Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Our Lord, and admit them into the Gardens of Eden which You promised them, and [admit] among their parents, their spouses, and their descendants, whoever is righteous. Indeed, You are the Mighty, the Wise.”

The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: This is part of the supplication of those who carry the Throne and those around them, who say: “Our Lord,” meaning “O our Lord.” They repeated the address of Lordship because initially they were asking Allah for forgiveness for them and protection from the punishment of the Blazing Fire. This is from the category of *takhliyah* (removal of harm), meaning safety from what is harmful. As for the second part, it is from the category of *tahliyah* (bestowal of good), meaning the attainment of what is desired. So you see that the first part of the supplication contains deliverance from what is feared, and the second contains the attainment of what is desired. For this reason, they repeated their saying “Our Lord.” And they made this phrase conjoined to what came before, not a new beginning. That is, they did not say “Our Lord, admit them”; rather, they said “and admit them” to confirm what came before, because conjunction implies the establishment of the thing to which it is conjoined and that it is a foundation. So it is as if they said, “Our Lord, gather for them, along with what came before, that You admit them into the Gardens of Eden.”
And His saying: is the plural of *Jannah* (Garden). The word *Jannah* comes in the Qur'an in the plural and in the singular. In terms of genus, it is one garden, and in terms of species, it is gardens. Allah the Exalted mentioned four types of it in one place: So it is plural in terms of species and singular in terms of genus. *Jannah* originally means a garden with many trees, and it is called that because it provides shade for those in it, meaning it covers them due to the abundance of its trees. In the Shari'ah, it refers to the abode of bliss that Allah the Exalted has prepared for His awliya (close friends of Allah). In it is what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and what has not entered the heart of any human being. Its ceiling is the Throne of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. They are the people closest to Allah. And His saying: *al-Adn* means residence. It is said, “He *adana* (resided) in a place,” meaning he stayed there. From this, the *ma'dan* (mineral deposit) of the earth is named, because the mineral deposit is a resident, fixed, and firmly established in the earth. So *Jannat al-Adn* means Gardens of Residence. It is described as such because its people do not desire to move away from it, and because it is eternal, forever and ever. And His saying: is a description of the Gardens. They said that as an acknowledgment of the favor of Allah the Exalted, first and last, and as a means of seeking from Him the realization of what they requested, because when Allah promises something, He completes it, for He does not break His promise. So the mention of the saying: has two benefits: The first is the acknowledgment of His favor, Glorified and Exalted is He, in that He promised them these gardens. The second is seeking from Allah the Exalted the answering of the supplication, as if they are saying, “Admit them into this because You promised it to them.” This is from the category of seeking nearness to Allah through His promise to the realization of His promise.