Quran Universe
18:31

أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتُ عَدۡنٖ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهِمُ ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ يُحَلَّوۡنَ فِيهَا مِنۡ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٖ وَيَلۡبَسُونَ ثِيَابًا خُضۡرٗا مِّن سُندُسٖ وَإِسۡتَبۡرَقٖ مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ فِيهَا عَلَى ٱلۡأَرَآئِكِۚ نِعۡمَ ٱلثَّوَابُ وَحَسُنَتۡ مُرۡتَفَقٗا

Olaika lahum jannatu AAadnin tajree min tahtihimu alanharu yuhallawna feeha min asawira min thahabin wayalbasoona thiyaban khudran min sundusin waistabraqin muttakieena feeha AAala alaraiki niAAma alththawabu wahasunat murtafaqan

Those will have gardens of perpetual residence; beneath them rivers will flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and will wear green garments of fine silk and brocade, reclining therein on adorned couches. Excellent is the reward, and good is the resting place.

Word by word
  1. أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَThose
  2. لَهُمۡfor them
  3. جَنَّـٰتُ(are) Gardens
  4. عَدۡنٖof Eden
  5. تَجۡرِيflows
  6. مِنfrom
  7. تَحۡتِهِمُunderneath them
  8. ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُthe rivers
  9. يُحَلَّوۡنَThey will be adorned
  10. فِيهَاtherein
  11. مِنۡ[of] (with)
  12. أَسَاوِرَbracelets
  13. مِنof
  14. ذَهَبٖgold
  15. وَيَلۡبَسُونَand will wear
  16. ثِيَابًاgarments
  17. خُضۡرٗاgreen
  18. مِّنof
  19. سُندُسٖfine silk
  20. وَإِسۡتَبۡرَقٖand heavy brocade
  21. مُّتَّكِـِٔينَreclining
  22. فِيهَاtherein
  23. عَلَىon
  24. ٱلۡأَرَآئِكِۚadorned couches
  25. نِعۡمَExcellent
  26. ٱلثَّوَابُ(is) the reward
  27. وَحَسُنَتۡand good
  28. مُرۡتَفَقٗا(is) the resting place
Al-Kahf · 18:31Makkah

Gardens that last, and an excellent place to rest.

What patience is waiting for

Their reward
gardens of Adnlasting, rivers beneath
gold and green silkadorned and clothed
couchesrest under canopies
Two resting places
an evil resting placeverse 29
a good resting placeverse 31

Ibn Kathir notes Adn means lasting. He points out the contrast: Hell was called an evil Murtafaq, a place to rest, and Paradise here is an excellent place to dwell and rest and stay.

You are worn out. Long shifts, sleepless nights with a baby, a body that aches. Rest feels like a luxury. A resting place is being prepared for those who keep going for Allah.

I will never truly get to rest.

There is a real, lasting rest ahead for the believer who keeps going.

Try this

Take five quiet minutes today, and use them to ask Allah for the rest that lasts.

Related22:2325:6625:75
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 18:30)

Verily, as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, certainly We shall not make the reward of anyone to be lost who does his (righteous) deeds in the most perfect manner (30)These! For them will be Jannatu 'Adn; wherein rivers flow beneath them; therein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of Sundus and Istabraq. They will be Muttaki'in therein on Ara'ik. How good is the reward, and what an excellent Murtafaq (31)

The Reward of those Who believe and do Righteous Deeds

When Allah mentions the state of those who are doomed, He follows that by mentioning the blessed who believed in Allah and believed what His Messengers brought, those who did the righteous deeds that they commanded them to do. They will have Jannatu 'Adn. 'Adn means lasting.

تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمُ الْأَنْهَارُ

(wherein rivers flow beneath them,) means, from beneath its rooms and dwellings. Fir'awn said:

وَهَٰذِهِ الْأَنْهَارُ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِي

(and these rivers flowing beneath me...)[43:51]

يُحَلَّوْنَ

(they will be adorned) means, with jewelry.

فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ

(with bracelets of gold,) Allah says elsewhere:

وَلُؤْلُؤًا ۖ وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ

(and pearls and their garments therein will be of silk)[22:23]. This is explained in more detail here, where Allah says:

وَيَلْبَسُونَ ثِيَابًا خُضْرًا مِّن سُندُسٍ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٍ

(and they will wear green garments of Sundus and Istabraq.) Sundus refers to a fine garment, like a shirt and the like, and Istabraq is thick and shiny velvet.

مُّتَّكِئِينَ فِيهَا عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ

(They will be Muttaki'in therein on Ara'ik.) The word Muttaki'in implies lying down, or it was said that it means sitting with one's legs crossed, which is closer to the meaning here. In a Sahih Hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:

أَمَّا أَنَا فَلَا آكُلُ مُتَّكِئًا

(As for me, I do not eat sitting with legs crossed (Muttaki'an)). Ara'ik is the plural of Arikah, which is a bed under a canopy. And Allah knows best.

نِعْمَ الثَّوَابُ وَحَسُنَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا

(How good is the reward, and what an excellent place of rest (Murtafaq)!) means, how blessed is Paradise as a reward for their good deeds. And what an excellent Murtafaq means, and how good a place to dwell and rest and stay. Previously, Allah had said of Hell,

بِئْسَ الشَّرَابُ وَسَاءَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا

(Terrible is the drink, and an evil place of rest (Murtafaq)!)[18:29]. In a similar way, He contrasts the two (Paradise and Hell) in Surat Al-Furqan, where He says:

إِنَّهَا سَاءَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا

(Evil indeed it (Hell) is as an abode, and as a place to rest in.)[25:66]. Then He mentions the qualities of the believers, then says:

أُولَٰئِكَ يُجْزَوْنَ الْغُرْفَةَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا وَيُلَقَّوْنَ فِيهَا تَحِيَّةً وَسَلَامًا - خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ حَسُنَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا

(Those will be rewarded with the highest place because of their patience. Therein they shall be met with greetings and the word of peace and respect. Abiding therein excellent it is as an abode, and as a place to rest in.)[25:75-76]