“Indeed, for the God-fearing there shall be triumph: gardens and grapevines, full-bosomed maidens of equal age, and a cup filled to overflowing. There they will hear neither idle talk nor lies—a recompense from your Lord, a gift in abundant measure.”
After saying, “Indeed, Hell lies in wait, a destination for the transgressors,” Allah—Mighty and Majestic—mentions the bliss prepared for the God-fearing. This is because the Quran presents matters in contrasting pairs: whenever punishment is mentioned, reward is mentioned; whenever reward is mentioned, punishment is mentioned; whenever the people of goodness are mentioned, the people of evil are mentioned; and whenever truth is mentioned, falsehood is mentioned. These contrasts are repeated so that a person’s journey to his Lord remains poised between fear and hope. If hope predominates, he will feel secure from Allah’s plan; and if fear predominates, he will despair of Allah’s mercy. Both are major sins, and both are evil. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal—may Allah have mercy on him—said, “In worshipping his Lord, a person should remain between fear and hope; whichever of the two predominates will destroy him.”
This is why the Noble Quran mentions both one and the other. It also prevents souls from growing weary when a single condition is discussed at length without mention of its counterpart. Thus, when reading the Quran, a person remains filled with both hope and fear. This is part of the eloquence of the Noble Quran.
“Indeed, for the God-fearing there shall be triumph.” The God-fearing are those who protect themselves from Allah’s punishment by carrying out His commands and avoiding His prohibitions. At times Allah commands people to fear Him; at other times He commands them to fear the Day of Reckoning; and at still other times He commands them to fear the Fire. Allah Most High says, “Fear Allah, so that you may prosper, and fear the Fire” [Āl Imrān: 131]. Thus, He combines the command to fear Him with the command to fear the Fire. He also says, “And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah” [al-Baqara: 281], thereby commanding people to fear the Day of Reckoning. All of this revolves around a single meaning: that a person should guard himself against what his Lord has forbidden, obeying Him and refraining from disobedience. The God-fearing, therefore, are those who carry out Allah’s commands and avoid His prohibitions.