Surah 52

Surah 52:20

"(There they will be) reclining on couches lined up, and We shall marry them to (maidens) with dark, wide eyes."
Description of the Destination of the Happy Verses 52:17-20
Show Full Scripture Context (52:17-20) — 4 Verses
Verse 17

إِنَّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّـٰتٖ وَنَعِيمٖ

Surely the ones who guard (themselves) will be in Gardens and bliss,

Verse 18

فَٰكِهِينَ بِمَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ وَوَقَىٰهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ عَذَابَ ٱلۡجَحِيمِ

rejoicing in what their Lord has given them, and (because) their Lord has guarded them against the punishment of the Furnace.

Verse 19

كُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ هَنِيٓـَٔۢا بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ

‘Eat and drink with satisfaction, (in return) for what you have done.’

Verse 20

مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ سُرُرٖ مَّصۡفُوفَةٖۖ وَزَوَّجۡنَٰهُم بِحُورٍ عِينٖ

(There they will be) reclining on couches lined up, and We shall marry them to (maidens) with dark, wide eyes.

Allah the Exalted described the destination of the happy ones, {Verily, those who have Taqwa will be in Gardens and Delight.} in contrast to the torment and punishment of the miserable; {Enjoying in that which their Lord has bestowed on them,} meaning, enjoying the various types of delight that Allah has granted them therein, such as various types of foods, drinks, clothes, dwelling places, mounts, and so forth, {and (the fact that) their Lord saved them from the torment of the blazing Fire.} He saved them from the torment of the Fire, which is a bounty itself. Added to this blessing is the fact that they were entered into Paradise, which has delights that no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, nor has a heart ever imagined. The statement of Allah the Exalted, {"Eat and drink with happiness because of what you used to do"} is similar to another of His statements, {Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past!} (69:24) meaning this is the just reward for your deeds; surely, all this is a favor from Allah and a reward from Him. Allah the Exalted said, {They will recline (with ease) on thrones Masfufah.} Ath-Thawri reported from Husayn, from Mujahid, from Ibn 'Abbas: "Thrones in howdahs." And the meaning of, {Masfufah} is they will be facing each other, {Facing one another on thrones.} (37:44) Allah said next, {And We shall marry them to Hur (fair females) with wide lovely eyes.} We made for them righteous spouses, beautiful wives from Al-Hur Al-'Ayn. We mentioned the description of Al-Hur Al-'Ayn in several other places in this Tafsir, and therefore, it is not necessary to repeat their description here.

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (285-287)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.