Article Surah 92 · Ayah 21
PARADISE: The Final Abode of Peace
PARADISE: The Final Abode of Peace
Usually, in strategic planning, the experts say that first you have to set your objectives because if you fail to set your objectives, you will fail in planning. Every Muslim has an objective and his sole objective is to avoid Hellfire and to be admitted into Jannah {May Allah make you and me among those who enter Jannah}. Jannah has been described in the Qur’an in two places, {in Surat Al-An’am and Surat Yusuf} as Dar’us’Salam; ‘The Home of Peace.’ Why was it called’ as Dar’us’Salam?
Some say it is Dar’us’Salam because As-Salam is one of Allah’s beautiful names and {it does not mean peace when we attribute it to Allah, it means that Allah azza wa jal is exempt from any faults or defects or shortcomings; As-Salam means Allah is ‘The Most Perfect’.} However, this is a weak opinion because then it would be permitted for us to call Jannah Dar’ullah, Dar’ul’Aziz, Dar’ur’Rahman or with any of Allah’s beautiful names but this is not the case!
Other scholars say that Jannah is called ‘Dar’us’Salam because the Angels, constantly, all the time, come in and greet the believers who are admitted to Jannah by saying, “Assalamun alaikum bima sabar tum fa ni’ama ukhbad Da’ar,” so the people of Jannah always hear this greeting of the Angels. However, this is also not that authentic because in this Duniya, in this life, we also exchange Salam. When the believers see one another, they say ‘Assalamualaikum’ and in reply, they would hear ‘Walaikumassalam’, therefore it would not be something specifically made for Jannah.
The third and most authentic opinion is that Jannah is called Dar’us’Salam {The Home of Peace} compared to this Duniya because Jannah has no shortcomings, no defects, has no harm in it and it is the final home and it is the perfection that Allah azza wa jal has created. Jannah is Allah’s Mercy as is described in the Hadith when Allah the Almighty said, “You, Jannah, you are My Mercy.” This Jannah is the land of Peace that each one of us longs to be admitted’ into and to live in.
This is a transitional period that we live in; but Jannah is the land of Peace. Allah said Paradise has eight gates, and the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “The distance between the two doors of the gate is a distance of a 40year journey of a traveler.” He also said, “One day it will be filled!” All the eight gates will be filled because many people will be admitted to Paradise with the grace of Allah azza wa jal. Moreover, no gates of Jannah will be closed’ ever, they will always be open so that no one would need permission to exit and then re-enter. For this, you do not need a Visa; all you have to be is a Muslim. Therefore, you can come and go as you wish. The Angels come and go every now and then with the gifts from Allah azza wa jal. You can go anywhere you wish and you do not need to lock the doors of your houses because no one will break in, no one is going to come in and take anything; it is a place of security.
If you enter Jannah, you will be shocked to see these great mansions and palaces. They are so perfect. They are made of bricks, but not just normal bricks, they are made of bricks of gold and bricks of silver. In addition, the cement that binds them is musk. You have mansions, you have palaces, and you have chambers over chambers that extend as far as the eye can see. There are tents, there is furniture, there are rugs, carpets, pillows and cushions, sofas, {and things that we cannot imagine} that are made of silk. The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam was once given a silk handkerchief {we know that men are not allowed to use or wear silk} and the companions touched it and said, “Masha Allah! It is so soft.” The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “By Allah! The handkerchiefs that Sa’d ibn Mu’adh {One of the great companions who died during the fifth year of Hijrah} uses to clean himself with are much softer than this.” This is just the description of a handkerchief; you can imagine what beautiful things would be for us in Jannah.
The homes you have, {it is not a single home}; you have many homes to go to. The Arc Angel Jibril came and gave the glad tidings to Khadijah, the mother of the believers, saying, “O Prophet of Allah, greet her with the greeting of Islam and tell her that Allah is giving her the glad tidings of a house made of a pearl in Paradise;” how beautiful that home would be!
You do not need a GPS in Jannah; the Manufacturer {Allah} has installed it in you. Therefore, you know exactly where your home is and how to reach it. Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “By Allah, each and every one of you knows his home in Jannah more than he knows his home in this Duniya.” Whenever Shaitan comes to me and by the way, my Shaitan is very knowledgeable, {may Allah drive him away} Every time I think of Jannah, I am lost. I think, “Ya Allah if I enter Jannah, how would I reach my home? What do I do? Do I get a guiding book or something that tells me that this is the protocol?” Do not worry about this. If you set foot in Jannah, Allah will guide you. He would grant you everything that you have ever wished for! Allah would reward you for your patience.
In Jannah, there are rivers, and believe me, coming from Saudi Arabia, this is something that we long for. We long for distilled water to drink, let alone having rivers flowing and gushing and having springs. {Subhan Allah what a beautiful sight that would be} The main four rivers of Jannah are:
1. A river of water: Pure and beautiful
2. A river of milk
3. A river of wine: Tasty and nice, not bitter or bad
4. A river of honey: Pure
Moreover, all the different tributaries come out of these four rivers of Jannah.
Imagine yourself sitting in Jannah in your palace having no appointments or obligations, not having to take the kids to school or to the hospital. The wife is not nagging but on the contrary, the wife is singing. “Wow! My wife did not sound like this before. This is so strange!” She sings beautiful songs with MUSIC! This, which was Haram here, will become Halal for you. You hear the waterfalls. So relaxing, so refreshing and not only that you also hear the sounds of the Angels greeting you and above all, Allah azza wa jal addresses you and speaks to you; What more can you ask for? AllahuAkbar!
As for the things the people of Jannah are adorned’ with, {the jewelry}, “Is it a Rolex watch?” What are you talking about; the jewelry that the believers wear will be so bright, beautiful, and glamorous that if there were to be a sun, the brightness of the jewelry will take the light away from it. By the way, there will be no sun in Jannah.
The beauty of the people in Jannah is astonishing; it blows your mind when you listen to what Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam has to say. He tells us, “Every Friday the men leave to somewhere they call Souk {a big mall} to gather and meet one another {there is no Friday prayer, there are no days and nights in Jannah but they will long for the things that they used to enjoy in Duniya so Allah gives it to them {perfect} in Jannah.} They go there, meet and chat, they do not have anything to buy but they just go there to meet one another and remember the old days and how Allah has rewarded them. They remember their patience and suddenly Allah sends a northern wind that blows on them and their families. This increases in their beauty and the men become more handsome. They retreat back to their homes and the minute they see their wives, they say, “SubhanAllah, you are more beautiful than before we had left you!” and the women say, “By Allah, you are more handsome than when you had left;” this goes on every Friday {till a thousand years, a million years, a gazillion years?} No, this goes on till eternity, forever!
Moreover, if you look at what they eat; I cannot describe it, because it goes beyond our imagination. Allah tells us that the fruits are different types, sizes and variations. When you look at a tree that has fruit and you desire it, it comes right in front of your mouth. I do not think Microsoft has reached that level of innovation and technology for this to happen! However, in Jannah, it is perfect, it comes right to you and its first bite is different from the tenth bite, when you eat the tenth bite it is different from the 1000th bite. Every single bite is different and more delicious than the previous one and it never ends. There is meat in Jannah, but what kind of animals would we get this meat’ from? We know, for example, Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us {in sha Allah, if Allah admits us to Jannah} we will eat from the liver of the whale, we will eat from the sheep because the sheep are from the animals of Jannah. We will eat from strange types of birds, they are so huge that they have necks as big as the camels but their meat is tenderer than anything that you have ever thought of! All of this will come to you without a price; you do not have to ask anyone after finishing the meal, “Do I have to wash the dishes?” nothing of that sort, SubhanAllah!
A man asked, “O, Prophet of Allah are there horses in Jannah!?” The horses are like sports cars to Arabs. I have a big suburban, a big family car but I always want to have a small Ferrari or a small Porsche. This companion is asking, “Can I have horses in Paradise {sports car for him}” Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said to him, “You will have a horse made of a red Ruby and this horse will take you wherever you want to go in Jannah!” SubhanAllah, look at the form of transportation; just thinking of it blows your mind away.
“What about the sleeping patterns in Jannah?” Someone might ask, “I often stay awake until Fajr, after I pray Fajr I go to bed! How would our sleep pattern be in Jannah?” Firstly, there will not be day or night in Jannah. There will shine a light from underneath the Throne of Allah azza wa jal to signify the beginning and end of the day, but there will always be light. Moreover, there will not be any sleep in Jannah. One might say, “Come on, I wake up for Fajr every single day in Duniya, at least I can sleep for a week or two in Jannah!” No, there is no sleep because if you sleep, you will not be able to enjoy what is in Jannah. Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us that sleeping is the brethren of death and there is no dying in Jannah. In the hereafter, there is no death, neither in Jannah nor in hell. The people of hell would be punished’ whereas we will be, in sha Allah, having the times of our lives; it would be eternal happiness. We will have the immortality that has no end to it.
If we enter Jannah, what will happen, how would we look? Our Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us that we will be in the same form that Allah had created Adam. By the way, Adam alaihissalam was sixty cubit high and creation has been decreasing since, as the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us. So, on the Day of Judgement, when Allah will admit us to Jannah we will be really tall and 33 years old and we would never age even by a single day. In Jannah, youth is forever, the clothes would never be worn’ out, we will never fall ill, and we will never get depressed. We will never get hungry or thirsty in Jannah, and we will never get tired in Jannah.
The men of Jannah will be ‘Murd’ ‘Jurd’. Murd meaning that they will have no beards. So whatever the Muslim men have been saving {keeping the beard as it is, without touching it} it {the beard} will all go away in sha Allah in Jannah and they will be rewarded for it. If people made fun of a Muslim man’s beard by saying, “Brother your beard is so long, your beard looks weird’ can’t you just trim it? Can’t you put some gel on it or do something about it!” and they bore it patiently and replied to them by saying, “Brother I am keeping this beard for Allah azza wa jal, I am following the Sunnah of the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam; in sha Allah I will rewarded for this in Jannah!” They WILL be rewarded by Allah azza wa jal. They will have no hair on their bodies.
