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Draft:Heavenly Blessings

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Heavenly Blessings constitute the rewards bestowed upon the fortunate in the hereafter, characterized in the Qur'an by imagery such as gardens replete with lush, shade-bearing trees, flowing rivers, bubbling springs, abundant fruits, and a temperate climate. Within Paradise, the inhabitants are provided with whatever they desire. Scriptural descriptions further negate the presence of adverse conditions in Paradise, explicitly excluding suffering, sorrow, vain speech, and intoxication.

Commentators of the Qur'an have classified heavenly blessings into two distinct categories: physical and spiritual, reflecting the dual nature of humanity. While physical blessings receive more frequent mention in the Qur'an, spiritual blessings are regarded as superior and incomparable to material pleasures. It is posited that the delights of the hereafter are boundless. Abdullah Jawadi Amuli has enumerated 15 distinct physical and sensory blessings: gardens, rivers, wines and cupbearers, vessels, clothing, thrones, spouses, servants, palaces, fruits, bird meat, the Pool of Kawthar, and the Spring of Tasnim. Additionally, it is affirmed that faithful families will be reunited in Paradise.

Abdullah Jawadi Amuli identifies the primary spiritual blessing of Paradise as an all-encompassing peace that permeates the entire being of its inhabitants. Furthermore, residents of Paradise encounter the salutations and peace of God and the angels, enjoy the company of empathetic friends, and are purged of all malice. Divine Pleasure (Ridwan) is cited as one of the apex spiritual blessings of Paradise by Abdullah Jawadi Amuli, a view supported by the research of Morteza Motahhari. These various blessings—encompassing food, drink, dwellings, gardens, palaces, and attire—are detailed across multiple suras of the Qur'an, including Sura al-Rahman, Sura al-Waqi'a, and Sura al-Insan, as well as in the traditions of the Fourteen Infallibles (a).

Status and Characteristics

According to the Qur'an, Paradise serves as the post-worldly residence for the fortunate (alladhina su'idu);[1] it is described as a garden or gardens abundant with verdant, shade-providing trees,[2] featuring flowing rivers (referenced by the phrase "rivers flow beneath them"),[3] bubbling springs,[4] a variety of fruits,[5] and a temperate climate.[6] Commentators, drawing upon verses such as Qur'an 16:31, Qur'an 25:16, and Qur'an 41:31, maintain that the desires of the people of Paradise are fully gratified.[7] Similarly, Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i and the authors of Tafsir-i namuna, discussing Qur'an 43:71, cite the Majma' al-bayan commentary to assert that all heavenly blessings are encapsulated in the phrase "and therein is whatever the souls desire and the eyes delight in."[8] This expression signifies the vastness of existence, alluding to a breadth of reality that transcends human comprehension.[9]

In addition to affirming its positive attributes, the Holy Qur'an explicitly negates negative characteristics within Paradise. It emphasizes qualities such as immortality and permanence, safety (aminin),[10] stability (na'imun muqimun),[11] continuity (ghayru mamnunin),[12] and uninterrupted availability (la maqtu'atin wa-la mamnu'atin).[13] Conversely, it denies the existence of suffering (nasab),[14] exhaustion (lughub),[15] sorrow (hazan),[16] the commission of sin (ta'thim),[17] vain or absurd speech (laghw, laghiya),[18] accusations of falsehood or hearing lies (kidhdhab),[19] and intoxication or the corruption of reason (ghawl).[20]

Physical and Sensory Blessings

According to Morteza Motahhari, descriptions of Paradise in the Holy Qur'an frequently emphasize physical blessings, which feature prominently in heavenly promises.[21] These various blessings are detailed in suras such as Sura al-Rahman,[22] Sura al-Waqi'a,[23] and Sura al-Insan,[24] as well as in traditions.[25] It is understood that the pleasures of the hereafter are limitless, allowing the human senses—sight, hearing, and taste—to enjoy them without restriction.[26]

