في جَنّاتِ النَّعيمِ

[Who will reside] in the gardens of bliss.

EXEGESIS

Jannāt al-naʿīm: gardens of bliss, meaning that these gardens are places for rest, pleasure, and delight. That is in contrast with the gardens of this world, which are sometimes a means of making a living and not always a place of joy and respite.^{‎[1]Razi, 29/391.} The bliss and pleasures of the heavenly gardens are plentiful, eternal, profound, and pure from any harm or hardship, as opposed to the gardens of this world.^{‎[2]Murtaza Alidina, series of lectures on the exegesis of Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah, available at <http://www.dartabligh.org >.} It is possible that naʿīm here means guardianship, as per a Quranic term used elsewhere.^{‎[3]Mizan, 1/30ff, 4/407, 19/121.} Therefore, jannāt al-naʿīm means a station of being under God’s guardianship, which complies with the meaning of muqarrabūn as those who have gone beyond their selves and have annihilated in God’s sacred essence. It is noteworthy that the spiritual rewards and positions of the foremost ones (i.e., being brought near God and having His guardianship) are mentioned before the following verses about their physical pleasures.^{‎[4]Qaraati, 9/421.}

[1] Razi, 29/391.
[2] Murtaza Alidina, series of lectures on the exegesis of Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah, available at <http://www.dartabligh.org >.
[3] Mizan, 1/30ff, 4/407, 19/121.
[4] Qaraati, 9/421.