Paradise

مَّثَلُ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ ٱلَّتِي وُعِدَ ٱلۡمُتَّقُونَۖ فِيهَآ أَنۡهَٰرٞ مِّن مَّآءٍ غَيۡرِ ءَاسِنٖ وَأَنۡهَٰرٞ مِّن لَّبَنٖ لَّمۡ يَتَغَيَّرۡ طَعۡمُهُۥ وَأَنۡهَٰرٞ مِّنۡ خَمۡرٖ لَّذَّةٖ لِّلشَّـٰرِبِينَ وَأَنۡهَٰرٞ مِّنۡ عَسَلٖ مُّصَفّٗىۖ وَلَهُمۡ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ وَمَغۡفِرَةٞ مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡۖ كَمَنۡ هُوَ خَٰلِدٞ فِي ٱلنَّارِ وَسُقُواْ مَآءً حَمِيمٗا فَقَطَّعَ أَمۡعَآءَهُمۡ ﴿١٥﴾

Is the description of Paradise, which the righteous are promised, wherein are rivers of water unaltered, rivers of milk the taste of which never changes, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey, in which they will have from all [kinds of] fruits and forgiveness from their Lord, like [that of] those who abide eternally in the Fire and are given to drink scalding water that will sever their intestines?

Context Madinan, from Surah Muhammad. The verse ends by contrasting the drink of the Fire.

Four rivers, each a perfected form of something known: water never stale, milk unchanging, wine that delights, honey made pure. And with them, forgiveness.

إِنَّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّـٰتٖ وَعُيُونٍ ﴿٤٥﴾ ٱدۡخُلُوهَا بِسَلَٰمٍ ءَامِنِينَ ﴿٤٦﴾ وَنَزَعۡنَا مَا فِي صُدُورِهِم مِّنۡ غِلٍّ إِخۡوَٰنًا عَلَىٰ سُرُرٖ مُّتَقَٰبِلِينَ ﴿٤٧﴾ لَا يَمَسُّهُمۡ فِيهَا نَصَبٞ وَمَا هُم مِّنۡهَا بِمُخۡرَجِينَ ﴿٤٨﴾

Indeed, the righteous will be within gardens and springs. [Having been told], "Enter it in peace, safe [and secure]." And We will remove whatever is in their breasts of resentment, [so they will be] brothers, on thrones facing each other. No fatigue will touch them therein, nor from it will they [ever] be removed.

Context Makkan, from al-Hijr, right after the warning of Hell's seven gates (15:43-44).

Paradise begins in the heart: every resentment is removed, and people sit as brothers facing each other, never tired, never sent away.

وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِ جَنَّـٰتٖ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةٗ فِي جَنَّـٰتِ عَدۡنٖۚ وَرِضۡوَٰنٞ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ أَكۡبَرُۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ ﴿٧٢﴾

Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.

Context Madinan, from at-Tawbah. It names believing men and believing women together.

Gardens, rivers and fine homes are promised, then the verse lifts higher: "approval from Allah is greater." That is the great attainment.

وُجُوهٞ يَوۡمَئِذٖ نَّاضِرَةٌ ﴿٢٢﴾ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٞ ﴿٢٣﴾

[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant, Looking at their Lord.

Context Makkan, from al-Qiyamah. A hadith in Muslim explains the "extra" of 10:26 as this sight.

Radiant faces, looking at their Lord.

Most scholars, with hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim, take this as a real seeing of Allah. The Mu'tazilah, an early theological school, read "looking at" as looking to, awaiting their Lord's reward.