فَادخُلي في عِبادي
وَادخُلي جَنَّتي
Then enter among My servants!
And enter My paradise!’
EXEGESIS
Though the feminine second person, singular, imperative verb udkhulī generally means: enter, go into, when it is succeeded by the genitive particle fī as it does here, then it means: to join with.
EXPOSITION
Tabatabai notes that this is the only place in the Quran where God adjoins the personal pronoun ‘my’ to paradise, saying My paradise, thus granting it a special honour, since such an adjoining of paradise to His self is not found elsewhere in the Quran. Consequently, these two verses could be an address by God to the believer since the verses refer to paradise and God’s servants in the first person unlike the reference to God in verse 28, which was in the second person.
There is disagreement among the exegetes as to when exactly the call described in these verses will be made and several suggestions have been made, such as the suggestion that this call will be made at the moment of death, or that it will be made at the time of resurrection, or that it will be made after the completion of the reckoning and therefore at the time of entry into paradise. But Tabatabai disagrees with the last suggestion; instead, he preferred the two earlier alternatives. Ṭūsī reports that Ibn Zayd understood this good news to be made at the moment of death and on the Day of Judgement. It seems that Ṭūsī himself inclined to the view that this call will be made on the Day of Judgement by the angels when they will address the soul at the moment of giving it its record in its right hand, saying Return to your Lord, i.e. return to what God has prepared of rewards for you.
The apparent sense of these verses seem to suggest that this call will be made on the Day of Judgement, especially when considered in light of the foregoing verses which describe the occurrence of the Day of Judgement and its events such as the arrival of God’s decree along with the angels, the bringing forth of hell, and the desperate remorse of the wayward individual. However, it may be considered as encompassing an earlier moment to the Day of Judgement, which is at the moment of death, since it is reported that death and the grave are the first stages of the Day of Judgement. The Messenger of God is attributed to have said: ‘The first of the stages of justice of the hereafter is the graves. It does not distinguish between the noble and the ignoble.’ Qummī situates this call at the moment of death. He writes: ‘When death occurs to a believer, a caller from God calls out: O soul at peace with the guardianship of Ali! Return to your Lord, well-pleased [with Him] and well-pleasing [Him] [i.e. content with the guardianship of Ali and pleasing [Him] by rewards [earned]]. Then enter among My servants! And enter My paradise!” Then he [i.e. the dying person] will have no aspiration or purpose save to join the call.’
In addition, traditions attributed to the Imams where they are described as explaining these verses also situate this address to occur at the time of death. Some of these traditions are cited in the paragraphs that follow.
Nevertheless, both Suyūṭī and Thaʿlabī record a suggestion that affects a plausible resolution between these two competing considerations. The suggestion divides these four verses into two, where the call in the first two verses is suggested to occur at the moment of death, and the call in the last two verses to occur on the Day of Judgement. Hence the angels will call out at the moment of death, proclaiming, O soul at peace! Return to your Lord, well-pleased [with Him] and well-pleasing [Him], while God will address these souls on the Day of Judgement, saying, Then enter among My servants! And enter My paradise!
The exegetes suggest several different yet specific historical personalities as the actual referent of the soul at peace. Qummī reports the following tradition by means of a chain that terminates at Imam al-Ṣādiq (a), who said regarding the verses O soul at peace! Return to your Lord, well-pleased [with Him] and well-pleasing [Him], that: ‘It refers to al-Husayn ibn Ali (a).’ Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) is also reported to have said regarding these verses: ‘These verses were revealed in favour of Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib (a).’
Suyūṭī reports from Buraydah al-Aslamī who said the verse O soul at peace refers to Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib. And he reports from Ibn Abbas who said that this verse refers to the Prophet.
