55:48 Ar-Rahmaan (The Beneficent)

ومن أوصاف تلك الجنتين أنهما { ذَوَاتَا أَفْنَانٍ } [أي: فيهما من ألوان النعيم المتنوعة نعيم الظاهر والباطن ما لا عين رأت ولا أذن سمعت، ولا خطر على قلب بشر] أن فيهما الأشجار الكثيرة الزاهرة ذوات الغصون الناعمة، التي فيها الثمار اليانعة الكثيرة اللذيذة، أو ذواتا أنواع وأصناف من جميع أصناف النعيم وأنواعه جمع فن، أي: صنف.

ثم نعت هاتين الجنتين فقال "ذواتا أفنان" أي أغصان نضرة حسنة تحمل من كل ثمرة نضيجه فائقة "فبأي آلاء ربكما تكذبان" هكذا قال عطاء الخراساني وجماعة أن الأفنان أغصان الشجر يمس بعضها بعضا وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا أبي حدثنا عمرو بن علي حدثنا مسلم بن قتيبة حدثنا عبدالله بن النعمان سمعت عكرمة يقول ظل الأغصان عل الحيطان ألم تسمع قول الشاعر ما هاج شوقك من هديل حمامة تدعو على فنن الغصون حماما تدعو أبا فرخين صادف طاويا ذا مخلبين من الصقور قطاما وحكى البغوي عن مجاهد وعكرمة والضحاك والكلبي أنه الغصن المستقيم وحدثنا أبو سعيد الأشج حدثنا عبد السلام ابن حرب حدثنا عطاء بن السائب عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس ذواتا أفنان ذواتا ألوان قال وروي عن سعيد بن جبير والحسن والسدي وخصيف والنضر بن عربي وابن سنان مثل ذلك ومعنى هذا القول أن فيهما فنونا من الملاذ واختاره ابن جرير وقال عطاء كل غصن يجمع فنونا من الفاكهة وقال الربيع بن أنس "ذواتا أفنان" واسعتا الفناء وكل هذه الأقوال صحيحة ولا منافاة بينها والله أعلم وقال قتادة ذواتا أفنان يعني بسعتها وفضلها ومزيتها على ما سواها وقال محمد بن إسحاق عن يحيى بن عباد بن عبدالله بن الزبير عن أبيه عن أسماء بنت أبي بكر قالت سمعت رسول الله وذكر سدرة المنتهى فقال "يسير في ظل الفنن منها الراكب مائة سنة - أو قال - يستظل في ظل الفنن منها مائة راكب فيها فراش الذهب كأن ثمرها القلال" ورواه الترمذي من حديث يونس بن بكر وقال حماد بن سلمة عن ثابت عن أبي بكر بن أبى موسى عن أبيه قال حماد ولا أعلمه إلا قدر رفعه في قوله "ولمن خاف مقام ربه جنتان" وفي قوله "ومن دونهما جنتان" قال جنتان من ذهب للمقربين وجنتان من ورق لأصحاب.

The Delight of Those Who have Taqwa in Paradise

Allah the Exalted said,

وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ

(But for him who fears the standing before his Lord,) on the Day of Resurrection,

وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى

(And restrained himself from the desires.) (79:40), and does not indulge nor prefer this worldly life. He who knows that the Hereafter is better and more lasting, so he fulfills what his Lord ordered him and stays away from His prohibitions, then he will earn two gardens from his Lord on the Day of Resurrection. Al-Bukhari recorded that `Abdullah bin Qays said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«جَنَّتَانِ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ آنِيَتُهُمَا وَمَا فِيهِمَا، وَجَنَّتَانِ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ آنِيَتُهُمَا وَمَا فِيهِمَا، وَمَا بَيْنَ الْقَوْمِ وَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَنْظُرُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَّا رِدَاءُ الْكِبْرِيَاءِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ فِي جَنَّةِ عَدْن»

(There are two gardens made of silver -- their vessels and all that they contain. And there are two gardens made of gold -- their vessels and all that they contain. And nothing stands between the people in the `Adn Garden and looking at their Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored, but the covering of pride before His Face.) The Group, with the exception of Abu Dawud, collected this via the Hadith of `Abdul-`Aziz. This Ayah is general and applies to both humans and Jinns, providing proof that those among the Jinns who believe and have Taqwa will enter Paradise, for Allah is reminding the Ath-Thaqalayn of this favor, as He says;

وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

(But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens. Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny) Then He describes these two gardens, by saying,

ذَوَاتَآ أَفْنَانٍ

(With Afnan.) their trees have beautiful young branches that hold and produce every type of ripened beautiful fruit,

فَبِأَىِّ ءَالاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

(Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny) `Ata' Al-Khurasani and several others said that Afnan means spreading branches of trees that reach the branches of other trees,

فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ تَجْرِيَانِ

(In them (both) will be two springs flowing.) free to water these trees and branches that produce all kinds of fruits,

فَبِأَىِّ ءَالاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

(Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny) Al-Hasan Al-Basri said that one of these springs is called Tasnim, and the other called As-Salsabil. `Atiyah said that the water of one of these springs is from non-standing water and the other from wine that gives delight to those who drink it. Allah's statement,

فِيهِمَا مِن كُلِّ فَـكِهَةٍ زَوْجَانِ

(In them (both) will be every kind of fruit in pairs.), of every type and kind of fruit, that which they knew before, and better, and that which they did not know before. Therein, there are delights that no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard and no heart has ever imagined,

فَبِأَىِّ ءَالاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

(Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny) Ibrahim bin Al-Hakam bin Aban said that his father narrated from `Ikrimah that Ibn `Abbas said, "There is not a fruit that exists in this life, sweet or bitter, but it exists in Paradise, even the colo- cynth." Ibn `Abbas also said, "There is nothing in the world that is in the Hereafter except in name." Meaning there is such an enormous difference and contrast between the two in enjoyment and value.

Both with dhawātā the dual form of the regular form dhawāt with its lām its third consonant is changed into a yā’ abundant branches afnān is the plural of fanan similar in pattern to talal atlāl.

ذَوَاتَا أَفْنَانٍ (both having lot of branches...55:48). This describes the first two Gardens. There will be plenty of trees abounding in. branches and consequently their shade will be dense, and the fruits will be in abundance. The other two Gardens are described later. No such qualities are mentioned about them, which may imply their relative deficiency in this quality.