There will be no old people in Jannah; they will all be young. A woman who was in her seventies or eighties came to the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam and said, “O Prophet of Allah, ask Allah to admit me into Jannah.” He replied, “An old woman cannot enter Jannah.” The woman fled weeping and crying. Then the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam called her and told her that ‘Allah azza wa Jall would not admit you to Jannah in that state, rather, He would turn you back to being 33 years of age; the age of youth, eternal youth.’
People in Jannah will have different statuses; they will be in different levels. The higher you go, and the closer you get to the Throne of Allah azza wa Jal, the more light and the favors of Allah azza wa Jal you get. People in Jannah are given’ the blessing of praising Allah and glorifying Him as if they breathe. They will not do it because they are obliged to do it. They will not do it because if they do not, they will be thrown’ into Hell, no, they do it because it is like breathing to them.
In Paradise, there are no impurities. The people eat, feast and party all day long, they do everything they want to do, and Allah azza wa Jal will make everything that they eat and drink, to come out as sweat. A Jew came to the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam and said, “Do you claim that the people in Jannah eat and drink”? He replied, “Yes.” The man said, “Well, those who eat and drink must go to the toilet.” He salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “No, there are no toilets in Jannah.” Does this mean I have to shower in Jannah? No, your sweat in Jannah will smell like musk. The more you sweat, the more people will smell this beautiful fragrance.
To cut a long story short, in order for you to reach the peace in Jannah, first you have to reach the peace in this Dunya. It is nice and glamorous, but you have to do your part in this world.
Ibn Taymiyyah {may Allah have mercy on him} said, “In this world, there is a Jannah; he, who does not enter it, will not enter the Jannah of the Hereafter.” You have to acknowledge, you have to submit, you have to believe in Allah azza wa Jal, because the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us that no one but a Muslim will enter Jannah. If you are not a Muslim, you will not enter Jannah. The people at the time of Noah who were Muslims; who believed in him, they would enter Jannah. The people at the times of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, who were Muslims; who submitted their will to Allah azza wa Jal will enter Jannah. After the message of the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam came; if you listen and hear carefully about Islam and you know Muhammad salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam is a Prophet but you still don’t believe, you will be deprived from entering Jannah. This life is very beautiful; it is like a beautiful rose, you smell it, you touch it, but it soon withers away and dies. What is with Allah azza wa Jal, never dies. So, are you selling it for cheap, you are wasting your time! In Jannah, there is no malice; there is no hatred or grudges, it is all love and peace. Moreover, if you are unable to attain peace in this life, you will not attain it on the Day of Judgement.
The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “All of my Ummah will enter Jannah, except those who refuse.” The Companions said, “O Prophet of Allah, who would refuse?” He said, “Whoever obeys me will enter Jannah, and whoever disobeys me has refused.” How would someone who terrorizes people, who blows up innocent people, children, women, the elderly, in this life, claim to want to attain the peace in Jannah? This is unacceptable. No peace in this life means ‘no peace in the Hereafter’. How is it that those who deal in usury and in interest; commercial banks, financial institutions that deal in Riba, want peace? What kind of peace are you looking for? Allah has waged war against those who deal in Riba. Allah says in the Qur’an, “And if you do not do it {i.e., refrain from Riba}, then take a notice of war from Allah and his Messenger.” Those who are fighting Allah azza wa Jal, do you think that they will have peace in the Hereafter?
How are you with your parents? Those who are disrespectful and disobedient to their parents, the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, will not be admitted to Jannah. How are you with your next of kin? Those who cut the ties of kinship will not be admitted’ to Jannah. When was the last time you spoke to your uncle, aunt, your brother or to your cousin? You have a problem! How are you with your neighbors? How are you with your wife, your children? The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us that he whose neighbors are not in safety from him harming them and abusing them, will not be admitted to Jannah. The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us that a man with arrogance equal to the weight of an atom will not be admitted to Jannah. Are we not arrogant? Do we not think too highly of ourselves? {“I’m a Saudi, and you are not!” and things like this.} He who has arrogance will enter Hell from its biggest gates. We have to be humble with our brothers. Those who deal with sorcery, black magic; soothsayers, priests and fortunetellers and those who believe in them will not be admitted to Jannah. Many of the Muslims, unfortunately, enjoy entertainment of sorcerers and magicians, they attend shows and concerts and they watch programs on TV, not knowing that this may deprive them from attaining the peace on the Day of Judgement.
In this life, Allah azza wa Jal has forbidden us from specific things, and He told us that if you do them, you will be deprived from them in Jannah. Men cannot wear silk and gold. If they do wear them, they will be deprived’ from enjoying it in Paradise, so be careful. Men and women alike are not allowed to eat and drink in silver and gold utensils; you go to 5 star hotels, everything is in gold. It is not permissible to dine in gold and silver utensils, including using spoons and knives made of gold or silver, because if you do so, you will be deprived’ from it in the Hereafter. Also, wine, if you drink it in this life, you will be deprived’ of it in the Hereafter. Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam cursed ten: those who brew it, those who make juice out of it, those who sell it, those who buy it, those who carry it, those who serve it, those who drink it, anything connected to intoxicants, not necessarily wine. It can be scotch, it can be Bourbon, it can be Vodka, and Tequila, any intoxicant and the sky is the limit. Drugs are included in this category of intoxicants, be it Hash, Marijuana, Meth, Crack Cocaine, Heroin, Opium and the list goes on and on’. At the very conclusion, before they drag me from my thoub, I cannot do Jannah justice. That is why the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Allah, The Almighty, says, ‘I have prepared for My righteous slaves that which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and which has never crossed the mind of man.’” Therefore, whatever you think of Jannah, this is just a glimpse and what awaits us, with the grace of Allah azza wa jal when we die, is far, far greater than what we think. I conclude my talk.
Question and answer session
1. There is a hadith that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will not talk with three types of people, the third type is those who cover their ankles. Some say it means those who have Takabbur {pride} and it is not the literal meaning in the hadith. Few people wear short trousers but then cover the ankles wholly with socks. Others wear normal trousers but fold them during Salah time. May I have your opinion on this hadith please, sheikh?
Ans. It is an issue of dispute, but the most authentic opinion is that Allah has placed two punishments for those who extend their garments below their ankles, and I am talking about males and not females. The first punishment is that the area of the anklebone and the heel is punishable in Fire if you extend your garment, depending on the extension. Therefore, your whole body is not in fire; only this particular area will be punished’ in Fire. Of course, Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “The least punishment in Hell is the man who has a stone of fire put into his sandals.” Now he is not literally being punished’ but this is the only thing. However, because it is so extremely hot that his brain boils. Therefore, this a little bit similar to that. The second punishment is something, which is a sin that pride is accompanied’ with. The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “There are three whom Allah azza will not talk to, not look at, not purify and would severely punish them; the first one is the one who drags his garment below the ankles.” In another hadith, he salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us about that particular sin which is pride in addition to dragging the garment below the ankles. Therefore, these are two different punishments. For someone who extends and prolongs his garment below the ankles and claims that he is not doing it out of arrogance has to prove that. Because when Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu heard this hadith, he got terrified and he stood and asked, “O Prophet of Allah, I am a skinny man, I try my level best to have this waist wrapper as tight as possible but whenever I walk, it falls below the ankle, so I immediately put it up. Am I among those who will be punished?” Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “No you are not doing it out of pride.” So if you have someone like the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam to give you this certificate of pride-free garment, go ahead. Otherwise, you should be like everyone else. Now, if you talk about prayer, someone might say, “Ok I am sinful from 9 to 5! I have to go to work, I am working in the corporate management and if I wear a suit and my pants are short, people will laugh at me. When it comes to prayer, I will not do anything. I will pray with my trousers below my ankles!” No, this is not right. You can fold that. Then it means that you have like ‘15 minutes-break’ from punishment, but then you will be in punishment for the rest of the day; And Allah knows best.
2. Assalamu’alaikum, Sheikh; It is my privilege to be here and meet you, and I am a big fan of your program. Thank you for the opportunity. I am a born Hindu and I reverted to Islam a few years back. However, I am having issues with my parents and family. I want to convey the message of Islam to them. I am struggling to teach them because they are Hindus. Moreover, I want my beloved parents to enter Jannah. I told my mom in a situation to worship the creator and not the creations. I need your advice to have the courage to go and preach my parents so that they enter Jannah.
Ans. May Allah, The Almighty, make you steadfast in Islam and it is only a few moments that keep you from entering Jannah’. Once you die while being a Muslim, once you die while maintaining and observing your five daily prayers, nothing will hold you back from Jannah in sha Allah.
Now, about your fear of advising and calling your parents to Islam, this is from Shaitan. Any fear that you feel of humans is from Shaitan. Allah says in the Qur’an, “This is Shaitan who is making you intimidated by His servants,” Therefore, this is definitely from Shaitan.
Now about how to motivate yourself and to get the encouragement to talk to them’? I will give you an example. You are a believer, Alhamdulillah. You believe in Hell and Heaven and you want your parents to be with you in Heaven. If you see your father or your mother holding a glass with venom or poison in it, and you know the minute they take a sip, they will go to their graves, or in other words, they will die instantly. Would you advise them or would you hit the glass and throw it away, fearing that they may harm themselves? Definitely in this Duniya, you would do all you can to save them. Now, life and death is something that everyone is going to encounter. Therefore, if I die today or if I die after a 100 years, the result is death. However, Hell and Heaven are for eternity. Therefore, would you want them to suffer forever in Hell; definitely not! So you have to encourage yourself, you have to, as stated in the beginning of the talk, make a strategic plan, set your objectives, because when you have a plan, you do not give everything in 10 minutes. Maybe you have to say something today, something else a week later, a little bit more a month later. So have a short long-term plan, have your objectives, try to figure out how they think so that you can counter attack them, BUT never ever give up on them. Every day that passes, reduces your chances in saving them from Hell-Fire. May Allah azza wa jal guide them and all of your family to Islam and make you steadfast on the straight path. Aameen!
