وَحَدائِقَ غُلبًا

And densely-planted gardens.

EXEGESIS

Ḥadāʾiq (gardens) is the plural of ḥadīqah, meaning an enclosed garden.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tibyan, 10/276; Tabari, 30/37.”][1][/su_tooltip]} 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.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Attributed to Kalbī (Qurtubi, 19/222).”][2][/su_tooltip]}

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.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Alusi, 15/249.”][3][/su_tooltip]} It means that the garden is enclosed in a dense thicket of large, broad trees.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tibyan, 10/276; Tabari, 30/37.”][4][/su_tooltip]} Others have said it means a garden where one can take shade under its trees,^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Attributed to Ibn Abbas (Tabari, 30/37).”][5][/su_tooltip]} 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.’^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Psalms 147:8.”][6][/su_tooltip]}

[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.