Surah Al-Wâqi‘ah 56:16

عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مَّوْضُونَةٍ

56:15-37 In these verses the description of Paradise with words such as Abkâraأبكار, ‘Urubâعُرُبا and Atrâbaأُترابا are objected to by non-Muslims and those who are weak in their faith. They bring these words in connection with female houris and virgins who are waiting for the believers in Paradise. Ignorance of the classical Arabic language and expression is the cause of this widespread assumption. This objection ignores what the Holy Qur’ân says at other places while describing the Paradise. These words describe the utmost beauty of the Paradise. Verses 13:35; 47:15; 57:12 and others clearly convey that the description given for Paradise is only symbolic, and the fact remains that “no soul knows what comfort lies hidden from them in the form of a joy for the eyes as a reward for their righteous deeds” (32:17); and again, “Wing your ways to the protection of your Lord and to Paradise whose expanse is as vast as the heaven and the earth” (3:133; 57:21), in other words no one can conceive the reality and vastness of the Paradise.

The words Abkâraأَبْكَارًا, ‘Urubâعُرُبًا and Atrâbaأَتْرَابًا in verses 36-37 are metaphors of beauty. Allegory and metaphor cannot form the basis of our belief, and the one, who bases his faith on figurative statements, forsaking the basic principles, goes astray and causes others to fall away from the right path. Persons skilled in the use of languages know well that figures of speech and metaphors are the ornament of a language. They make expression very powerful and are especially useful as here, when the ones addressed do not have the capabilities to grasp the nature of a different realm. Furthermore, Metaphors enhance the rhetorical dignity of a book, no matter whether it is the word of God or that of a mortal.