Verses and Translation
إِنِّى جَزَيۡتُهُمُ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ بِمَا صَبَرُوٓاْ أَنَّهُمۡ هُمُ ٱلۡفَآٮِٕزُونَ (١١١)
“Indeed, I have rewarded them this Day for their patient endurance – that they are the attainers [of success].”
Commentary
Firdaus (Paradise) is a common word found in almost all human languages in very nearly similar forms. It means a vast garden adjoining the dwelling of a person and enclosed by defence walls and containing all kinds of fruit trees, especially vines: In some languages, the word has the sense of containing pet birds and animals, too. Firdaus was in common use in pre-Islamic Arabic literature. The Qur’an, however, has used it for a plurality of gardens as in Al-Kahf (18:107). This gives the idea that Firdaus is a vast place containing a great number of gardens, vineyards, etc.
The substance of this passage may be summed up in four parts for the further understanding of the Surah:
(1) Theexcellent qualities of the believers are not confined to any race, nation or country.
(2) These excellences can be attained only by sincere faith and excellent moral qualities, and by the observance of prescribed laws in all the aspects of life.
(3) True success is not confined to transitory worldly and material prosperity but it comprises both success in this life and in the life after death in the Hereafter, and is attained by sincere faith and righteous deeds. This is a fundamental principle which cannot be falsified either by the worldly “success” of the evil-doers or by the temporary “failure” of the righteous people.
(4) Let us reiterate that these excellent characteristics of the believers have been presented as a practical proof of the truth of the Message of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), for these were the result of its acceptance. This should be kept in mind in the study of the succeeding passages, wherein the same subject has been pursued from different angles. This will also help to show the connection between this and the succeeding passages. [Maududi]
The believers are compensated for their patience over all the chastisement they received from those who rejected the message. The word “fa-izun” here is a powerful word which refers to success in a matter that is of life and death; i.e. if you hadn’t succeeded in it, it would have lead to your destruction (such as climbing a difficult mountain). [NAK]