Abu Bakr al-Warraq said: “He arranged them in this order according to the spiritual stations of people, for a servant passes through three states: sin and heedlessness, then repentance, then nearness to Allah. When he disobeys, he falls within the category of those who wrong themselves; when he repents, he enters among those who take a middle course; and when his repentance is sound and his worship and striving become abundant, he enters among those who excel.”

Some said that the one who wrongs himself refers to the disbeliever; this was mentioned by al-Kalbi.

It was also said that it refers to the hypocrite. According to this view, the one who wrongs himself is not included in His saying, “Gardens ⦗91/b⦘ of perpetual residence, which they will enter.” The one who held this view understood the choosing to mean their selection in creation, the sending of the Messenger to them, and the revelation of the Book. The first view, however, is the well-known one: that all of them are believers. This is the position held by the majority of scholars.

His saying, “And among them are those who excel in good deeds,” means: those who hasten to Paradise, or to Allah’s mercy, through good deeds—that is, righteous deeds—“by Allah’s permission,” meaning by Allah’s command and will. “That is the great bounty,” meaning His granting them the Book as an inheritance.

“Gardens of perpetual residence, which they will enter, adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments therein will be silk. (33) And they will say, ‘Praise be to Allah, who has removed from us all grief. Indeed, our Lord is Most Forgiving, Most Appreciative.’ (34)”

He then informed of their reward, saying: “Gardens of perpetual residence, which they will enter,” referring to the three categories. Abu ‘Amr recited it in the passive sense, “which they will be admitted into,” while the others recited it in the active sense, “which they will enter.” “They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments therein will be silk.” “And they will say”—that is, when they enter Paradise, they will say—“Praise be to Allah, who has removed from us all grief.”

The word for grief may be pronounced in two equivalent ways, just as the word for miserliness may. Ibn Abbas said: “The grief of the Fire.” Qatadah said: “The grief of death.” Muqatil said: “They grieved (1) because they did not know what Allah would do with them.” ‘Ikrimah said: “The grief caused by sins and evil deeds, and the fear that acts of obedience may be rejected.” Al-Qasim said: “The grief of blessings being taken away, the turning of hearts, and fear of the final outcome.” It was also said: the grief caused by the terrors of the Day of Resurrection. Al-Kalbi said: “Whatever concerning the Day of Resurrection used to grieve them in this world.” Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: “The worry over bread in this world.” It was also said: the concern of earning a livelihood. Al-Zajjaj said: “Allah has removed from the people of Paradise every grief, whether related to worldly livelihood or to the Hereafter.”

Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Dahhak al-Khatib informed us; Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Isfarayini narrated to us; Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Isma‘ili informed us; Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Turabi informed us; Yahya ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid narrated to us; ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam narrated to us from his father, from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: