وَإِذَا الجَنَّةُ أُزلِفَت
When paradise is brought near.
EXPOSITION
The theme of paradise being brought near is repeated at two more places in the Quran: And paradise will be brought near for the God-wary (26:90), and: And paradise will be brought near for the God-wary, not distant [anymore] (50:31).
The verse under discussion brings to light the dignity and prestige of a believer near God, because the verse says that paradise will be brought near to the believer rather than the believer brought nigh to paradise. The proximity of paradise to the believers on that day may refer to proximity in terms of time, place, and means.
Another observation, both with regards to this verse as well as the former verse which speaks about hell, is that these two verses seem to allude to both paradise and hell as already existing rather than being created in the future, near to the Day of Judgement. Verse 12 states, When hell is set ablaze, which implies that hell already exists as an entity and will be set alight, while this verse says, When paradise is brought near, thereby implying that paradise already exists as an entity and will be brought closer to those worthy of it, rather than being created at some point in the future.
The sense of an already existing paradise and hell seems verified from the apparent and manifest meanings of numerous verses scattered all over the Quran, such as 9:89, 9:100, 3:133, 57:21, 2:24, 3:131, 57:21, 48:6, 18:102, 48:13, 25:11, 33:64, and 18:29, among many others. This has led many scholars to suggest that paradise and hell exist because of the occurrence of the verb uʿiddat and other derivatives of its root letters, which occur in this and other verses that refer to paradise and hell. This verb, which is in the passive perfect tense, means ‘it has been prepared’, and so it is argued that only that which exists can be prepared, not that which does not yet exist.
Furthermore, 53:13-15 confirms the existence of paradise when describing the Prophet’s heavenly ascension (miʿrāj): Certainly he saw it yet another time, by the lote tree of the ultimate boundary, near which is the garden of the Abode.
Similarly, verses 5-7 of Sūrat al-Takāthur reiterate with certain emphasis the existence of hell, but that it requires the eyes of certainty to view it: No indeed! Were you to know with certain knowledge, you would surely see hell. Again, you will surely see it with the eye of certainty. It is noteworthy to point out here that the word for hell used in the verse of Sūrat al-Takāthur is jaḥīm, this being the same word used for hell in verse 12 of the chapter under discussion.
Two more verses would perhaps be pertinent to quote here. These are 26:91: And hell will be brought into view for the perverse, and 79:36: And hell is brought into view for one who sees. Both these verses speak of hell being made manifest, which may again corroborate that hell exists as an entity, for only that which exists can be brought into view.
[1] Amthal, 19/454.
[2] Amthal, 2/693; Tabrisi.J, 1/204; Zubdah, 1/561.