However, in light of the fact that this surah is of Meccan provenance, these verses cannot have been revealed in favour of Ḥamzah as he was killed during the Battle of Uḥud which took place after the migration of the Muslims to Medina. These verses could also not have been revealed in favour of the Prophet, Imam Ali (a), or Imam al-Husayn (a) for they all died many years after the revelation of this surah. But a specification of these verses as referring to the personalities mentioned could be perfectly acceptable in the spirit of applied exegesis (al-jary wa al-taṭbīq). In conclusion, this verse is more a reference to the tranquil soul in general which personifies qualities contrary to those condemned and bemoaned in the preceding verses, while the specific historical personalities suggested are some of the best manifestations and instances of the tranquil soul.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- Sadīr al-Ṣayrafī asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘May I be your ransom, son of the Messenger of God, does a believer dislike the taking away of his soul?’ The Imam replied: ‘No, by God! When the Angel of Death approaches [the believer] in order to take away his soul, [the believer] does get restless, anxious, and frightened, so the Angel of Death addresses him, saying: “O friend of God! Do not be frightened and anxious, for I swear by Him who sent forth Muhammad [as a messenger], I shall be gentler and kinder to you than your father who begot you, were he to be present. Open your eyes and look!” Consequently, [the believer] will see the Messenger of God (s), the Commander of the Faithful, Fatimah, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and the Imams (a) from their progeny, represented before him. He will be told: “Here is the Messenger of God (s), the Commander of the Faithful, Fatimah, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and the Imams (a) from their progeny, [who are] your friends!” So [the believer] will open his eyes and look. At that moment a caller will call out to his soul, saying: O soul at peace with and faithful to Muhammad and the people of his house! Return to your Lord, well-pleased [with Him] with respect to the[ir] authority and guardianship, and well-pleasing [Him] with respect to [His] rewards [earned]. Then enter among My servants, which is among Muhammad and the people of his house. And enter My paradise!” At that moment there will be nothing more beloved to the believer than to let go of his soul and meet the caller.’
- Al-Khaṭṭāb al-Kūfī and Muṣʿab al-Kūfī both narrate what Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said to Sadīr. The Imam said: ‘I swear by the one who commissioned Muhammad to the office of prophethood and expedited his soul to paradise, there is none among you whether he rejoices on seeing happiness or experiences regret and remorse save that he will witness what God says in His book: the twin recorders … seated on the right hand and on the left [50:17]. And the Angel of Death shall approach him and call out to his soul and his soul shall leave his body. Then as for the believer, he will not feel anything at the moment when the soul leaves his body and that is the meaning of His speech, O soul at peace! Return to your Lord, well-pleased [with Him] and well-pleasing [Him]! Then enter among My servants! And enter My paradise!’ Then he said: ‘That applies to the person who was pious and God-fearing, who was kind and comforting towards his brethren, maintaining ties with them. However, if he was neither pious nor one maintaining ties with them then such a person will be asked: “What prevented you from piety and being kind and comforting towards your brethren? You made verbal promises of love and affection but failed to keep them in deed.” Consequently, when such a person would meet the Prophet and the Commander of the Faithful they would turn away from him, angrily shunning him, refusing to intercede on his behalf.’ Sadīr reacted by saying: ‘[Such a person is] one whom God shall disgrace and humiliate!’ And the Imam said: ‘That is [exactly] what I said.’
- Abū Baṣīr relates: ‘I asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): “May I be your ransom, does a believer dislike his soul leaving his body?” The Imam replied, saying: “By God, no!” I asked: “How is that?” The Imam replied: “That is because when death approaches him, the Messenger of God (s) and the people of his house, i.e. the Commander of the Faithful, Fatimah, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and all the Imams (a) appear before him though he is sheltered from Fatimah. The angels Gabriel, Michael, Isrāfīl, and ʿIzrāʾīl appear before him too. Then the Commander of the Faithful would say, addressing the Prophet: ‘Messenger of God, this person was among those who loved us and took us as his leaders and so I love him too.’ So the Messenger of God would turn to Gabriel and say: ‘O Gabriel, this person used to love Ali and his progeny and so I love him too,’ and Gabriel would utter the same to Michael and Isrāfīl, and then they would all address the Angel of Death together, saying: ‘This person used to love Muhammad and his family and used to consider Ali and his progeny as his leaders, so be gentle and kind to him.’ The Angel of Death will respond: ‘I swear by Him who chose you [all], bestowed dignity on you [all], chose Muhammad for the office of prophethood and specified him for the office of messengership, I will be kinder to him than a kind father and more compassionate and merciful than a compassionate and kind brother.’ Then the Angel of Death would address the dying person, saying: ‘O slave of God, have you taken for yourself that which will help ransom you [from the punishment] and grant you security?’ He will reply in the affirmative and so the Angel of Death would ask: ‘And how is that?’ He will respond: ‘By means of my love for Muhammad and the people of his house and by means of my subservience and obedience to Ali and his progeny.’ Thereupon the Angel of Death shall say: ‘Then God has granted you security from that which you feared and God has granted you that which you aspired and hoped for, so open your eyes and see who is with you.’ And he will open his eyes and look at them, one by one, and a door of paradise shall be opened for him and he will look in. The Angel of Death shall say: ‘This is what God has prepared for you and these are your friends, so would you like to join them or return to the world?’”’ Here, Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) asked Abū Baṣīr: ‘Have you not witnessed his [i.e. the dying person’s] fixed, glazed stare and the raising of his eyebrows [at the moment of death]? That is an indication of his response, being “I have no need of the world nor do I wish to return to it”. Then a caller would call out to his soul from deep within the Throne, a voice he would hear as well as those gathered around him, [saying]: “O soul at peace with Muhammad and his successor and the Imams after him! Return to your Lord, well-pleased [with Him] with respect to their authority and guardianship, and well-pleasing [Him] with respect to [His] rewards! Then enter among My servants, i.e. among Muhammad and the people of his house! And enter My paradise, unspoiled, unblemished, and pure.”’