Abdullah Jawadi Amuli, a renowned Qur'anic commentator, summarizes 15 specific physical and sensory blessings: gardens, rivers, wine and cupbearers, special wine, the cupbearer of the righteous and those brought near, vessels and cups, clothing and ornaments, thrones and carpets, spouses, servants, palaces and mansions, fruits, bird meat, the Pool of Kawtar, and the Spring of Tasnim.[27] A group of Muslim commentators, citing Qur'an 13:23 and Qur'an 40:8, maintain that faithful spouses will reside together in Paradise, and that righteous fathers, mothers, and children will accompany them (referencing Qur'an 36:56 and Qur'an 43:70).[28]

Morteza Motahhari notes that while physical blessings are more numerous in the text, the Qur'an uses explicit statements and expressive allusions to describe spiritual blessings as superior and incomparable to material delights.[29] Notable physical and sensory blessings include:

  • Food and Drink: Quranic verses state that Paradise abounds with every kind of fruit, available constantly and successively (kulla fakihatin, fakihatun kathiratun, min kulli l-thamaraati, fawakiha mimma yashtahun, yatakhayyarun, ukuluha da'imun), which are easily picked from trees.[30] Meat[31] and bird meat (lahma tayrin)[32] of any variety desired by the inhabitants are mentioned twice as specific blessings.[33] The drinks of Paradise are described in Qur'an 47:15 as rivers of water, milk, wine, and honey. The cup of wine (ka's) is depicted as clear and delicious,[34] infused with the fragrance of camphor,[35] or scented with ginger from a spring named Salsabil,[36] or accompanied by musk and mixed with Tasnim. Terms such as "drink" (sharab)[37] and "pure drink" (sharabun tahurun)[38] also refer to heavenly beverages. The Holy Qur'an emphasizes that heavenly wine is free from the harms and defects associated with earthly wine, such as intoxication, headaches, the incitement to sin, and the corruption of reason.[39]
  • Clothing and Vessels: Residents are adorned in garments of silk, satin, and brocade, and jewelry including bracelets of gold, silver, and pearls.[40] Their surroundings feature silk, gold-woven, and beautiful carpets, as well as luxurious, elevated supports.[41] They are served using gold trays, silver vessels, and crystal cups[42] by young, handsome servants (wildan, ghilman).[43][44]
  • Existence of Every Delight: Qur'an 43:71 explicitly states the presence of "whatever the eyes delight in" (ma taladhdhu l-a'yun) and the fulfillment of "whatever the souls desire" (ma tashtahihi l-anfus). Some commentators deduce from these expressions that the specific items enumerated in the Qur'an do not exhaust the blessings of Paradise, which ultimately transcend human imagination and worldly knowledge.[45]

Spiritual and Internal Blessings

In his description of spiritual and internal blessings, Abdullah Jawadi Amuli identifies the foremost blessing as an all-encompassing peace that saturates the being of the inhabitants.[46] Moreover, based on Quranic verses, inhabitants receive the greetings and peace of God[47] and the salutations of angels;[48] they enjoy the company of compatible friends, and their hearts are purged of all malice.[49] According to Jawadi Amuli, the Station of Ridwan represents one of the highest ranks of Paradise,[50] a concept mentioned in 13 verses of the Qur'an according to the research of Morteza Motahhari.[51] The paramount spiritual blessing is:

  • God's Pleasure (Ridwan): According to Islamic traditions, this constitutes the supreme blessing of Paradise. A hadith from Imam 'Ali (a) narrates that after the people of Paradise have settled in their abodes, they are informed that God's satisfaction with them and His love for them are blessings higher and more precious than any material reward they have received. Following this declaration, Imam 'Ali (a) recited a portion of Qur'an 9:72: "and Allah's pleasure is greater," signifying that Divine satisfaction transcends all else.[52]

Relation of Heavenly Blessings with Arabic Culture

Abdolkarim Soroush, a religious intellectual, Sayyid Muhammad Ali Ayazi, a Shia jurist, and Mohammad Hadi Ma'rifat, a Shia Qur'anic scholar and commentator, have debated whether the Qur'anic descriptions of heavenly blessings were specifically tailored to the understanding of the initial audience in the Arabian Peninsula. Some argue that these specific blessings may not necessarily hold the same appeal for individuals from different lands, cultures, or value systems.[53] Conversely, in his work Shubuhat wa rudud hawl al-Qur'an al-Karim, Mohammad Hadi Ma'rifat opposes this view. He posits that the Qur'an's descriptions of Paradise and Hell are grounded in universal human criteria rather than merely the specific preferences of the Arabs. Ma'rifat contends that the opposing viewpoint stems from incorrect reflection and a lack of precision regarding the language of the Qur'an.[54]

References

  • Akhwān al-Ṣafā. Rasā'il Akhwān al-Ṣafā wa khillān al-wafā. 4 vols. Beirut: al-Dār al-Islāmiyya, first edition, 1412 AH.
  • Ayāzī, Sayyid Muḥammad ʿAlī. Qur'ān wa farhang-i zamāna. Rasht: Intishārāt-i Kitāb-i Mubīn, 1380 SH.
  • Haddād ʿAdil, Ghulām-ʿAlī. Dānishnāma-yi jahān-i Islām. Tehran: Bunyād-i Dā'irat al-Ma'ārif-i Islāmī, 1386 SH.
  • Iṣfahānī, Abū Nu'aym. Ṣifat al-janna. Edited by ʿAlī Riḍā ʿAbd Allah. Damascus: Dār al-Ma'mūn li-l-Turāth, 1415 AH.
  • Jawādī Āmulī, ʿAbd Allāh. Tafsīr-i mawḍū'ī-yi Qur'ān-i Karīm - jild 5 (Ma'ād dar Qur'ān). Qom: Isrā', 1394 SH.
  • Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir. Biḥār al-anwār. Beirut: Dār Iḥyā' al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir et al. Tafsīr-i namūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 SH.
  • Ma'rifat, Muḥammad Hādī. Shubuhāt wa rudūd ḥawl al-Qur'ān al-Karīm. Qom: Mu'assasa-yi al-Tamhīd, 1423 AH.
  • Mūsawī Jazā'irī, Sayyid Hāshim. Abwāb al-janna fī l-dunyā wa-l-ākhira. Qom: Nājī al-Jazā'irī, 1395 SH.
  • Muṭahharī, Murtāḍā. Ashnā'ī bā Qur'ān. Tehran: Ṣadrā, 1389 SH.
  • Muṭahharī, Murtāḍā. Falsafa-yi tārīkh. Tehran: Ṣadrā, 1390 SH.
  • Soroush, ʿAbd al-Karīm. "Dhātī wa ʿaraḍī dar dīn". Keyhān-i Farhangī, no. 42, 1377 SH.
  • Ṭabāṭabā'ī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān. Qom: Ismā'īliyān, 1393 AH.
  • Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. Majma' al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān. Beirut: Dār al-Ma'rifa, 1408 AH.
  • Fakhr al-Rāzī, Muḥammad b. ʿUmar. al-Tafsīr al-kabīr (Mafātīḥ al-ghayb). Beirut: n.p., 1421 AH-2000.
  1. ↑ Qur'an 11:108.
  2. ↑ Qur'an 13:35; Qur'an 36:56; Qur'an 55:48, 64; Qur'an 56:30; Qur'an 76:14.
  3. ↑ 35 times and some other expressions.
  4. ↑ Qur'an 36:34; Qur'an 51:15; Qur'an 55:50, 66; Qur'an 76:6, 18; Qur'an 83:28.
  5. ↑ Qur'an 38:51; Qur'an 43:73; Qur'an 44:55.
  6. ↑ Qur'an 76:13; see also commentaries including: Ṭabarī, Tafsir al-Tabari; Ṭabrisī, Majma' al-bayan; Fakhr al-Rāzī, Tafsir al-kabir; Qurṭubī, al-Jami' li-ahkam al-Qur'an, under this verse.
  7. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsir-i mawdu'i-yi Qur'an-i Karim, 1394 Sh, vol. 5, p. 342.
  8. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mizan, 1393 AH, vol. 18, p. 122; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsir-i namuna, 1374 Sh, vol. 21, p. 115.
  9. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsir-i namuna, 1374 Sh, vol. 21, p. 115.
  10. ↑ Qur'an 15:46.
  11. ↑ Qur'an 9:21.
  12. ↑ Qur'an 41:8.
  13. ↑ Qur'an 56:33.
  14. ↑ Qur'an 15:48; Qur'an 35:35.
  15. ↑ Qur'an 35:35.
  16. ↑ Qur'an 35:34.
  17. ↑ Qur'an 52:23.
