In the series titled “The Literary Elegance of the Noble Qur’an,” we are looking onto the eighth part. In the Qur’an, we have been selecting verses that are not used in their direct literal meaning but are used in a literary sense, and we are understanding the literary elegance within them.
Coolness of Eyes
In that way, when the Qur’an speaks about matters that bring joy to a human being, happiness, and complete contentment of the heart, it uses a unique word. That is, the Qur’an uses the expression “coolness of the eyes.” If a person has a beautiful life, good children, wealth and comforts, and if we want to say that his heart is completely satisfied, we would need to use many words to describe all that. Instead of using many words, Allahﷻ encompasses all those meanings within a single expression and makes it “coolness of the eyes” — and Allahﷻ uses the word qurratu a’yun (coolness of the eyes).
Among the human body parts, you cannot show that a person is truly happy by looking at his hands. You cannot show it by looking at his legs. You cannot determine that he is happy by looking at his nose. But you can determine it by looking at his eyes. If a person is extremely happy and fulfilled, that happiness will be visible in his eyes. Worry is visible in the eyes. Joy is visible in the eyes. When someone is completely happy, a person who looks at his eyes can understand that he is extremely happy. Look at the eyes of a newly married groom — you can see the glow of happiness in them. Or suppose someone hears the joyful news that he has been blessed with a child — when he hears that happy news, Allahﷻ places a distinct expression in his eyes. It is only a small organ, yet through the eyes one can show anger, one can show sorrow, one can show happiness. When someone looks with an angry glare, it is the eyes we notice. When he rolls his eyes in a certain way, we understand that he is angry.
Likewise, when a person has been given abundant blessings and lacks nothing and his heart is joyful, one of the words the Qur’an uses to describe that is qurratu ‘ayn — coolness of the eyes. Now when we say “coolness of the eyes,” does it mean if you touch the eye it will feel cool? What is the direct meaning of coolness of the eyes? The literal meaning would be that the eyes are cool. If we touch the eye, will it be like ice? Like a block of ice frozen? No, that is not the case. The eye does not literally become cool like that. All body parts remain at their normal temperature; the eyes are the same. So can we interpret “coolness of the eyes” literally? Literally speaking, no one’s eyes are actually cool in that sense. Yet Allahﷻ uses the word “coolness of the eyes.” What meaning does He intend by it? It means full happiness, complete contentment.
In many places Allahﷻ uses this word for various matters. For example, Allahﷻ teaches us a supplication. How does He teach it? “Rabbana” — Our Lord, “hab lana” — grant us, “min azwajina” — from our spouses, “wa dhurriyyatina” — and from our offspring, “qurrata a’yun” — grant us coolness of the eyes. Let our eyes be cooled when we look at our spouses. Let our eyes be cooled when we look at our children. From our spouses — if one is a woman, then from her husband; from one’s life partner — and from our children, grant us coolness of the eyes. Allahﷻ teaches that the righteous servants make this supplication.
Instead of asking Allahﷻ for many bungalows and such things, if you ask, “O Lord, grant me coolness of the eyes,” everything is included in that. When you say that one word — coolness of the eyes — it includes complete satisfaction. When will coolness appear in the eyes? Only when there is total fulfillment in every aspect: wealth is sufficient, the spouse is good, the children are good, there is a beautiful house, relatives, brothers, all are well, nothing is lacking. If a person were to ask for all of that, what should he ask? “O Lord, grant us coolness of the eyes.” That one phrase includes the removal of all worries and the attainment of contentment.
Likewise, in that same supplication it says: “And make us leaders for the righteous.” It is a small supplication — “Rabbana” — Our Lord. Memorize it. It is a du‘a taught in the Qur’an, in Surah 25, verse 74. You can make this supplication in Arabic as well. But many of you do not often make these kinds of supplications. The Qur’an teaches them, yet religious leaders in mosques may not commonly make such du‘as or teach them. But Allahﷻ teaches that the righteous servants will make this du‘a.
In that supplication, what is emphasized? Coolness of the eyes. In what? In our spouses and in our children. Coolness of the eyes means contentment of the heart. The word mentions the eye, but the meaning refers to the heart. It speaks about the eye, yet the intended meaning is not the physical coolness of the eye. What is the connection? All happiness is reflected in the eyes. Can you look at someone’s legs and say he is happy? Can you look at his back and say he is extremely happy? No. But by looking at his eyes you can say so. Because everything is reflected in the eyes, Allahﷻ uses the literary expression “coolness of the eyes” to convey the meaning of inner satisfaction.