3. Assalamu’alaikum, Sheikh Assim and JazakAllahu khair for the great speech; my son was so excited that he wants to die now and go into Jannah. Many times, we see on TV that many non-Muslim kids die, as we saw last week in the news with the ferry disaster, almost 200 kids died. As a coping mechanism that I use when I see such things, I always think that these kids have a ticket to go to Heaven because they died before reaching puberty. Can you just elaborate on that, maybe really quick about this thought which I go through and I imagine that many other Muslims use this as a coping mechanism also, that these non-Muslim kids who have died before reaching puberty are in Heaven?
Ans. It is an issue of dispute and this is the easiest way of getting out of trouble. Whenever someone asks me, “What is the ruling on this?” I say, “It is an issue of dispute.” However, this actually IS an issue of dispute. We as Muslims cannot say that this individual’ is in Jannah, OR this individual is in Hell; not even XYZ of a Kafir country or a Kafir leader who died is in hell; we cannot say this. I do not have the authority to put people in Jannah or in Hell. However, the fact is, we can only say that Abu Bakr is in Jannah, Umar is in Jannah, Uthman is in Jannah, Ali is in Jannah, Bilal is in Jannah, etc. about those whom the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us. We are hopeful and wishful that people who died after being righteous and pious that they will be in Jannah, but we cannot affirm that by saying, “Yes, definitely, he is in Jannah.” Therefore, from this general rule, scholars differed when it came to children, whether of the believers or the disbelievers. If they were believers, the majority say that they are in Jannah because they follow their parents and by default they are Muslims and they are admitted’ to Jannah. However, there is a hadith of Aisha radi Allahu anha and another ‘evidence’ that restricts us against saying this. We are hopeful and wishful also for the disbelieving children who did not reach the age of puberty, that they should enter Jannah. Allah azza wa jal did not hold them accountable yet, so how can Allah punish them? We do not say that Allah will punish them and yet we do not say that Allah would admit these SPECIFIC individuals into Jannah. However, we can simply say, “All children are in Jannah.” Believers or disbelievers; all who have not reached the age of puberty and died, they are in Jannah. Someone might ask, “Ok what about Tom, son of John, son of Harry, son of Luke etc.? I do not know about Tom who died when he was 4-5 years of age. However, generally speaking, all children are in Jannah, do you see the difference? I do not specifically say, “Abdullah, the son of my friend Farid, who died when he was 6 years of age, is in Jannah.” No, I do not say this, because it is not my right. I say, “All children, who die under the age of puberty, are in Jannah in sha Allah.”
4. Assalamu’alaikum. My question is what happens to people between death and Yaum ul Qiyamah {Day of Judgement}?
Ans. Ok if I understand the question correctly, I think that you are asking about the phase between this life and the Day of Resurrection. What happens in between? There are three stages. One is the Duniya that we live in. Each individual has this Duniya, his lifespan. He enjoys and he suffers. He enjoys the things to be enjoyed like food, drinks, etc. and he suffers from calamities, illnesses, etc. and the suffering and enjoyment is done’ on the body and partially on the soul. Once you die, you move to the second stage, which is Al Barzaqh. It is a transitional period between the two worlds, and it is temporary, as this life. In this phase, the enjoyment or the suffering, {May Allah keep suffering away from us} is done’ totally on the soul, but to a small connection to the body or what remains of it. However, those who are destined to enter Jannah; those who are believers, Allah would open a window for them overlooking Jannah and they would get its fragrance; In your grave, Allah would open a window to Paradise, you see how beautiful Jannah is and you get some of its fragrance. We know that it is an easy ride for the believers in their graves, with the grace of Allah azza wa jal. The third stage is when the trumpet is blown and then EVERYONE is resurrected’; now, it is The Day of Judgement, you go either to Hell or to Heaven. The enjoyment is 100% to the body and the soul. Moreover, the suffering as well is 100% to the body and the soul. May Allah make us among those who go to Paradise and who would attain the peace in this life and in the Hereafter!
Paradise, the place of endless happiness
Allah brings those who follow His guidance the good news of a Paradise filled with blessings where they will live eternally and warns them not to be deceived by the life of this world and place it above Paradise: "The life of this world is nothing but a game and a diversion. The abode of the Hereafter-that is truly Life if they only knew." (Surat al-'Ankabut: 64) and "... the best homecoming is in the presence of Allah." (Surah Al 'Imran: 14) Allah tells us that the Hereafter is more precious than the life of this world and superior to it and that people's real life is there. In that case, what kind of surroundings and existence await people in the Hereafter?
In His verses, Allah tells us that the life of the Hereafter is the real life of the human being. In Paradise, the defects and shortcomings of the life of this world will no longer exist. There will be everything the human heart desires. Allah has informed us of the perfection of the Garden and the details of the life believers will live there in the Qur'an. He mentions the surroundings in which believers will live, what they will eat, the natural beauties of Paradise and the spouses the believers will have there. A great deal of information concerning the Garden is contained in the Qur'an for us to reflect upon. In order to understand better life in Paradise and the limitless happiness which is promised there, let us briefly examine its wonders in the light of the verses of the Qur'an.
If we consider first the natural beauties of the Garden, we can say that Allah describes it as "neither burning sun nor bitter cold" (Surat al-Insan: 13), telling us that it has a climate so beautiful as to cause no discomfort at all to anybody. The heat which makes people sweat and stupefies them, and the freezing cold in this world do not exist there. This points to the perfection of the climate in Paradise. Amongst other natural beauties referred to in the Qur'an by Allah in connection with Paradise are "outpouring water." (Surat al- Waqi'a: 31) Water which flows unceasingly gives people great pleasure and is at the same time soothing and restful. The pools and fountains which in the life of this world people build in the gardens of their houses and villas provide both an aesthetic view and a cooling environment. Allah tells us about this characteristic of Paradise in another verse: "In them are two gushing springs." (Surat ar-Rahman: 66)
In addition, Allah informs us that believers will live in soothing, pleasant places: "Those who guard against evil will be amid Gardens and Springs." (Surat al-Hijr: 45) and "The heedful will be amid shade and fountains." (Surat al-Mursalat: 41) Amongst other things of great beauty which Allah mentions in the Qur'an are the flowers and plants of every type which are brought together in perfect harmony and from which people will take indescribable pleasure. As well as these, fruit trees described as "thornless lote-trees" (Surat al-Waqi'a: 28) and "fruit-laden acacias," (Surat al-Waqi'a: 29) are another blessing. Allah adds to this that Paradise has an appearance which is "of deep viridian green." (Surat ar-Rahman: 64)
kedi1Bringing all these together sets before people a vision of enchanting beauty. Neither is there any question of this vision fading or being lost with the passage of time. It will remain eternally untouched and unblemished. The beauties and blessings which await believers in Paradise are not limited to these. In addition to these natural wonders, Allah tells us in the Qur'an of the beauty of the places where believers will live:
But those who have fear of their Lord will have high-ceilinged Halls, and more such Halls built one above the other, and rivers flowing under them. That is Allah's promise. Allah does not break His promise. (Surat az-Zumar: 20)
As Allah informs us in this verse, believers will live in pavilions constructed on the heights of Paradise and looking out on inspiring views. As well as this Allah has created handsome servants for believers. He tells us that they will provide believers with continual and uninterrupted service in this verse:
Circulating among them there will be youths like hidden pearls. (Surat at-Tur: 24)
Furthermore, Allah tells us that the clothing of believers in Paradise will be beautiful: "[Believers will be] wearing fine silk and rich brocade, face to face with one another." (Surat ad-Dukhan: 53), and "... they will be adorned with gold bracelets and pearls..." (Surat al-Hajj: 23) As we know, silk and satin, gold and pearls are very valuable in this world. At the same time, this wealth and abundance are an expression of the high station of the believers. In the Garden, they will wear clothes made from silk and satin and jewelry of gold and pearls and their appearance will be aesthetically magnificent. Allah also brings us the good news in the Qur'an that in Paradise He will give believers spouses of unblemished and flawless beauty for themselves alone:
In [the Gardens] are maidens with eyes for them alone, untouched before them by either man or jinn. (Surat ar-Rahman: 56)
bebek2(3)With expressions such as "just like closely guarded pearls" (Surat as-Saffat: 49) and "dark-eyed maidens like hidden pearls" (Surat al-Waqi'a: 23), Allah describes the faultless beauty of these spouses created solely for believers. They are without any worldly defect and will never lose any of their beauty. All these are blessings which Allah will grant only to believers. Believers will be pleased with all these blessings and grateful to their Lord. Allah tells us that the eternal happiness believers will feel and their joy is reflected in the illumination of their faces in the verse, "You will recognize in their faces the radiance of delight." (Surat al-Mutaffifin: 24)
Another cause of happiness for believers is the perfection of Allah's creation of everything in Paradise. In the Garden there will be none of the faults and flaws which annoy people in the life of this world and which make them uncomfortable, troubled and unhappy. Allah tells us in the Qur'an that in Paradise there will be no worldly discomforts such as tiredness, death, illness, pain, ageing, dirtiness, thirst, hunger and so forth:
You will not go hungry in it or suffer from nakedness. [We said to Adam,] "You will not go thirsty in it [the Garden] or burn in the sun." (Surah Ta Ha: 118-119)
Without doubt, a place where a person is cleansed of all the factors which trouble and discomfort him and make him unhappy, is also the source of the greatest comfort and luxury he can possibly experience.
