22:23 Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

{ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ } ومعلوم أن هذا الوصف لا يصدق على غير المسلمين، الذين آمنوا بجميع الكتب، وجميع الرسل، { يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ } أي: يسورون في أيديهم، رجالهم ونساؤهم أساور الذهب.{ وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ } فتم نعيمهم بذكر أنواع المأكولات اللذيذات المشتمل عليها، لفظ الجنات، وذكر الأنهار السارحات، أنهار الماء واللبن والعسل والخمر، وأنواع اللباس، والحلي الفاخر

لما أخبر تعالى عن حال أهل النار عياذا بالله من حالهم وما هم فيه من العذاب والنكال والحريق والأغلال وما أعد لهم من الثياب من النار ذكر حال أهل الجنة نسأل الله من فضله وكرمه فقال " إن الله يدخل الذين آمنوا وعملوا الصالحات جنات تجري من تحتها الأنهار " أي تتخرق في أكنافها وأرجائها وجوانبها وتحت أشجارها وقصورها يصرفونها حيث شاءوا وأين أرادوا " يحلون فيها " من الحلية " من أساور من ذهب ولؤلؤا " أي في أيديهم كما قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في الحديث المتفق عليه " تبلغ الحلية من المؤمن حيث يبلغ الوضوء " وقال كعب الأحبار: إن في الجنة ملكا لو شئت أن أسميه لسميته يصوغ لأهل الجنة الحلي منذ خلقه الله إلى يوم القيامة لو أبرز قلب منها أي سوار منها - لرد شعاع الشمس كما ترد الشمس نور القمر وقوله " ولباسهم فيها حرير " في مقابلة ثياب أهل النار التي فصلت لهم لباس هؤلاء من الحرير إستبرقه وسندسه كما قال " عاليهم ثياب سندس خضر وإستبرق وحلوا أساور من فضة وسقاهم ربهم شرابا طهورا إن هذا كان لكم جزاء وكان سعيكم مشكورا " وفي الصحيح " لا تلبسوا الحرير ولا الديباج في الدنيا فإنه من لبسه في الدنيا لم يلبسه في الآخرة " قال عبد الله بن الزبير من لم يلبس الحرير في الآخرة لم يدخل الجنة قال الله تعالى " ولباسهم فيها حرير ".

The Reward of the Believers

When Allah tells us about the state of the people of Hell -- we seek refuge with Allah from that state of punishment, vengeance, burning and chains -- and the garments of fire that have been prepared for them, He then tells us about the state of the people of Paradise -- we ask Allah by His grace and kindness to admit us therein. He tells us:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ جَنَـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ

(Truly, Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous good deeds, to Gardens underneath which rivers flow,) means, these rivers flow throughout its regions, beneath its trees and palaces, and its inhabitants direct them to go wherever they want.

يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا

(wherein they will be adorned) -- with jewelry --

مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَلُؤْلُؤاً

(with bracelets of gold and pearls) means, on their arms, as the Prophet said in the agreed-upon Hadith:

«تَبْلُغُ الْحِلْيَةُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ حَيْثُ يَبْلُغُ الْوَضُوء»

(The jewelry of the believer in Paradise will reach as far as his Wudu' reached.)

وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ

(and their garments therein will be of silk. ) in contrast to the garments of fire worn by the inhabitants of Hell, the people of Paradise will have garments of silk, Sundus and Istabraq fine green silk and gold embroidery, as Allah says:

عَـلِيَهُمْ ثِيَابُ سُندُسٍ خُضْرٌ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٌ وَحُلُّواْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن فِضَّةٍ وَسَقَـهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَاباً طَهُوراً - إِنَّ هَـذَا كَانَ لَكُمْ جَزَآءً وَكَانَ سَعْيُكُم مَّشْكُوراً

(Their garments will be of green Sundus, and Istabraq. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink. (And it will be said to them): "Verily, this is a reward for you, and your endeavor has been accepted.") 76:21-22. In the Sahih, it says:

«لَا تَلْبَسُوا الْحَرِيرَ وَلَا الدِّيبَاجَ فِي الدُّنْيَا، فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ لَبِسَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا لَمْ يَلْبَسْهُ فِي الْآخِرَة»

(Do not wear fine silk or gold embroidery in this world, for whoever wears them in this world, will not wear them in the Hereafter.) `Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr said, "Those who do not wear silk in the Hereafter are those who will not enter Paradise. Allah says:

وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ

(and their garments therein will be of silk)"

وَهُدُواْ إِلَى الطَّيِّبِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ

(And they are guided unto goodly speech.) This is like the Ayat:

وَأُدْخِلَ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَاتِ جَنَّـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَـرُ خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ تَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَـمٌ

(And those who believed and did righteous deeds, will be made to enter Gardens under which rivers flow -- to dwell therein forever, with the permission of their Lord. Their greeting therein will be: "Salam (peace!)") 14:23

جَنَّـتُ عَدْنٍ يَدْخُلُونَهَا وَمَنْ صَلَحَ مِنْ ءَابَائِهِمْ وَأَزْوَجِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ وَالمَلَـئِكَةُ يَدْخُلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِّن كُلِّ بَابٍ - سَلَـمٌ عَلَيْكُم بِمَا صَبَرْتُمْ فَنِعْمَ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ

(And angels shall enter unto them from every gate (saying): "Salamun `Alaykum (peace be upon you!)", for you persevered in patience! Excellent indeed is the final home!") 13:23-24,

لاَ يَسْمَعُونَ فِيهَا لَغْواً وَلاَ تَأْثِيماً - إِلاَّ قِيلاً سَلَـماً سَلَـماً

(No evil vain talk will they hear therein, nor any sinful speech. But only the saying of, "Peace! Peace! (Salaman! Salaman!).") 56:25-26 They will be guided to a place in which they will hear good speech.

وَيُلَقَّوْنَ فِيهَا تَحِيَّةً وَسَلَـماً

(Therein they shall be met with greetings and the word of peace and respect.) 25:75, unlike the scorn which will be heaped upon the people of Hell by way of rebuke, when they are told:

ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ

(`Taste the torment of burning!")

وَهُدُواْ إِلَى صِرَطِ الْحَمِيدِ

(and they are guided to the path of Him Who is Worthy of all praises. ) to a place in which they will give praise to their Lord for all His kindness, blessings and favors towards them, as it says in the Sahih Hadith:

«إِنَّهُمْ يُلْهَمُونَ التَّسْبِيحَ وَالتَّحْمِيدَ كَمَا يُلْهَمُونَ النَّفَس»

(They will be inspired with words of glorification and praise, just as they are inspired with breath.) Some scholars of Tafsir said that the Ayah,

وَهُدُواْ إِلَى الطَّيِّبِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ

(And they are guided unto goodly speech) refers to the Qur'an; and it was said that it means La ilaha illallah or words of remembrance prescribed in Islam. And the Ayah:

وَهُدُواْ إِلَى صِرَطِ الْحَمِيدِ

(and they are guided to the path of Him Who is Worthy of all praises.) means, the straight path in this world. These interpretations do not contradict that mentioned above. And Allah knows best.

And He God says of the believers Indeed God shall admit those who believe and perform righteous deeds into gardens underneath which rivers flow; adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearl read wa-lu’lu’in genitive to mean bracelets made of both elements so that the pearls are set in gold; or read wa-lu’lu’an accusative as a supplement to the syntactical locus of min asāwira ‘bracelets’; and their raiment therein will be silk namely the one forbidden for men to wear in this world.

The philosophy of adorning the dwellers of Paradise with gold bracelets

Here a point may arise that bracelets are articles of jewellery worn by women only and their use by men is looked upon with disfavor. This objection is not entirely relevant because throughout ages monarchs have embellished their persons with costly jewellery, crowns and bracelets as symbols of their might and wealth. The story is well known that Suraqah Ibn Malik ؓ ، before his conversion to Islam, started out in pursuit of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in order to apprehend him while he was on his way from Makkah to Madinah. As he approached near the Holy Prophet ﷺ his horse sank, by Allah's Will, in a piece of treacherous sand. At that critical moment he expressed his repentance about his error and sinful way, and begged the Holy Prophet ﷺ to pray for his deliverance from his predicament. When, as a result of the Holy Prophet's ﷺ prayer, his horse was extracted from the quicksand, he promised Suraqah Ibn Malik ؓ that when the bracelets of the King of Persia would fall in the hands of the Muslims as spoils of war, they would be given to him. So, when during the caliphate of Sayyidna ` Umar' ؓ the Muslims conquered Persia and the bracelets worn by the King of Persia were brought to Madinah along with other spoils of war Suraqah Ibn Malik ؓ laid claim to them and received them from Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ . In brief, just as wearing a crown is a royal privilege and not a common practice among men, similarly wearing bracelets by men is a royal privilege, and thus the men admitted to heaven will wear them as a symbol of honour and Divine favour. According to this verse, and also Surah Fatir, the bracelets will be made of gold, but in Surah Nisa' it is said that they will be made of silver. For this reason commentators are of the view that the bracelets worn by the pious people in heaven will be of three kinds, that is made of gold, silver and pearls. This verse makes a mention of bracelets made of pearls also.