- Imam al-Bāqir (a) said: ‘When your souls reach here [i.e. the throat], the Angel of Death arrives and addresses as follows: “You have been granted that for which you desired and aspired, and you are secure from what you feared.” Then a door leading to the soul’s place in paradise is opened for it and it is told: “Look at your place in paradise and look here at the Messenger of God (s), Ali, al-Hasan, and al-Husayn (a), your friends,” which is the meaning of the speech of God: Those who have faith, and are God-wary. For them is good news in the life of this world and in the hereafter [10:63-64].’
- Imam al-Bāqir (a) said the following to Abū Ḥamzah al-Thumālī when the latter asked him about what happens at the time of death. The Imam said: ‘When that moment occurs the Messenger of God (s) arrives, along with Ali (a). He sits near his head [i.e. the head of the dying person] and asks him: “Do you not recognise me? I am the Messenger of God! Come with us, since what lies ahead of you is better than what lies behind you. You are secure from what you feared and you have arrived at that which you desired and aspired. O soul, depart towards the pleasure and security of God,” and Ali says the same to him.’ Then the Imam asked Abū Ḥamzah: ‘Shall I not proffer you proof of that from the book of God? It is the speech of God: Those who have faith, and are God-wary. For them is good news in the life of this world and in the hereafter [10:63-64].’
- Imam Ali (a) said: ‘Adhere punctiliously to what God has commanded you for there is none among you who becomes delighted and witnesses what he likes save that the Messenger of God attends to him. And what is with God is better and more lasting. Good news comes to him due to which he becomes delighted and desires the meeting with God.’
- ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn ʿAwwāḍ narrates: ‘I heard Abā ʿAbd-Allāh al-Ṣādiq (a) say: “When your souls reach here [i.e. the throat], the [dying] person is addressed as follows: ‘You are secure from what saddened and depressed you of the anxieties and griefs of the world.’ And he is told: ‘Before you is the Messenger of God, Ali, and Fatimah.’”’
- Fuḍayl ibn Yasār reports from Imam al-Bāqir (a) and Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘The soul is not permitted to leave its body till it sees Muhammad, Ali, al-Hasan, and al-Husayn, such that it becomes delighted and happy.’
- When Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) was asked about the watering of the eyes of the dying person, he explained: ‘That is the moment of witnessing the Messenger of God (s); thus he sees that which gladdens him.’
[1] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 301.
[2] Mizan, 20/285-286.
[3] Tabrisi.J, 6/491; Taʾwīl al-Āyāt, 1/768.
[4] Tabrisi.J, 6/491; Taʾwīl al-Āyāt, 1/768.
[5] Tabrisi.J, 6/491.
[6] Tibyan, 10/348.
[7] Al-Jaʿfariyyāt, p. 205.
[8] Qummi, 2/422.
[9] Suyuti, 6/351; Thalabi, 10/203.
[10] Qummi, 2/422.
[11] Burhan, 5/657; Taʾwīl al-Āyāt, 1/769; Furat, 1/555.
[12] Suyuti, 6/350.
[13] Nur, 5/577.
[14] Nur, 5/578.
[15] In a variant of this tradition, the following occurs at this point in the narration. The Imam then asked his interlocutor: ‘Have you not seen his [i.e. the believer’s] fixed, glazed stare at such a moment [i.e. at the moment of death]?’ The interlocutor responded in the affirmative, so the Imam said: ‘That is because he is looking at them at that moment.’ The interlocutor then said to the Imam: ‘Does the vision occur to both the believer and the disbeliever?’ The Imam said: ‘Woe be on you, the disbeliever experiences the gaze upside down from his back, for when the Angel of Death approaches him he appropriates his soul from behind him, while the believer witnesses from in front.’ Furat, 1/555.
[16] Furat, 1/553-554.
[17] Bihar, 6/177, h. 5.
[18] Bihar, 6/178, h. 6.
[19] Khisal, 2/157.
[20] Barqi, p. 178.
[21] Bihar, 4/191, h. 37.
[22] Bihar, 6/191, h. 39.