the light of qur'an,sura nabaa,quran,tafsir

sura nabaa
(the great news)
no. 78 (verses 31-37)

31. "surely for the righteous there is a victory,"
32. "gardens enclosed and vineyards"
33. "and comely maidens, with the freshness of youth,
equals in age".
34. "and a cup overflowing".
35. "no vanity shall they hear therein, nor untruth,"
36. "a reward from your lord, an award sufficing,"
37. "lord of the heavens and the earth and all between the two,
the all-mercifull, with whom none shall have power to argue".

commentary:
some great rewards for the righteous.
the former verses were about the destiny of the rebels and about
some of their painful punishments and the causes of their rebellion.
the following verses are about the opposite group; the true believers,
the righteous, and some of their rewards in the hereafter: compare
them with each other so that the facts can be understood more clearly.
this is the style, in the qur'an, which sets the opponents facing each
other and makes their state clear by showing the contrasts in their
positions.

at first, it says: "surely for the righteous there is a victory".
the term "mafaz" is a place-noun which is derived from "fauz" in
the sense of `gaining goodness safely' and also means: "salvation and
victory' which is necessary for `gaining the goodness safely'. regarding the
term "mafaz", which is used in an indefinite form in this text, it means
`gaining a very great victory and salvation'.

* * * *

then, describing this felicity and salvation, it says: "gardens
enclosed and vineyards".

the term 'hadiq" is the plural form of "hadiqah" which is a garden
planted with trees surrounded by a wall. ra4ib cites in his hook,
mufradat, that "hadiqah" originally means. `a piece of land containing
water for irrigation', like "hadaqah", `the eve-socket', where water exists,
continuously, for lubricating the eye.

it is interesting to note that, among all the fruits, grapes are
emphasized on, here, because of their extra advantages in comparison
with the other fruits. since, according to statements of the scientists of
nutrition, grapes are not only a complete food, from the point of their
nutritive value, but are, also, counted as an article of foodstuff closely
similar in comparison to mothers' milk. they produce calories, in the
body, twice as much as meat does. grapes have so many useful
properties that they could be called `a natural pharmacy'.

further to this, they possess the characteristic of being antitoxins;
useful in blood purification. they work as a remedy for rheumatism and
gout, and are a factor in controlling the level of nitrogen in the blood.

in addition to these, grapes strengthen the nerves, bring
happiness, and because of containing different kinds of vitamins, make
man able-bodied and powerful.

these are only a few of the qualities of grapes. and hence, it has
been related that the prophet (p.b.u.h.) has said: "grapes are your best
fruits".

* * * *

then, referring to another gift, in heaven, for the righteous, it
says: "and comely maidens, with the freshness of youth, equals in age"

the term "kawaib" is the plural form of "kaib" which means
'a damsel entering puberty' which illustrates their prime youth. and the
term "atrab" is the plural form of "tirb" which means 'persons of the same
chest', which is used mostly for the feminine gender. some others have
said that the term is originally based on "taraib": meaning: 'ribs of the
chest', which are very similar to each other.

it is probable that the maidens of heaven, themselves, are 'equals
in age, or they are `equals in age' with the wives of the righteous, for
only by this standard can complete sympathy and understanding be
figured. however, the first commentary seems more appropriate.

* * * *

then, the fourth gift, allocated to the righteous, is mentioned:

"and a cup overflowing".

* * * *

it is not a drink like the worldly wine; which is filthy and makes
man drunk, unconscious and descends him lower than the lowly animals,
but it is a drink that increases the wisdom and refreshes the spirit and
soul.

the term "ka's" means `a cup full of drink', and it sometimes means
the container, itself.

the term "dihaq" is rendered as `overflowing' by many commentators
and philologists, but in `lisan-ul-arab' by ibn-i-manzur, two more
meanings are cited for it: successive(ly), repeated(ly) `and limpid, clear'.

therefore, if we consider all these senses, the verse means:
'in heaven, overflowing cups of pure, limpid drink are brought, repeatedly, for
the righteous'.

* * * *

in speaking about `cup' and `drink' reference is made to the
disgusting association of the two in this world, while the heavenly drink
is just the opposite to that devilish worldly wine. subsequently, the next
verse says: "no vanity shall they hear there, nor untruth".

two probabilities are suggested regarding the pronoun in "fiha"
and as to which noun it refers to. the first says it refers to `heaven' and
the second, that it refers to `cup'.

according to the first commentary the verse means that: `they hear
no foolishness or falsehood in heaven', as was said in sura qashia,
no.88, verses 10-11: "in a garden on high", "where they shall hear no
(word) of vanity".

and, according to the second commentary the verse means: `there
will not appear any deceit or worthlessness as a result of having that cup of
drink'; as was said in sura tur, no.52, verse 23: `they shall there
exchange, one with another, a (loving) cup flee of frivolity, free of all taint of
ill".

