Tafseer of The Repentance · At-Tawba · 9:72
Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.
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.
The explanation of His word: "Allah has promised the believing men and the believing women gardens beneath which the rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally, and goodly dwellings in the gardens of ʿAdn (Eden). And the good pleasure of Allah is greater [than all of this]. That is the supreme triumph." (9:72)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: Allah has promised those who held Allah and His Messenger to be truthful, and who acknowledged him and that which he brought from Allah, of men and women — "gardens beneath which the rivers flow" — He means: orchards beneath whose trees the rivers flow (20) — "wherein they will abide eternally" — He means: dwelling therein forever, remaining, without their bliss being taken from them or perishing (21) — "and goodly dwellings" — He means: and abodes that they inhabit, goodly [abodes]. (22)
And "the goodliness of it" is, according to what has been related to us, as follows:
16940 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Isḥāq ibn Sulaymān related to us, on the authority of Jasr, from al-Ḥasan, who said: I asked ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn and Abū Hurayra about a verse in the Book of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted: "and goodly dwellings in the gardens of ʿAdn." They both said: "You have come to the one with knowledge! We asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said: 'A palace in Paradise made of pearl, within it seventy houses of red ruby, in each house seventy chambers of green emerald, in each chamber seventy couches.'" (23)
16941 — Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd al-Jawharī related to us, saying: Qurra ibn Ḥabīb related to us, on the authority of Jasr ibn Farqad, from al-Ḥasan, from ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn and Abū Hurayra, who both said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about this verse: "and goodly dwellings in the gardens of ʿAdn." He said: "A palace of pearl; in that palace seventy houses of red ruby, in each house seventy chambers of green chrysolite, in each chamber seventy couches, on each couch a coverlet of every color, on each coverlet a wife of the wide-eyed heavenly maidens (al-ḥūr al-ʿīn), in each chamber seventy tables, on each table seventy kinds of food, in each chamber seventy serving-maids, and the believer is given on a single morning such strength that he can manage all of this together." (24)
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And as for His word "in the gardens of ʿAdn," by it He means: and these goodly dwellings which He, whose praise is exalted, has described, [are] in the gardens of ʿAdn.
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And "fī" (in) is grammatically connected to "masākin" (dwellings).
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It has been said "gardens of ʿAdn," because they are orchards of eternity and lasting abode, from which no one departs.
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And it has been said: it is called only "gardens of ʿAdn" because it is the abode of Allah which He has chosen for Himself, and for whom He wills of His creatures — derived from the saying of the Arabs: "ʿadana fulān bi-arḍi kadhā" (so-and-so dwelt enduringly in such-and-such a land), when he resides there and remains there enduringly. From this also is derived "al-maʿdin" (the mineral vein/mine), and one says: "huwa fī maʿdin ṣidq" (he is in a true origin), by which is meant: that he is in a firm, established tribe. And some of the transmitters have recited the verse of al-Aʿshā:
"And if they seek refuge in his clemency, they are joined to one of weight who is enduring (qad ʿadan)." (25)
And it is also recited as: "qad wazan" (one who is balanced/steadfast). (26)
* * *
And in accordance with what we have said about this, Ibn ʿAbbās and a group with him explained it, according to what has been transmitted.
16942 — Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Ḥabīb ibn al-Shahīd related to me, saying: ʿAttāb ibn Bishr related to us, on the authority of Khuṣayf, from ʿIkrima, from Ibn ʿAbbās: "gardens of ʿAdn" — he said: "the origin (maʿdin) of the man," that in which he resides.
