The 365 · Verses · Day 355 · Hope
Allah did not say 'tell' the believers. He said 'bashshir' (give them glad tidings). Bushrā (glad news) is a Qur'anic verb of joy: the angel said it to Maryam, the angel said it to Zakariyyā, the believers will hear it from angels at death. Today's verse commands the Prophet ﷺ to bring this verb into the believer's life now. The bushrā of Paradise is meant to be delivered, not held in reserve.
Qur'an 2:25
وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ كُلَّمَا رُزِقُوا۟ مِنْهَا مِن ثَمَرَةٍ رِّزْقًا ۙ قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِى رُزِقْنَا مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَأُتُوا۟ بِهِۦ مُتَشَـٰبِهًا ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِيهَآ أَزْوَٰجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ ۖ وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ
“And give glad tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds, that for them are gardens beneath which rivers flow. (al-Baqarah 2:25)”
Svenska: Och ge glada budskap till dem som tror och utför rättfärdiga handlingar, att för dem är trädgårdar under vilka floder strömmar. (al-Baqarah 2:25)
The story
Sūrat al-Baqarah opens with the dual portrait: the muttaqīn praised, the disbelievers warned, the hypocrites exposed. After all three are named, Allah pivots immediately to the believers and commands the Prophet ﷺ to gladden them. The verse comes early in the longest sūrah of the Qur'an, setting the emotional center: this whole Book is, at heart, a vehicle of bushrā.
In the language
'Bashshir' is from bushr, the verb of bringing good news. It is in the imperative second-person singular: addressed to the Prophet ﷺ directly. He is commanded to be the messenger of bushrā to his Ummah. The deep root: bashar (skin) and bashshir (gladden) share the same root because good news visibly changes a face. The verb literally means: tell them news that will change their face.
Why this verse
Today's verse is the Qur'an's instruction in tone. Allah's emphasis is that Paradise must be DELIVERED, not just believed in. Speak it to yourself this morning. Speak it to a believer you know.
Bring it into today
When we speak with other believers, do we deliver bushrā or anxiety? The Sunnah of the dāʿī is the Sunnah of bushrā: name the Gardens, name the mercy, name the forgiveness. The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Make things easy, do not make them difficult; give glad tidings, do not make people flee' (Bukhari 69, Muslim 1734).
A reflection to carry
The Qur'an's commission to the Prophet ﷺ is bashshir. The believer's voice carries Garden news. Speak in this verb.
Read the longer reflection
There is a deep teaching here about how a believer speaks to other believers. The Prophet ﷺ was commanded to be a bringer of bushrā. He was also commanded to be a warner, but the order in al-Baqarah 2:25 puts gladness first. The believer's first word should change a face for the better. We have an Ummah famished for good news; we have hearts that wake up bracing. Allah's instruction is countercultural: bashshir. Tell them the Gardens. Tell them the rivers. Tell them what awaits the believer who believes and acts. The verse is the founding instruction of all daʿwah: lead with bushrā. Warning has its place, but gladness opens the door. May our tongues be tongues of bushrā, and may the face of every believer we meet leave us a little brighter.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
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