﴿وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُواْ الطَّـغُوتَ أَن يَعْبُدُوهَا﴾

(Those who avoid At-Taghut by not worshipping them) was revealed concerning Zayd bin `Amr bin Nufayl and Abu Dharr and Salman Al-Farisi, may Allah be pleased with them. The correct view is that it includes them and all others who avoided worshipping idols and turned to the worship of Ar-Rahman. These are the people for whom there is good news in this world and in the Hereafter. Then Allah says:

﴿فَبَشِّرْ عِبَادِالَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَـتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ﴾

(so announce the good news to My servants -- those who listen to the Word and follow the best thereof,) meaning, those who understand it and act in accordance with it. This is like the Words of Allah, may He be exalted, to Musa, peace be upon him, when He gave him the Tawrah:

﴿فَخُذْهَا بِقُوَّةٍ وَأْمُرْ قَوْمَكَ يَأْخُذُواْ بِأَحْسَنِهَا﴾

(Hold unto these with firmness, and enjoin your people to take the better therein) (7:145).

﴿أُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمُ اللَّهُ﴾

(those are whom Allah has guided) means, those who are described in this manner are the ones whom Allah has guided in this world and the Hereafter.

﴿وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمْ أُوْلُو الاٌّلْبَـبِ﴾

(and those are men of understanding.) means, they possess sound reasoning and an upright nature.

﴿أَفَمَنْ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ كَلِمَةُ الْعَذَابِ أَفَأَنتَ تُنقِذُ مَن فِى النَّارِ - لَـكِنِ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَواْ رَبَّهُمْ لَهُمْ غُرَفٌ مِّن فَوْقِهَا غُرَفٌ مَّبْنِيَّةٌ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ لاَ يُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ الْمِيعَادَ ﴾

(19. Is, then one against whom the Word of punishment is justified (equal to the one who avoids evil) Will you rescue him who is in the Fire) (20. But those who have Taqwa of their Lord, for them are built lofty rooms, one above another under which rivers flow. (This is) the promise of Allah, and Allah does not fail in (His) promise.) Allah says, `if He has decreed that someone is to be doomed, can you save him from his misguidance and doom' Which means, no one can guide him apart from Allah, because whomever Allah leaves astray cannot be guided, and whomever He guides cannot be led astray. Then Allah tells us that His blessed servants will have lofty rooms in Paradise.

﴿مِّن فَوْقِهَا غُرَفٌ مَّبْنِيَّةٌ﴾

(are built lofty rooms, one above another), story upon story, solidly-constructed, adorned and high. `Abdullah bin Al-Imam Ahmad recorded that `Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah said:

«إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لَغُرَفًا يُرَى بُطُونُهَا مِنْ ظُهُورِهَا، وَظُهُورُهَا مِنْ بُطُونِهَا»

(In Paradise there are rooms whose inside can be seen from the outside, and the outside can be seen from the inside.) A bedouin asked, `Who are they for, O Messenger of Allah' He said,

«لِمَنْ أَطَابَ الْكَلَامَ، وَأَطْعَمَ الطَّعَامَ، وَصَلَّى بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَام»

(For those who speak kindly, feed the hungry and stand in prayer at night whilst the people are sleeping.)'' This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said, "Hasan Gharib''. Imam Ahmad recorded from Sahl bin Sa`d, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah said:

«إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ لَيَتَرَاءَوْنَ فِي الْغُرْفَةِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، كَمَا تَرَاءَوْنَ الْكَوْكَبَ فِي أُفُقِ السَّمَاء»

(The people of Paradise will look towards each other in raised places of Paradise as you look towards the stars on the horizons of the sky.) He said, "I told An-Nu`man bin Abi `Ayyash about that, and he said, `I heard Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, narrate it:

«كَمَا تَرَاءَوْنَ الْكَوْكَبَ الَّذِي فِي الْأُفُقِ الشَّرْقِيِّ أَوِ الْغَرْبِي»

(As you see the stars on the horizon of the east or the west.)''' It was also recorded in the Two Sahihs. Imam Ahmad said, "Fazarah narrated to us; Fulayh narrated to us; from Hilal bin `Ali, from `Ata' bin Yasar, from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah said:

«إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ لَيَتَرَاءَوْنَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَهْلَ الْغُرَفِ، كَمَا تَرَاءَوْنَ الْكَوْكَبَ الدُّرِّيَّ الْغَارِبَ فِي الْأُفُقِ الطَّالِعِ، فِي تَفَاضُلِ أَهْلِ الدَّرَجَات»

(The people of Paradise will look towards each other in the raised places of Paradise as you look at the high, bright stars which remain on the horizon. Such will be the difference in superiority which some of them have over others.) They said, "O Messenger of Allah, are those the abodes of the Prophets'' He said:

«بَلَى، وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، وَأَقْوَامٌ آمَنُوا بِاللهِ وَصَدَّقُوا الرُّسُل»

(No, by the One in Whose Hand is my soul, they are the abodes of people who believed in Allah and in the Messengers.) It was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said, "Hasan Sahih.''

﴿تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَـرُ﴾

(under which rivers flow.) means, the rivers flow wherever the people want them to flow.

﴿وَعَدَ اللَّهُ﴾

((This is) the promise of Allah,) means, `all that We have mentioned here is what Allah has promised to His believing servants.'

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ﴾

(and Allah does not fail in (His) promise.)

﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعاً مُّخْتَلِفاً أَلْوَانُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِـيجُ فَـتَرَاهُ مُصْفَـرّاً ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ حُطَـماً إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لَذِكْرَى لاٌّوْلِى الاٌّلْبَـبِ - أَفَمَن شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَهُ لِلإِسْلَـمِ فَهُوَ عَلَى نُورٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَـسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ مِّن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أُوْلَـئِكَ فِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴾

(21. See you not that Allah sends down water from the sky, and causes it to penetrate the earth, as water springs, and afterward thereby produces crops of different colors, and afterward they wither and you see them turn yellow; then He makes them dry and broken pieces. Verily, in this is a reminder for men of understanding.) (22. Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from his Lord So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah! They are in plain error!)