سورة فصلت

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): نَحْنُ أَوْلِیاؤُکُمْ فِی الْحَیاةِ الدُّنْیا [We are your guardians in the life of this world] — meaning we protected you in this world against the satans. And فِی الْآخِرَةِ [and in the hereafter] — meaning at the time of death we were also your guardians. Then, concerning Paradise, He says: وَ لَکُمْ فِیهَا مَا تَشْتَهِی أَنْفُسُکُمْ وَ لَکُمْ فِیهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ * نُزُلًا مِنْ غَفُورٍ رَحِیمٍ [And you shall have therein what your souls desire and you shall have therein what you ask for — as an entertainment from the Forgiving, the Merciful].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): نَحْنُ أَوْلِیاؤُکُمْ [We are your guardians] — meaning we, the company of angels, are your helpers and beloved in the life of this world; we undertake the delivery of good things to you from Allah the Exalted, and in the hereafter we take you into our care with all kinds of honour and reward.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): نَحْنُ أَوْلِیاؤُکُمْ [We are your guardians] means we are your helpers and friends in the life of this world, entrusted with delivering the grace and favours of the Lord to you. And in the hereafter we will not part from you until you enter Paradise.

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): The believer remains constantly fearful of an evil end ... until the time of death and the coming of the Angel of Death ... These are the palaces of Paradise, and these are the ones who will be your companions and intimates (the noble Imams (peace be upon them) will say:) نَحْنُ أَوْلِیاؤُکُمْ فِی الحَیاةِ الدُّنْیا وَ فِی الْآخِرَةِ وَ لَکُمْ فِیها ما تَشْتَهِی أَنْفُسُکُمْ وَ لَکُمْ فِیها ما تَدَّعُونَ، نُزُلًا مِنْ غَفُورٍ رَحِیمٍ [We are your guardians in the life of this world and in the hereafter, and for you therein is whatever your souls desire, and for you therein is whatever you ask for, as an entertainment from the Forgiving, the Merciful].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ لَکُمْ فِیها ما تَشْتَهِی أَنْفُسُکُمْ وَ لَکُمْ فِیها ما تَدَّعُونَ* نُزُلًا مِنْ غَفُورٍ رَحِیمٍ [And for you therein is whatever your souls desire, and for you therein is whatever you ask for, as an entertainment from the Forgiving, the Merciful]. By Allah, we the Ahl al-Bayt will make these people [in Paradise] recline on our own special cushions.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): There is no believer in Paradise but that he has many gardens with trees, both trellised and untrellised, and rivers of wine, rivers of water, rivers of milk and rivers of honey. Whenever the friend of Allah asks for food, whatever his heart desires is brought to him without his having to speak his desire aloud.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Asim ibn Humayd said: I said: "May I be your ransom! I want to ask you about something that I am ashamed to ask." Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Ask." I said: "Is there music in Paradise?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "In Paradise there is a tree which Allah commands the winds of Paradise [to move upon], and the winds blow and [the branches and leaves of that tree are set in motion and] produce sounds the like of which no one has ever heard in beauty." Then he said: "This blessing is the reward of one who in the world, out of fear of Allah, kept away from listening to entrancing music."