Intermediate
Allegory
Surah: Muhammad (15)
Paradise Is Like Rivers of Water Never Stagnant — Sensory Image for What Cannot Be Perceived
فِيهَآ أَنۡهَٰرٌ مِّن مَّآءٍ غَيۡرِ ءَاسِنٍ
— محمد الآية 15
Verse: "The description of Paradise promised to the righteous — in it are rivers of water never stagnant, rivers of milk unchanging in taste..." (47:15)
Why "description" (mathal)? Paradise — no eye has seen it — so examples from the world are used that humans understand. "Description" is an admission that full description is impossible.
Lesson: Our world: water stagnates, milk spoils, rivers dry. Paradise: all this without defects — worldly wealth without its problems.
Why "description" (mathal)? Paradise — no eye has seen it — so examples from the world are used that humans understand. "Description" is an admission that full description is impossible.
Lesson: Our world: water stagnates, milk spoils, rivers dry. Paradise: all this without defects — worldly wealth without its problems.
Source: Ibn Kathir (7/305); Al-Zarkashi (3/395)
Test Yourself
Why does the Quran describe Paradise with "description" (mathal) not direct statement?
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