Verse 66
The Table Spread • madinah
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وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱتَّقَوْا۟ لَكَفَّرْنَا عَنْهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ وَلَأَدْخَلْنَٰهُمْ جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ
7:97.
Important Words:
النعیم (bliss) is derived from نعم. They say نعم عیشه i.e. his life was or became plentiful and easy; or it was or became good or pleasant. نعمة (na‘mat) means, ease and plenty; pleasantness and softness of life; enjoyment of a life of ease; comfort and affluence; tenderness, bloom, or freshness. نعمة (ni‘mat) means, a benefit; favour; boon; blessing; bounty; grace or what God bestows on man. نعیم means, grace of God; ease and plenty; welfare; well-being; delight and pleasure; blessing (Lane).
Commentary:
The verse makes it absolutely clear that in order to get salvation and enter Heaven, it is necessary that the People of the Book should believe in the Holy Prophet and the Quran and that their believing in past Prophets and past Books is not sufficient. In this connection see also 2:63.
The expression, gardens of bliss, denotes a perfect state of spiritual pleasure as well as an abode of bliss. It may be noted here that while qualifying the word جنة (garden or Heaven) the Quran uses four distinct expressions:
(1) جنات النعیم i.e. gardens of bliss, as in the present verse; (2) جنات الماوی i.e. gardens of refuge, as in 32:20; (3) جنات عدن i.e. gardens of eternity, as in 9:72; and (4) جنات الفردوس i.e. gardens of Paradise, as in 18:108. These names represent different aspects as well as different grades and sections of Heaven.
7:97.
The expression, Gardens of bliss denotes a perfect state of spiritual joy as well as an abode of bliss. While qualifying the words "Garden" and "Heaven" the Qur’an has used four distinct expressions: (1) "Gardens of bliss" as in the present verse; (2) "Gardens of Refuge" (32:20); (3) "Gardens of Eternity" (9:72) and (4) "Gardens of Paradise" (18:108). These expressions represent different aspects as well as different grades of Heaven.