Quran Garden

In the next 10 minutes, you will learn about separating daily life from religion, the rivers of Jannah, and much more.  It is a Tafsir you do not want to miss.  Let's get started.

Session 552

Chapter 4

Verse 13

a continuation

These are the bounds set by God: God will admit whoever obeys Him and His Messenger into Gardens with rivers flowing from under them, remaining in them timelessly, forever.  That is the Great Victory!  (Chapter 4: Verse 13)

In last week's Tafsir, we explained how people who respect the divine boundaries will be rewarded with Paradise.  Today, we ask an intriguing question:  Is entering Paradise the subject of religion?  Or the reward for following it?  We answer that the focus of religion is to guide your behavior on Earth; Paradise is the reward for following God's path, not the subject.  This concept is crucial, especially as some people advocate for keeping religion separate from daily life.  

We stress that religion's true place is our earthly life.  Consider a student aspiring to be an engineer.  Throughout the year, he studies subjects like math and physics, gradually building his knowledge.  At year's end, he takes an exam and earns his degree.  The studying, lessons, books, and discipline are part of the school year, not the exam week.  Similarly, following God's teachings is our earthly assignment; the afterlife is where achievements are recognized and rewarded.

To those who want to separate daily life from religion, we say: you left nothing for religion!  Because after you die, it is too late; On the Day of Judgment, it is too late.  Life is where you sow your seeds, irrigate the land, and care for the crop, and the hereafter is where you reap the harvest.

The phrase "whoever obeys" applies collectively to an individual, a pair, or a group.  For example, you may say: "Whoever I met yesterday, I invited to my party."  This statement holds true if you meet one person, a hundred, or no one at all.  We find a similar concept in Surah Al-Fatiha.  We recite, "You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help," even though logically it could be said, 'You alone I worship, and You alone I ask for help,' but Allah wants you to understand that all the believers are united in faith.  Likewise, the phrase "whoever obeys Him and His Messenger" applies to all believers and shows the unity of destiny, whether a single person or millions.   

The verse continues, "God will admit whoever obeys Him and His Messenger into Gardens with rivers." On the subject of the gardens, I recall a discussion with a kind brother who asked me, "Why did Allah say in Surah Ar-Rahman: "For the one who fears the standing before their Lord are two gardens" (55:46).  I explained that the surah begins with Allah's words: "The Most Merciful, taught the Quran, created man" (55:1-3), mentions the creation of both humans and jinn, "We will attend to both of you, O notable ones" (55:31) and then God says, "Jinn and mankind, if you can pass beyond the regions of heaven and earth, then do so: you will not pass without Our authority." (55:33) Therefore, those who fear their Lord could be from the jinn or human: if from jinn, there's a garden for them; if human, a different one.   Another interpretation is that for every jinn and human born from the time of Adam to Judgment Day, Allah created a space in Paradise and another in Hellfire.  Our Lord is not limited by available spaces or resources.  If you are obedient, you go to your designated place in Jannah, leaving your spot in Hellfire behind; otherwise, you are the resident of the Fire with an empty space in Paradise.  God says, "That is the Garden you will inherit for what you did" (43:72).  The believers will be granted their own space in Paradise and then inherit the gardens the disbelievers left behind. 

This brings us back to the verse, "God will admit whoever obeys Him and His Messenger into Gardens with rivers flowing from under them." Rivers refer to the channels where water flows, not the water itself.  Humans often encounter problems like mold and moisture seeping into structures where water is nearby.  However, with Allah's limitless power, Paradise can have rivers flowing beneath castles without such issues. 

When you read the Quran, you may notice that Allah sometimes says: "rivers flowing from under them," while in other verses, He says, "rivers flowing under them." What is the difference?  We answer that "rivers flowing under them" indicates that the rivers might originate elsewhere and pass beneath the gardens.  On the other hand, "rivers flowing from under them" means that the spring and flow are all in the same Jannah, so you do not worry that someone else can block the water from upstream.  It is a higher level of Paradise.   

When we read such verses, we should wonder if it's possible to emulate this divine design on Earth.  We have built many bridges above rivers, and when construction specifications, like specific types of brick and cement, are respected, issues, such as seepage or structural imbalance, are resolved.  Quite often, the problems in our buildings arise from lapses in expertise or dishonesty during construction.  Is it possible to have rivers flowing under beautiful structures that hold unimaginable wonders?  Shouldn't divine architecture inspire Muslim engineers to think outside the box?  If an architect, motivated by faith, seeks guidance from the Lord on how to perform such work, with Allah's help, it can be achieved.

Let me talk about my homeland, Egypt, which always seems to be facing a housing crisis.  Large water bodies, like the Nile and its branches, occupy significant areas, while city expansion destroys agricultural land and devastates rich topsoil.  If we had faith-driven engineering, we could efficiently use spaces over water bodies to build many facilities.  Imagine utilizing a third of these spaces for buildings while keeping the remaining two-thirds open to maintain aesthetic appeal and protect agricultural land.  Cairo exemplifies a city in need of innovative planning.  We could construct over water, following environmental guidelines for beauty and pollution control while preserving precious soil for agriculture. 

This brings us back to the verse.  God says: "Gardens with rivers flowing from under them, remaining in them timelessly, forever." Earthly pleasures are limited by human ability and the available resources.  A mayor of a small village might consider the construction of a town hall, a movie theatre, and a cafe as an excellent luxury and victory for the town.  Human concepts of pleasure are limited, whereas divine rewards are boundless.  Any luxury you enjoy on Earth will be lost either by life's events or when you die.

On the other hand, Paradise is eternal and everlasting; you will neither die nor will it disappear.  Isn't that the ultimate triumph?  Eternal life in a garden crafted by our Lord.....It must be absolutely magnificent!  No matter the sacrifices you make in pursuit of the Hereafter, the victory awaiting is more than worth it.  God says, "That is the Great Victory." Some wonder why the aya did not describe Paradise as 'the greatest victory.' We answer that had the Lord used the superlative form "the greatest," it would have implied that worldly victory is great since "greatest" is relative to "great."  However, when Allah describes the triumph of the Hereafter as "great," you should understand that any and all worldly victories are insignificant.

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