This is in Surah 25, verse 74. Likewise, in Surah 19, verse 26, Allahﷻ mentions an incident about Maryam (Alahas Salam). Maryam (Alahas Salam) was granted a child from Allahﷻ. When she became pregnant, people would question her: “How did you become pregnant? You have no husband.” To address this, Allahﷻ showed her a way to deal with the people. He said: “Eat and drink and be content (cool of eye).” Be at peace, be content. Do not worry who will question you. If you see anyone, say, “I have vowed a fast to the Most Merciful, so I will not speak to any human today.” In previous communities there was something called a vow of silence. For us, such a vow is not permitted in Islamic law. But in previous communities it existed.
Maryam (Alahas Salam) was instructed to say she had vowed not to speak. Later, the child would speak and clear the matter. So Allahﷻ taught her how to deal with the situation. But can we take this as an example and observe a vow of silence? No. The Messengerﷺ of Allahﷻ clarified this.
One day he was delivering a Friday sermon. Outside, a man was standing in the sun. The Prophet ﷺﷺ noticed him and asked why he was standing there. They said he had vowed not to speak and to stand in the sun as part of his vow. The Prophet ﷺﷺ said he should complete only the fast (if he vowed to fast), but standing in the sun is not part of the religion, and not speaking is not an act of worship. He told them to make him come inside and to speak. Remaining silent is not worship. That was something in previous communities. For us, it is not prescribed.
Returning to Maryam(Alahas Salam), Allahﷻ told her, “Be cool of eye.” What does that mean? It means do not be distressed. Generally, if something like that happened to a woman, society would criticize her severely, and she would undergo extreme mental stress. Allahﷻ assured her that she would not suffer that distress. “Be cool of eye” means you will not be troubled, you will not be shaken by criticism, you will not suffer anxiety, sorrow, or distress. Instead of saying “be fully happy and peaceful,” Allahﷻ says, “Be cool of eye.” It is a literary expression, not a literal one. It does not mean her eyes became physically cool. It means she was at peace and content.
Likewise, during the time of Musa (Alaihi Salam), when Musa was born, Pharaoh had ordered that male children be killed in a certain year because a soothsayer had predicted that a child born that year would threaten his rule. So, male infants were being killed. When Musa was born, Allahﷻ inspired his mother. “We inspired the mother of Musa,” says Allahﷻ. This inspiration (wahy) must be understood properly. Before the time of Prophet ﷺﷺ Muhammad, there were two types of revelation. One was the revelation of laws to Prophet ﷺs through Jibreel. Another was inspiration placed into the hearts of non-Prophet ﷺs for personal matters. This is called ilham. In previous communities, there were people who were inspired. The Prophet ﷺﷺ said, if there were such inspired ones in this Ummah, it would be ‘Umar (may Allahﷻ be pleased with him).
So when Allahﷻ says, He revealed to the mother of Musa(Alahis Salam), it does not mean she was a Prophet ﷺ. It means Allahﷻ placed an inspiration in her heart. Allahﷻ does not give religious laws to non-Prophet ﷺs. He may guide them in personal matters. In our Ummah, personal guidance may come through true dreams. The Prophet ﷺﷺ called these mubashshirat — glad tidings. But we cannot establish religious rulings based on dreams. If someone sees in a dream that he must pray an extra rak‘ah, that is from Shaytan. The religion was completed by the Prophet ﷺﷺ .
But if someone sees in a dream that he will have a child, or receive authority, or live in a large house, these are personal matters. Such things relate to one’s personal life.
Regarding these matters, after the time of the Prophet ﷺs and after the time of the Messengerﷺ of Allahﷻ , what would come is through dreams — certain messages may be conveyed like that. But one must distinguish that some dreams may come through Shaytan. In the previous communities, it was not through dreams. While awake, something would occur in the heart — a feeling that Allahﷻ is telling us this, that He is placing this idea into the heart. You would know that it is Allahﷻ who placed it. That too Allahﷻ calls wahy (revelation). “And We revealed to the mother of Musa” —and immediately after Musa was born, We revealed to his mother. What did We reveal? Prepare a floating chest. Place this Musa inside that chest and put it into the river. When you put it, do not worry. As it flows along the river, Our enemy — and along that riverbank is the palace of Pharaoh — when the chest passes by that way, Pharaoh’s people will take your child and raise him, and I will return him to you. So place him confidently, Allahﷻ says.