In addition, in Paradise, there will be no such concept as "need" for believers. There they will do nothing out of necessity. Everything will be at their service and everything their hearts desire will be theirs. Allah has created all these blessings so that believers can take pleasure from them and be happy. He has turned everything they do into a pleasure and an entertainment. They will never feel any annoyance or boredom with these things.
Another great blessing for believers which brings peace and happiness is that they will live together with other sincere believers. Without doubt, in Paradise believers will be cleansed of all moral characteristics which annoy, anger and discomfort people in the life of this world. In a verse of the Qur'an, Allah tells us that in Paradise there will be no anger or hatred in the hearts of believers:
We will strip away any rancor in their hearts. Rivers will flow under them and they will say, "Praise be to Allah Who has guided us to this! We would not have been guided, had Allah not guided us. The Messengers of our Lord came with the Truth." It will be proclaimed to them: "This is your Garden which you have inherited for what you did." (Surat al-A'raf: 43)
Of course, living in Paradise with perfectly pure people who have been purged of every low attribute and negative characteristic will be a great blessing for the true believers and a source of peace and happiness. Allah tells us that in Paradise believers will express their happiness as follows:
"Praise be to Allah Who has removed all sadness from us. Truly our Lord is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Thankful. He Who has lodged us, out of His favor, in the Abode of Permanence where no weariness or fatigue affects us."(Surah Fatir: 34-35)
kuslar2As we can see from these verses, in Paradise Allah will give people the greatest pleasure and happiness. The joy and happiness they feel because they have earned the approval and love of Allah will be the source of the highest form of contentment. All the blessings of the Garden are the gift of Allah to His sincere followers. The greatest incentive for believers is the hope that Allah will have mercy on them and admit them to Paradise because of their striving to be pleasing to Him.
Paradise is the gift of Allah, our Lord, and is beyond comparison for that reason. Paradise will unite those people who sincerely believe in Him and who are worthy of the eternal gift of joy and happiness. Thus, the greatest happiness and salvation for a person is earning the approval of Allah and being united with His mercy in Paradise.
THE PEOPLE OF JANNAH
I was requested to speak about the characteristics of ‘The People of Paradise’ on earth. I pray to Allah Azza wa Jal that He makes you and I amongst those who would enter Paradise! Researching the subject was mind blowing simply because I had thought that okay, I am going to talk about 3 or 4 deeds and characteristics that would allow a person to be among the people of Jannah, and I found more than 214 and stopped counting. If we go on talking about this subject, the time from now until Fajr would not be sufficient! However, we will try to have a holistic idea, something that will draw us closer to Jannah, with the Grace of Allah Azza wa Jal, and I hope we succeed in reminding one another of these characteristics and trying to implement them in our lives. Without a doubt, Paradise is everyone’s objective, this is what we live for and if this is not your objective, then you are in the wrong place and actually, you are living a wrong life. Because you are depriving yourself of so many things just to be a Muslim, yet you are not doing the right things that would entitle you to go to Jannah! Therefore, it is each and every-one’s objective. For the sake of Jannah, we quit sins; we have done things that are not so likable to ourselves. We wake up early in the morning, it is so cold sometimes, still we perform Wudu and pray, and we go to the Masjid. We fast, we deprive ourselves from eating, drinking and doing things that are usually done by us, if we were not fasting, we do not listen to music, we do not go to nightclubs; we do not watch things that would anger Allah and I know a lot of you might say, “Well, we do that!” Well, then I came to the wrong place! You should not be doing that because you are Muslims.
So Jannah, as described by the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, is surrounded by things that are not preferred by each and every one of us. In order to enter it you have to do the things that we do not prefer and like. Whereas Hell is the opposite; it is surrounded by lusts and desires, so the minute you fall into these lusts and desires, you will enter Hell {May Allah save us all from it}. Now Paradise is Allah’s Mercy, and whomever He wishes to allow, to enter it means that He has bestowed His Mercy upon this person. If you like to talk about the things that allow you to enter Paradise, among the very first that comes to mind is Allah’s saying, “And those who believe and do righteous good deeds, they are dwellers of Paradise” {may Allah make us amongst them}. Now Allah’s generosity is overwhelming! Allah did not restrict the things, did not limit the acts that will entitle you to go to Jannah; so, those who can fast, Allah made for them a separate gate to enter Paradise. How many gates are there in Paradise? ‘8’ you should know, this is where you are going, In Shaa Allah! Moreover, how many gates are there in Hell? ‘7’! There are eight gates in Paradise and one of them is called ‘Ar Rayyan’: Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us that this is the gate for the people who fast. There is another gate for those who pray Salah, another one for those who give charity etc. If you are able to fast, voluntary fasts, Allah will make you enter Paradise. Some people say, “I can’t stay away from food and water for so long, I am so tempted, but I can pray night prayer for 3 hours every night.” Masha Allah, this is good. The other one would say, “I can’t pray night prayers and I can’t fast, but I have lots of money to give in charity, for Da’wah, for building Masjids etc”; Masha Allah Tabarakal Allah, you are on the right track. Therefore, Allah has diversified the means for us to get to Paradise. Now there are deeds that you do from the heart, if you believe in it, there are things that you say, words, and there are deeds that you actually do, physically. There are deeds that only benefit the individual, there are deeds that benefit others, and there are deeds that if you do not do them then you will enter Paradise. If you look at these divisions, you would be amazed at Allah’s Mercy: It is as if Allah wants you to enter Paradise, He is making it easy for you to choose deeds that would help you in entering Jannah. This is exactly true, Allah the Almighty created Paradise for you! Now it is up to you whether you want to enter it or not.
The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “All of my Ummah will enter Paradise, except those who disobey.” You know that the Ummah, is divided into two types. 1)Ummah that includes the Believers and the disbelievers and they are called the ‘Ummah of Da’wah’ (the ‘Ummah of Call’); so even the Christians, the Jews and all other denominations are considered to be part of this Ummah, they are not the part of the Ummah of Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam but they are ‘Ummah of Da’wah’. 2) And there is a particular part which is the Ummah of those who responded to the call of the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam and followed him. Therefore, the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam says, “All of my Ummah (which includes both parties) will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” The Companions said, “Who refuses to enter Paradise?!” He said, “Whoever obeys me enters Paradise and whoever disobeys me is refusing, he has chosen his destiny!” therefore, this is the greatest means of entering Jannah; you have to go through your life, you have to scrutinize ‘Belief’, you have to look at the way you live. Are you following the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, are you obeying him in every single thing? If yes, then, In Shaa Allah, you are among those who would enter Paradise!
If we look at many Muslims nowadays, it is not a good picture! I was talking with one of the brothers yesterday and we were discussing how people flip sides. There are so many people who used to be students of knowledge; callers to Islam; who used to be on the righteous path, following Qur’an and Sunnah strictly and suddenly they flipped sides, as they say, ‘They chose the other side of the force’! If you look at this, you would be shocked; these people were considered as potential Scholars, what happened to them? This shows you that ‘the hearts are indeed between two fingers of Allah and He flips them as He wishes,’ as the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said. The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Whoever says ‘La ilaha illa Allah,’ sincerely for the sake of Allah and this concludes his life, {meaning that this is the last thing he does before dying}, Allah will put him in Paradise!”Therefore, it is very essential to encourage the people who are dying to say ‘La ilaha illa Allah’. If they say it once, leave them; do not speak with them, because if they pass away in this condition, In Shaa Allah this part of the good signs that they will go to Paradise.
The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam says, “Whoever fasts for the sake of Allah and he dies and this is the last thing he did, he will enter Jannah.” And whoever gives money in charity and if this was the last thing he did, the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam says that he would be admitted into Paradise, which means that every deed we do, it depends on the conclusion, the last hour, the last minute. That is why you cannot ‘pick and choose’ and say, “Ok, I will divide my day into prayers, fasting, giving charity and then there is portion of my day that I reserved for fun. Overall, I am Ok but only one night of the week I would like to party! I may get wasted {get drunk}, I may go on a date with my girlfriend!” The other day a brother came to me, {he is Masha Allah a revert.} He has a girlfriend and has three kids with her, they are not married, she is not even a Christian or a Jew and this person is a practicing Muslim! Now she is expecting, the brother is now asking me what to do! He is living with the woman who is not his wife and he is asking me what to do! It shows that all our deeds depend on the conclusion.
There are many things that make you eligible to enter Paradise; the following Hadith shows how generous Allah is!! The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Anyone of you who performs Wudu and he washes his limbs thoroughly and then after concluding his Wudu says: ‘Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasooluhu’, all the 8 gates of Paradise will be opened for him to enter from any gate he wishes.” Who says this while contemplating its meaning, and not just, because it is a habit? Only a few of us!! Just imagine Allah’s mercy: giving us this beautiful reward for just one act of saying this Kalimah after doing Wudu. After knowing that these gates are open for you for performing Wudu, Wallahi you will perform Wudu for every Salah you make, just anticipating this reward so that whenever you die you are ready!
The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam was approached by one of his Companions, Rabi’ah ibn Ka’b {may Allah be pleased with him}. He used to serve the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam. The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi said, “Ask me what you want from me.” If I was in his shoes, I would have said, “O Prophet of Allah, I want a house in the best place on earth,” and stuff like that but this Companion did not ask for such worldly things. Look at what they wanted, he said, “O Prophet of Allah, I ask for your companionship in Paradise.” This is what they lived and worked hard for!! the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Anything else?” The Prophet was giving him room to ask and the Companion said, “No, that’s it.” At this the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Help me by offering as many Sujood as you can.” It means offer prayers as much as you can because you cannot offer Sujood {prostrations} on their own outside of the prayer unless it is prostration of ‘Forgetfulness’, prostration of ‘Gratefulness’ to Allah or prostration whenever there is prostration for reciting the Qur’an (‘Sajda Tilawa’). Going in Sajda for no reason {like so many people do; when you ask them, “Why did you just go into Sajda?” They say, “I was making dua’a!” this is a biddah; Innovation} Therefore this above mentioned Hadith is an indication that the more you pray the closer you are to Paradise and to the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam.
