وَكَوَاعِبَ أَتْرَابًا 33
Translations
And full-breasted [companions] of equal age.
Transliteration
wa-kawāʿiba ʾatrāban
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the companions of Paradise as 'kawāʿib' (full-breasted, young women in their prime) who are 'atrāb' (of equal age and beauty to one another). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that these descriptions emphasize the perfect beauty, youth, and compatibility of the righteous women in Jannah, created without any physical or emotional defects. The phrase highlights the completeness of reward and companionship that awaits the believers in Paradise.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Naba, a Meccan surah that emphasizes the certainty of the Day of Judgment and the vivid descriptions of Paradise and Hell. The surah uses detailed sensory imagery to convince the disbelievers of the reality of the Hereafter. This particular ayah is part of a broader section (78:31-34) describing the rewards of the righteous in Paradise.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said regarding the inhabitants of Paradise: 'In Paradise, there are things that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has ever imagined' (Sahih Bukhari 3244). Additionally, Hadith Qudsi mentions that Allah has prepared for His righteous servants what no eye has seen and no ear has heard.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that the rewards of Paradise surpass all earthly understanding and desires, serving as motivation for righteous deeds in this life. For modern readers, it emphasizes that the ultimate goal of the believer should be to attain Paradise through obedience to Allah, rather than pursuing fleeting worldly pleasures.
Related Ayahs
عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مَّوْضُونَةٍ
On thrones woven [with ornament],
عَيْنًا فِيهَا تُسَمَّىٰ سَلْسَبِيلًا
[From] a fountain within it [i.e., Paradise] named Salsabeel.
عَـٰلِيَهُمْ ثِيَابُ سُندُسٍ خُضْرٌ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٌ ۖ وَحُلُّوٓا۟ أَسَاوِرَ مِن فِضَّةٍ وَسَقَىٰهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَابًا طَهُورًا
Upon them [i.e., the inhabitants] will be green garments of fine silk and brocade. And they will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a purifying drink.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِىَّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ ۖ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
O you who have believed, repent to Allāh with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allāh will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, "Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent."