۞ وَيَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ وِلْدَٰنٌ مُّخَلَّدُونَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ حَسِبْتَهُمْ لُؤْلُؤًا مَّنثُورًا 19
Translations
There will circulate among them young boys made eternal. When you see them, you would think them [as beautiful as] scattered pearls.
Transliteration
Wa-yatoofu 'alayhim wildanun mukhalladorun. Iza ra'aytahum hasabtahum lu'lu'an manthura.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the eternal youths (ghilman) who will serve the inhabitants of Paradise, circulating among them with drinks and provisions. The phrase 'if you saw them, you would think them scattered pearls' emphasizes their extraordinary beauty and radiance—they possess a lustre and brightness that resembles the lustrous quality of pearls strewn about. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir note that these youths are eternally youthful and will never age, serving as part of the countless blessings awaiting the righteous in Paradise.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Insan (Chapter 76), a Medinan surah that comprehensively describes the rewards of Paradise for the believers and the contrasting punishments for the disbelievers. The entire surah was revealed to emphasize the reality of the afterlife and motivate the companions toward righteous action. This particular ayah contributes to the detailed portrayal of Paradise's magnificence in verses 12-22.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said regarding the youths of Paradise: 'In Paradise there are youths who will not age, just as the sun does not age' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet described Paradise's inhabitants as having eternal youth and beauty as a sign of Allah's infinite generosity.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that the blessings of Paradise surpass human imagination and comparison, encouraging believers to remain steadfast in obedience and to view worldly hardships as temporary in light of eternal, incomparable rewards.
Related Ayahs
فَهُوَ فِى عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ
So he will be in a pleasant life -
مَّثَلُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ٱلَّتِى وُعِدَ ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ ۖ فِيهَآ أَنْهَـٰرٌ مِّن مَّآءٍ غَيْرِ ءَاسِنٍ وَأَنْهَـٰرٌ مِّن لَّبَنٍ لَّمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُۥ وَأَنْهَـٰرٌ مِّنْ خَمْرٍ لَّذَّةٍ لِّلشَّـٰرِبِينَ وَأَنْهَـٰرٌ مِّنْ عَسَلٍ مُّصَفًّى ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ كَمَنْ هُوَ خَـٰلِدٌ فِى ٱلنَّارِ وَسُقُوا۟ مَآءً حَمِيمًا فَقَطَّعَ أَمْعَآءَهُمْ
Is the description of Paradise, which the righteous are promised, wherein are rivers of water unaltered, rivers of milk the taste of which never changes, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey, in which they will have from all [kinds of] fruits and forgiveness from their Lord... [Are its inhabitants] like those who abide eternally in the Fire and are given to drink scalding water that will sever their intestines?
وَظِلٍّ مَّمْدُودٍ
And shade extended.
لَا يَسْمَعُونَ حَسِيسَهَا ۖ وَهُمْ فِى مَا ٱشْتَهَتْ أَنفُسُهُمْ خَـٰلِدُونَ
They will not hear its sound, while they are, in that which their souls desire, abiding eternally.