(15–16) “Say, ‘Is that better, or the Garden of Eternity promised to the God-fearing? It will be their reward and final destination. Abiding there forever, they will have whatever they wish. It is a promise that is asked of your Lord.’”
That is: Say to them—making clear the foolishness of their judgment and their preference for what harms over what benefits—“Is that” punishment which I have described to you “better, or the Garden of Eternity promised to the God-fearing?” The provision needed to attain it is fear of Allah; whoever duly fears Him has been promised it by Allah. “It will be their reward” for their fear of Him “and final destination”—a refuge to which they will return, where they will settle and abide forever and ever.
“Abiding there forever, they will have whatever they wish.” That is, whatever they seek and whatever their hopes and desires turn to: delicious foods and drinks, splendid garments, beautiful women, lofty palaces, gardens and luxuriant orchards, and fruits that delight those who behold and eat them through their beauty, variety, and abundant kinds. There will also be rivers flowing through the meadows and orchards of Paradise; they may direct them wherever they wish and cause them to gush forth—rivers of water that never becomes stale, rivers of milk whose taste never changes, rivers of wine delightful to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey—as well as pleasant fragrances, dwellings ⦗580⦘ richly adorned, melodious voices whose beauty captivates the heart, visits with their brethren, and the enjoyment of meeting their loved ones.
Higher than all of this is the delight of beholding the Face of the Most Merciful Lord and hearing His speech, being favored with nearness to Him, rejoicing in His good pleasure, and remaining safe from His wrath. This bliss will continue and endure, increasing with the passage of time and the succession of moments. Entering and attaining it “is a promise that is asked of your Lord”: His God-fearing servants ask Him for it through both their condition and their words. Which of these two abodes is better and more worthy of being chosen? And which workers—those who labor for the abode of misery or those who labor for the abode of happiness—are more deserving of excellence, sound judgment, and honor, O people of understanding?
The truth has become clear and the path illuminated, leaving no excuse for the negligent person to forsake the proof. We therefore beseech You, O You who have decreed misery for some people and happiness for others, to make us among those for whom You have written the finest reward and even more. O Allah, we appeal to You for deliverance from the state of the wretched and ask You to keep us safe from it.