The child in her hands — she placed him in a chest and put him into the river. After placing him, it floated along. As it went near Pharaoh’s palace, members of the household were bathing there. They saw a child in a chest and said, “Here is a child.” They took it and said, “Let us adopt him as our child. Let us raise him as our own.” Pharaoh’s family decided to raise the child and took him in their hands. Pharaoh thought that since the child came from the river, he was not born in Egypt; someone from somewhere must have thrown him away. He assumed this was not a child born among the Israelites of Egypt. Thinking he was from somewhere else, they decided to raise him as their own.
In this incident, Allahﷻ mentions “coolness of the eyes” in two places. After they placed the child in the river, what happened next? The baby became hungry and cried. When he cried, they made an announcement: “Is there any nursing woman?” There would be many nursing mothers, especially since male children were being killed, many mothers would still have milk. They invited them saying, “Come and nurse the child, we will take care of you properly.” But the child refused to nurse from any woman. Allahﷻ says, “We made the nursing women forbidden for him.” He would not drink from them. Allahﷻ made it so in order to protect him.
Then a woman said, “Shall I inform you of someone who can take responsibility for him?” They agreed. She brought Musa’s own mother — the very mother who had placed him in the river. When she came and offered milk, Musa drank from her. She was his real mother, but they thought she was just a foster mother, and they handed him over to her. “You raise him until he is weaned,” they said.
Why was Musa saved like this? If he appeared to be a child from outside Egypt, Pharaoh would not kill him. With such a plan, Allahﷻ caused this to happen. Allahﷻ explains this. It was Musa’s sister who said, “Shall I guide you to someone who will take care of him?” She went to Pharaoh’s court and spoke. She was the older sister of Musa — the one who watched when the child was placed in the river. She asked if she could show them a suitable person. They agreed and called her. The child was handed over.
When Allahﷻ narrates this, He says: “We returned you to your mother.” Allahﷻ is speaking to Musa. “We returned you to your mother.” I told her to place you in the river. They took you and raised you, and in the end I arranged for you to be raised by your own mother. Why? “So that, her eye might be cooled.” The mother who gave birth thought her child was gone into the river. Out of fear, she could not raise him openly. If it were known that he was her son, she could not raise him. But if he was portrayed as a child from elsewhere, Pharaoh would think he was not an Egyptian Israelite child who posed danger. Then she could raise him safely.
If she had hidden and raised him secretly at home, there would always be fear: at any moment they might raid the house; if the child cried, soldiers might come. What distress that would cause! But now there was no problem. She was raising a child of the royal household. The real mother was raising him, but officially he was an adopted child of the palace. Would there be worry then? What great peace of mind that would bring! Even more than the contentment of raising her own child normally, here there was no fear, no anxiety, no threat from the rulers. That is why Allahﷻ says it was done “so that her eye might be cooled.” What does that mean? She would have no agitation at all regarding this matter. She would be in complete satisfaction. By returning Musa to his mother, Allahﷻ says she attained “coolness of the eyes.” It does not mean her eyes literally became cool; it means her heart was filled with contentment — “Our child has come back to us, and there is no dispute.” In that year, all male infants were killed. Yet a child born that same year was returned to his mother and raised under royal protection. What complete satisfaction! For that total contentment, Allahﷻ uses the word “coolness of the eye.”
Likewise, when the child was first taken from the river, who took him? It mentions Pharaoh’s wife. It is not clear whether it was Asiya(Alahas Salam) or another wife. Pharaoh’s wife was bathing there when the chest came. Some wanted to kill the child. But she said, “He will be a coolness of the eye for me and for you.” She told Pharaoh, “He will bring joy to both of us.” The child looked lovable. Sometimes when you see a baby, you feel affection immediately. Musa as an infant had such an appearance. Pharaoh’s wife said, “He will be coolness of the eye for me and for you. Do not kill him. Perhaps he will benefit us, or we may adopt him as a son.” Allahﷻ had placed them in a state where they did not know who Musa was or where he came from.
From this, it appears that they did not have children. If someone already has children, adopting another does not usually bring such overwhelming joy. It seems they were childless. For a childless couple, receiving a child brings complete happiness and contentment. That is why she said, “He will be coolness of the eye for me and for you.” Thus, in this place too, the word “coolness of the eye” is used.
