Dual form can imply “many”
The dual form جَنَّتَانِ can be used in Arabic to imply abundance beyond the literal “two”. Thus, “two gardens” can carry the sense of “gardens upon gardens…”.
This nuance shapes how “two” in the ayah can be understood.
وَمِن دُونِهِمَا جَنَّتَانِ
Language points and insights
The phrase in focus
وَمِن دُونِهِمَا جَنَّتَانِ states that “besides (or lesser than) these two (gardens), there are two (other) gardens”.
How to understand “two gardens” in this ayah
Literal reading
“And besides these two (gardens), there are two (other) gardens” — this can be understood as now having four gardens mentioned.
Implication: count of gardens increasesDual-as-multiplicity reading
If جَنَّتَانِ implies “many” rather than literally two, the verse can mean: “Besides each one of those (gardens), there are two gardens” — an ongoing multiplication.
Implication: branching, continued increaseدُون (Doon): semantic range
Lower / lesser / below / inferior
Many scholars of Tafsir stated that the second two gardens are lower in degree or favour than the first two, based on the use of دُون.
Closer / nearer; also “besides”
دُون can also mean something closer or nearer, just as it can mean “besides”. Both of these meanings do not imply being worse, lesser, or inferior.
Highlights
Phrase scope
“Besides these two… two (other) gardens” introduces additional gardens beyond the first mention.
Dual nuance
جَنَّتَانِ may be read literally as “two” or idiomatically as “many”.
On “Doon”
“Lower/lesser/below/inferior” vs. “closer/nearer/besides” — not every sense implies inferiority.
Closing
Putting it together
The ayah presents additional gardens “besides” the first two. Reading the dual as literal yields a count of four; reading it as an idiomatic dual suggests that each garden gives rise to more, implying ongoing multiplication.
The term دُون informs degree: many scholars view the latter pair as lower in favour; yet, because دُون can also mean “closer/nearer” or “besides”, those senses do not necessarily imply anything worse.