وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِى صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ وَقَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى هَدَىٰنَا لِهَـٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِىَ لَوْلَآ أَنْ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ ۖ لَقَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَنُودُوٓا۟ أَن تِلْكُمُ ٱلْجَنَّةُ أُورِثْتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ 43
Translations
And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment, [while] flowing beneath them are rivers. And they will say, "Praise to Allāh, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allāh had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with the truth." And they will be called, "This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do."
Transliteration
Wa nazaʿnā mā fī ṣudūrihim min ghillin tajrī min taḥtihimu al-anhār wa qālū al-ḥamdu lillāhi alladhī hadānā li-hādhā wa mā kunnā li-nahtadī law-lā an hadānā al-Allāh; laqad jāʾat rusulu rabbin-ā bi-al-ḥaqq wa nūdū an tilkumu al-jannatu ūrithtumūhā bi-mā kuntum taʿmalūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the state of the believers in Paradise: Allah has removed all rancor, envy, and ill-will from their hearts, and they dwell in gardens with rivers flowing beneath them. Upon entering Paradise, they praise Allah for guiding them, acknowledging that without His guidance they could never have found the straight path, and they testify that the messengers came with truth. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, the removal of 'ghillin' (rancor/malice) signifies the purification of hearts in the afterlife, and their statement reflects gratitude for divine guidance and acknowledgment of their deeds as the means of inheritance of Paradise.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of a broader Meccan surah that discusses the day of judgment and the final abodes of believers and disbelievers. The context here describes the scene in Paradise when believers enter it, serving as encouragement for the believers facing persecution in Mecca to remain steadfast, and as a reminder of the ultimate reward for those who follow the messengers with sincere hearts.
Related Hadiths
1) 'Whoever enters Paradise will not wish to return to the world even if offered everything in it, except the martyr who will wish to return to be martyred again' (Sahih Bukhari 2817). 2) The Prophet ﷺ said, 'In Paradise, a believer will have such a large garden as would be between the earth and the heavens' (Sahih Muslim 2825), emphasizing the boundless blessings of the righteous.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true success lies in sincere gratitude to Allah for His guidance and in recognizing that our righteous deeds are themselves blessings from Him; it also reminds us that in the afterlife, all worldly grievances and ill-feelings dissolve, emphasizing the importance of purifying our hearts from malice in this life as a means of attaining such spiritual peace in the next.