Is the description of paradise metaphorical/allegorical/?

[TDWT]

جزاك الله خيرا



is ok to say this? Is this deviance:

It is all metaphorical and allegorical. Ibn Abbas, the cousin of Prophet Muhammad and one of the foremost authority on Quranic exegesis, said:
"Nothing in Paradise resembles anything in the life of this world, except in name.'' In another narration, Ibn Abbas said, "Only the names are similar between what is in this life and what is in Paradise.''

The standard disclaimer is that paradise is beyond description, so ) descriptions given are mostly analogy.

Officially, the afterlife is supposed to be beyond description, so any description is supposed to be metaphorical, not to be taken literally.

﴿وَأُتُواْ بِهِ مُتَشَـبِهاً﴾

(and they will be given things in resemblance). Abu Ja`far Ar-Razi narrated that Ar-Rabi` bin Anas said that Abu Al-`Aliyah said that,

﴿وَأُتُواْ بِهِ مُتَشَـبِهاً﴾

(and they will be given things in resemblance) means, "They look like each other, but the taste is different.'' Also, `Ikrimah said,

﴿وَأُتُواْ بِهِ مُتَشَـبِهاً﴾

(and they will be given things in resemblance) "They are similar to the fruits of this life, but the fruits of Paradise taste better. '' Sufyan Ath-Thawri reported from Al-A`mash, from Abu Thubyan, that Ibn `Abbas said, "Nothing in Paradise resembles anything in the life of this world, except in name.'' In another narration, Ibn `Abbas said, "Only the names are similar between what is in this life and what is in Paradise.''

is it not meant to be taken literally?

 

[Huzaifah ibn Adam]

The belief that Jannah or Jahannam is metaphorical is Kufr. It goes against the Qur'aan, Sunnah and Ijmaa` of the Sahaabah and `Ulamaa of Islaam for the past 1,437 years.

Jannah and Jahannam are both physical. The meaning of the narrations you quoted is that everything in Jannah is much better than the stuff in this Dunyaa, not that Jannah is metaphysical. One of the first people to claim that Jannah is metaphorical was ibn Sinaa, and the `Ulamaa condemned him. He was a doctor and philosopher who went astray from the straight path. May Allaah Ta`aalaa protect us, Aameen.

 

[TDWT]

I am not saying that they don't exist, I was wondering, are the DESCRIPTIONS metaphorical as said here.
It is all metaphorical and allegorical. Ibn Abbas, the cousin of Prophet Muhammad and one of the foremost authority on Quranic exegesis, said:
"Nothing in Paradise resembles anything in the life of this world, except in name.'' In another narration, Ibn Abbas said, "Only the names are similar between what is in this life and what is in Paradise.''

The standard disclaimer is that paradise is beyond description, so ) descriptions given are mostly analogy.

Officially, the afterlife is supposed to be beyond description, so any description is supposed to be metaphorical, not to be taken literally.

 

[MisterK]

The belief that Jannah or Jahannam is metaphorical is Kufr. It goes against the Qur'aan, Sunnah and Ijmaa` of the Sahaabah and `Ulamaa of Islaam for the past 1,437 years.

Jannah and Jahannam are both physical. The meaning of the narrations you quoted is that everything in Jannah is much better than the stuff in this Dunyaa, not that Jannah is metaphysical. One of the first people to claim that Jannah is metaphorical was ibn Sinaa, and the `Ulamaa condemned him. He was a doctor and philosopher who went astray from the straight path. May Allaah Ta`aalaa protect us, Aameen.

I could be mistaken, however, I don't think Op is asking if Jannah is metaphorical or allegorical, nor are they saying it is, but rather is speaking specifically of the descriptions of Jannah.

The post is saying Jannah is said to be indescribeable, beyond what we could currently know. As such, the question is, if Jannah is said to be indescribable, are the descriptions of it metaphorical/allegorical, or maybe symbolic, even (this wouldn't mean Jannah itself is said to be such)?

As an example, describe a skyscraper to a tribe of people who have never left the deep forest, no metal or glass working in their history. You would have to use terms they understood. Giant huts reaching to the sky, supported by trunks of wood harder than any they have seen, covered in hard reflective water or crystal. Or something like that. A skyscraper is much more than that, but hard to describe in limited terms and limited understanding.

Op seems to be asking if the descriptions of Jannah are like that. Something amazing, but described in a way which downplays it because we couldn't understand the true glory/beauty/awe of it.

 

[drac16]

I think some of it's descriptions are metaphorical. For example, in surah 47:15, four different kinds of rivers are mentioned: waters of water, milk, wine and honey. I can't help but think that the rivers in that scripture are merely symbols.

-The water represents cleansing (God will cleanse our souls and take away any suffering in Paradise)

-the milk represents the nurturing of God (since milk is the first drink a baby gets)

-the wine is a symbol of spiritual intoxication (wine is often used as a symbol in sufi poetry)

-the honey is the symbol of eternity, since honey is the only food that never rots

In my opinion, you're diminishing the descriptions of Paradise if you think every description of Paradise is meant to be taken literally. Its pleasures are beyond human comprehension, so the descriptions are there to blow us away-- not to ascertain everything that happens there. We can't deny that Paradise is a real place, though. We know it's a literal place because the prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] traveled there on his night journey.

 

[TDWT]

I could be mistaken, however, I don't think Op is asking if Jannah is metaphorical or allegorical, nor are they saying it is, but rather is speaking specifically of the descriptions of Jannah.

The post is saying Jannah is said to be indescribeable, beyond what we could currently know. As such, the question is, if Jannah is said to be indescribable, are the descriptions of it metaphorical/allegorical, or maybe symbolic, even (this wouldn't mean Jannah itself is said to be such)?

As an example, describe a skyscraper to a tribe of people who have never left the deep forest, no metal or glass working in their history. You would have to use terms they understood. Giant huts reaching to the sky, supported by trunks of wood harder than any they have seen, covered in hard reflective water or crystal. Or something like that. A skyscraper is much more than that, but hard to describe in limited terms and limited understanding.

Op seems to be asking if the descriptions of Jannah are like that. Something amazing, but described in a way which downplays it because we couldn't understand the true glory/beauty/awe of it.

Yeah, that is what I mean.