9:72

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

WaAAada Allahu almumineena waalmuminati jannatin tajree min tahtiha alanharu khalideena feeha wamasakina tayyibatan fee jannati AAadnin waridwanun mina Allahi akbaru thalika huwa alfawzu alAAatheemu

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.

Word by word
  1. وَعَدَ(Has been) promised
  2. ٱللَّهُ(by) Allah
  3. ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ(to) the believing men
  4. وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِand the believing women
  5. جَنَّـٰتٖGardens
  6. تَجۡرِيflow
  7. مِنfrom
  8. تَحۡتِهَاunderneath it
  9. ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُthe rivers
  10. خَٰلِدِينَ(will) abide forever
  11. فِيهَاin it
  12. وَمَسَٰكِنَand dwellings
  13. طَيِّبَةٗblessed
  14. فِيin
  15. جَنَّـٰتِGardens
  16. عَدۡنٖۚ(of) everlasting bliss
  17. وَرِضۡوَٰنٞBut the pleasure
  18. مِّنَof
  19. ٱللَّهِAllah
  20. أَكۡبَرُۚ(is) greater
  21. ذَٰلِكَThat
  22. هُوَit
  23. ٱلۡفَوۡزُ(is) the success
  24. ٱلۡعَظِيمُgreat
At-Tawbah · 9:72Madinah

Gardens are promised, but His pleasure is greater.

The highest gift above the gift


What is promised
gardensrivers flowing beneath
good dwellingsin gardens of Eden
and above all
His pleasuregreater than everything
What the heart really wants
the giftsbeautiful, lasting
outshone by
never angry againHis lasting pleasure

Ibn Kathir explains that Allah's pleasure is grander and better than all the delights of Paradise. He cites the Prophet ﷺ: Allah will ask the people of Paradise if they are pleased, then grant them His pleasure and never be angry with them afterwards.

You finish a hard project and your manager says the bonus is coming. Then they add, I am genuinely proud of you. Somehow the second line is what you remember on the drive home. Being accepted matters more than being paid.

Paradise is mostly about the rewards I will get.

The greatest reward is that Allah is pleased with me.

Try this

Do one good deed today hoping only that Allah is pleased, and tell no one.

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

Allah has promised the believers – men and women, – Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in gardens of 'Adn (Eden; Paradise). But the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme success (72)

Good News for the Believers of Eternal Delight

Allah describes the joys and eternal delight He has prepared for the believers, men and women in,

جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا

(Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever) for eternity,

وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً

(and beautiful mansions), built beautifully in good surroundings. In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Abu Musa, 'Abdullah bin Qays Al-Ash'ari said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

جَنَّتَانِ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ آنِيَتُهُمَا وَمَا فِيهِمَا، وَجَنَّتَانِ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ آنِيَتُهُمَا وَمَا فِيهِمَا، وَمَا بَيْنَ الْقَوْمِ وَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَنْظُرُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا رِدَاءُ الْكِبْرِيَاءِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ فِي جَنَّةِ عَدْنٍ

(Two gardens, their pots and whatever is in them are made of gold, and two gardens, their pots and whatever is in them are made of silver. Only the Veil of Pride of Allah's Face separates the people from gazing at Him, in the garden of Eden.) He also narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِنَّ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لَـخَيْمَةً مِنْ لُؤْلُؤَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ مُـجَوَّفَةٍ، طُولُـهَا سِتُّونَ مِيلًا فِي السَّمَاءِ! لِلْمُؤْمِنِ فِيهَا أَهْلُونَ يَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ لَا يَرَى بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا

(For the believer in Paradise there is a tent like a hollow pearl which is sixty miles high in the sky, and in the tent the believer will have (so large) a family that he visits them all and some of them would not be able to see the others.)