  18. ↑ Qur'an 56:25; Qur'an 88:11.
  19. ↑ Qur'an 78:35.
  20. ↑ Qur'an 37:47.
  21. ↑ Muṭahharī, Ashna'i ba Qur'an, 1389 Sh, vol. 11, p. 45.
  22. ↑ Qur'an 55:46, 76.
  23. ↑ Qur'an 56:10, 37.
  24. ↑ Qur'an 76:5, 6, 12, 22.
  25. ↑ See: Majlisī, Bihar al-anwar, 1403 AH, vol. 8, "Bab al-Janna wa na'imiha", pp. 116–221.
  26. ↑ Muṭahharī, Ashna'i ba Qur'an, 1389 Sh, vol. 11, p. 56.
  27. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsir-i mawdu'i-yi Qur'an-i Karim, 1394 Sh, vol. 5, pp. 297–320.
  28. ↑ See: Ṭabarī, Tafsir al-Tabari; Ṭabrisī, Majma' al-bayan; Fakhr al-Rāzī, Tafsir al-kabir; Qurṭubī, al-Jami' li-ahkam al-Qur'an; Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mizan fi tafsir al-Qur'an, under 13:23 and 40:8.
  29. ↑ Muṭahharī, Ashna'i ba Qur'an, 1389 Sh, vol. 11, p. 45.
  30. ↑ Qur'an 76:14.
  31. ↑ See: Qur'an 52:22.
  32. ↑ See: Qur'an 56:21.
  33. ↑ See: Ṭabrisī, Tafsir Majma' al-bayan, under 56:21.
  34. ↑ Qur'an 37:45–46; Qur'an 56:18.
  35. ↑ Qur'an 76:5.
  36. ↑ Qur'an 76:18.
  37. ↑ Qur'an 38:51.
  38. ↑ Qur'an 76:21.
  39. ↑ Haddad Adel, Danishnama-yi jahan-i Islam, 1386 Sh, vol. 11, p. 6, under the entry "Jannat".
  40. ↑ Qur'an 18:31; Qur'an 22:23; Qur'an 35:33; Qur'an 44:53; Qur'an 76:12, 21.
  41. ↑ Qur'an 36:56; Qur'an 52:20; Qur'an 55:54, 76; Qur'an 56:15; Qur'an 76:13; Qur'an 83:23, 35; Qur'an 88:13, 16.
  42. ↑ Qur'an 43:71; Qur'an 56:18, 34; Qur'an 76:15, 16; Qur'an 88:14.
  43. ↑ See: Qur'an 52:24; Qur'an 56:17, 18; Qur'an 76:19.
  44. ↑ Haddad Adel, Danishnama-yi jahan-i Islam, 1386 Sh, vol. 11, p. 6, under the entry "Jannat".
  45. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mizan fi tafsir al-Qur'an, under these verses.
  46. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsir-i mawdu'i-yi Qur'an-i Karim, 1394 Sh, vol. 5, p. 323.
  47. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsir-i mawdu'i-yi Qur'an-i Karim, 1394 Sh, vol. 5, p. 324.
  48. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsir-i mawdu'i-yi Qur'an-i Karim, 1394 Sh, vol. 5, p. 325.
  49. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsir-i mawdu'i-yi Qur'an-i Karim, 1394 Sh, vol. 5, p. 335.
  50. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsir-i mawdu'i-yi Qur'an-i Karim, 1394 Sh, vol. 5, p. 337.
  51. ↑ Muṭahharī, Falsafa-yi tarikh, 1390 Sh, vol. 4, p. 130.
  52. ↑ Majlisī, Bihar al-anwar, 1403 AH, vol. 8, pp. 140–141; Iṣfahānī, Sifat al-janna, 1406 AH, vol. 2, pp. 136–137.
  53. ↑ Soroush, "Dhati wa aradi dar din", p. 11; Ayāzī, Qur'an wa farhang-i zamana, 1380 Sh, pp. 16–20.
  54. ↑ Ma'rifat, Shubuhat wa rudud, 1423 AH, pp. 195–196.
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