Surah Az-Zumar (39) — Ayah 73

(Ayah 73) ➊ {وَ سِيْقَ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّقَوْا رَبَّهُمْ اِلَى الْجَنَّةِ …:} After warning about the fate of the disbelievers, the glad tidings of the good end of the righteous are given, because in the Noble Qur’an these two go together, as He said: « لِتُبَشِّرَ بِهِ الْمُتَّقِيْنَ وَ تُنْذِرَ بِهٖ قَوْمًا لُّدًّا» [ مریم : ۹۷ ] “So that you may give glad tidings with it to the righteous and warn with it those who are contentious.”
➋ Here is a question: In {’’سَاقَ يَسُوْقُ‘‘} the meaning of being driven harshly is found, as in the previous verses the disbelievers are mentioned as being driven harshly towards Hell, so why is this word used here for taking the righteous towards Paradise? The answer is that here this word is used in parallel with {’’ سِيْقَ ‘‘}, otherwise, in this context, it does not mean to be taken harshly or driven. This is called *tajreed*; here it only means to be taken. The purpose is to clarify the mutual difference in how both are taken: although both will be taken, the disbelievers will be taken with harshness, shoving, humiliation, and disgrace, while the believers will be taken with honor, as is evidenced by the words that follow, {’’ وَ فُتِحَتْ اَبْوَابُهَا ‘‘} and {’’ وَ قَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا ‘‘}.
➌ { زُمَرًا:} These groups will be according to ranks, so those of the highest ranks will enter first. (See Surah Al-Waqi’ah: 10) For example, the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous, and likewise, group after group will enter Paradise according to their ranks. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ أَوَّلُ زُمْرَةٍ تَلِجُ الْجَنَّةَ صُوْرَتُهُمْ عَلٰی صُوْرَةِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ، لَا يَبْصُقُوْنَ فِيْهَا وَ لاَ يَمْتَخِطُوْنَ وَ لَا يَتَغَوَّطُوْنَ، آنِيَتُهُمْ فِيْهَا الذَّهَبُ، أَمْشَاطُهُمْ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ، وَ مَجَامِرُهُمُ الْأُلُوَّةُ، وَرَشْحُهُمُ الْمِسْكُ، وَ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ زَوْجَتَانِ، يُرٰی مُخُّ سُوْقِهِمَا مِنْ وَرَاءِ اللَّحْمِ، مِنَ الْحُسْنِ، لَا اخْتِلاَفَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَ لَا تَبَاغُضَ، قُلُوْبُهُمْ قَلْبٌ وَاحِدٌ، يُسَبِّحُوْنَ اللّٰهَ بُكْرَةً وَ عَشِيًّا ] [ بخاري، بدء الخلق، باب ما جاء في صفۃ الجنۃ و أنھا مخلوقۃ : ۳۲۴۵ ] “The first group to enter Paradise will have faces like the full moon. They will neither spit, nor blow their noses, nor defecate therein. Their vessels will be of gold, their combs will be of gold and silver, and their incense burners will be of {’’اُلُوَّه‘‘ } (a wood that gives fragrance when burned). Their sweat will be musk. Each of them will have two wives whose marrow of the shins will be visible from behind the flesh due to beauty. There will be no differences among them, nor any hatred between them. Their hearts will be as one heart. They will glorify Allah morning and evening.” In Sahih Muslim, in the same hadith: [ أَوَّلُ زُمْرَةٍ تَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مِنْ أُمَّتِيْ عَلٰی صُوْرَةِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ، ثُمَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَلُوْنَهُمْ عَلٰی أَشَدِّ نَجْمٍ فِي السَّمَاءِ إِضَاءَةً ثُمَّ هُمْ بَعْدَ ذٰلِكَ مَنَازِلُ ] [ مسلم، الجنۃ و صفۃ نعیمہا و أھلھا، باب أول زمرۃ تدخل الجنۃ… : ۱۶؍۲۸۳۴ ] “The first group of my ummah to enter Paradise will have faces like the full moon, then those who follow them will be like the brightest star in the sky, then after them will be their various ranks.”
➍ The division of the groups of the people of Paradise will also be based on distinction in various righteous deeds, due to which they will be called from different gates. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: [ مَنْ أَنْفَقَ زَوْجَيْنِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ دُعِيَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ يَعْنِی الْجَنَّةَ يَا عَبْدَ اللّٰهِ! هٰذَا خَيْرٌ، فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الصَّلاَةِ دُعِيَ مِنْ بَابِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَ مَنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجِهَادِ دُعِيَ مِنْ بَابِ الْجِهَادِ، وَ مَنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الصَّدَقَةِ دُعِيَ مِنْ بَابِ الصَّدَقَةِ، وَ مَنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الصِّيَامِ دُعِيَ مِنْ بَابِ الصِّيَامِ، وَ بَابِ الرَّيَّانِ، فَقَالَ أَبُوْ بَكْرٍ مَا عَلٰی هٰذَا الَّذِيْ يُدْعٰی مِنْ تِلْكَ الْأَبْوَابِ مِنْ ضَرُوْرَةٍ، وَ قَالَ هَلْ يُدْعٰی مِنْهَا كُلِّهَا أَحَدٌ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ!؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ، وَ أَرْجُوْ أَنْ تَكُوْنَ مِنْهُمْ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ! ] [بخاري، باب فضائل أصحاب النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ، باب : ۳۶۶۶ ] “Whoever spends a pair of something in the way of Allah will be called from the gates of Paradise: O servant of Allah! This is good. So whoever is among the people of prayer will be called from the gate of prayer, and whoever is among the people of jihad will be called from the gate of jihad, and whoever is among the people of charity will be called from the gate of charity, and whoever is among the people of fasting will be called from the gate of fasting and the gate of Rayyan (the gate of quenching).” So Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “A person who is called from these gates will have no need, but O Messenger of Allah! Will anyone be called from all these gates?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Yes! And I hope that you, O Abu Bakr, will be among them.”
➎ {حَتّٰۤى اِذَا جَآءُوْهَا وَ فُتِحَتْ اَبْوَابُهَا :} Here, the purpose of bringing the “waw” before {’’ فُتِحَتْ ‘‘} is that, upon the arrival of the righteous, the gates of Paradise will already have been opened, just as the doors are kept open in anticipation of an honored and respected guest. This is explicitly stated in another verse: « جَنّٰتِ عَدْنٍ مُّفَتَّحَةً لَّهُمُ الْاَبْوَابُ» [ صٓ : ۵۰ ] “Gardens of perpetual residence, whose doors will be opened for them.” Paradise has eight gates. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ فِي الْجَنَّةِ ثَمَانِيَةُ أَبْوَابٍ، فِيْهَا بَابٌ يُسَمَّی الرَّيَّانَ لاَ يَدْخُلُهُ إِلاَّ الصَّائِمُوْنَ ] [ بخاري، بدء الخلق، باب صفۃ أبواب الجنۃ : ۳۲۵۷ ] “Paradise has eight gates; one of the gates is called Rayyan, only those who fast will enter through it.”
➏ { وَ قَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا سَلٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ … :} In contrast to the disbelievers, when the righteous arrive at Paradise, its guardian angels will honor and welcome them with great love, saying three things: first, peace be upon you, meaning now you will be safe from every hardship, grief, and fear. The second thing is {’’ طِبْتُمْ ‘‘}, which can have two meanings: one, that you were pure from disbelief and polytheism in the world before, so enter it as those who will abide forever; the second, that now you have become pure from every sin and evil, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ يَخْلُصُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ مِنَ النَّارِ، فَيُحْبَسُوْنَ عَلٰی قَنْطَرَةٍ بَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَ النَّارِ، فَيُقْتَصُّ لِبَعْضِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، مَظَالِمُ كَانَتْ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا، حَتّٰي إِذَا هُذِّبُوْا وَ نُقُّوْا أُذِنَ لَهُمْ فِيْ دُخُوْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ] [ بخاري، الرقاق، باب القصاص یوم القیامۃ : ۶۵۳۵ ] “When the believers are saved from the Fire, they will be stopped on a bridge between Paradise and the Fire, then they will be made to settle the wrongs that occurred between them in the world, and when they are purified and cleansed, they will be permitted to enter Paradise.” The third thing they will say is that since you have become pure, now enter Paradise as those who will abide forever. Entry into Paradise itself is a great glad tiding, and the glad tiding of eternity with it has no limit. May Allah include us among these fortunate ones. [ آمِیْنَ یَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ ]
➐ Regarding the disbelievers, it is said: {’’ اِذَا جَآءُوْهَا ‘‘} (when they come to it), the result of this condition is {’’ وَ فُتِحَتْ اَبْوَابُهَا ‘‘} (then its doors will be opened), but regarding the righteous, all three sentences are part of the condition {’’ اِذَا جَآءُوْهَا ‘‘ ، ’’ وَ فُتِحَتْ اَبْوَابُهَا ‘‘ اور ’’ وَ قَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا ‘‘}, and their result is omitted, because in this world the human mind cannot reach its height. As if the statement is: until, when they come to it, while its doors have been opened, and its keepers say to them, “Peace be upon you, you have been purified, so enter it, as ones who remain pure,” then do not ask how happy they will be, because you cannot even imagine the great blessing they will receive.

