يُطافُ عَلَيهِم بِصِحافٍ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَأَكوابٍ ۖ وَفيها ما تَشتَهيهِ الأَنفُسُ وَتَلَذُّ الأَعيُنُ ۖ وَأَنتُم فيها خالِدونَ
They will be served around with golden dishes and goblets, and therein will be whatever the souls desire and eyes delight in: ‘And you will remain in it [forever].
EXEGESIS
Ṣiḥāf (dishes) is the plural of ṣuḥfah. The root ṣaḥafa means expansive or wide and thus ṣuḥfah is said to be a large bowl that can feed five people. The largest of bowls is the jafnah, after that comes the qaṣʿah which can feed ten people, then the ṣuḥfah which can feed five, then the miʾkalah which can feed two or three, and finally the ṣuḥīfah which suffices for only one person.
Lexicographers have differed as to whether it is in the shape of a bowl or a tray. This discrepancy can be noticed amongst translators as well whereby Shakir translates the verse as: ‘There shall be sent round to them golden bowls,’ whilst Arberry translates it as: ‘There shall be passed around them platters of gold.’
Akwāb (goblet) is the plural of kūb which means a cup or pitcher without a handle and spout. Some exegetes add that this pitcher was used in social drinking gatherings to circulate wine and pour it into individual cups.
The previous verse spoke in the second person, as is the ending of this verse, you will remain in it. The transition to the third person in the opening clause of this verse, They will be served, serves to magnify the honour and luxury with which they will be welcomed, as if they are so great that others must be told about it to increase their delight and demonstrate the veracity of what they were promised.
EXPOSITION
They will be served around with golden dishes and goblets: the third blessing for the people of paradise – in addition to the spiritual delights that they continually receive from their Lord – is a life of luxury and ease. They will be served with the most luxurious utensils giving the sense of honour, statue, and grandeur. Whilst this verse does not mention who exactly will serve them, or what will be served to them, 56:17-21 describes the scene in more detail: They will be waited upon by immortal youths, with goblets and ewers and a cup of a clear wine, which neither causes them headache nor stupefaction, and such fruits as they prefer and such flesh of fowls as they desire.
Therein will be whatever the souls desire and eyes delight in: the fourth and fifth blessings are encapsulated here. Apparently, what is meant by whatever the souls desire are those things to which natural appetite clings: tastes, scents, sounds, and tactile pleasures – enjoyments in which humans and other animals are alike. And what is meant by eyes delight in is beauty and adornment, which are pleasures more or less particular to human beings, such as delightful scenes, beautiful faces, and splendid garments. For this reason, the expression changes: regarding what pertains to the soul, the term desire is used, while regarding what pertains to the eyes, the term delight is employed.
Exegetes have differed as to why the verse separates bodily appetites from the delight of sight. Some interpret this as mentioning the specific after the general, since the pleasure of vision holds a special significance that surpasses other forms of enjoyment, such that vision has a unique role in the experience of joy. Some exegetes opine that what the soul desires necessarily requires prior sensory experience or knowledge of its qualities – even if only generally – gained through earthly counterparts like specific foods or drinks. Indeed, one cannot desire what one has never tasted or whose attributes remain unknown. Conversely, that which delights the eyes may encompass forms of beauty and adornment that have no earthly parallel – manifestations that inspire joy in the soul beyond any prior reference.
According to Shaʿrānī, in this world, the soul’s desires and the delight of the eyes serve practical purposes, such as fulfilling needs or alleviating pain. For example, desire for food and drink satisfies the needs of the body, sexual desire ensures the continuation of the species, enjoyment of water, greenery, and pleasant landscapes encourages cultivation of the land and increases agricultural yield, whilst desire for wealth drives the development of crafts and commerce. Without these natural desires, the world could not thrive. In the hereafter, however, pleasure is pure and unmixed, granted solely as a reward for obedience and devotion to God.
Perhaps some might wonder whether the generality of whatever the souls desire implies that people might also long for those items that were religiously forbidden in this world. The answer is that items that were prohibited in this world were prohibited due to their negative and harmful effects. In that realm, due to man’s purity and elevated status, it is not possible for man to long for such corrupt and filthy items. In other words, it is only the sick and corrupted soul that is attracted to harmful and filthy substances. The pure soul, however, only desires that which is pure, like itself.
The inhabitants of paradise receiving whatever the souls desire is repeated throughout the Quran (41:31, 52:22, 56:20-24, 77:41-44). Other verses describe how they will receive whatever they wish (16:31, 25:16, 39:34, 42:22, 50:35), and whatever they ask for (36:57, 41:31; see also 44:55).
And you will remain in it [forever]: the sixth blessing is that of permanence. This promise removes any anxiety that the people of paradise might have that their delights might one day come to an end, so that their joy is not disturbed by fear of loss or uncertainty about the future.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- It has been reported that Imam al-Mahdī (a) was asked: ‘Do the people of paradise procreate once they enter it, or not?’ He replied: ‘In paradise there is no pregnancy for women, no childbirth, no menstruation, no post-natal bleeding, and no hardship from raising children. Rather, therein is whatever the souls desire and eyes delight in, as Allah has said.’
- In some early Sunni sources, it is reported that the Holy Prophet was asked by a man: ‘O Messenger of God, I love horses. Are there horses in paradise?’ He said: ‘If He admits you into paradise – if He wills – you will not wish to ride a horse of red ruby that flies with you to wherever in paradise you wish, except that you will do so.’ Then a Bedouin said: ‘O Messenger of God, I love camels. Are there camels in paradise?’ He replied: ‘O Bedouin, if God admits you into paradise – God willing – there will be in it what your soul desires and delights your eyes.’
- The Holy Prophet is reported to have prohibited drinking from utensils made of gold and silver, saying: ‘Whoever drinks from them in this world shall not drink from them in the hereafter.’
[1] Qamus, 4/110; Alusi, 13/97.
[2] Bahrayn, 2/164.
[3] Hadi, 3/258.
[4] Mizan, 18/121-122.
[5] Amthal, 16/93.
[6] Mizan, 18/122.
[7] Amthal, 16/94.
[8] Hadi, 3/258.
[9] Pezhūhishhā-ye Qurʾānī, 3/1158-1159.
[10] Amthal, 16/94.
[11] Nasr, p. 2184.
[12] Amthal, 16/94.
[13] Ihtijaj, 2/488.
[14] Tabari, 20/645.
[15] Khisal, 2/340-341; see also Nasai.K, 4/149; Bayhaqi, 1/44.