A’ayat Al Kursi is the greatest A’ayah in the Qur’an. There is no comparison to any other A’ayahs and the greatest Surah in the Qur’an is Al Fatiha, chapter no.1. A’ayat Al Kursi is so great that the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Whoever maintains reciting A’ayat Al Kursi at the end of (after) his every Fard Prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Jannah except death.” Meaning that if you die now and you had recited A’ayat Al Kursi after your last Fard prayer, you would go to Paradise, In Shaa Allah, by reciting this great A’ayah! Yet, some Muslims tend not to memorize it by heart, not only in Britain but also in Saudi Arabia. I used to teach in High School, the students were mostly Saudis and Arabs and out of around 300 students that I taught in one year, I made a survey: ‘Who knows A’ayat Al Kursi by heart?’ The result was shocking; only 5% knew it by heart! This indicates our negligence towards our Deen. We know a lot of things by heart: the top 40 songs, top 10 movies, Footballers, Cricketers, Rugby players so on and so forth but when it comes to Islam, something seems to be keeping us away from it; this thing that is keeping us away from Islam, is keeping us away from Paradise.
If you ask people who have not performed Hajj yet, “When do you want to perform your mandatory Hajj?” Majority of them will say. “After I have finished my graduation, after my Masters, after my PHD, after I get married, after my children are grown up so that we can all go along as a ‘whole happy family’!” and so many fail to achieve this. Yet the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam tells us, “A perfect Hajj has no reward at the Sight of Allah except Jannah.” Now what do you want, a hundred million good deeds? This would not be enough. Maybe you want Allah to forgive your sins. Yes, but you might do more sins later on in life. Therefore, what does Allah tell you? ‘There is no reward except Paradise for an accepted Hajj!’ Subhan Allah! This should be an encouragement for you to save a little bit so that you may plan to go for Hajj whenever you have the means, or will you always keep Allah’s instructions at the end of the list? Your answer will show whether you are a strong or a weak Muslim!
Umm Habeeba, the wife of the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam narrated a hadith. I know a lot of you are wondering, “Who is this, never heard of her before!” I did another survey in school, where I was teaching, {that is why I left teaching!} I asked about the names of the wives of the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam and I got strange names: Fatimah! Asma! They were the wives of the Prophet?! Subhan Allah! I asked them about the ‘10 heaven-bound companions’, one student said, “Amr ibn Khattab” {I never knew Umar radi Allahu anhu had a brother!} The list can go on and on, it is sad though! It is a shame! Imagine if Allah admits us to Paradise and we do not know anybody there! If we ask “Who is this?” “This is Abu Bakr”. “Oh! Who is he?” “He is a Companion of the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam.” “Masha Allah, nice to meet you” “Who is this?” “This is Uthman; he married 2 of the Prophet’s (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) daughters”. Imagine we would not be able to recognize these people of Jannah! If you ask to peek at the people of Hell, you might be like, “Ohhh, I know everybody here!” Is not it a shame that we have this ignorance about our history, our heritage? We claim to love our Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, we get really sentimental and say that we are ready to do this and that for him, we are ready to fight for the Sake of Allah with the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam!” Do you know anything about Islam, about its history, about its legacy, about Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam’s Seera, his wives, his sons, his daughters, his Companions? ‘No.’ What kind of love, are you then proclaiming about if you even fail to do this?
I will give you another example, if you love the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam and I am certain that you do. However, this life cracks you down and you need someone to slap you on your face {but slapping on the face is Haraam!}, so maybe a slap on your back just to wake you up every now and then! Umm Habeeba said that the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Whoever prays 12 Rakahs during the day and night (every day and night), Allah will build him a palace in Paradise.” The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said in another Hadith about these 12 Rakahs: 2 before Fajr, 4 {2 and then 2} before Zuhar, 2 after Zuhar, 2 after Maghrib and 2 after Isha {12 rakahs in all}; this is it, get this in your system and, In Shaa Allah, you will get your palace in Jannah! Therefore, these deeds are things that will benefit the individual to enter Paradise.
However, there are deeds that are transferable; things that would benefit others. Allah mentioned that in the Qur’an and Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam mentioned that in the authentic Sunnah. Among the deeds that are beneficial to others are: acquiring knowledge, knowledge of the Qur’an, knowledge of the Sunnah, Fundamentals of Fiqh etc, so this does not benefit me alone, it benefits others as well if I sit down and teach that to others, like I am doing now and benefiting you {at least I hope!} Therefore, if I do this, I will get the reward of everyone who applies in their lives what I taught them. For example, when I go home and sleep and if someone says, “Tonight I am going to offer night prayers because the Sheikh said that this will lead me to Paradise.” Therefore, while I am sleeping, I am getting the reward. Therefore, this is one of the greatest deeds through which you can get closer to Allah and to Paradise: by benefiting others!!
The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Whoever walks a path seeking knowledge, Allah will pave him a way to Paradise.” Subhan Allah, this is of course the knowledge of the Shariya, knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah. If someone says, “I am doing engineering, would this count?” No, this would not count; this Hadith only includes those who are seeking true Islamic knowledge! But if your intention in doing engineering or Medicine or anything, is to benefit the entire Muslim Ummah, to benefit humanity, to do well, to be a role model for the people who would say, “Look, he is a Muslim and yet he is successful. He is truthful; he is honest, he looks okay”, then In Shaa Allah, you will be rewarded; but you would not be included in this Hadith but other Hadiths.
The Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam also tells us about a man who was walking on the road and he saw a tree, an obstacle in the way, with thorns that would harm the people and thought, ‘I am going to remove this obstacle, this tree, so that it would not harm others.” The Hadith goes that Allah forgave his sins and admitted him into Jannah. Why? Because he removed a harmful thing from people’s way! Now compare this with someone who plants landmines or compare this with a suicide bomber, or compare this with someone who intimidates people, who harms or kills people; if the former would go to Paradise, then the latter would go to Hell because this is not part of Islam, neither from the Qur’an nor from the Sunnah.
I receive millions of emails from people all over the world complaining about their offspring, complaining about their children that they are disrespectful to their parents. That they are disobedient, that they do not go out of their way to be kind to them and these are all major sins, they are not minor. You can find someone attending classes of knowledge, attending classes with the Shuyukh, listening to the Qur’an, travelling to a foreign country to learn Arabic, and these are all good deeds. However, he is not obedient and polite to his parents. This is a major sin, that will erase every good thing he did, and it would prove to us that the deeds are by their conclusion and that Allah did not choose to conclude this person’s deeds with good deeds. The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “The most major sins in Islam are:-
1) Associating others in worship with Allah.
2) Being disrespectful or unkind to your parents.”
He associated the two, first, Shirk, and then being disobedient and being rude to your parents. One of the Companions came to the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam and said, “O Prophet of Allah, I would like to fight in the cause of Allah, and I seek your advice.” The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam asked, “Do you have a mother?” He said, “Yes I have a mother.” The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Stay with her, because Paradise is under her feet.” Subhan Allah. He wants to fight for the Sake of Allah, to die in the Cause of Allah! But the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told him to stay with his mom, be kind to her, serve her, bring her the days that bring joy to her soul, make her happy, make her laugh, make her joyful, and this is the way to Paradise. What about the father? “I’d like to smack him, he is drunk, he is rude, he doesn’t make money, and he does not support me.” Well, even your father. Even if he is this evil, the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said to one of his Companions, “The father is the middle gate of Paradise.” Therefore, the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam is saying to either preserve this gate or lose it, meaning that you will not enter Paradise from the middle, which is the easiest way to go in, unless you are kind and obedient to your father. Even if he is a non-muslim, even if he is rude, even if he is abusive, even if he does not support you, even if he is not kind to you, even if he does not love you. You have to obey your father and respect him, as long as he does not instruct you to sin.
Amongst the causes that admit an individual to Paradise is upbringing 3 girls of your offspring. The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Whoever has 3 girls, and 1)he shelters them, 2)provides for them, and 3)has mercy over them, then definitely Paradise is his.” Contemplate these 3 points: ‘he shelters them’, “Yeah, they live with me, they are my daughters.” ‘He provides for them’, “Well, I buy food, they eat with me” ‘And he has mercy over them.’ Many of the parents do not have this mercy. “I am young, I am still in the prime of my life and I’m ‘blessed’ with these daughters. I cannot enjoy myself, I cannot travel, and I cannot do this and that. I am still young, I am 45 years old” (sarcasm intended). Ma Shaa Allah! You’re spent on your grave, my friend. You have to have mercy over these girls. You have to cuddle them, you have to love them, and you have to hug them and kiss them and show them mercy. This mercy will entitle you to be admitted into Paradise. In the hadith, one of the Companions asked, “What about 2 girls?” The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Even if you have 2 girls,” and another Companion said, “I think, I reckon that if I asked, ‘What about 1?’ he would have said, ‘Even 1.’” This is the Grace of Allah Azza wa Jal. In Arabia, unfortunately, many Arabs, who are not practicing Muslims, think of girls as a disgrace, because they do not know what the future might hold. If it was a boy, “Yeah, boys can do whatever they want, they get married fast.” However, girls are like glass; once it is broken, cannot be mended. Well, the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam is fixing this, he is telling us how to treat girls, and he himself had 4 girls. So those who are blessed with girls, they are a blessing. Take care of them, up bring them in the way that Allah wants and likes, and Allah will admit you to Paradise with them.