1. The people of faith and piety will also be taken to Paradise in groups; first the Muqarrabeen, then the Abrar, and in this way, each group will consist of people of the same rank. For example, the Prophets (علیہم السلام) will be with the Siddiqeen, the martyrs with their own kind, the scholars with their peers, meaning every category will be with its own kind or those similar to it. (Ibn Kathir)

2. It is mentioned in a hadith that Paradise has eight gates, one of which is Rayyan, through which only those who fast will enter (Sahih Bukhari). Similarly, the other gates will also have names, such as Bab al-Salat, Bab al-Sadaqah, Bab al-Jihad, etc. (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Siyam; Muslim, Kitab al-Zakat). The width of each gate will be equal to the distance of forty years, yet they will be filled (Sahih Muslim).

3. The first to knock on the door of Paradise will be the Prophet ﷺ (Muslim). The faces of the first group to enter Paradise will shine like the full moon on the fourteenth night, and the faces of the second group will shine like the brightest star in the sky. In Paradise, they will be free from urine, feces, spittle, and phlegm. Their combs will be of gold, and their sweat will be musk. Their incense burners will be of fragrant wood. Their wives will be al-Hur al-‘Ayn. Their height will be like that of Adam (علیہ السلام), sixty cubits tall (Sahih Bukhari).

4. From another narration in Sahih Bukhari, it is known that every believer will have two wives, and their beauty will be such that the marrow of their shins will be visible from behind the flesh (Kitab Bad’ al-Khalq). Some have said that these two wives will be from the women of this world, apart from the houris, but since the narration about seventy-two houris is not authentic in its chain, it appears that every inhabitant of Paradise will have at least two wives, including a houri. However, under "وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مَا يَشْتَهُونَ", more are also possible. And Allah knows best.

73. And those who feared their Lord will be led in groups [93] to Paradise, until when they reach it and its gates are opened, its keepers will say to them, "Peace be upon you; rejoice, so enter it to abide therein forever."

[93]
The Levels of Paradise

Just as there are many levels and types of disbelief, there are also many levels of faith and piety. And according to a hadith, Paradise has one hundred levels, which also means that faith and piety have just as many levels. These righteous people will also be grouped according to their ranks. They will be taken towards Paradise with great honor and respect. When these groups reach Paradise, its gates will be opened even before their arrival. The guardian angels of Paradise will come forward to welcome them, greet them with peace, give them glad tidings and congratulations of entry, and it will be publicly announced that now enter forever and ever.