Surah Al Waqiah Tafseer

then for him Rawh, Rayhan and a Garden of Delights.

Theirs will be Rawh and Rayhan; and the glad tidings of these traits will be conveyed to them by the angels at the time of death.

We mentioned before the Prophet's Hadith narrated from Al-Bara' in which the angels of mercy say (to a dying, believing person),

أَيَّتُهَا الرُّوحُ الطَّيِّبَةُ فِي الْجَسَدِ الطَّيِّبِ كُنْتِ تَعْمُرِينَه اخْرُجِي إِلَى رَوْحٍ وَرَيْحَانٍ وَرَبَ غَيْرِ غَضْبَان

O good soul in the good body that you inhabited, come to Rawh, Rayhan and a Lord Who is not angry.

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn Abbas,

"Rawh means rest, and Rayhan means place of rest."

Mujahid said similarly that Rawh means rest.

Abu Hazrah said that Rawh means:"Rest from the world."

Sa`id bin Jubayr and As-Suddi said that it means to rejoice.

And from Mujahid,

فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ

(Rawh and Rayhan) means:

"Paradise and delights."

Qatadah said that Rawh means mercy.

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Rayhan means provisions.

All of these explanations are correct and similar in meaning. The near believers who die will earn all of these; mercy, rest, provision, joy, happiness and good delights,

وَجَنَّةُ نَعِيمٍ

(and a Garden of Delights).

Abu Al-`Aliyah said,

"None of the near believers will depart (this life) until after he is brought a branch of the Rayhan of Paradise and his soul is captured in it."

Muhammad bin Ka`b said,

"Every person who dies will know upon his death if he is among the people of Paradise or the people of the Fire."

In the Sahih, it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّ أَرْوَاحَ الشُّهَدَاءِ فِي حَوَاصِلِ طُيُورٍ خُضْرٍ تَسْرَحُ فِي رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ شَاءَتْ ثُمَّ تَأْوِي إِلَى قَنَادِيلَ مُعَلَّقَةٍ بِالْعَرْش

The souls of the martyrs live in the bodies of green birds flying wherever they wish in the Gardens of Paradise, and then rest to their nests in chandeliers hung from the Throne of the Almighty....

Imam Ahmad recorded that Ata' bin As-Sa'ib said,

"The first day I saw Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Layla, I saw an old man whose hair had become white on his head and beard. He was riding his donkey and following a funeral. I heard him say, `So-and-so narrated to me that he heard the Messenger of Allah say,

مَنْ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللهِ أَحَبَّ اللهُ لِقَاءَهُ وَمَنْ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللهِ كَرِهَ اللهُ لِقَاءَه

He who likes to meet Allah, Allah likes to meet him, and he who hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him.

The people around him started weeping, and he asked them why they wept.

They said, `All of us hate death.'

He said,

لَيْسَ ذَاكَ وَلكِنَّهُ إِذَا احْتُضِرَ

It does not mean that. When one dies:

فَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ

-

فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ وَجَنَّةُ نَعِيمٍ

Then, if he be of the near believers, then for him are Rawh, Rayhan, and a Garden of Delights.

فَإِذَا بُشِّرَ بِذلِكَ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَاللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِلِقَائِهِ أَحَبُّ

and when this good news is conveyed to him, he likes to meet Allah the Exalted and Most Honored and Allah the Exalted and Most Honored likes, even more, to meet him,

وَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ الضَّالِّينَ

فَنُزُلٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ

وَتَصْلِيَةُ جَحِيم

But if he be of the denying, the erring, then for him is an entertainment with Hamim. And entry in Hellfire.

فَإذَا بُشِّرَ بِذلِكَ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللهِ وَاللهُ تَعَالَى لِلِقَايِهِ أَكْرَه

and when this news is conveyed to him, he hates to meet Allah and Allah hates, even more, to meet him."

This is the narration that Imam Ahmad collected; and in the Sahih, there is a Hadith with this meaning collected from A'ishah.

Allah's statement,

وَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ مِنَ أَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