Among the things that benefit others; building mosques or contributing in building mosques. Whoever builds a mosque or contributes in building a mosque, Allah will build him a palace in Paradise. Subhan Allah. However, this Hadith is directed to those who have money!! Therefore, if you have money and you find yourself tired, unable to fast voluntary fasts, or pray night prayers, the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam is showing you the way to be admitted to Paradise. It also includes being kind to others, being tolerant, financially. The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam tells us, “A man was brought in front of Allah on the Day of judgement, and Allah is asking him, ‘Do you have any good deeds?’ So the man says, ‘No, nothing.’ So Allah tells him, ‘Are you sure you have nothing at all of that which is good?’ and the man says, ‘Well, come to think of it, the only good deed that I would reckon would qualify is that I used to trade with people. I used to sell them the goods and not collect the money from them. Those who were wealthy and capable of paying, I would leave them until they pay. I would not immediately ask them to pay; I would let them pay whenever they want. And those who are unable to pay, because they are poor, they are disadvantaged,’ the man says, ‘I would forgive them, I would let them keep the money, it’s theirs, I don’t want it, I don’t call for it.’ Allah says, ‘Well, because you used to forgive others, We are more entitled to forgive you. I forgive your sins, and admit you into Paradise.’” Imagine this beautiful Hadith! How many people you have lent money and they are not paying it back. Unfortunately, this is widely spread among Muslims. If I make a survey now, I believe everybody would raise his hands (even those who borrowed money). Many of the Muslims are faced with this!! They, as a good gesture, give money to their friend, a thousand quid, for example and, as they say, when they come to collect money from you, they kiss your hand, but when you go to collect your money from them, you kiss their feet because they take ages before they give it back. Well, do not think of it as a bad thing, rather think of it as a positive thing. You have secured a place in Paradise if you forgive people, if you tolerate their injustices and the things that they do.
Now, among the great things that would admit you to Paradise: is to be a person with good character, with excellent moral ethics, with good conduct and behavior. This allows you to go to the top of Paradise. The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “The closest of you to me on the Day of Judgement and Paradise are those who have the excellent character and moral ethics and perfect behavior.” The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam says, “Guarantee 6 things for me and I guarantee Paradise for you.” If the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam guarantees Paradise for you, this means that you will definitely be able to get what he promised. He Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam says:
1) Be truthful when you speak.
2) Fulfill your promise when you give a promise.
3) Give, what you were entrusted with to those, who entrusted you with it!!
4) Preserve your private parts (meaning; do not fornicate).
5) Lower your gaze.
6) Restrain from using your hand. (This can be interpreted in two ways!! either physically: do not extend your hand, do not abuse people, do not hit people and do not do something wrong with your hand, do not shake hands with the opposite sex, for example, this is Haram. It can also mean to hold back your hand from Haram money, do not take what is not lawfully yours.)
Six things and the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam guarantees you Paradise. Regarding being truthful, it’s amazing how in this country and other countries you find the non-Muslims being truthful, being honest (generally speaking because we don’t want the stereotype saying, “Oh, Masha Allah, non-Muslims are this and Muslims are that”). They were brought up this way: to say the truth and not to lie!! On the other hand, it is so shameful and embarrassing that when our religion tells us that lying is a sin, you still find many of the Muslims lying. Not only that, but they also give lying different shades of color. They say, “This is grey, this is a white lie, this is purple.” This is amazing! The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam tells us that lying is not a thing to be taken easily. He says that ‘you have to be truthful, because truth leads to Birr (righteousness), and Birr leads to Paradise. An individual would continue to be truthful until he is registered, at the Sight of Allah to be Siddiq!! (The man who goes out of his way to say the truth) Beware of lying because lying leads to Hell at the end. A man would continue to lie until he is registered as a liar at the Sight of Allah!!’
Among the major things that would allow you to enter, Paradise is repressing your anger. I know many brothers who complain of the rage they have, about the anger they have. Most of the brothers who write to me, unfortunately, are selective. They have these rage attacks against their mothers, against their younger sisters and brothers, against someone who is weaker than they are but if they meet someone who is 6’4”, full of muscles, then they would not have these rage attacks. They would know where they stand. Why is that? This is not true rage, this is selective rage and Allah will punish you for that. The rage that Allah will not punish you for is something that goes out of your control. Many of the brothers come to me and say, “Ya Sheikh, I was so angry with my wife that I said, ‘Talaq, talaq, talaq’ (divorce) 1000 times. I was angry, I was so upset!” Ya Akhi, nobody divorces out of happiness. You would not find someone sitting with his wife and saying, “I love you for the Sake of Allah and you are divorced!” All divorces happen due to anger, but the divorce that does not count when you are angry is when you are blocked and you cannot see. So after you wake up from your rage attack, people tell you, “You broke a window, you did this and you did that”, and you say, “Wallahi, I don’t remember.” This is the only case when divorce does not count. Because it is like intoxication, you do not see what you do, so Allah will not hold you accountable for things that are beyond your capability. Allah the Almighty tells us that you have to march forth to a Paradise whose width is as that of the heavens and the earth, and it is made for the Al Muttaqeen (righteous). “They are the ones who spent in prosperity and in adversity, their wealth. And they repress their anger.” So repressing your anger is a means of entering Paradise. So many times, someone who is below your physical strength or who is below your social status, someone you can inflict harm to, so many times they do bad things to you and you want to do something evil back to them, you want to eat them alive, and you can do it but you repress this. Why? “I’m afraid of the authorities.” No, you do this because you are afraid of Allah. You want Paradise, believing Allah will admit you to Paradise, because this is what Allah Azza wa Jal says in the Qur’an. A man came to the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam and said, “O Prophet of Allah, advise me.” The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “Do not become angry.” The man said, “OK, advise me more.” The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam repeated the same thing several times and in one narration he said, “Do not become angry and Allah will give you Jannah.” People say, “The English are quite calm. They don’t become angry.” This is not true because everybody becomes angry. The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam is not telling you to go against your human nature, because if someone attacks your wife, and you say, “I am not going to become angry”, this has nothing to do with Islam. No, you have to become angry. What the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam is telling you is to beware of the consequences of your anger. If you are driving down the motorway and someone does something wrong to you and you become angry, you have a choice: either to hit him, or repress your anger and go on your way. If you do this, if you repress your anger, Allah will give you Jannah. So many times, we need to repress our anger, especially with our loved ones, especially with our wives, especially with our children, our neighbours, our parents, our relatives; you need to repress your anger with so many people because Allah tells us that this is rewarded with Jannah!!
Now, women (cannot live with them, cannot live without them) The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam told us that, for them, there are special things, in addition to what was mentioned before. The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said for women who are married, “If a woman prays her 5 daily prayers and fasts the month of Ramadan and protects her chastity (she does not fornicate or commit adultery) and she obeys her husband, Allah will tell her, ‘Enter Paradise from any gate you wish.’” That is all?! Yes, that is all. The men are probably saying, “Can we be women! We have so many things on our back, we have so much burden on our back, we have to pray in the Masjid, we have to enforce virtue, and we have to prevent vice, and provide for our families, we have to provide for the kids, and do this and that.” Well, this is for women only. It is not easy by the way. Men think that this is easy. No, it is not. Maybe the first three are easy, praying, fasting and protecting your chastity. However, the fourth thing is the most difficult thing on earth. It is extremely difficult to go to a woman and tell her to obey her husband. They may say, “He stinks! He does not brush his teeth! He does not take care of himself! He does not do this. He does not do that. He is rude, he never tells me ‘I love you’, when I cook the food 3-4 hours a day, he does not say, ‘The food is great and it is excellent’, he does not do this! Moreover, you are telling to obey him! For what?!” Well, this is what Allah told you to do to enter Paradise. However, it is not easy; it is a very difficult thing. Those who are tolerant and patient among the woman, Allah will admit them into Paradise. Ya Allah! Admit all our woman into Paradise. The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “The Martyrs are 7, except for those who died in the cause of Allah.” Now I cannot mention all of them. The last one is, a woman who dies in labor. Subhan Allah! Allah would consider this kind of woman as a Martyr. Therefore, the woman would say, ‘Ok, that is nice. I would like to become pregnant every now and then and have many kids. Yes, this is what the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam tells us. Among the characteristics of the woman of Paradise is that they have many kids, and they love and care for their husbands. So having many children is your way to Paradise. Of course, it is not like having them and neglecting them. No, having them and upbringing them in the way that pleases Allah.
After saying all of this and hearing all of this, you have to know that, being admitted to Paradise is not by your own doing, it is by the mercy of Allah!! So even if you do all of this, at the end of the day, it is the mercy of Allah that will admit you to Paradise. The Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said, “No one will be admitted to Paradise by his own deeds. So the companions asked, ‘O Prophet of Allah, even you?’ he said, ‘even me. I will not enter Paradise with or by or through my deeds unless Allah overwhelms me with His mercy.’” No one will come on the Day of Judgement and say, “Hey, listen. I did what I had to do. So I want to go to Paradise.” You will not enter Paradise because you prayed Tahajjud or fasted voluntary fasts. These are means of entering Paradise. However, at the end of the day you will not enter Paradise because of your deeds.
