In this verse, it is stated that they will be rewarded for what they said. The question is, are human beings rewarded and admitted into Paradise due to their sayings, or their actions? Here, their saying is a word which is of great importance; the Word of Faith. It means that they believed in the true faith and in all the obligations of faith. Thus, Allah (swt) rewarded them for what they said, for they had acted upon it. As such, this word has great significance, as it comes complete with the actions which prove it. The reward they have been promised is:
(… جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا… ) (…with gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally): The Arabic word of (gardens) comes from the root word which means ‘to be hidden’. So, it refers to gardens densely packed with trees. When Allah (swt) talks about the Paradise, He (swt) says:
مَّثَلُ الْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ
(The example of Paradise, which the righteous have been promised,) (Ar-Ra’d: 35)
This shows that the characteristics that Allah has described the Paradise with which we read in the Holy Quran, are very detailed with respect to us. However, the Paradise is not at all how we perceive it to be in this world, as the Prophet (saws) has said:
Allah said, “I have prepared for My Pious slaves things which have never been seen by an eye, or heard by an ear, or imagined by a human being.”[1]
A person is unable to imagine what he has never seen or been acquainted with before, thus Allah (swt) says: (The example of Paradise,). So when He (swt) says: (with gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow,), definitely, they are not as the gardens and as the rivers of this world.
(… خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا… ) (…, wherein they abide eternally …): This means that the life there will be eternal and there will be no death thereafter.
( وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ… ) (…And that is the reward of doers of good): The (doers of good) are those as defined by the Prophet (saws):
“It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him; and although you do not see Him, He sees you.”[2]
From here, we can know that worship is connected to the awareness that Allah (swt) is constantly aware of His servants’ actions. Worship is thus obedience based on the intellect. The intellect leads to having faith in Allah (swt), obeying Him and obeying His Messenger Muhammad (saws).
[1] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Beginning of Creation, Chapter: The characteristics of Paradise, and the fact that it has already been created, Hadith No. 3072.
[2] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Faith, Chapter: The Questions of Jibril about Islam, Iman, Ihsan and the date of the Last day, Hadith No. 50.