78: 31 Indeed, for the God-fearing will be success,
78: 32 Gardens and vineyards,
78: 33 and full-bosomed maidens of equal age,
78: 34 and a full cup.
78: 35 They will hear neither idle talk nor lying therein.
78: 36 This is a reward from your Lord, a sufficient bounty.
78: 37 The Lord of the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them, the Most Merciful, Whom they have no power to address.
78: 38 On the day the Spirit and the angels stand in ranks, they shall speak not save him to whom the Most Merciful has given permission and says what is right.
78: 39 That is the true day; so whoever wills should seek a way of return to his Lord.
78: 40 Indeed, We have warned you of approaching torment on the day a man will see what his hands have forwarded, and the disbeliever will say, ‘Oh, I wish I were dust.’
Relationship with the Previous Part
The previous part mentions the conditions of the wicked wrongdoers in Hell. Then, this part mentions the reward prepared for the dwellers of Paradise, who will be successful and saved from Hell and its torment. Allah will give them such a reward out of His generosity. Mentioning the conditions of the wicked and the righteous calls for reflection, comparison, doing righteous deeds that lead to Paradise, and avoiding sins that lead to Hell. In sum, after mentioning the punishment of the disbelievers, the ayat mention the reward of the believers.
Tafsir
78: 31 Indeed, for the God-fearing will be success,
78: 32 Gardens and vineyards,
78: 33 and full-bosomed maidens of equal age,
78: 34 and a full cup.
78: 35 They will hear neither idle talk nor lying therein.
Those who fear Allah by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions will be successful. They will attain Allah’s pleasure and enter Paradise wherein they will enjoy eternal bliss and be saved from Hell and its torment.
In Paradise, the God-fearing will be in gardens that have fruitful trees and vineyards producing delicious grapes. They will have full-bosomed maidens of equal age as companions. Those full-bosomed maidens are beautiful, charming, and delicate. Moreover, the God-fearing will have full cups of pure wine that will be given to them successively, but, they will never be intoxicated by drinking this wine.
The God-fearing will hear neither idle talk nor lying in Paradise. This indicates the sublimity and loftiness of its environment, which brings comfort and happiness to the soul in contrast to the environment of the worldly life. In such an environment, people usually hear what hurts the feeling and causes pain to the soul. There is no place for any absurd nor lying in Paradise, as it is the abode of peace and perfect happiness.
78: 36 This is a reward from your Lord, a sufficient bounty.
Allah, Exalted be He, will reward the righteous believers such a great reward for their belief in His Oneness and performance of righteous deeds. He will grant them a sufficient bounty out of His generosity just as He has promised them to multiply their reward and forgive their sins.
After mentioning the torment prepared for the wrongdoers and the reward prepared for the believers, the surah is concluded with referring to Allah’s Greatness, mercy, and comprehensive knowledge, especially, on the Day of Judgment. This day will certainly come. People will be divided into two parties on this day, a party whose abode will be Hell and a party whose abode will be Paradise.
78: 37 The Lord of the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them, the Most Merciful, Whom they have no power to address.
The generous reward that the believers will have in the Hereafter is from Allah, the Lord of the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them. He is their Creator, whose mercy encompasses everything.
All those in the heavens, the earth, that is between them submit to Allah, their Lord. They have no power to address Him except after He gives them permission.
78: 38 On the day the Spirit and the angels stand in ranks, they shall speak not save him to whom the Most Merciful has given permission and says what is right.
The day refers to the Day of Judgment and the Spirit refers to the archangel Gabriel. On the Day of Judgment, the angel Gabriel and the other angels will submissively stand before Allah in ranks. They will not speak except after Allah, the Most Merciful, gives them permission and they say the right things that please Allah, Exalted be He.
In sum, all creatures will stand submissively before Allah on the Day of Judgment and no one can speak except after Allah gives them permission and say what is right.
78: 39 That is the true day; so whoever wills should seek a way of return to his Lord.
The Day of Judgment will certainly take place. On that day, all creatures will submissively stand before Allah for reckoning for their deeds they did in the worldly life. Allah, Exalted be He, has made everything clear to people. He has shown them the right path and told them the reward they will attain if they follow it. He has also shown the path of misguidance and told them the punishment prepared for its followers. Thus, whoever wills should seek a way of return to his Lord, Allah, by following His commands and avoiding His prohibitions before the Day of Judgment comes and there will no opportunity for amendment; rather, there will be reckoning for what he did in the worldly life.
78: 40 Indeed, We have warned you of approaching torment on the day a man will see what his hands have forwarded, and the disbeliever will say, ‘Oh, I wish I were dust.’
The surah is concluded with this eloquent warning, which is informing of the negative consequences of not heeding a warning at a time the warned person can avoid committing the warned thing.
Allah, Exalted be He, has warned people of approaching torment on the Day of Judgment. On that day, the torment will be severe and people will see the consequences of what they did in the worldly life, as it will be precisely recorded in the book of deeds. When the disbeliever sees that all sins and wrongdoings he did in the worldly are recorded, he will say, ‘I wish I were dust.’ In other words, he will wish that he were dust in the worldly life, never created, never commanded to do certain things, and never resurrected for reckoning. However, it will be too late, as he can never escape the punishment prepared for the wicked disbelievers.
In sum, no one will have any excuse on the Day of Judgment, as Allah, Exalted be He, has made the path of guidance and the path of misguidance clear for people and sent messengers, who conveyed to them Allah’s commands and prohibitions.
Learned Lessons from Surah an-Naba’ Ayah 31-40
• Allah has promised those who fear Him by obeying commands and avoiding His prohibitions to be saved from Hell and enter Paradise wherein they will enjoy bliss and happiness.
• Having beautiful gardens and vineyards are some examples of food security that the believers will enjoy in Paradise.
• Enjoying the companionship of full-bosomed maidens of equal age represents an example of sexual satisfaction that the dwellers of Paradise will have.
• Drinking full cups of pure wine that causes no drunkenness is a kind of permissible amusement that the believers will enjoy in Paradise.
• The believers will enjoy psychological security in Paradise, as they will hear neither idle talk nor lies. In the worldly life, people speak indecently when they are drunken; however, the dwellers of Paradise will never speak idle talk, as the pure wine of Paradise will not affect negatively their minds.
• Greatness and Majesty are two attributes of Allah in the worldly life and the Hereafter. Allah is the Lord of the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them. He is the Most Merciful, whose mercy encompasses everything.
• On the Day of Judgment, no one will be able to speak to Allah except after His permission and the speaker says what is right.
• On the Day of Judgment, the angel Gabriel and the other angels will be in a state of submission to Allah, so how will be the condition of the other creatures?
• The Day of Judgment will certainly take place and the torment prepared for the disbelievers will take place. Everything that will certainly happen is coming soon.
• On the Day of Judgment, every person will be recompensed for his deeds, good or evil.
• On the Day of Judgment, when the disbelievers see the torment prepared for him for the sins he did in the worldly life, he will say, ‘I wish I were dust.’ He will hope that he was never created and never resurrected when he sees the great horrors of the Day of Judgment and the severe punishment prepared for the disbelievers.