Secondly, you have to know that these previously mentioned characteristics or good deeds could only get you to enter Paradise if you do not nullify your Islam. Meaning, you can find someone who is praying on time, praying the 12 Sunnah Rak’ahs, who is kind to people, removing the harmful things from people’s way, who is acquiring knowledge, who is benefitting others, building mosques, giving charity, doing this and that, but he nullified his Islam. He associated others with Allah; he goes to graves and says, “O Maulana (scholar)! I have a problem. It has been 20 years and I do not have a child. So grant me a child.” He is going to the deceased, the dead person. He says, “He is a Wali. He does wonders!” Subhan Allah! I remember a person who told me, “I went to Makkah every single week for Umrah and I used to supplicate to Allah to grant me a child. I did this for 10-15 years and nothing happened. My wife would not conceive. Then a friend of mine told me to go to the grave of Al-Husain ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) in Cairo. This is funny thing: Husain apparently has three different graves: over in Syria, Iraq and Egypt so you do the Math. Anyhow, this person said, “I went there and supplicated, saying, ‘O Husain, I need a child. I don’t have any children of my own, so please grant me a child.’ Subhan Allah! In 9 months time, my wife was delivering a baby boy.” What do we understand from this? This is how people think. Allah tested this man for 15 years and the man failed the test because he associated others with Allah.
So, these characteristics, these deeds, if you do not nullify your Islam, if you are a true Muslim, you believe in the oneness of Allah, you don’t do anything that goes against Islam, you will be, with the Grace and Mercy of Allah, admitted to Paradise. But if you do all the good deeds yet you associate others with Allah or you do one of the things that nullify Islam like dealing in sorcery (a parent, for example, who doesn’t like his/her daughter-in-law, brings a sorcerer and he does some voodoo stuff and black magic to separate her from their son). This is blasphemous. This is something that is an act of apostasy. If you mock about Islam, if you mock about the Qur’an or the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam or ridicule one of the verses of the Qur’an or the companions or say anything bad or negative about them then this nullifies your Islam. So even if you do all the above-mentioned good deeds of entering Jannah, you will not be admitted to Paradise!! Therefore, you have to observe and protect your Islam and do as many of these deeds and then In Shaa Allah, with the grace of Allah we will meet in Jannah.
The quotations from the Qur’an and Hadiths in this article are a rough translation of the meanings of the original text!
Characteristics of the People of Paradise
Allah swt promises us this perfect world and tells us about “….a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous” (Surah Ale Imran 3:133)
Our merciful Lord tells us the characteristics we need to reach this splendid place, in the next verse:
“Who spend [in the cause of Allah ] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people – and Allah loves the doers of good,” (Surah Ale Imran 3 :134)
But we need to be aware of Shaitan and his tricks which are aimed at us falling short of being the people of Paradise. Let’s see what they are and what tricks shaitan can play on us:
1. “…spend [in the cause of Allah ] during ease and hardship…” 3:134
The primary context that comes to our mind when we read this verse is our wealth. But, Allah swt wants us to think more deeply as He uses the word “anfaq (spend)” in this verse and not “amwaal (wealth)” here.
Our time, resources, intelligence, beneficial knowledge and good manners are all a part of our provision from Allah swt .
When we have the time, we visit the sick, are cordial to people, share the news of deals in the market, but when we are pressed for time, or going through a tough period in our lives, what do we do? We stop calling people and/or get irritable. When we feel that the sales are few, we don’t share the news with others, lest we lose out on the good stuff.
How much time, money or resources would we lose in making a quick call, or dropping a message or smiling even while rushing? A warm quick hug, donuts for the kids, sharing just one useful information on Facebook, putting one dollar instead of 5 in the donation box doesn’t cost much.
We must constantly strive to ‘spend” of our provisions as “the most beloved of deeds to him was a righteous deed which a person persists in doing, even if it is something small.”(Ibn Majah : Vol. 1, Book 37, Hadith 4237)
But shaitan tricks us by trying his best to delude us by painting the false picture of poverty (Surah Baqarah 2:268), or by trying to worry us about losing precious time.
Allah swt calls spending in His way a “loan to Him”, and He says, ” Who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan so He may multiply it for him many times over? And it is Allah who withholds and grants abundance, and to Him you will be returned.” (Surah Baqarah 2:245)
2.“…restrain anger… ” 3:134
To understand the depth of this characteristic, let’s see what these words in Arabic mean.
“Kazim” literally means to suppress some thing, to close the mouth of a water container and “Ghaiz” means to express an anger in which the blood pressure shoots up. How do we feel the surge of heat when some one made a belittling remark at us, or when some one quickly parked in our spot for which we had been patiently waiting, or when our children just don’t seem to clean up or our spouse seems inconsiderate?
There are three levels of “anger” with the lowest ranging from, just giving a “look”, to the moderate one being not smiling. Snapping back in retaliation , banging doors, yelling, stamping feet, etc. are grouped under the highest level. Bitter words escape our mouth and wrongful actions are done by our limbs. In the end, all that is left to gain is deep regret.
Shaitan does not want us to control our anger. He strokes our ego and fuels our emotions, so that we, instead of letting go of that remark, snap back in anger. Instead of moving on in that hurtful situation, we stay and fume, sometimes planning our revenge in anger, wasting both our time and energy.
But what does Allah swt want us to do at this time?
Allah swt wants us hold it, as His messenger (ﷺ) said, “The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger.” (Sahih al-Bukhari :Book 78, Hadith 141)
There is no sip greater in reward near Allah than the sip of anger; the servant suppresses it seeking the pleasure of Allah.” (Ibn Majah).
3. “…who pardon the people…” – 3:134
“Afeen” in the Arabic language is made up of the huroof, win, fa, wow.
These words mean to obliterate without any traces, to forgo, to forgive. We see a beautiful selection of words by Allah swt here again. He swt doesn’t use the word “ghafireen” which means to “protect, cover over, hide, forgive.” And forgiveness in the English language means “the act of escaping a mistake or offense”. He swt instead uses the word “afeen.”
The difference between the two Arabic words powerfully impacts the act of the forgiveness.
Allah swt wants us not to just forgive, but to forgive in a manner that obliterates all traces of the incident in our minds, so that we don’t hold any ill feelings in our hearts for the people who have been unjust to us.
Allah swt warns us that “…Indeed, Satan induces [dissension] among them. Indeed Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear enemy.” (Surah Al Isra :53)
Shaitan, will try to fuel our emotions of hurt, anger, sorrow by reminding us about the incident again and again.
The key lies in consciously forgiving the person, doing one’s best not to let oneself dwell in that incident and instead, focus on the reward that one gets for doing this.
“..and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Surah An Nur: 22)
Allah swt loves those people who forgive and He forgives them their sins. What can be better than His love and His forgiveness?
What we have to contemplate about is, “what is more valuable to us? His love and forgiveness Or our anger and revenge”?
If the former is more precious to us, then it is inconsequential whether the person deserves our anger and pardon or not.
“Our Lord, forgive us our sins and the excess [committed] in our affairs and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” 3:147
May Allah swt make us steadfast upon this deen and help us inculcate the words from His Glorious Book in our day-to- day lives. Ameen.
Jannah and the immense rewards
Many people ask this question at some point in their lives.
This is actually an interesting question. Let’s think about it together.
Are we really going to enter Jannah as a fair exchange for our work or good deeds?
Well, the average number of years the human being lives on earth today is around 80 years. So, if the person spends 80 years working for the sake of Allah and doing good deeds, then *fairly* the person should get 80 years in Jannah. Right? This is the fair reward for the work. But the truth is, Allah will give the believer an infinity in Jannah, not just 80, 100 or million years.
“But those who feared their Lord will have gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein, as accommodation from Allah. And that which is with Allah is best for the righteous.” ( Qur’an 3: 198)
“But the ones who believe and do righteous deeds – We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. [It is] the promise of Allah, [which is] truth, and who is more truthful than Allah in statement.
Paradise is not [obtained] by your wishful thinking nor by that of the People of the Scripture. Whoever does a wrong will be recompensed for it, and he will not find besides Allah a protector or a helper.
And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer – those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even as much as] the speck on a date seed.” ( Qur’an 4: 122- 124)
So, we already get much more than we would deserve even if we spend our entire lives in worship and service of Allah. But do we even actually spend our entire lives doing good deeds, communicating with our Creator, worshipping Him and actively engaging with Him?
No.
First of all, we are not asked about our childhood years or the age prior to reaching puberty. So this is extracting around 10 years of our lives. Then we have all the time we spend sleeping, eating, commuting, resting, shopping, watching TV or following social media……etc all of this takes up a majority of our time. If you look at the 24 hours a day Allah gave us, you’ll find that the majority of it is not spent for His sake. Even the daily obligatory prayers only take minutes.
But then look at how much Allah rewards for a single good deed that takes up minutes maybe:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Allah says, ‘If My slave intends to do a bad deed then (O Angels) do not write it unless he does it; if he does it, then write it as it is, but if he refrains from doing it for My Sake, then write it as a good deed (in his account). (On the other hand) if he intends to do a good deed, but does not do it, then write a good deed (in his account), and if he does it, then write it for him (in his account) as ten good deeds up to seven-hundred times.’ ” [Sahih Al Bukhari]
One good deed= 10 to 700 times the reward. If one thinks of doing good deed, he/she takes a reward.
Is this equal to our deed, or is this largely mercy and generosity from Him?
Now, we need to remember something very important. We were created for a purpose. Allah created us for a purpose. Everything created on earth has its purpose. We too have our purpose. Allah says:
“And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers.
And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me.
Indeed, it is Allah who is the [continual] Provider, the firm possessor of strength.” ( Qur’an 51: 55- 58)
The word ‘worship’ here means to know Him, learn about Him, communicate with Him, follow and obey Him. The least we could do is connect and communicate with our Creator and actualize our purpose in life.
Each and every single act that Allah asked us to do is there to help us better live our purpose in life and better connect with Him.
Every required act is there to help us move forward and progress in our relationship with Allah. The prayers, the fasting, the zakat, the hijab…. each and every single requirement has a significant role in our spiritual growth and our intellectual, emotional and physical nourishment.
As the Creator, Allah knows what is best for His created beings in this life and the next, and what He asked us to do is there to help us grow and understand our own meaning as well as the meaning of life and its purpose.