Likewise, regarding Paradise, Allahﷻ will grant us certain pleasures. The Qur’an describes in many places what the pleasures of Paradise will be — palaces, gardens, fruits, whatever one desires. The details are mentioned extensively. In one place, Allahﷻ summarizes it in a single expression: if you enter Paradise, your eyes will be cooled — everything is included in that. “No soul knows what has been hidden for them of coolness of the eyes as a reward for what they used to do.” All the delights of Paradise are encompassed in the word qurratu a’yun. Whatever Allahﷻ gives you there — when you see it, your eyes will be cooled, your heart will be cooled. The food will be like that, the dwelling like that, the beds like that, the garments like that, the ornaments like that, the flowing drinks like that, the spouse like that — everything will bring immense joy. Instead of listing all of this, Allahﷻ uses one word: coolness of the eyes. Do not misunderstand — wherever “coolness of the eyes” appears, it refers to immense inner satisfaction.
Now, besides this expression, Allahﷻ also uses the word “eyes” in its literal meaning in many places in the Qur’an. When He asks, “Do they not have eyes with which to see?” it means actual eyes. In some places, however, He uses “eyes” to mean supervision or watchfulness.
For example, in Tamil we say, “He put a finger in his eye,” meaning he deceived him completely. It does not mean literally putting a finger in the eye. Since the eye sees everything, to say “he put a finger in his eye” means he deceived him thoroughly. Likewise, in Arabic they say, “It is happening in my eyes,” meaning under my supervision. If an engineer says a bridge is being built under his supervision, in Arabic he may say, “It is happening in my eyes.” It does not mean literally inside the eyes; it means under watch, under control.
Under Our eyes
The Qur’an uses this expression in that sense. For example, Nuh (Alahis Salam) preached for 950 years, and his people did not accept. He prayed to Allahﷻ to destroy them. Allahﷻ decided to destroy them and said, “Build the Ark.” Load onto it the believers and pairs of all creatures. Then I will cause water to gush from above and below; they will drown, and you will be saved. The first step was to build the Ark. Allahﷻ said, “Build the Ark under Our eyes.” Does that mean inside Allahﷻ’s eyes? No. It means under Our supervision. Every detail was directed by Allahﷻ. The Ark had to accommodate pairs of all creatures and provisions for a long time. Such a massive ship could not be built by Nuh’s own knowledge alone. Allahﷻ directed him step by step. That is why Allahﷻ says in 11:37 and also in 23:27, “Build the Ark under Our eyes and by Our revelation.” “Under Our eyes” means under Our supervision.
Similarly, Allahﷻ told the Messengerﷺ , when enemies plotted to kill him and subjected him to severe trials: “Be patient for the command of your Lord; indeed, you are under Our eyes.” That is why during the Hijrah, though the whole city searched for him, they could not find him. At every place they searched, Allahﷻ placed a barrier. Even when some came close, Allahﷻ protected him. This was not by the planning of the Prophet ﷺﷺ or Abu Bakr alone. Allahﷻ said, “Be patient; you are under Our supervision.” It means, “I am overseeing this journey.”
It is only when it is under Allah’s supervision that what happens next takes place. Instead of taking the direct route to Madinah, there was a known path to Madinah, but they did not go by that path. They went by another route, a side route. They traveled on the camel and then went to a cave and stayed there. The camel they had ridden — they sent it back. “Take the camel back and bring it again after three days.” So when people searched, they would not find the camel, nor would they find any sign of the route to Madinah. They would come up to the cave. When they reached the cave, Abu Bakr said, “O Messenger of Allah, they have come. If they bend down and look, they will see us.” At that moment he said, “Do not worry, Allah is with us.” That is supervision. Allah had said that, and in that way, until the end, they did not fall into anyone’s sight. The enemies were in a frenzy to kill him. If they finished him, they thought everything would be finished. At such a time he escaped. The One who protected and delivered him safely was Allah. What word does Allah use for that? “You are in Our eyes.” He says, “You are in My eyes.” What does that mean? From now on, delivering you safely to the proper place is My responsibility. It will happen under My supervision. Whatever needs to be done so that you do not fall into their sight, I will do it. For that, Allah uses the word “eyes.” He says “eyes,” but He means supervision and oversight. We see that.
Likewise, when Nuh (Alahis Salam) built the Ark, it was not only under Allah’s supervision during construction. After that, when the great flood came, would the ship withstand it? It could have been submerged by the waves and they all could have perished. But Allah says, “We carried them on a ship made of planks and nails.” After boarding them, “it sailed under Our eyes.” The ship did not literally sail in eyes. It sailed under supervision. As it moved, Allah watched: it should not tip over, it should not crack, water should not enter through holes, it should not sink due to excess weight. If excessive rain fell into it, the weight would increase — so it should not sink because of that. Whatever needed to be done to prevent these things, Allah arranged it. That is why it floated for many days. Until the flood subsided, and finally it came to rest on Mount Judi. Until then, under whose control was the Ark? Under Allah’s control. “It sailed under Our eyes” — under Our supervision. Even after building it under supervision, when it floated and traveled, that too was under supervision.
Similarly, Allah told Musa’s mother to place him in a chest and cast it into the river. Allah says, “We revealed to your mother: prepare a chest and cast it into the river; the river will throw it onto the shore, and an enemy of Mine and his enemy will take him.” Then Allah says to Musa, “I cast upon you love from Me, so that you would be brought up under My eye.” From the moment he was placed in the river, it was under direct divine supervision. Immediately after being placed, he could have been eaten by something, attacked by someone, drowned, or the baby could have cried and drawn attention. None of that happened. From the time he was cast into the river until Pharaoh’s people took him, Allah watched directly. “You were brought up under My eye” means under My supervision. That is the meaning of the word used there.
Turning the eye
Thus, regarding the word “eye,” it also carries the meaning of supervision. In another context, Allah uses “eye” in yet another meaning. Suppose we provide a person with every kind of facility, yet he is not satisfied and keeps turning his eyes here and there. Everything needed for contentment has been given. Yet he looks at the neighbor’s big house, that person’s large car, someone else’s new bike. Turning the eye again and again — what does that mean? It does not literally mean rotating the eyeball; it means turning attention. If Allah has given you much, you should remain content with that and not turn your eyes beyond it.
Suppose a man has been given a beautiful wife. If someone says, “Stay with your wife; do not turn your eyes elsewhere,” it does not literally mean moving the eyeball. It means remain satisfied and do not let your attention wander. Is it a crime to look? Allah has given us eyes to look at everything. Seeing is not the crime. Desiring it in a wrongful way is the issue. So when the Qur’an says, “Do not extend your eyes toward what We have given others,” it does not mean you must not see at all. It means do not direct your attention and desire toward it.
In Surah 20:131, Allah says: “Do not extend your eyes toward what We have given some of them to enjoy — the splendor of worldly life.” If someone else has a palace and you live in a hut, do not let your attention be drawn by that worldly attraction. Literally, “do not extend your eyes” would mean do not look. But looking itself is not the crime; wishing enviously is the problem.
Similarly, in Surah 15:88, “Do not extend your eyes.” When the Prophetﷺ was in Madinah, most of those who accepted Islam were poor. Those who migrated had no wealth. The wealthy were few. They would remember Allah morning and evening. The Prophetﷺ may have thought, if influential wealthy people came, it would strengthen the da‘wah and ease financial hardships — not for personal gain, but for the community’s benefit. So Allah said, “Restrain yourself with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure. Do not let your eyes pass beyond them seeking the adornment of worldly life.” Does that mean he must physically stare at the poor and not look elsewhere? No. It means keep your heart and attention with them. Do not turn your focus toward worldly prestige.
In Tamil we say, “Keep an eye on him.” It does not mean physically placing an eye; it means watch him. Likewise, the Qur’an uses “eye” in different literary ways:
- Coolness of the eye — deep contentment.
- Under the eye — supervision.
- Do not turn your eyes — do not turn your attention or desire.
All three are literary meanings. In other places, “eye” simply means the physical eye.
Dead land
Likewise, we use the word “dead” (mayyit) for a person who once had life and then died. An animal that dies is called “maytah.” But we would not call a laptop “dead,” because it never had life. “Dead” applies to something that had life and lost it. Yet Allah uses “dead” for land. He divides land into living land and dead land. The soil has no literal life or death as we understand it. But when land is fertile, green, with crops and vegetation, it is described as living. When it is barren, dry, with no growth for years, it is described as dead.
Allah uses this literary comparison. When He sends rain, He says it is to revive dead land — “balda mayta.” Does the town literally die? No. It means it was barren and becomes green. When it becomes lush, people admire it just as they admire a living person; when barren, it is unattractive. Just as a human being, when alive, is cherished, but when dead, is quickly buried because the body decays. Similarly, barren land is like something lifeless and unappealing; fertile land is like something alive and beautiful.
In Surah 25:49, Allah says He sends rain to revive a dead land. In Surah 36:33, when people questioned resurrection — “How will Allah revive us after we become dust and bones?” — Allah gives the example: the dead earth. Yesterday it had nothing; today it produces crops which you eat. If He can revive the earth, can He not revive you? Everything happens by His command: “Kun” — Be, and it is. If He commands dryness, it dries. If He commands growth, it grows. So the revival of dead earth is a sign for those who deny the Hereafter. He says: the dead earth is a sign for them — We give it life and bring forth grain from it, and they eat from it. That is the proof.
Likewise, in another verse (35:9), Allah mentions a similar matter. Allah sends the winds. When He sends the wind, it stirs up the clouds. Then We make those clouds into rainwater and cause it to fall upon a dead land — a “dead town.” We send the wind, it gathers the clouds, and We cause rain to fall upon the dead earth. After that earth had been dead, We give it life. We give life to the earth. “Thus will be the resurrection.” You ask how resurrection will happen? It will happen like this.
That land was lying dry. You would not even know that it had the potential to sprout. It needed water. I am the One who drives it. I command the clouds. I command the wind. The wind drives the clouds along. When I order that it must rain in a particular place, it pours heavily there. You see that rain falls in one area and not in another. In whichever place I intend to bring to life, the rain pours there. When it pours, what do I do? I send rain to the dead lands and bring them to life through it. Then Allah says, “Thus will be the resurrection.” Here Allah describes barren land as dead, and when He gives it the ability to produce vegetation through rain, He calls that life. All of this is literary; it is not literal.
If someone says, “Show us the life in that field,” can you prove literal life? You cannot. Likewise, in Surah 50, verse 11, He says that through rain We revive dead towns. Thus will you be brought forth from the earth. You will become dust, but when the trumpet is blown, you will rise. Just as I caused sprouts to emerge from land that had nothing, I will bring you forth. That is the meaning.
The important point is this: in the dictionary, “mayyit” means something that had life and then died. “Hayat” means life. But Allah calls something without literal life “alive,” and something that never had literal life “dead.” That means it is not used in the literal sense. A dead thing is useless; it provides no benefit. Something alive is beneficial. Likewise, agricultural land after producing crops becomes beneficial and useful. To convey that concept, Allah uses the word in a literary way.
Taste
Next, consider another matter. Earlier, Allah used “coolness of the eye” to refer to happiness. Among human organs, the tongue has a unique role in experience. Of all the senses, taste is deeply experiential. If you touch something with your hand, you do not experience it the way you do when tasting sugar with your tongue. The tongue senses it, sends signals to the brain, down to the throat and into the body. The act of tasting is uniquely associated with the tongue.
Even though all senses experience pleasure, the tongue’s experience is distinct. That is why restaurants exist — everything is about taste. The tongue seeks variety. The body, hands, and legs do not crave taste the way the tongue does. Among the five senses — taste, sight, sound, smell, and touch — taste fills the whole body with satisfaction. If you drink juice, it does not only feel good in the tongue; the whole body feels refreshed. If you eat biryani, the pleasure begins in the tongue but then affects the whole body.
Because tasting is such a strong experiential sense, Allah uses the word “taste” for all experiences — whether good or bad. Even for death, Allah says, “Every soul shall taste death.” Is death something you taste? No. Why use that word? Death is not literally tasted. But Allah gives death the form of something to be consumed — like food or drink — and says you will taste it. No one can avoid it.
When we say “taste,” we usually mean something desirable. Sometimes it can be sarcastic. Just as we may sarcastically call a miser “a generous benefactor,” similarly Allah uses a form of expression. Death is not something desirable, yet Allah says you will taste it. It is a kind of rhetorical expression — even a rebuke. No matter how arrogant a person is, he must “taste” death.
In Surah 21:35, Surah 3:185, and Surah 29:57, Allah says that every soul will taste death. You cannot avoid consuming that “food” called death. It is inevitable. By saying you will taste what you would never wish to taste, Allah places words appropriate to human arrogance and reminds them of the unavoidable reality.