in any case, one of the great spiritual bounties for the righteous,
in heaven, is that they hear no vanity, no falsehood, no slander, no
rejection of the truth, no justification of the unjust, and no worthless
talk such as are usually associated with this earthly world which is
indulged in by some corrupted people and causes pain to the hearts of
the righteous. verily, how nice and comfortable the environment
where this kind of unbecoming speech is not found therein, and
according to sura maryam, no.19, verse 62: `they will not there
hear any vain discourse, but only salutations of peace:

* * * *

in counting the bounties in heaven, for the righteous, a spiritual
gift is mentioned, at the end, which excels the others and says: "a
reward from your lord, an award sufficing'.

what blessing and reward can be better and has a higher standard
than that of a powerless servant, favored with the grace and love of his
great, gracious lord. allah rewards him, honors him, and gives him
a liberal and bountiful gift. this is the true salvation, which is so
delightful for the righteous that no other blessing can match it.

the term "rabb" `lord' followed by "ka', the second person
singular pronoun (addressee), together with the `term "`ata" `an award'
are all signs of his superior favor which are involved in these rewards.
the term "hisaba", according to many commentators, means
`sufficient', like "hasbi" `enough'.

a tradition from hazrat ali (p.b.u.h.) says that in the hereafter
allah takes careful count of each good deed, of the believers, and
awards them, for every good deed, ten to seven hundred times more, as
he has cited from the qur'an: "a reward from your lord, an award
sufficing".1

it is understood from this narration that though allah's rewards
are paid out generously or bountifully as awards, they are based on the
account of good deeds, i.e. his awards are in proportion with men's
good deeds. hence, the term "hisaba", in the above verse, can be
commented on by its common meaning. account'. this meaning and the
previous meaning, then, can be used interchangeably.

then, in the last verse of this part, it says: "lord of the heavens and
the earth and all between the two, the all-merciful,...".

truly, the one who is the owner of the great universe, and is its
creator, too, whose grace is seen everywhere and covers everyone,
does, indeed, award the righteous, abundantly, in the hereafter.

this verse, without doubt, points to the fact that if allah
promises the righteous such rewards, then a small part of it, in the form
of his general grace, has been shown to those in the heavens as well as
to those on the earth in this world.

and at the end of the verse, it says: "... with whom none shall have
power to argue".

the pronoun of the term "layamlikun", `none shall have', may
refer to all creatures in the heavens and on the earth, or to all the
righteous and the rebels gathered in the hereafter for the reckoning and
recompense. whichever it may be, it points to this fact, that on that
day no one has the right to protest against the record, because it is so
precise and the recompense so just that no one can say anything.

besides, no one has the right to offer intercession, but by allah's
leave: "... who is there can intercede in his presence except as he
permitteth?...", (sura baqarah, no.2, verse 255).

* * * *

explanation:
the rewards of the righteous and the recompense of the rebels:
there is an interesting comparison between the rewards of the
righteous, in these verses, and the chastisement of the disbelieving
rebels in the former verses.

the contrast is between "mafaz" `a place of salvation' for the
righteous and "mersad' `a place of ambush `

the upright will have and enjoy `gardens enclosed, and vineyards',
but the transgressors will have fire to abide therein for ages'.

the righteous are awarded 'pure drinks' in `cups overflowing', but
the evildoers are recompensed `a boiling fluid and pus'.

the righteous, are `awarded sufficiently' by allah; the
all-merciful, but the rejecters receive `a fitting recompense' from him;
the just.

the rewards are increased for the righteous, but there is an
increase of punishment for the rebels.

in short, these two groups are in contrast with each other in every
respect, because they are different from the point of belief and action.

* * * *

the pure drinks in heaven.
in different verses of the holy qur'an, the heavenly drinks are
well-defined and specified. studying these verses shows that those who
drink these drinks attain such an ecstasy that no human language can
describe it.

in sura insan, no. 76, verse 21 the drink is characterized as
pure drink': "and their lord will give to them to drink of a drink, pure
and holy".

on some other occasions it is emphasized that this clear white
drink is a drink that brings no headiness nor intoxication: `round will be
passed to them a cup from a clear-flowing fountain', `crystal-white, of a
taste delicious to those who drink (thereof)', ` free from headiness; nor will
they suffer intoxication therefrom',(sura saffat, no.37, verse 45'-47).

and in another sura it says: "verily, the righteous drink of a cup;
the mixture of which is (like) camphor', (sura 1nsan, no.76, verse 5).

also, it says: "and they will be given to drink there of a cup (of pure
drink) mixed with zanjabeel (ginger)", (sura 1nsan no.76, verse 17).

in the current verse, it says: "and a cup overflowing".
but most important is that it is allah who offers and serves
them the drinks with his favor and grace: `...and their lord will give
to them to drink...,' (sura insan, no.76, verse 21).

* * * *

supplication:

o lord! we pray that you will give us the pure drink, also.

1 nur-uth-thaqalayn vol.5. p. 495. tradition 29.