Paradise Is Like Rivers of Water Never Stagnant — Sensory Image for What Cannot Be Perceived
balagha
Level: intermediate
tamsil
blg-023
فِيهَآ أَنۡهَٰرٌ مِّن مَّآءٍ غَيۡرِ ءَاسِنٍ
— محمد 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.
Source: Ibn Kathir (7/305); Al-Zarkashi (3/395)
Question: Why does the Quran describe Paradise with "description" (mathal) not direct statement?
Answer: Because Paradise is what no eye has seen nor ear heard — it cannot be directly described. "Description" acknowledges the inadequacy of language and signals approximation not completion.