And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Like unto pearls and coral." "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" "Is the reward for good anything but good?" "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" "And besides them are two gardens." "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" "Dark green." "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" "In them are two springs gushing." "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" "In them are fruits and date palms and pomegranates." "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" (p-180) "The pearls and coral" are among the things whose beauty is outstanding, and the souls have felt their majesty. Thus, the comparison is made with them not in all attributes but in what is likened and is beautiful with these comparisons. The pearl is in its luster and sheen, and from it is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, regarding the description of the woman among the women of Paradise: "He sees the marrow of her leg through the bone." And the coral is in its luster and the beauty of its appearance. In this manner, the Arabs have named women with these things, like Durrah, the daughter of Abu Lahab, and Marjanah, the mother of Sa'id, and others.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Is the reward for good anything but good?" is a verse, and it promises and expands for the souls of all believers because it is general. Ibn al-Munkadir, Ibn Zayd, and a group of scholars said: It is for the righteous and the wicked. The meaning is that the reward for one who does good by obedience is that He does good to him by granting him bliss. Al-Naqqash reported that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, explained this verse and said: "Is the reward for monotheism anything but Paradise?"

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And besides them are two gardens" has caused people to differ in meaning regarding "besides them." Ibn Zayd and others said: Its meaning is that these two are lesser in rank and status than those two. The first two are the gardens of the foremost, and the latter two are the gardens of the companions of the right. Al-Rummani said: Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The four gardens are for the fearful of the standing before their Lord, exalted is He. Al-Hasan said: The first two are for the foremost, and the latter two are for the followers. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The meaning is "besides them" in proximity to the benefactors, and these two mentioned later are better than the first two. This is indicated by the fact that He described the two springs as gushing and the other two as merely flowing, and He made these two dark green due to the intensity of the blessing, while the first two have branches. Every garden has branches, even if it is not dark green. Most people are inclined toward the first interpretation, and these are not conclusive arguments. It has been narrated from Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: Two gardens for the close ones made of gold, and two gardens for the companions of the right made of silver, which are lesser than the first ones.

And "dark green" means that its color has become dark and black due to the freshness and greenness. This is how Ibn al-Zubair, may Allah be pleased with him, explained it on the pulpit. From it is His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And He who brings forth the pasture" [Al-A'la: 4] "And makes it into a heap of dark debris" [Al-A'la: 5]. And "gushing" refers to the bubbling that causes its water to surge. Ibn Jubayr said: The meaning is two gushing springs with types of fruits, and this is weak.

And He, the Exalted, repeated "the date palms and the pomegranates" because they are not among the fruits. And Yunus ibn Habib and others said, He repeated them - and they are among the best of fruits - in honor of them, as He, the Exalted, said: ﴿And His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 98].