The Two Sahihs collected this Hadith. It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَصَامَ رَمَضَانَ، فَإِنَّ حَقًّا عَلَى اللهِ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ هَاجَرَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ، أَوْ (جَلَسَ) فِي أَرْضِهِ الَّتِي وُلِدَ فِيهَا

قالوا: يا رسول الله أفلا نخبر الناس؟ قال:

إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِائَةَ دَرَجَةٍ أَعَدَّهَا اللهُ لِلْمُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ بَيْنَ كُلِّ دَرَجَتَيْنِ كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ، فَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُ اللهَ فَاسْأَلُوهُ الْفِرْدَوْسَ فَإِنَّهُ أَعْلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَأَوْسَطُ الْجَنَّةِ، وَمِنْهُ تَفَجَّرُ أَنْهَارُ الْجَنَّةِ، وَفَوْقَهُ عَرْشُ الرَّحْمَٰنِ

(Whoever believes in Allah and His Messenger, offers prayer perfectly and fasts the month of Ramadan, will rightfully be granted Paradise by Allah, no matter whether he emigrates in Allah's cause, or remains in the land where he is born.) The people said, "O Allah's Messenger! Shall we acquaint the people with this good news?" He said, (Paradise has one-hundred grades which Allah has prepared for the Mujahidin who fight in His cause, the distance between each two grades is like the distance between the heaven and the earth. So, when you ask Allah, ask Him for Al-Firdaws which is the best and highest part of Paradise, from it gush forth the rivers of Paradise and above it is the 'Arsh (Throne) of the Beneficent.)

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِذَا صَلَّيْتُمْ عَلَيَّ فَسَلُوا اللهَ لِيَ الْوَسِيلَةَ

قيل يا رسول الله وما الوسيلة؟ قال:

أَعْلَى دَرَجَةٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لَا يَنَالُهَا إِلَّا رَجُلٌ وَاحِدٌ وَأَرْجُو أَنْ أَكُونَ أَنَا هُوَ

(If you invoke Allah for Salah (blessings) on me, then also invoke Him to grant me Al-Wasilah.) He was asked, "What is Al-Wasilah, O Allah's Messenger?" He said, (The highest grade in Paradise, it will be for only one man, and I hope I am that man.)

The Musnad contains a Hadith from Sa'd bin Mujahid At-Ta'i, that Abu Al-Mudillah said, that Abu Hurayrah said, "We said, 'O Allah's Messenger! Talk to us about Paradise, what is it built of?' He said,

لِبَنَةُ ذَهَبٍ وَلِبَنَةُ فِضَّةٍ، وَمِلَاطُهَا الْمِسْكُ وَحَصْبَاؤُهَا اللُّؤْلُؤُ وَالْيَاقُوتُ، وَتُرَابُهَا الزَّعْفَرَانُ. مَنْ يَدْخُلُهَا يَنْعَمُ لَا يَبْأَسُ وَيَخْلُدُ لَايَمُوتُ، لَا تَبْلَى ثِيَابُهُ وَلَا يَفْنَى شَبَابُهُ

(A brick of gold and a brick of silver. Its mortar is from musk, its gravel is pearls and rubies. Its sand is saffron. Whoever enters it will enjoy the delights, will never be hopeless, and will live forever and will not die. His clothes will never decay nor will his youth ever end.)" Allah said next,

وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ

(But the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah)[9:72], meaning, Allah's pleasure is more grand, greater and better than the delight the believers will be enjoying [in Paradise]. Imam Malik narrated, that Zayd bin Aslam said that 'Ata' bin Yasar said that Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ لِأَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ: يَا أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ فَيَقُولُونَ: لَبَّيْكَ رَبَّنَا وَسَعْدَيْكَ وَالْخَيْرُ فِي يَدَيْكَ. فَيَقُولُ: هَلْ رَضِيتُمْ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: وَمَا لَنَا لَا نَرْضَى يَا رَبِّ وَقَدْ أَعْطَيْتَنَا مَا لَمْ تُعْطِ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِكَ، فَيَقُولُ: أَلَا أُعْطِيكُمْ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: يَا رَبِّ وَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ؟ فَيَقُولُ: أُحِلُّ عَلَيْكُمْ رِضْوَانِي فَلَا أَسْخَطُ عَلَيْكُمْ بَعْدَهُ أَبَدًا

(Allah, the Exalted and Ever High, will say to the people of Paradise, 'O residents of Paradise!' They will say, 'Labbayka (here we are!), our Lord, and Sa'dayk (we are happy at your service!) and all the good is in Your Hand.' He will ask them, 'Are you pleased?' They will say, 'Why would not we be pleased, O Lord, while You have given us what You have not given any other of your creation?' He will say, 'Should I give you what is better than all this?' They will say, 'O Lord! What is better than all this?' He will say, 'I will grant you My pleasure and will never afterwards be angry with you.') The Two Sahihs collected the Hadith of Malik.