بِأَكوابٍ وَأَباريقَ وَكَأسٍ مِن مَعينٍ

With goblets and ewers and a cup of a clear wine.

EXEGESIS

Akwāb is the plural of kūb, meaning a goblet without a handle.^{‎[1]Raghib, under k-w-b.} Abārīq is the plural of ibrīq (originally Persian: āb-rīz), referring to an ewer, or a pitcher with a handle and a spout.^{‎[2]Mizan, 19/122.} It might be from the root baraqa (to glow and shine) as it is commonly made of a shining metal.^{‎[3]Tahqiq, under b-r-q.} They will be served around with vessels of silver and goblets of crystal – crystal of silver – [from] which they dispense in a precise measure (76:15-16). Kaʾs means a cup or bowl, especially one that is filled with a drink. It apparently has a Hebrew or Syriac root.^{‎[4]Tahqiq, under k-ʾ-s.}

It might be that the three vessels are mentioned in the order of size, as the drink is served from a large container to a personal cup. That is, akwāb refers to large jars that store the heavenly drinks; the abārīq are filled from those large jars, which then pour into the cups. This would clarify why kaʾs is mentioned in singular form, while akwāb and abārīq are plural: one can have many large jars and pitchers around him, but he cannot drink from more than one cup at a time. Of course, that is only by our worldly measures, to which this and similar verses may have been accommodated.

Maʿīn can be interpreted as either an object or a subject in the sentence. In case of the former, it would mean a drink that is clear and manifest to the observer; in case of the latter, it would mean a drink from a running stream or spring.^{‎[5]Ayn; Raghib, under ʿ-y-n.} Perhaps their drink will have both properties: it is a clear and shining drink, taken from flowing rivers and gushing springs in paradise; there is Quranic evidence for both meanings (23:50, 37:45-46, 55:50, 55:66, 67:50, 76:5-6, 76:17-18, 83:28, 88:12). The heavenly wine is not like worldly wine which is extracted with difficulty; rather, it is readily available from flowing springs.^{‎[6]Qurtubi, 18/203.} What is also exclusive to heaven is that not only are there running streams of water, but also running streams of milk, wine, and honey (47:15) – something that is not found in this world.^{‎[7]Razi, 29/394.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Following the discussion under Exegesis, another possible explanation for why akwāb and abārīq are in plural form while kaʾs is singular, is that in Arabic, kaʾs is specifically used for a cup that is full.^{‎[8]Raghib; Tahqiq, under k-ʾ-s.} Thus, what is central in kaʾs is the drink inside, while kūb and ibrīq stand on their own. It then follows that even though there will be multiple cups, kaʾs is mentioned in singular form because it is the same drink in all of them, but akwāb and abārīq are plural because their usage is not subject to their content. Though there is some lexical evidence and subtlety involved with this interpretation, it may not be easy to prove that the cups are filled with a single type of drink.^{‎[9]Razi, 29/394.}

[1] Raghib, under k-w-b.
[2] Mizan, 19/122.
[3] Tahqiq, under b-r-q.
[4] Tahqiq, under k-ʾ-s.
[5] Ayn; Raghib, under ʿ-y-n.
[6] Qurtubi, 18/203.
[7] Razi, 29/394.
[8] Raghib; Tahqiq, under k-ʾ-s.
[9] Razi, 29/394.