Then it will be said, “This is what you used to deny. No indeed! The record of the righteous is in ʿIlliyyīn. And what will make you know what ʿIlliyyīn is? It is a written register, witnessed by those who are brought near. Truly the righteous will be in bliss, reclining upon couches, gazing. You will recognize in their faces the radiance of delight. They will be served a sealed nectar, whose seal is musk—so for this let those who aspire, aspire! Its mixture is from Tasnīm, a spring from which those who are brought near drink.”

Ibn ʿAbbās—may Allah be pleased with them both—and others among the early generations said: it is mixed for the Companions of the Right, whereas those brought near drink it pure. This is exactly as they stated, for the Exalted said, “yashrabu bihā” (“they drink with it”) and did not say “yashrabu minhā” (“they drink from it”). He employed the verb “drink” with the sense of complete satiation, for a person may drink without being quenched. Had He said, “they drink from it,” satiety would not necessarily be implied; but when He says, “they drink with it,” the meaning is that they are fully satisfied by it. Thus, those brought near are completely quenched by it and need nothing inferior, so they drink it neat, whereas for the Companions of the Right it is served as a blend.

This accords with His words in Sūrah al-Insān: “Its mixture was camphor, a spring from which the servants of Allah drink, causing it to gush forth abundantly.”

[Recompense corresponds to the deed]

The “servants of Allah” mentioned there are the very ones brought near referred to in that sūrah, for recompense mirrors the nature of the act, whether for good or for ill, as the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “Whoever relieves a believer of one of the distresses of this world, Allah will relieve him of a distress from the distresses of the Day of Resurrection; and whoever brings ease to—”