Verse 18
The Prostration • makkah
View Aspects
فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أُخْفِىَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Commentary:
This verse has been explained by the Holy Prophet in a well-known hadith. Describing the form and nature of the blessings and comforts of Paradise he is reported to have said:
لا عین رأت ولا أذن سمعت ولا خطر علی قلب بشر
"No eye has seen it (the blessings of Paradise) nor has any ear heard of them nor can human mind conceive them" (Bukhari, Kitab bad’al-Khalq). This hadith as well as the verse under comment clearly show that the blessings of the life to come will not be material, but rather spiritual; they will be the spiritual representations of good deeds and actions the righteous believers might have done in the present life. The words used to describe them in the Quran have been used only in a metaphorical sense. See also 2:26.
The verse may also mean that Divine boons and blessings that are awaiting the righteous believers in the next world are far too good and too plentiful, even to be imagined or conceived. They will be far beyond the widest stretch of human imagination.
Describing the form and nature of the blessings and comforts of Paradise the Holy Prophet is reported to have said: 'No eye has yet seen them (the blessings of Paradise), nor has any ear heard of them, nor can human mind conceive of them' (Bukhari, Kitab Bad’ul-Khalq). The Hadith shows that the blessings of the life to come will not be material. They will be the spiritual representations of good deeds and actions the righteous believers might have done in the present life. The words used to describe them in the Qur’an have been used only in a metaphorical sense. The present verse may also mean that Divine boons and blessings that will be bestowed upon the righteous believers in the next world are far too good and too plentiful, even to be imagined or conceived of. They will be far beyond the widest stretch of human imagination.