Q1: What is the Arabic text of verse 2:25 from Surah Al-Baqarah?
A:
وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ۖ كُلَّمَا رُزِقُوا مِنْهَا مِن ثَمَرَةٍ رِّزْقًا ۙ قَالُوا هَٰذَا الَّذِي رُزِقْنَا مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَأُتُوا بِهِ مُتَشَابِهًا ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا أَزْوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ ۖ وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
Q2: What is the English translation of this verse?
A: “And give good news to those who believe and do righteous deeds that for them are Gardens under which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit from there, they will say, ‘This is what we were provided with before.’ And it will be given to them in similarity. And for them therein are purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally.”
Q3: Why does this verse appear immediately after the warning about Hell in verse 24?
A: According to Maududi’s Tafheem, this represents a deliberate and stark shift in tone. The Quran uses this contrast as a core rhetorical style—moving from stern warnings to the deniers directly to joyful promises for the believers. This serves both to warn and to encourage.
Q4: Who are “those who believe and do righteous deeds” (الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ)?
A: Maududi stresses that this phrase defines the true believer. It’s not enough to merely claim faith—belief (Iman/إيمان) must be coupled with righteous action (Amal al-Salih/عمل صالح). The promise of Paradise is for those whose faith manifests in moral and virtuous deeds.
Q5: What do the “Gardens under which rivers flow” (جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ) symbolize?
A: This is the Quran’s primary symbol for Paradise (Jannah/جنة). It signifies eternal bliss, perfect beauty, peace, and abundance. The flowing rivers represent the elimination of all thirst, hardship, and want.
Q6: What does it mean when the believers say “This is what we were provided with before” (هَٰذَا الَّذِي رُزِقْنَا مِن قَبْلُ)?
A: Maududi clarifies this doesn’t mean Paradise’s fruits are identical to worldly fruits. Rather, it indicates familiarity in excellence—the fruits will evoke the same feeling of delight and satisfaction that the best worldly fruits provided, but they will be infinitely superior.
Q7: What is the meaning of “given in similarity” (مُتَشَابِهًا)?
A: This key term indicates a resemblance in form or name but not in substance. The blessings of the Hereafter are of a different, sublime order beyond human imagination. They’re described in familiar terms so we can conceive of their delight, but their true essence is unimaginable.
Q8: What does “purified spouses” (أَزْوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ) mean?
A: Maududi explains that this purification (Tathir/تطهير) is comprehensive—free from all physical and spiritual imperfections, impurities, and base characteristics of worldly life. It signifies relationships of perfect purity, love, and companionship.
Q9: What is the significance of “they will abide therein eternally” (وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ)?
A: Maududi emphasizes this as the most significant part of the promise. The greatest blessing of Paradise isn’t any single pleasure, but the guarantee that this state of perfect happiness, security, and fulfillment is permanent and never-ending. It represents the final escape from all loss, decay, and death.
Q10: What are the dual purposes of this verse according to Maududi’s Tafheem?
A:
- A Comfort and Incentive for Believers: After harsh warnings to disbelievers, it immediately comforts believers with assurance of their magnificent reward, reinforcing their faith and perseverance.
- Defining the Criteria for Success: It reiterates that true winners are those who internalize the message as belief and externalize it through righteous deeds.
Q11: How does this verse describe Paradise while acknowledging its true nature is beyond human comprehension?
A: The verse uses relatable imagery—fruits, rivers, spouses—to describe Paradise, while simultaneously indicating through the phrase “given in similarity” (مُتَشَابِهًا) that its realities are far superior and of a different nature altogether. This allows humans to conceive of Paradise’s delight while acknowledging its true essence is unimaginable, culminating in the gift of eternal life.
VERSE,TRANSLATION & EXPLANATION
Messages from Quran 