Al-Mutaffifin 83:28 - Linguistic Miracle

A spring, from which those brought close, drink

Commentary covering verses 27–28

Tasnīm comes from the root sīn nūn mīm which means elevation but it has the meaning of lightness inside it as well.⁷⁶ The Arabs used to mix their wines with water to delay the intoxicating effect. Sometimes, the wine was so strong that it intoxicated them immediately. To delay this intoxicating effect, they used to mix it with water. In paradise, Raḥīq will be mixed with Tasnīm. The wine of paradise does not cause intoxication.⁷⁷ Then why mix it with Tasnīm?

Tasnīm is a spring as the next verse says so itself. It is so called because it is the best drink in paradise or that it is a spring on high, even running midair, that by itself comes down and mixes into Raḥīq as it is handed out to be drunk.⁷⁸ Tasnīm is the best drink in paradise. The Arabs used to dilute their wine with water to delay its intoxicating effect. In paradise, wine will be mixed with the best drink possible, not to remove its intoxicating effect (since it does not have any) nor to dilute its taste (as water does when mixed with wine), but to further enhance its taste. Tasnīm is the best drink in paradise, even better than the wine they were given. When it gets mixed, it only increases its taste, not dilutes it.

عَيْنًۭا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا ٱلْمُقَرَّبُونَ

A spring, from which those brought close, drink Ṭabarī and Qurṭubī narrate a number of scholars saying that the best of the best people in paradise, will drink Tasnīm directly from its source whereas those who were below them in righteousness, will only drink it mixed with Raḥīq; on the basis of categorization of the people of paradise into two groups in surah al-Wāqiʿah and this runs true with what this surah says. Allah called on people to compete in righteousness. Here, He describes those who got ahead of others. The foremost among the believers in righteousness will drink Tasnīm directly from its stream while those below them in rank will only have access to it mixed with Raḥīq. Remember that the wine itself tasted so perfect that its incredible scent of musk went unnoticed. Tasnīm surpasses even that. It refers to the pinnacle of taste in paradise. Its taste is not specified, but if a lesser drink can cause the scent of musk to be forgotten, it is better than that.

Secondly, there are a number of possible meanings of this verse as noted by alĀlūsī: ● ● ● ●

Tasnīm is a spring from which they drink A spring from which they get refreshed by drinking They drink while taking pleasure in it They drink while being satisfied with it

All of these are based on the meaning of the preposition Ba.

Worldly drinks may refresh the body or delight the palate. Tasnīm penetrates deeper and refreshes the very soul of the drinker and brings complete inward satisfaction. It is a drink whose taste is not confined to the tongue nor its refreshment and satisfaction to the body. Rather, it reaches the very depths of the soul. Lastly, Allah described the angels with the same words - those brought close - as He does here with the Abrār. This shows that these people have reached the highest level of paradise, right below the throne of God. We often hear in folklore of the angelic realm and imagine wild possibilities of how such a world would be. These people will realize it, attain it, and be the inhabitants of it. Hence, by using the words “those brought close”, Allah is saying that they have reached the highest realm, the very peak of all creation, which, in addition to what is described above, contains such things, that no eye has seen, nor a thought of it has occurred to anyone.⁷⁹ Instead of detailing what those things are like He does with Raḥīq and Tasnīm, He contains all of those inside “those who brought close” to convey their unimaginable nature.

⁷⁶ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 3, p. 1087
⁷⁷ Q. 37:47
⁷⁸ al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, vol. 28, p. 389
⁷⁹ Sahih al-Bukhari 7498