🌟 Dwellers of Paradise [1]: Backdrop to God's Wondrous Heaven.

Cultivated Dwellers of Heaven Share A Drink as Ibn Qarih Starts his Venture to Meeting the Dwellers of Paradise!

Nāzaʿtuhum quḍubu al-rayḥāni murtafaqā || wa-qahwatan muz'zatan rāwūquhā khaḍilu

I wrestled them for sprigs of sweet basil —
Resting my elbow where perfume-laced air would dazzle.
And for a bitter wine, whose spout ran wet —
From vessels whose mouths were ever-moist with fret.

Lā yastafīqūna minhā wa-hiya rāhinatun || illā bihāti wa-in ʿallū, wa-in nahilū

They wake not from her spell, so still she lies,
Except to call “Bring more!” with heavy sighs.
Whether they sip gently, or drink to excess —
Their thirst renews at every breathlessness.

Yasʿā bihā dhū zujājātin lahu nuṭafun || muqallaṣun asfala al-sarbāli muʿtamilu

It is poured by one with crystal flasks in hand,
Small-limbed, his robe pulled up in haste to stand.
Below the waist his shirt clings taut and neat —
A servant swift, attentive on nimble feet.

Wa-mustajībun li-ṣawti al-ṣanji yusmiʿuhu || idhā turajjaʿu fīhi al-qaytatu al-fuḍulu

And one responsive to the clash of brass,
A cymbal’s ring that makes his senses pass.
When echoed in the Qaytah’s noble tune —
The chamber sways beneath its silvered rune.

✨ The Story Continues:

“Oh the Carousers of Paradise Ibn Qarih!”, I imagine you sitting in company with cultivated folks such as Al Mubarrid¹, Ibn Duraid², Ibn Mas’adah³ & Yunus Ibn Habib⁴, to all of whom apply the Holy words; (Surah Hijr, 48-49)

“We will remove whatever bitterness they had in their hearts.¹ In a friendly manner, they will be on thrones, facing one another. No fatigue will touch them there, nor will they ever be asked to leave.”

Find there, Heart of Ahmed ibn Yahya al Baladhuri⁵ cleansed of hatred against Al Mubarrid, and they came to be fast friends. Sibawayh⁶ too, his heart purified from his grudge against Al Kisai⁷ and his friends for the wrong done to him in the Assembly of Barmecides⁸. & the heart of Abu Ubaydah⁹ was reconciled with his rival Al Asma’i¹⁰.

The Angels come to them Ibn Qarih, from every gate. & They say “Peace be upon you, because you are patient. How Excellent, this Ultimate Abode.” and they recite this couplet mentioned. [Oh the Blessed carousers of Paradise].

[Story Continues at the end]

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[Lets learn some Arabic using this couplet!]

🟢 Understanding The Arabic Words in Context:

Couplet 1:
نازَعْتُهُمْ قُضُبُ الرَّيْحانِ مُرْتَفقًا
وَقَهْوَةً مُزَّةً راوُوقُها خَضِلُ

نازَعْتُهُمْ : I contended with them / playfully struggled
قُضُبُ الرَّيْحانِ : branches of basil (symbolic of delight, aromatic allure)
مُرْتَفقًا : as a cushion or support (physical and metaphorical rest)

وَقَهْوَةً مُزَّةً : a bitter wine (قهوة before coffee; muzza = tart, astringent)
راوُوقُها خَضِلُ : its spout is moist, dripping with wine

Couplet 2:
لا يَسْتَفِيقُونَ مِنْها وهْى راهِنَةٌ
إلّا بِهاتِ وَإنْ عَلُّوا،وَإن نَهِلُوا

لا يَسْتَفِيقُونَ : they do not awaken
مِنْها : from it (the wine)
وَهْى راهِنَةٌ : while it still rests (settles, ferments, or captivates them)

إلّا بِهاتِ : except with "Bring!" (an imperative to refill)
وَإنْ عَلُّوا،وَإن نَهِلُوا : even if they sip lightly or drink deeply

Couplet 3:
يَسْعى بها ذُو زُجاجاتٍ لَهُ نُطَفٌ
مُقَلّصُ أَسْفَلَ السَّرْبالِ مُعْتَمِلُ

يَسْعى بها : it is carried
ذُو زُجاجاتٍ : by one with bottles (glass flasks, rare in ancient Arabia)
لَهُ نُطَفٌ : who has delicate features (or small limbs; nutfah = drop/smallness)

مُقَلّصُ أَسْفَلَ السَّرْبالِ : the lower part of his shirt tucked up tightly
مُعْتَمِلُ : bustling about, actively serving

Couplet 4:
ومستجيبٌ لصوت الصّنْجَ يُسْمِعُهُ
إذا تُرَجَّعُ فِيهِ الْقَيتَةُ الْفُضُلُ

مُسْتَجِيبٌ : responsive (to rhythm)
لِصَوْتِ الصَّنْجِ : to the sound of the cymbal
يُسْمِعُهُ : lets him hear it

إذا تُرَجَّعُ فِيهِ : when the melody echoes within
القَيْتَةُ الفُضُلُ : al-qaytah al-fuḍul (a mysterious musical instrument, possibly elite harps or choral chants)

🔵 Intricacies of the Verse:

The verse is actually a parody of heavenly indulgence. The setting showcasing a banquet or gathering suffused with luxurious imagery; fragrance, drink, music, and sensual pleasure. There’s also a tension beneath the surface: intoxication, oblivion, servants with suggestive detail, and surreal atmospherics.

