One letter!

وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ ڪَفَرُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا‌ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا فُتِحَتۡ أَبۡوَٲبُهَا

 And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups, till, when they reach it, the gates thereof will be opened (suddenly like a prison at the arrival of the prisoners). (Az-Zumar: Verse 71)

وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوۡاْ رَبَّہُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡجَنَّةِ زُمَرًا‌ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا وَفُتِحَتۡ أَبۡوَٲبُهَا

And those who kept their duty to their Lord will be led to Paradise in groups, till, when they reach it, and its gates will be opened (before their arrival for their reception) (Az-Zumar: Verse 73)

The minute difference of one letter between these 2 verses can only be seen in its original form in the Arabic language. Thus, I will do my best to explain it to the reader. Verse 71 refers to those who disbelieved, and how they will be on the day of reckoning. As they approach hell, its gates will suddenly open. There is no pause, or no letter in between “approach” and “open”, emphasizing how quick and sudden it will be.

Going to Verse 73, it describes that same day, but for those who believed. As they approach heaven, and its gates open. Now what is the difference linguistically between this verse and the previous one? Notice after the word “approach”, there is the word “and” or وَ before the word “open”. Why is there a وَ here but not in the previous scenario? This وَ, although one simple letter, makes all the difference in this situation. As the believers see heaven, and its gates open; this “and” in the middle tells you that it is not sudden, they will not be taken by surprise like the disbelievers were. This “and” is a sign of comfort, ease, joy. For example, when telling a happy tale, the author may say, “As the boy arrived to his house, and smelt the scent of freshly grown flowers, and heard familiar sounds of birds chirping, etc”. You see what the word “and” does? It shows the joy and happiness. However, when an author tells a scary tale, it may be something like this: “The boy walked up to the house…suddenly rain poured, wind gushed, etc”. The word and is not used here to emphasize the frightening scene.

God, the best, most wise author has told us this tale of 2 verses in such a unique manner. How can we be oblivious to this truth?!