptions involving spatial arrangements.

Then the Almighty said:

"{There will circulate among them youths eternal}" (يطوف عليهم ولدان مخلدون)