تَعْرِفُ فِى وُجُوهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ ٱلنَّعِيمِ 24
Translations
You will recognize in their faces the radiance of pleasure.
Transliteration
Ta'rifu fee wujuhihim nadrat al-na'im
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how the faces of the righteous in Paradise will radiate with the glow and beauty of blessings (nadrah al-na'im). Ibn Kathir explains that nadrah refers to a luminous freshness and radiance that becomes visible on their countenances as a result of their enjoying eternal bliss and divine favor. Al-Qurtubi notes this as evidence of the physical, perceptible joys of Paradise that affect even the outward appearance of the blessed.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the latter portion of Surah Al-Mutaffifin, which is a Meccan surah condemning those who defraud in weights and measures. The surah contrasts the fate of the defrauders with that of the righteous believers, describing the latter's reward in Paradise. This ayah is part of the surah's vivid depiction of the blessed state of the righteous in the Hereafter.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The inhabitants of Paradise will look at the dwellings of the people in the upper stories above them as you look at the stars in the sky' (Sahih Bukhari 4879). Additionally, Hadith Qudsi mentions Allah saying about the righteous: 'I have prepared for My righteous servants that which no eye has seen and no ear has heard' (Sahih Bukhari 3244).
Themes
Key Lesson
The radiance visible on the faces of the righteous in Paradise symbolizes that true success and honor manifest both inwardly and outwardly; believers should strive for righteousness with the knowledge that their ultimate reward will be visible, eternal, and beyond imagination.