16943 — Muḥammad ibn Sahl ibn ʿAskar related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Maryam related to us, saying: al-Layth ibn Saʿd related to us, on the authority of Ziyāda ibn Muḥammad, from Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quraẓī, from Faḍāla ibn ʿUbayd, from Abū al-Dardāʾ, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Allah opens the remembrance [His book] in three hours that remain of the night. In the first hour of it, He looks into the Book into which none other than He looks, and He erases what He wills and confirms [what He wills]. Then He descends in the second hour to the garden of ʿAdn, and it is in His abode which no eye has seen and which has not arisen in the heart of any human being, and that is His residence. And none of the children of Adam dwells with Him except three [kinds]: the prophets, the truthful ones (al-ṣiddīqīn), and the martyrs (al-shuhadāʾ). Then He says: Blessed is whoever enters you." And he mentioned [something] about the third hour. (27)
16944 — Mūsā ibn Sahl related to me, saying: Ādam related to us, saying: al-Layth ibn Saʿd related to us, saying: Ziyāda ibn Muḥammad related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quraẓī, from Faḍāla ibn ʿUbayd, from Abū al-Dardāʾ, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "ʿAdn is His abode" — that is to say: the abode of Allah — "which no eye has seen and which has not arisen in the heart of any human being, and that is His residence. And none of the children of Adam dwells therein with Him except three [kinds]: the prophets, the truthful ones, and the martyrs. Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says: Blessed is whoever enters you." (28)
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And others said: the meaning of "gardens of ʿAdn" is: gardens of grapes and vineyards.
* Mention of who said that:
16945 — Aḥmad ibn Abī Surayj al-Rāzī related to me, saying: Zakariyyā ibn ʿAdī related to us, saying: ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAmr related to us, on the authority of Zayd ibn Abī Unaysa, from Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥārith: that Ibn ʿAbbās asked Kaʿb about the gardens of ʿAdn, whereupon he said: they are the vineyards and the grapes, in Syriac. (29)
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And others said: it is a name for the innermost and the middle of Paradise.
* Mention of who said that:
16946 — Ḥumayd ibn Masʿada related to us, saying: Bishr ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Sulaymān al-Aʿmash, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Murra, from Masrūq, from ʿAbd Allāh, who said: "ʿAdn" is the innermost of Paradise.
16947 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār and Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, who both said: Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Sufyān and Shuʿba, from al-Aʿmash, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Murra, from Masrūq, from ʿAbd Allāh, concerning His word: "gardens of ʿAdn" — he said: the innermost of Paradise. Ibn Bashshār said in his narration: Then I asked: what is the innermost of it? And Ibn al-Muthannā said in his narration: Then I asked al-Aʿmash: what is the innermost of Paradise? He said: the middle of it.
16948 — Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Murra and Abū al-Ḍuḥā, from Masrūq, from ʿAbd Allāh: "gardens of ʿAdn" — he said: the innermost of Paradise.
16949 — ...... he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, from Abū al-Ḍuḥā, from Masrūq, from ʿAbd Allāh, in a similar manner.
16950 — Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Ibn Abī ʿAdī related to us, on the authority of Shuʿba, from Sulaymān, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Murra, from Masrūq, from ʿAbd Allāh, the same.
16951 — Aḥmad ibn Abī Surayj related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad al-Zubayrī related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, from Abū al-Ḍuḥā and ʿAbd Allāh ibn Murra, from both of them together, or from one of them, from Masrūq, from ʿAbd Allāh: "gardens of ʿAdn" — he said: the innermost of Paradise.
16952 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, from Abū al-Ḍuḥā, from Masrūq, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, concerning the word of Allah: "gardens of ʿAdn" — he said: the innermost of Paradise.
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And others said: "ʿAdn" is a name for a palace.
* Mention of who said that:
16953 — ʿAlī ibn Saʿīd al-Kindī related to me, saying: ʿAbda Abū Ghassān related to us, on the authority of ʿAwn ibn Mūsā al-Kinānī, from al-Ḥasan, who said: "Gardens of ʿAdn — and what makes you know what the gardens of ʿAdn are? A palace of gold, which none enters except a prophet, or a truthful one, or a martyr, or a just ruler" — and he raised his voice at that. (30)
16954 — Aḥmad ibn Abī Surayj related to us, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿAwn ibn Mūsā related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḥasan ibn Abī al-Ḥasan say: "Gardens of ʿAdn — and what makes you know what the gardens of ʿAdn are? A palace of gold, which none enters except a prophet, or a truthful one, or a martyr, or a just ruler" — and al-Ḥasan raised his voice at that. (31)
16955 — Aḥmad related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Ḥammād ibn Salama informed us, on the authority of Yaʿlā ibn ʿAṭāʾ, from Nāfiʿ ibn ʿĀṣim, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr, who said: In Paradise is a palace called "ʿAdn"; around it are the towers and the spirit [of life], it has fifty thousand gates, on each gate a robe of figured Yemeni cloth (ḥibara) (32); none enters it except a prophet or a truthful one.
