Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens under which rivers flow,” and the connection of this verse to what precedes it
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The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: [Al-Baqarah 2:25] The connection of this verse to what precedes it is that when Allah mentioned the warning for the disbelievers who denied the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), He mentioned the promise for those who believe in Him, saying: Good tidings is the announcement of what brings joy, and it is called that because of the change in the complexion of the one addressed due to joy, for when a person is informed of what pleases him, his face brightens, his soul becomes content, and his chest expands. Good tidings may also be used in the announcement of what brings sorrow, as in the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Ali 'Imran 3:21] either in mockery of them, or because what they receive from this good tidings is what those given good news of good receive, but the first is more likely, and that is because they do not believe in the punishment with which they are given good tidings, so this is from the category of mocking them, as in the saying of Allah the Exalted regarding their punishment on the Day of Resurrection: [Ad-Dukhan 44:48-49]. [Al-Baqarah 2:25] The address in His saying: is either to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or to everyone to whom the address is directed, meaning: Give good tidings, O addressed one, to those who possess these attributes that they will have gardens. And His saying: those who believe in what must be believed in from what Allah and His Messenger informed us of, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified the foundations of faith, that they are: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2610Sahih (Darussalam) But faith in these things is not merely verbal affirmation, but acceptance and submission are necessary, otherwise the faith would not be valid. As for His saying: it is the fruit of faith, that a person does righteous deeds, and righteous deeds are those built on two foundations: sincerity for Allah and following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So what has no sincerity in it is defective, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted in the Holy Hadith: Sahih Muslim 2985 And what is not in accordance with following is also rejected and not accepted, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 1718b So what is the righteous? What is pure for Allah and in accordance with the Shari'ah of Allah in it. It is mentioned from Fudayl ibn 'Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: What is pure and correct. He said: [Al-Baqarah 2:25] This is what they are given good tidings of: that they will have with whom? With Allah, Mighty and Majestic, [Al-Baqarah 2:25] gardens that correspond to those in this world in name, but differ from them in reality and essence, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: [As-Sajdah 32:17] For this reason, it is never permissible under any circumstances for us to imagine that these gardens resemble the gardens of this world, no matter what the case may be, meaning no matter what there is in this world of forests, trees, fruits, and others, it is not possible for what Allah has promised the righteous to be similar to that, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: [As-Sajdah 32:17] And due to His saying in the Holy Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 7498. [Al-Baqarah 2:25] The doer of and The scholars said: from under their trees and palaces, and not from below their surface. No, because if it were from below their surface, it would be of no benefit, but it flows from under these trees and palaces. How beautiful is the flow of these rivers when they are from under the trees and palaces; a person finds pleasure in them before consuming them. And these rivers, Allah the Exalted specified that they are of four types, as He said: [Muhammad 47:15] Allah, Mighty and Majestic, creates them without bees, without cows, and without camels, and likewise the wine and water are not from rain or springs, but they are the creation of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, from the beginning. I ask Allah not to deprive me and you of them, for He is capable of all things. Amen.