Silk clothes are forbidden for men

The verse says that those people who are admitted to Paradise will wear silk clothes which means that their dresses, carpets, curtains etc. will be made of silk, which is regarded as the best fabric in this world. However, it should be understood that the silk used in Paradise and the silk used in this world have only the name in common, otherwise from the point of view of quality there is no comparison between the two.

Imam Nasa'i, Bazzar and Baihaqi رحمۃ اللہ علیہم have related on the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ that once the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that the clothes of the people living in Paradise will be made from silk, which will be extracted from a fruit growing there. There is also a statement by Sayyidna Jabir ؓ that there would be a tree in the Paradise which would produce silk and the people of Paradise would wear dresses made from it. (Mazhari)

In a hadith quoted by Imam Nasa'i (رح) on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ the Holy Prophet ﷺ once said:

مَن لَبِسَ الحرِیر فی الدّنیا لم یلبسہ فی الآخرہ، و من شَرِبَ الخمر فی الدّنیا لم یَشرِبھا فی الآخرہ، ومن شرب فی اٰنیۃ الذّھب و الفضّہ لم یشرب فیھا فی الآخرۃ، ثمّ قال رسول اللہ ﷺ لباس اھل الجنّۃ واٰنیۃ اھل الجنّۃ

"He who wears silk in this world will not wear it in the Hereafter; he who drinks wine in this world will be deprived of the sacred nectar in the Hereafter; he who uses utensils made of precious metals for food and drink in this world will be denied their use in the Hereafter." Then the Holy Prophet ﷺ added " These three things are exclusively for the people of Paradise." (Qurtubi quoting Nasa'i)

The meaning is that a person who spent his life in this world in the midst of these three luxuries and did not show contrition, would be deprived of them even if he were admitted to Paradise. According to Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that a person who drank wine in this world and did not repent would be deprived of the sacred nectar of the Paradise in the Hereafter. (Qurtubi)

According to Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri ؓ there is another hadith in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ said:

مَن لَبِسَ الحرِیر فی الدّنیا لم یلبسہ فی الآخرہ، و ان دخل الجنّۃ، لبسہ اھل الجنّۃ ولم یلبسہ ھو (رواہ ابو داؤد الطیالسی فی مسندہ وقال القرطبی اسنادہ صحیح)

"He who wore silk in the world will not wear it in the Hereafter even if he is admitted to Paradise. All other people of Paradise will wear silk, but not he."

Here a point arises that if after admittance to Paradise a person remained deprived of something, he will nourish a sense of sorrow and grief, whereas Paradise is no place for such feelings, because everyone who is admitted to Paradise should at all times be easy in his mind and free from anxiety. On the other hand, if the deprivation of certain facilities causes no sorrow and grief, then the deprivation loses its purpose. Qurtubi has given a very convincing explanation to this matter. He says that the people of Paradise will be given different grades and places at different levels, depending on how well they stood in Allah's favour on account of their good deeds and devotion to the cause of the True Faith. Everybody will be aware of these differences, but Allah will fill their hearts with tranquility and contentment, so that they will not feel grief and sorrow about these differences: وَاللہُ سبحانَہُ و تعالیٰ اَعلَم

They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their clothes therein will be silk. Just as today the folk of recognition are disparate in recognition and the faithful have more or less faith, tomorrow in the house of subsistence everyone will see caresses and generosity in keeping with his own state and in the measure of his own recognition. The worshipers will wear clothing of silk along with bracelets of gold and pearls and be with houris and palaces; the recognizers will have clothing of solitariness in the ocean of face-to-face vision, drowned in light. One group will be adorned with the ornaments of paradise, and another group will adorn paradise with the light of their beauty. Though pearls increase the beauty of faces, the beauty of your face adorns the pearl.