16956 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Nāṣiḥ related to us, saying: Abū Dāwūd related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Yaʿlā ibn ʿAṭāʾ, who said: I heard Yaʿqūb ibn ʿĀṣim relate, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr: In Paradise is a palace called "ʿAdn"; it has five thousand gates, on each gate five thousand robes of figured cloth (ḥibara); none enters it except a prophet, or a truthful one, or a martyr. (33)
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And it has been said: it is the city of Paradise.
* Mention of who said that:
16957 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Muḥāribī, from Juwaybir, from al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning "gardens of ʿAdn" — he said: it is the city of Paradise; in it are the messengers, the prophets, the martyrs, and the leaders of right guidance (aʾimmat al-hudā), and the [rest of the] people are around it thereafter, and the [other] gardens lie around it.
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And it has been said: it is the name of a river.
* Mention of who said that:
16958 — It was related to me on the authority of al-Muḥāribī, from Wāṣil ibn al-Sāʾib al-Raqāshī, from ʿAṭāʾ, who said: "ʿAdn" is a river in Paradise; its gardens lie on both banks.
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And as for His word "and the good pleasure of Allah is greater," the meaning of it is: and the good pleasure of Allah toward them is greater than all of that (34); and with this the report of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has come.
16959 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Mālik ibn Anas, from Zayd ibn Aslam, from ʿAṭāʾ ibn Yasār, from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Allah says to the people of Paradise: 'O people of Paradise!' They say: 'Here we are, our Lord, and at Your good pleasure!' He says: 'Are you content?' They say: 'Why should we not be content, when You have given us what You have given to none of Your creatures?' He says: 'I give you something better than that.' They say: 'O Lord, and what thing is better than that?' He says: 'I cause My good pleasure to descend upon you, and I shall never be angry with you thereafter.'" (35)
16960 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaʿqūb related to me, on the authority of Ḥafṣ, from Shamir, who said: The Qurʾān comes on the Day of Resurrection in the form of the pale man, toward the man at the moment when his grave opens above him, and it says: "Rejoice at the honor of Allah! Rejoice at the good pleasure of Allah!" Then [the man] says: "Who like you brings glad tidings of good? And who are you?" It says: "I am the Qurʾān, who kept vigil with you through your night and made you thirst through your day [by fasting]!" Then it carries him upon its neck until it brings him to his Lord, and it stands before Him and says: "O Lord, this is Your servant; reward him for my sake with good, for he kept vigil through his nights and made his days thirst, and I commanded him and he obeyed me, and I forbade him and he obeyed me." Then the Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, says: "To him belongs the garment of honor." Then [the Qurʾān] says: "O Lord, increase him, for he is worthy of that!" Then He says: "To him belongs My good pleasure." He [Shamir] said: [that is] "and the good pleasure of Allah is greater." (36)
And the report concerning "the good pleasure of Allah" for the believing men and the believing women is begun [with the statement] that it is greater than all that He, whose praise is exalted, has mentioned. For this reason [the word "riḍwān"] was put in the nominative case, even though "the good pleasure (al-riḍwān)" is among that which He has promised them. And it was not, in its case-ending, joined to "the gardens" and "the goodly dwellings," so that thereby it would become known that Allah prefers His good pleasure toward the believers above all the rest that He has apportioned for them of His favor and given them of His honoring. It is comparable to the saying of someone in common speech to another: "I have given you and bestowed upon you such-and-such, and I have honored you, and my good pleasure toward you thereafter is better still for you." (37)
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— "That is the supreme triumph" — these matters that have been promised to the believing men and the believing women — "is the supreme triumph," He says: it is the supreme victory and the weighty deliverance, for they have attained the victory of the honor of eternity, and they have been delivered from the humiliation in Saqar [Hell] (38). That, then, is the supreme triumph, above which nothing is greater. (39)