Think about it, who is the best one to tell you how to use an IPhone? The one who created it, right? This is why He used to hold conferences introducing his new creation and explaining to people its features and how to best use it.
The creator usually knows best what He created. He is the best one to get instructions from. His instructions are there to help you make the best use of what he created.
” Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?” ( Qur’an 67: 14)
This is why we get our instructions from Allah and we follow Him because He knows best what is good for our hearts, minds, souls and our well being in this life and the next.
At the end, what we do is for our own good and for living and actualizing our purpose. But the reward we get from Allah is much more than we would ever deserve or work for.
So we do what we are required to do with love and out of love, humility and gratitude to The Generous One who created us to give us and will still give us much more than we deserve in the next life.
In a beautiful hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) demonstrated this gratitude. Narrated Aisha:
The Prophet (ﷺ) used to offer prayer at night (for such a long time) that his feet used to crack. I said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Why do you do it since Allah has forgiven you your faults of the past and those to follow?” He said, “Shouldn’t I love to be a thankful slave (of Allah)?’
This is a beautiful sense of gratitude and sincere love and connection with The One who gave us life.
May Allah make us among those who show true gratitude to Him, and those who live in Paradise for eternity near Him… The Source of Life, Light, Love Peace and Beauty.
“And Paradise will be brought near to the righteous, not far,
[It will be said], “This is what you were promised – for every returner [to Allah] and keeper [of His covenant]
Who feared the Most Merciful unseen and came with a heart returning [in repentance].
Enter it in peace. This is the Day of Eternity.”
They will have whatever they wish therein, and with Us is more.” ( Qur’an 50: 31- 35).
And surely he will soon be pleased (92:21)
This world is all about seeking contentment which is why people chase money. People think that money will make them happy but Allah (swt) says that if you seek His face and do what He (swt) tells you to then He (swt) will give you the contentment you are truly seeking. When Allah (swt) mentioned punishment in the previous surah He (swt) quantified it by crushing and levelling Thamood. When it comes to His (swt) reward however He (swt) does not even try to quantify it simply saying that the believer will be soon pleased, meaning that one cannot even imagine the reward.
‘The ones who believe and their hearts are peaceful with the remembrance of Allah. Listen, the hearts find peace only in the remembrance of Allah.’ (Ar-Rad 13:28)
The la in this ayah is Allah (swt) taking an oath, swearing that the people who acquire the attributes described will very soon be content when they enter paradise. Part of the audience listening to this are convinced that they will find satisfaction in the dunya and so Allah (swt) is taking an oath to add emphasis and to convince them that the dunya will not bring them satisfaction rather they should acquire the attributes described and they will surely find true contentment and satisfaction. Many mufassiroon consider these verses to have come down with regards to Abu Bakr (ra) because of the usage of the name Al Atqa (the most God conscious) and then to the general. Yet Ibn Kathir is of the opinion that although the verses may be referring to him, as the verses are general so too are the lessons. Furthermore, his contention is that he could not find any direction narration confirming the verses were in reference to Abu Bakr (ra).
Reference Link
Allah Guides Us to Eternal Success and Happiness
Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala, meaning: the Exalted, Most Glorious) guides us toward eternal success and hence, happiness. He tells us to read and follow the Qur’an so that we can believe and worship Him as the Only God, obey His Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) by following His Sunnah and be righteous in this world. In this way, we attain His Mercy. He directs us to follow the Qur’an and not the desires of those who know not (Surah Al-Jathiya, 45:18). He guides us to pray for a well-balanced life to be happy both here and in the Hereafter and save us from the torment of the Hell-Fire (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:201). In line with this, He guides us to work for our material and spiritual well-being both in this life and the world to come. He says:
“But seek, with the wealth which Allah has bestowed on you, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget your portion in this World. But do you good, as Allah has been good to you, and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land, for Allah loves not those who do mischief.” (Surah Al-Qasas, 28:77)
“And when the prayer is finished, then may you disperse through the land, and seek the Bounty of Allah: and remember Allah frequently that you may prosper.” (Surah Al-Jumuah, 62:10)
Though we are to seek a good life here on earth and in the world to come, Allah the Almighty guides us to prefer the latter life. The life in the Hereafter is eternal and lasting compared to this temporal world. He says:
“Nothing is the life of this world but play and amusement. But for better is the Home in the Hereafter for those who are pious. Will you not then understand?” (Surah Al-Ana’m, 6:32)
“O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that, when you are asked to go forth in the Cause of Allah, you cling heavily to the earth? Do you prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the Hereafter.” (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:38)
“Allah does enlarge, or grant by (strict) measure, the Sustenance (which He gives) to whom so He pleases. They rejoice in the life of this world: but the life of this world is nothing but little comfort compared to the Hereafter.” (Surah Ar-Ra’d, 13:26)
“Know (all), that the life of this world is nothing but play and a pastime, adornment and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children. Here is a similitude; how rain and the growth, which it brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; you will see it grow yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the Hereafter is a Penalty severe (for the devotees of wrong) and forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the devotees of Allah). And what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception?” (Surah Al-Hadid, 57:20)
Allah makes it clear to us that the life of this world is deceiving (Surah Al-Ana’m, 6:130). Many people love this fleeting life and neglect the Hereafter (Surah Al-Qiyamah, 75:20-21). Those who desire the life of the Present and its glitter will suffer in the Fire in the Hereafter (Surah Hud, 11:15-16). Those who wish for the transitory things (of this life), Allah will grant them such things as He wills, to such persons as He wills. In the end, however, He has provided for them punishment in Hell. They will burn therein, disgraced and rejected (Surah Al-Isra’, 17:18). Our Creator makes it clear that supreme success is the eternal life in Paradise and that the dwellers of Paradise are the ones who are indeed successful:
“Who is averted from such a torment on that Day, (Allah) has surely been merciful to him. And that would be the obvious success.” (Surah Al-Ana’m, 6:16)
“For them Allah has got ready Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.” (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:89)
“They will never taste death therein except the first death (of this world). And He will save them from the Torment of the Blazing Fire as a bounty from your Rabb! That will be the supreme success!” (Surah Ad-Dukhan, 44:56, 57)
“Not equal are the dwellers of the Fire and the dwellers of the Paradise. It is the dwellers of Paradise that will be successful.” (Surah Al-Hashr, 59:20)
If you want salvation in order to have eternal happiness and success, read the Qur’an and follow Allah's commandments to believe and adhere to righteousness. You must remember that everything you do is recorded. Allah has assigned to each one of us two guardian angels. The guardian angels record whatever we utter and do. Allah tells us:
“Behold, two (guardian angels) appointed to learn (his doings) learn (and note them), one setting on the right and one on the left. Not a word does he utter but a vigilant Guardian is with him (to record it).” (Surah Qaf, 50:17-18)
Allah further guides us to salvation when He says that we have to seek His forgiveness. He is the Rabb of Grace Abounding, Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. We should always turn to Him for guidance and forgiveness. He says:
“Be you foremost (in seeking) forgiveness from your Rabb, and a Garden (of Bliss), the width whereof is as the width of Heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His Messengers. That is the Grace of Allah, which He bestows on whom He pleases; and Allah is the Rabb (Only God) of Grace abounding.” (Surah Al-Hadid, 57:21)
“O you who believe! Fear, Allah, and believe in His Messenger, and He will bestow on you a double portion of His Mercy. He will provide for you a Light by which you shall walk (straight in your path), and He will forgive you (your past); for Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah Al-Hadid, 57:28)
“O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance in the hope that your Rabb will remove from you your evil deeds and admit you to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow ¾ the Day that Allah will not permit to be humiliated the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will run forward before them and by their right hands, while they say, ‘Our Rabb! Perfect our Light for us, and grant us Forgiveness, for You have power over all things.’” (Surah At-Tahreem, 66:8)
In Ayah (Surah At-Tahreem, 66:8), Allah the All-Knowing teaches us to pray to Him for His forgiveness. This shows how complete the Glorious Book is. To reiterate, the Qur’an contains not only praises to Allah but also prayers to Him. Many of the Qur’anic verses that invoke prayers pertain to forgiveness. For our own salvation, we should always turn to Allah for His forgiveness.
If you have not yet made the best decision in your life to be among the successful Believers (Muslims), time has come for you to believe in Allah as the Only God worthy to be worshipped and the One Who revealed the Qur’an to us. Before it is too late or death comes to you, turn to Allah for repentance and follow His Book. Remember death is certainly inevitable. Allah the Almighty says:
“Every soul shall have a taste of death; and on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is nothing but enjoyment of deception.” (Surah Al-‘Imran, 3:185)
When you pray for Allah’s forgiveness, He will certainly forgive you because He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful (Surah Al-Hadid, 57:28). He forgives all sins except the association of partner with Him. Our Creator says:
“Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him in worship; but He forgives anything else, to whom He pleases. To set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin most heinous indeed.” (Surah An-Nisa’, 4:48)
“Say: ‘O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, for Allah forgives all sins. Indeed He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.’ Turn to your Rabb (in repentance) and submit to Him, before the Chastisement comes to you. After that you shall not be helped.” (Surah Az-Zumar, -39:53-54)
Once Allah has forgiven you, He will reward you eternal happiness and hence, supreme success in the Hereafter. This you should believe because verily, Allah will not fail in His promise (Surah Ar-Ra’d, 13:31). Therefore, for your eternal success, read and follow the Divine Message from Allah. Believe in the universal divine message that Allah is the Only True God worthy of our worship. He is our Only Protector and the Only One Who will reward us the supreme success in the eternal life Hereafter. Allah our Only God says:
“There (on the Day of Resurrection) the (only) protection comes from Allah the True One. He is the Best to reward and the Best to give success.” (Surah Al-Kahf, 18:44).
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