The reference to the connected ones is omitted, meaning: Allah has promised the righteous and what they desire. It was said: 'it was,' because what Allah has promised alone is, in its realization, as if it has already been. Or it was written in the Preserved Tablet before He created them over long periods: that Paradise is their reward and destination. If you say: what is the meaning of His saying, 'it was for them a reward and a destination?' I say: it is like His saying: 'Excellent is the reward and good is the resting place,' thus praising the reward and its place. As He said: 'Evil is the drink and bad is the resting place,' thus condemning the punishment and its place. This is because the bliss does not complete for the one enjoying it except with a pleasant place, its spaciousness, and its agreement with desire and inclination, and that it does not cause discomfort. Likewise, punishment is multiplied by the unpleasantness of the place and its narrowness, darkness, and its gathering of causes of discomfort and aversion. Therefore, the destination is mentioned along with the reward. The pronoun in 'it was' refers to what they desire. The promise is the promised thing, meaning: that was a promised obligation upon your Lord to fulfill, truly deserving to be asked for and sought, because it is a reward and a rightful wage. It is said: the people and the angels have asked Him in their supplications: 'Our Lord, grant us what You promised us through Your messengers. Our Lord, grant us in this world good and in the Hereafter good. Our Lord, and admit them to the Gardens of Eternity which You promised them.'