Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 15 Al-Hijr, Ayat 45-60

اِنَّ الۡمُتَّقِيۡنَ فِىۡ جَنّٰتٍ وَّعُيُوۡنٍؕ‏ ﴿15:45﴾ اُدۡخُلُوۡهَا بِسَلٰمٍ اٰمِنِيۡنَ‏ ﴿15:46﴾ وَنَزَعۡنَا مَا فِىۡ صُدُوۡرِهِمۡ مِّنۡ غِلٍّ اِخۡوَانًا عَلٰى سُرُرٍ مُّتَقٰبِلِيۡنَ‏  ﴿15:47﴾ لَا يَمَسُّهُمۡ فِيۡهَا نَـصَبٌ وَّمَا هُمۡ مِّنۡهَا بِمُخۡرَجِيۡنَ‏ ﴿15:48﴾ نَبِّئۡ عِبَادِىۡۤ اَنِّىۡۤ اَنَا الۡغَفُوۡرُ الرَّحِيۡمُۙ‏ ﴿15:49﴾ وَاَنَّ عَذَابِىۡ هُوَ الۡعَذَابُ الۡاَلِيۡمُ‏ ﴿15:50﴾ وَنَبِّئۡهُمۡ عَنۡ ضَيۡفِ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ​ۘ‏ ﴿15:51﴾ اِذۡ دَخَلُوۡا عَلَيۡهِ فَقَالُوۡا سَلٰمًاؕ قَالَ اِنَّا مِنۡكُمۡ وَجِلُوۡنَ‏  ﴿15:52﴾ قَالُوۡا لَا تَوۡجَلۡ اِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلٰمٍ عَلِيۡمٍ‏ ﴿15:53﴾ قَالَ اَبَشَّرۡتُمُوۡنِىۡ عَلٰٓى اَنۡ مَّسَّنِىَ الۡكِبَرُ فَبِمَ تُبَشِّرُوۡنَ‏  ﴿15:54﴾ قَالُوۡا بَشَّرۡنٰكَ بِالۡحَـقِّ فَلَا تَكُنۡ مِّنَ الۡقٰنِطِيۡنَ‏ ﴿15:55﴾ قَالَ وَمَنۡ يَّقۡنَطُ مِنۡ رَّحۡمَةِ رَبِّهٖۤ اِلَّا الضَّآلُّوۡنَ‏  ﴿15:56﴾ قَالَ فَمَا خَطۡبُكُمۡ اَيُّهَا الۡمُرۡسَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿15:57﴾ قَالُـوۡۤا اِنَّاۤ اُرۡسِلۡنَاۤ اِلٰى قَوۡمٍ مُّجۡرِمِيۡنَۙ‏ ﴿15:58﴾ اِلَّاۤ اٰلَ لُوۡطٍؕ اِنَّا لَمُنَجُّوۡهُمۡ اَجۡمَعِيۡنَۙ‏ ﴿15:59﴾ اِلَّا امۡرَاَتَهٗ قَدَّرۡنَاۤ ۙ اِنَّهَا لَمِنَ الۡغٰبِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿15:60﴾

(15:45) As for the God-fearing,27 they shall be amid gardens and springs. (15:46) They will be told: "Enter it in peace and security." (15:47) And We shall purge their breasts of all traces of rancour;28 and they shall be seated on couches facing one another as brothers. (15:48) They shall face no fatigue in it, nor shall they ever be driven out of it.29 (15:49) (O Prophet), declare to My servants that I am indeed Ever Forgiving, Most Merciful. (15:50) At the same time, My chastisement is highly painful. (15:51) And tell them about Abraham's guests.30 (15:52) When they came to Abraham they said: "Peace be upon you!" He replied: "Indeed we feel afraid of you."31 (15:53) They said: "Do not feel afraid, for we give you the good news of a wise boy."32 (15:54) Abraham said: "What, do you give me this tiding though old age has smitten me? Just consider what tiding do you give me!" (15:55) They said: "The good tiding we give you is of truth. Do not, therefore, be of those who despair." (15:56) Abraham said: "Who despairs of the Mercy of his Lord except the misguided?" (15:57) He added: "What is your errand O sent ones?"33 (15:58) They said: "Verily we have been sent to a guilty people34 (15:59) excepting the household of Lot. We shall deliver all of them, (15:60) except his wife (about whom Allah says that) We have decreed that she shall be among those who stay behind."

Notes

27. The righteous people are those who did not follow Satan but feared Allah and lived lives of obedience to Him.

28. That is, if any spite might have been caused in their hearts in this world because of misunderstandings between the pious people, it shall be removed at the time of their entry into Paradise and they will bear no ill feelings there against each other. Refer to (((E.N. 320 of Surah Al-Aaraf))).

29. This verse is explained by the following tradition: It will be announced to the dwellers of the Gardens: Now you will remain hale and hearty forever and shall never fall ill, now you will enjoy eternal life and shall never die, now you will remain young forever and never grow old, and now you will remain forever in Paradise and shall never have to move away from it. There are other traditions that further elucidate life in Paradise to this effect: The dwellers shall have no toil to perform for their livelihood and necessities of life. They will get everything without any labor whatsoever.

30. The story of Prophets Abraham and Lot (peace be upon them) has been related to tell the disbelievers of Makkah how angels come down with truth. This was in response to their demand: Why do you not bring angels before us, if what you say is true? (Ayat 7). Then, only this brief answer was given: We do not send down angels in this way. When they come down, they come down with truth (Ayat 8). Now these two events are cited as two concrete forms of truth with which the angels came, as if to ask the disbelievers: Now decide for yourselves which of these two forms of truth would you want angels to bring to you. It is obvious that you do not deserve that truth which was sent to Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). Do you then desire that truth which the angels brought to the people of Prophet Lot (peace be upon him)?

31. Please compare this story of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) with that contained in (Surah Houd, Ayats 69- 76).

32. “A boy possessing knowledge”, Prophet Isaac (peace be upon him). His name has been mentioned in connection with this good news in Surah Houd, Ayat 71.

33. It appears from the question of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) that angels are sent down in human shape only on extraordinary occasions and on some important expedition.

34. The fact that the angels did not name the people of Lot (peace be upon him) but merely referred to them as the wicked people, shows that these people had become so notorious for their wicked deeds that there was no need to mention them by name before Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), who was well acquainted with the moral condition of all the people around him.