Tafseer of The Inevitable · Al-Waaqia · 56:88
And if the deceased was of those brought near to Allah,
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His word: فَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ * فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ ("As for him, if he is among those brought near, then there is refreshment and fragrance") — the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: as for the deceased, if he is among those brought near (al-muqarrabīn), whom Allah has brought close to Himself in His nearness, in His gardens, then there is فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ — He says: then there is for him refreshment (rawḥ) and fragrance (rayḥān).
The Qurʾān reciters differed over the reading of it. Most of the reciters of the cities read it فَرَوْحٌ with a fatḥa upon the rāʾ, with the meaning: then there is for him coolness. وَرَيْحَانٌ , he says: and ample provision, according to the statement of some of them; and according to the statement of others: then there is for him rest and fragrance. And al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī read that فَرُوحٌ with a ḍamma upon the rāʾ, with the meaning: that his soul departs amid fragrant scent.
And the correct of the two readings therein is the reading of him who read it with the fatḥa, on account of the agreement of the authoritative proof of the reciters upon it, with the meaning: then there is for him mercy and forgiveness, and good, pleasant provision.
