BOOK 2 – ETHICO-METAPHYSICAL FOUNDATIONS
ِ ِ ﲔ َ ت َوَﻣﺎ َْﳓ ُﻦ ﲟَ ْﺴﺒُﻮﻗ َ رﻧَﺎ ﺑـَْﻴـﻨَ ُﻜ ُﻢ اﻟْ َﻤ ْﻮْ َْﳓ ُﻦ ﻗَﺪ ل أ َْﻣﺜَﺎﻟَ ُﻜ ْﻢ َوﻧـُْﻨ ِﺸﺌَ ُﻜ ْﻢ ِﰲ َﻣﺎ َﻻ ﺗَـ ْﻌﻠَ ُﻤﻮ َن َ َﻋﻠَﻰ أَ ْن ﻧـُﺒَﺪ ﻛُﺮو َن ُوﱃ ﻓَـﻠَ ْﻮَﻻ ﺗَ َﺬ َ ْﺸﺄَةَ ْاﻷَوﻟَ َﻘ ْﺪ َﻋﻠِ ْﻤﺘُ ُﻢ اﻟﻨ “We have decreed death to be your common lot, and We are not to be frustrated from changing your forms and creating you (again) in (forms) that you know not. And you certainly know already the first form of (your) creation. Why then you heed not?” (56:60-62). Thus the conditions of life and nature of experience, in the next world will be so different from what we know and experience now in the phenomenal world that presently we can only imagine it and must find it impossible to comprehend it truly:
ٍ ُ ﺮةِ أ َْﻋُﺧ ِﻔﻲ َﳍُﻢ ِﻣ ْﻦ ﻗُـ ﲔ َﺟَﺰاءً ِﲟَﺎ َﻛﺎﻧُﻮا ﻳـَ ْﻌ َﻤﻠُﻮ َن ْ َ ْ ﺲ َﻣﺎ أ ٌ ﻓَ َﻼ ﺗَـ ْﻌﻠَ ُﻢ ﻧـَ ْﻔ “Now no person knows what delights of the eyes
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are,
kept hidden (in reserve) for them (in Heaven)—as a reward for their (good) Deeds.” (32:17). 2. Now life and experience in Heaven (as also in Hell) being on a different plane, it can be described to us here only by symbols and metaphors. And this is what the Holy Qur’an has plainly affirmed; as, for instance, when it gives the
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“delights of the eyes” is an idiom for that which gives the highest
satisfaction. It should not be taken to mean sensuous pleasure. 575