Al Ashaa here uses ornate, imagistic Arabic steeped in Badīʿ (rhetorical embellishments), Tasjīʿ (rhymed prose), and classical rhythm. There's interplay between sensory richness and poetic mystique.

It's a dream-like sequence, lush and ironic. The movement is gradual intoxication → sensorial stillness → eerie procession → musical crescendo. The climax is a surreal orchestra with cymbals and "القَيتَةُ الفُضُلُ", heightening the absurdity. The verse is composed in Ṭawīl (الطويل), one of the oldest and most majestic Arabic meters:

🔘 Roots of words and Their Classical Usages:

Here’s the mega root table

🟡 The Meter of Our Couplet (البحر الشعري):

1. نازَعْتُهُمْ قُضُبُ الرَّيْحانِ مُرْتَفقًا
⏑ – – | ⏑ – – – | ⏑ – – | ⏑ – ⏑ –

No major zihāfāt (deviation) is present, and meter is largely preserved throughout. Occasional metrical license is used in pronunciation, but it adheres cleanly to the Majestic Tawil bahr.

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🌟 Forthcoming:

Ibn Qarih mourns for the death of Aa’sha Maimun, wishing Quraish didn’t turn him back when he turned to the Prophet (PBUH). Had he embraced Islam, A’sha would have been there among them in the gathering, reciting to them marvelous verses such as he composed in the Lower World, telling his conversation with Hawdha Ibn Ali & Aamir Ibn Tufail & Yazid Ibn Mushir and others who praised him, satirised him, feared him or flattered him.

And suddenly, occurs to Ibn Qarih, to have a pleasure Excursion in the Transitory world; so he mounts a camel made of Rubies & Pearls, in the balmy air untouched by heat and cold, and rides aimlessly throughout paradise carrying everlasting provisions.

And as he finds his camel racing between the perfumed hills, he recites this couplet of A’shaa.

This is the verse we’ll look at next time ✨.

1. Al-Mubarrad (محمد بن يزيد المبرد)
A leading grammarian of the Basran school (d. 898 CE), Al-Mubarrad was best known for his masterpiece Al-Kāmil, a comprehensive work on Arabic grammar, rhetoric, and philology. He was a student of Al-Māzinī and a rival to the Kufan school, particularly Al-Kisāʾī and his followers.

2. Ibn Duraid (أبو بكر محمد بن الحسن بن دريد)
A 10th-century lexicographer and poet (d. 933 CE), best known for Jamharat al-Lugha, one of the major Arabic dictionaries. He also wrote Al-Maqsura, a famous poem summarizing grammar and tribal genealogy. A descendant of the Azd tribe, he is considered a bridge between philology and literary elegance.

3. Ibn Mas‘adah (إبن مسعدة)
Likely referring to Al-ʿAbbās ibn al-Faraj al-Riyāshī, known as Ibn Mas‘adah, a grammarian and scholar associated with the Basran school. He was a transmitter of Arabic poetry and closely associated with Al-Mubarrad. Not much is preserved about him independently, but his presence in the scholarly milieu is attested in biographical collections.

4. Yūnus ibn Ḥabīb (يونس بن حبيب)
A senior Basran grammarian of the early 8th century (d. c. 798 CE), he taught both Al-Mubarrad and Sibawayh. A transmitter of Bedouin poetry and linguistic traditions, his opinions were foundational in shaping early Arabic grammatical thought.

5. Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā al-Balādhurī (أحمد بن يحيى البلاذري)
A 9th-century historian and genealogist (d. c. 892 CE), Al-Balādhurī is most famous for Futūḥ al-Buldān (Conquests of the Lands), a key source on the Islamic conquests and early history. Though primarily a historian, his name here is symbolically included among philologists, reflecting his classical Arabic erudition.

6. Sībawayh (سيبويه)
The Persian-born grammarian (d. c. 793 CE) who authored Al-Kitāb, the foundational work of Arabic grammar. A student of Al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad, Sibawayh’s disputes with Kufan scholars, especially the court-backed Al-Kisāʾī, became legendary in grammatical circles.

7. Al-Kisāʾī (علي بن حمزة الكسائي)
Chief grammarian of the Kufan school (d. 805 CE) and one of the seven canonical Qur'anic reciters. He served as a tutor to the Abbasid princes and was a rival to the Basran school. His famous grammatical debate with Sibawayh at the court of Harun al-Rashid was a turning point in the Basra-Kufa rivalry.

8. The place where Kisai Insulted Sibawayh even though History tells he was in the wrong

9. Abū ʿUbaydah (أبو عبيدة معمر بن المثنى)
A renowned philologist and collector of pre-Islamic poetry (d. 825 CE), Abū ʿUbaydah was a staunch Basran and rival to Al-Aṣmaʿī. His works preserve much of the Jahili poetry and Arab lore. He was also known for his anti-tribal bias, especially against the Qaḥṭānī Arabs.

10. Al-Aṣmaʿī (الأصمعي)
A prolific grammarian, poet, and naturalist (d. 831 CE), Al-Aṣmaʿī was known for his fieldwork among Bedouins to preserve authentic Arabic usage. A close associate of Caliph Hārūn al-Rashīd, he often clashed with Abū ʿUbaydah over language purity and cultural values.