The Number of Gardens in Paradise
By Ansar Al-‘Adl
This article The Number of Gardens in Paradise belongs to the category Refuting Allegations of Internal Contradictions in the Qur’an
Concerning the Fourth Alleged Contradiction:
How many gardens are there in Paradise? One (as stated in Surah Az-Zumar 39:73, Surah Fussilat 41:30, Surah Al-Hadid 57:21, Surah An-Nazi’at 79:41) or Many (Surah Al-Kahf 18:31, Surah Al-Hajj 22:23, Surah Fatir 35:33, Surah An-Naba’ 78:32)?
Before explaining this allegation, let us first quote some of the relevant verses:
(Surah Az-Zumar ayat 73) And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Garden in crowds: until behold, they arrive there; its gates will be opened; and its keepers will say: “Peace be upon you! well have ye done! enter ye here, to dwell therein.”
(Surah Al-Kahf ayat 31) For them will be Gardens of Eternity; beneath them rivers will flow; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade: They will recline therein on raised thrones. How good the recompense! How beautiful a couch to recline on!
The answer to this may have already become obvious to the reader. Nevertheless, here is a brief summary of the explanations:
- Paradise is one vast Garden prepared as a reward for the believers, which itself is composed of many individual gardens within it.
- The phrasing of the question is also significant: “How many gardens are there in Paradise?” The Arabic word Jannah can mean both garden and Paradise. Thus, the question becomes similar to asking, “How many gardens are there in the garden?” This supports the first explanation.
- Jannah in the Qur’an is used as a generic noun, referring to Paradise as a whole, composed of many individual gardens. This is similar to saying, “The computer is a great invention,” which does not refer to one specific computer but to computers in general.
Source : Call To Monotheism
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