55:47

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Fabiayyi alai rabbikuma tukaththibani

So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny? -

Word by word
  1. فَبِأَيِّSo which
  2. ءَالَآءِ(of the) favors
  3. رَبِّكُمَا(of) your Lord
  4. تُكَذِّبَانِwill you both deny
Ar-Rahman · 55:47Madinah

Two gardens for one fear. Which favor would you deny?

The refrain after the promise of two gardens


The favor just named
one inner fearof standing before Him
repaid with
two gardens
The exchange
what I give upa passing desire
what I gettwo gardens

Ibn Kathir says this verse applies to both humans and jinn, because Allah reminds both of this favor. The Prophet ﷺ described gardens of silver and gardens of gold, and in Adn nothing stands between the people and looking at their Lord but the covering of His pride.

You give up a weekend of fun to care for a sick parent. You skip the deal that was not quite honest. It feels like losing. The exchange rate is two gardens.

Giving up something for Allah means I lose out.

Every desire I leave for Allah is repaid far beyond its worth.

Try this

Give up one small thing today for Allah's sake, and remember the exchange.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 55:46)

But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (46)Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny (47)With Afnān (48)Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny (49)In them (both) will be two springs flowing (free)(50)Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both den (51)In them (both) will be every kind of fruit in pairs (52)Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny (53)

The Delight of Those Who have Taqwa in Paradise

Allah the Exalted said,

وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ 

(But for him who fears the standing before his Lord,) on the Day of Resurrection,

وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ

(And restrained himself from the desires.)(79:40), and does not indulge nor prefer this worldly life. He who knows that the Hereafter is better and more lasting, so he fulfills what his Lord ordered him and stays away from His prohibitions, then he will earn two gardens from his Lord on the Day of Resurrection. Al-Bukhari recorded that 'Abdullah bin Qays said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

جَنَّتَانِ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ آنِيَتُهُمَا وَمَا فِيهِمَا، وَجَنَّتَانِ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ آنِيَتُهُمَا وَمَا فِيهِمَا، وَمَا بَيْنَ الْقَوْمِ وَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَنْظُرُوا إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَّا رِدَاءُ الْكِبْرِيَاءِ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ فِي جَنَّةِ عَدْنٍ

(There are two gardens made of silver – their vessels and all that they contain. And there are two gardens made of gold – their vessels and all that they contain. And nothing stands between the people in the 'Adn Garden and looking at their Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored, but the covering of pride before His Face.)

The Group, with the exception of Abu Dawud, collected this via the Hadith of 'Abdul-'Aziz.

This Ayah is general and applies to both humans and Jinns, providing proof that those among the Jinns who believe and have Taqwa will enter Paradise, for Allah is reminding the Ath-Thaqalayn of this favor, as He says;

وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ - فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

(But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens. Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny?) Then He describes these two gardens, by saying,

ذَوَاتَا أَفْنَانٍ 

(With Afnān.) their trees have beautiful young branches that hold and produce every type of ripened beautiful fruit,

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ 

(Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny?) 'Ata' Al-Khurasani and several others said that Afnān means spreading branches of trees that reach the branches of other trees,

فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ تَجْرِيَانِ 

(In them (both) will be two springs flowing.) free to water these trees and branches that produce all kinds of fruits,

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ 

(Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny?) Al-Hasan Al-Basri said that one of these springs is called Tasnim, and the other called As-Salsabil. 'Atiyah said that the water of one of these springs is from non-standing water and the other from wine that gives delight to those who drink it. Allah's statement,

فِيهِمَا مِنْ كُلِّ فَاكِهَةٍ زَوْجَانِ

(In them (both) will be every kind of fruit in pairs.), of every type and kind of fruit, that which they knew before, and better, and that which they did not know before. Therein, there are delights that no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard and no heart has ever imagined,

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ 

(Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny?) Ibrahim bin Al-Hakam bin Aban said that his father narrated from 'Ikrimah that Ibn 'Abbas said, "There is not a fruit that exists in this life, sweet or bitter, but it exists in Paradise, even the colocynth." Ibn 'Abbas also said, "There is nothing in the world that is in the Hereafter except in name." Meaning there is such an enormous difference and contrast between the two in enjoyment and value.