68:34

إِنَّ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ جَنَّـٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

Inna lilmuttaqeena AAinda rabbihim jannati alnnaAAeemi

Indeed, for the righteous with their Lord are the Gardens of Pleasure.

Word by word
  1. إِنَّIndeed
  2. لِلۡمُتَّقِينَfor the righteous
  3. عِندَwith
  4. رَبِّهِمۡtheir Lord
  5. جَنَّـٰتِ(are) Gardens
  6. ٱلنَّعِيمِ(of) Delight
Al-Qalam · 68:34Makkah

The mindful have gardens with their Lord that never wither.

The other garden, after the lost one


Two gardens
the brothers' gardengone in a night
versus
Gardens of Delightwith their Lordnever ending
Who gets them
the wealthy
those with taqwamindful of Allah

Right after the garden that was destroyed, Allah mentions another. Ibn Kathir says those with taqwa will have Gardens of Delight in the Hereafter that will never end, and their pleasures will never cease.

You scroll past homes, holidays, gardens that seem perfect. All of them can vanish in a night. There is a garden that will not. It is built by being mindful of Allah.

The good life is the one I can see and touch now.

The garden that lasts is with Allah, and taqwa is how I reach it.

Try this

Do one act today purely out of mindfulness of Allah, with the lasting garden in mind.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Verily, for those who have Taqwa are Gardens of Delight with their Lord (34)Shall We then treat the Muslims like the criminals (35)What is the matter with you? How judge you (36)Or have you a Book wherein you learn (37)That you shall therein have all that you choose (38)Or have you oaths from Us, lasting until the Day of Judgement, that yours will be what you judge (39)Ask them, which of them will stand as surety for that (40)Or have they "partners"? Then let them bring their "partners" if they are truthful (41)

The Reward of those Who have Taqwa and that They will not be treated like the Criminals

After Allah mentions the situation of the people of the worldly garden and the wrath they suffered when they disobeyed Allah and opposed his commands, He then explains that whoever has Taqwa of Him, then they will have Gardens of Delight in the Hereafter that will never end. These Gardens will last forever and their pleasures will never cease. Allah says,

أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ

(Shall We then treat the Muslims like the criminals?)

Meaning, ‘should we deal equally between them in terms of recompense?’ Nay, by the Lord of the heaven and the earth, surely not! Thus, Allah says,

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

(What is the matter with you? How do judge you?) meaning, ‘how can you think that?' Then he says,

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ - إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

(Or have you a Book wherein you learn, That you shall therein have all that you choose?)

Allah is saying in this, ‘is there in your hands a Book that has been sent down from heaven that you study, memorize and pass on to each other, the latter generations conveying it from the generations of old? Do you have such a Book, containing definite laws, as you claim?'

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ - أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَانٌ عَلَيْنَا بَالِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ

(That you shall therein have all that you choose? Or have you oaths from Us, lasting until the Day of Judgement, that yours will be what you judge?) meaning, ‘do you have covenants and confirmed agreements with Us?’

إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ

(that yours will be what you judge?) meaning, ‘that you will attain all that you want and desire.’

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

(Ask them, which of them will stand as surety for that!) meaning, say to them, “Who is the sponsor of guarantee this?” Ibn ‘Abbas said that it means, “Which of them will be guarantor for that?”

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ

(Or have they "partners"?) meaning, ‘do they have idols and rivals gods (besides Allah)?’

فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ

(Then let them bring their "partners" if they are truthful!)