Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission of Islamic Foundation UK
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Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear
Surah Al-Haj 22:23-24   Chapters ↕   Word for Word
Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-22 [2], 23-25 [3], 26-33 [4], 34-38 [5], 39-48 [6], 49-57 [7], 58-64 [8], 65-72 [9], 73-78 [10]
اِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahیُدْخِلُwill admitالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveوَ عَمِلُواand doالصّٰلِحٰتِthe righteous deedsجَنّٰتٍ(to) Gardensتَجْرِیْflowمِنْfromتَحْتِهَاunderneath itالْاَنْهٰرُthe riversیُحَلَّوْنَThey will be adornedفِیْهَاthereinمِنْwithاَسَاوِرَbraceletsمِنْofذَهَبٍgoldوَّ لُؤْلُؤًا ؕand pearlوَ لِبَاسُهُمْand their garmentsفِیْهَاthereinحَرِیْرٌ (will be of) silk 22. Al-Haj Page 335وَ هُدُوْۤاAnd they were guidedاِلَیtoالطَّیِّبِthe goodمِنَofالْقَوْلِ ۖۚthe speechوَ هُدُوْۤاand they were guidedاِلٰیtoصِرَاطِ(the) pathالْحَمِیْدِ (of) the Praiseworthy

Translation

(22:23) (On the other hand), Allah will cause those who believed and acted righteously to enter the Gardens beneath which rivers flow. They shall be decked in them with bracelets of gold and pearls38 and their raiment shall be of silk.

(22:24) They were guided (to accept) the pure word;39 they were guided to the Way of the Praiseworthy (Lord).40

Commentary

38. What is meant by this is that the believers will be made to don royal dress. At the time the Qur’an was revealed, kings and nobles wore jewelry of gold and precious stones. Such custom is in vogue even in our own time among the petty rulers, the nawabs and rajahs, of India.

39. Although the expression used here connotes a general significance, it refers, in fact, to that true statement and sound creed whose acceptance made them believers. (This consisted of affirming that there is no God other than Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger — Ed.)

40. As we have stated in the introduction to this surah, in our opinion this verse concludes that part of the surah which was revealed during the Makkan period. The content and style of the verses up until the present one are those of the Makkan surahs. To put it differently, there is nothing, in these verses to Suggest that this part of the surah was revealed either wholly or partially in Madina.

Some commentators, however, believe that verse.19 of this surah belongs to the Madinan period. (See Ibn Kathir’s comments on the verse — Ed.) This view is based on the assumption that the two disputing parties mentioned refer to those who fought against each other in the Battle of Badr. This assumption, however, does not hold much water. The context does not indicate that the particular battle referred to is the Battle of Badr. Instead, the statement is couched in quite general terms. Commentators also seem to indicate that a reference is made here to the perennial dispute between belief and unbelief from the very beginning of time, a dispute which will last till the Day of Judgement. However, had there been any connection between this verse and the Battle of Badr it would have been located in Surah al-Anfal rather than-in the present surah or in this particular context. If one accepts such a line of argument, it implies that the verses revealed subsequently were placed quite arbitrarily according to the whims of people and without any regard for textual coherence. On the contrary, we find a highly cohesive order in the Qur’an, something which is in itself, emphatic refutation of such an argument.