55:56

QURANHIVE

Ayah and translation

فِيهِنَّ قَاصِرَاتُ الطَّرْفِ لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌّ

“In them are women restricting [their] glances, untouched before them by man or Jinn”.
Awaiting the God‑conscious What souls desire Total purity

Overview and Core Themes

  • This ayah describes the female company awaiting those who fear standing before their Lord, presenting a reward that mirrors restraint observed in worldly life.
  • The Qur’an addresses male recipients explicitly here; scholarly explanations note that both men and women receive what they desire in Paradise, with women’s delights kept unspoken out of modesty while the promise remains comprehensive.
  • The verse underscores purity and exclusivity: restricting glances and complete untouchedness by any human or Jinn.
“Just as punishment in Hell is commensurate with deeds, the companionship reward is for those who restrained themselves and stayed within Allah’s limits in the world.”

Language Points and Insights

قَاصِرَاتُ الطَّرْفِ — Restricting the gaze

Qaasiraat (fem. pl. of Qaasirah) from qasara: “to shorten, restrain, curb, confine”.

Describes women whose eye (at‑tarf) is constrained—their sight is restricted to you and does not go beyond you; their gaze is fixated upon you alone.

Al‑Ālūsī suggested an additional nuance: those who behold them will not be able to take their eyes away from them.

لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ — Untouched

“Have not been touched by a human nor Jinn before them” denotes virginity—no intimate relations prior to their companions.

Some suggested these are women of the world newly raised, purified, and perfected; the majority understand them as a new special creation in Paradise.

Comprehensive Promise and Modesty

Addressed with modesty; promise is inclusive

Explicit mention focuses on male company; scholars note that women’s delights are not detailed out of modesty, while the guarantee covers all—“you will have therein whatever your souls desire.”

وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ

“And you will have therein whatever your souls desire, and you will have therein whatever you request [or wish]”.

Fussilat (31)

Reward mirrors restraint

The companionship reward corresponds to those who restrained themselves and observed Allah’s limits in the world.

Ins and Jinn: Total Negation and Scope

Pairing for comprehensiveness

The Qur’an often pairs humans (ins) and jinn to indicate comprehensiveness. Here it emphasizes absolute untouchedness—by any human or Jinn—as a rhetorical device of total negation.

Suggested readings

It is also suggested that humans and Jinn have their respective spouses in separate gardens—no human touches the human companion, and no Jinn touches the Jinn’s companion.

Although yatmith denotes intimate contact, a suggested nuance regarding Jinn is freedom from whispering—complete purity.

Focused Gaze and Exclusive Devotion

Meaning in focus

“Restricting the glances” conveys exclusive attention—their sight does not go beyond their companion. A complementary note by Al‑Ālūsī highlights the irresistible beauty perceived by the beholder.

Precision Summary

Purity

Untouched by human or Jinn—unambiguous, total purity.

Origin

Majority: a new special creation; a view also exists of purified women of the world.

Measure

Reward proportionate to worldly restraint and adherence to limits.

Ayah 56