ʿAbasa – Verse 30

وَحَدائِقَ غُلبًا

And densely-planted gardens.

EXEGESIS

Ḥadāʾiq (gardens) is the plural of ḥadīqah, meaning an enclosed garden.[1] Any place that is enclosed by trees or palms can be called a ḥadīqah. If it is not enclosed in such a way, it cannot be called a ḥadīqah.[2]

Ghulb (densely-planted) is the plural of aghlab, which originally describes a man with a thick neck. The description of the gardens in this way is figurative.[3] It means that the garden is enclosed in a dense thicket of large, broad trees.[4] Others have said it means a garden where one can take shade under its trees,[5] but this is less probable as a meaning of the word.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

  1. ‘He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.’[6]
[1] Tibyan, 10/276; Tabari, 30/37.
[2] Attributed to Kalbī (Qurtubi, 19/222).
[3] Alusi, 15/249.
[4] Tibyan, 10/276; Tabari, 30/37.
[5] Attributed to Ibn Abbas (Tabari, 30/37).
[6] Psalms 147:8.