The example [i.e., description] of Paradise, which the righteous have been promised, is [that] beneath it rivers flow. Its fruit is lasting, and its shade. That is the consequence for the righteous, and the consequence for the disbelievers is the Fire.
Punishment of the Disbelievers and Reward of the Pious Believers
Here, Allah mentions the punishment of the disbelievers and the reward of the righteous believers, after describing the Kufr and Shirk that the disbelievers indulge in,
لَّهُمْ عَذَابٌ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا
(For them is a torment in the life of this world,) by the hands of the believers, killing and capturing them,
وَلَعَذَابُ الاٌّخِرَةِ
(and certainly, the torment of the Hereafter.) which will come after they suffer humiliation in this life,
أَشُقَّ
(is harder) many times harder. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to those who agreed to Mula`anah,
In the verse: أَفَمَنْ هُوَ قَائِمٌ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ (Is then He, who is watchful over everyone ... 33), the ignorance and irrationality of the disbelievers has been exposed by saying that these people are certainly short on sense when they equate inert idols with His pure Being, a Being that watches everyone and is the ultimate reckoner of everyone's deeds. Then, it was said that the real reason behind their unreasonable attitude is that shaitan has made their very ignorance look good in their sight and, therefore, this they take to be 'achievement' and 'success.'
Tazkirul Quran
Maulana Wahiduddin KhanOn ayahs 35–36
The price of paradise is the fear of God, that is, such an intense realization of God’s Majesty that it turns into awe and permeates the human heart. Those who are God-fearing in this world will be the ones who will be lodged in the abodes of the Hereafter where man will have nothing to fear and around which there will be gardens that will enhance their beauty. The condition of the people who were without fear of God in this world will be just the opposite. In the Hereafter, they will find themselves surrounded by the fire of hell.
Uthmani text of the Madinah mushaf (King Fahd Complex). Translation: Saheeh International. Tafsir via Quran.com.
![Surah Ar-Ra'd 13:35 in Arabic with its translation: “The example [i.e., description] of Paradise, which the righteous have been promised, is [that] beneath it…”](/surah/ar-rad/35/image.jpg)