WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR IN THE NEXT ABODE…JANNAT OR JAHANAM? Part 6

Life in Paradise

B i s m i l l a h i R a h m a n i R o h e e m

All praise is due to Allah, May peace and blessings be upon the Messenger, sallah Allah alaihi wa salaam, his household and companions.

Allah forgives whom He wishes and Punish whom He wishes. It is by His Might we have lived to witness this moment and we ask Him with His Mightiness to continue to shower His Blessings upon our Noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW) his household, his wives, his companions and those who follow his footsteps and teaches it, till the Day of Accountability. Ameen.

Fear Allah and hold fast unto His Strong Rope and Straight Path and know that the most abominable of things is to disobey Allah. Be also aware that the greatest of all sins is the one greatest in consequence. Perpetrating major sins is tantamount to waging war against Allah and his Messenger (SAW). Sins differ in their consequences and punishments according to differences in their degree of contradiction of the purpose of creation and contrariness to the truth. In fact, Allah created the universe that He alone may be worshipped without associating any partners with Him.

The reality of Paradise is something which people will never be able to understand until they actually enter it, but Allah has shown us glimpses of it in the Quran. He has described it as a place essentially different to the life of this world, both in the very nature and purpose of life, as well as the types of delights which people will enjoy therein.

The Quran tells us about Paradise, which Allah offers to us, describes its great blessings, and proclaims its beauties to everyone. It informs us that Paradise is one of two ways of life prepared for them in the afterworld, and that every good thing will be theirs in Paradise to a degree that surpasses our present ability to imagine.

It also shows that Paradise is a place where all blessings have been created perfectly and where people will be offered everything their souls and hearts will desire, and that people will be far impassive from want and need, anxiety or sadness, sorrow and regret. Every kind of beauty and blessing exists in Paradise and will be revealed with a perfection never seen or known before. Allah has prepared such blessings there as a gift, and these will be offered only to people with whom He is pleased.

But what is the nature of these delights in Paradise, and how will it be different from the delights of this world?

While people in this world experience some delight, they also face much toil and suffering. If one was to scrutinize the life which they live, they will find that the amount of hardship they face is much more than the ease and comfort. As for the life of the Hereafter, there will be no hardship nor will suffer in it, and people live therein in pure joy and delight. All the causes of sorrow, pain and suffering which people experience in this life will be absent in the Hereafter.

The hearts of the people of Paradise will be pure, their speech will be good, their deeds righteous. There will be no hurtful, upsetting, offensive or provocative talk there, for Paradise is free of all worthless words and deeds. If we were to discuss all the causes for anguish in this life, we would surely find its absence or opposite to be true in Paradise.

Maasha Allah! Allah Says in the Noble Book:

“And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Garden in crowds; until behold, they arrive there; its gates will be opened and its Keepers will say: Salaam, Salaam, "Peace be upon you! Well have ye done! Enter ye here, to dwell therein." Q39:73

The righteous ones will also go in crowds, and not be alone. There is now a true sorting out. The angels in heaven are not surprised at the advent of the good and righteous souls. They are glad; they greet them with the salutation of Peace; they will congratulate them; and welcome them in.

The believers will be ushered on towards the grand eight gates of Paradise. There, they will receive a joyous Angelic reception and be congratulated on account of their safe arrival and salvation from Hell.

The Quran tells us that: “(To the righteous soul will be said :) "O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! “Come back thou to thy Lord” well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him! "Enter thou, then, among my Devotees! "Yea, enter thou my Heaven"! Q89:27-30.

The righteous enter into their inheritance and receive their welcome with a title that suggests freedom from all pain, sorrow, doubt, struggle, disappointment, passion, and even further desire; at rest, in peace; in a state of complete satisfaction.

In Muslim theology, this stage of the soul is the final stage of bliss. The unregenerate human soul, that seeks its satisfaction in the lower earthly desires, is the Ammara. The self-reproaching soul that feels conscious of sin and resists it is the Lawwama.

Note that Evil finds itself isolated, and cries out in lonely agony, while Good receives a warm welcome from the Lord of Goodness Himself,also that it is the soul which enters heaven, and not the gross body which perishes.

The climax of the whole is: "Enter My Heaven!" Men may have imagined all kinds of heaven before, and many types are used in the sacred Word itself. But nothing can express the reality itself better than "My Heaven"-Allah's own Heaven! May we reach it through Allah's grace!

Oh Believers of Allah’s Deen! The Quranic description of Paradise gives us a vision of just what a fantastic place it is. An eternal home that will fulfill all our wholesome desires, seduce all our senses, grant us everything we could possibly want and much more besides. God describes His Paradise as having earth made of is fine musk powder, soil of saffron, bricks of gold and silver, and pebbles of pearls and rubies. Beneath the gardens of Paradise are flowing rivers of sparkling water, sweet milk, clear honey, and non-intoxicating wine.

The tents on their banks are domes of hollow pearls; the whole space is filled with sparkling light, sweet-smelling plants and fragrances that can be savored from afar. There are lofty palaces, huge mansions, grapevines, date palms, pomegranate trees, lotus and acacia trees whose trunks of made of gold. Ripe, abundant fruit of all kinds: berries, citrus, drupes, grapes, melons, pomes; all kinds of fruit, tropical and exotic; anything the faithful could possibly desire!

Sahl bin Sa'd reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: In Paradise, there is a tree under the shadow of which a rider can travel for a hundred years without covering (the distance) completely. This Hadith has also been transmitted on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) is reported to have said: In Paradise, there is a tree under the shadow of which a rider of a fine and swift-footed horse would travel for a hundred years without covering the distance completely. There would be the pleasure of Allah for the inmates of Paradise and He would never be annoyed with them.(Muslim: Book 40: Hadith 6786)

“Whoever enters Paradise is blessed with a life of joy; he will never feel miserable, his clothes will never wear out, and his youth shall never fade away. The people will hear a divine call: ‘I grant you that you will be healthy and never fall sick, you will live and never die, you will be young and never age, you will be joyful and never feel miserable.’” (Sahih Muslim)

In the end, the thing that will most delight the eyes will be the Countenance of Allah Himself. For the true believer, to see this blessed vision of Allah is to have won the ultimate prize ever.

Quran Says: “Some faces that Day, will beam (in brightness and beauty) looking towards their Lord” Q75:22-23.

In my understanding, the punishment of sin takes place in three ways;

• It may take place in this very life, but this may be deferred, to give the sinner respite;
• It may be an agony immediately after death; and
• In the final Resurrection, when the whole of the present order gives place to a wholly new World.

Allah Says: “Be ye foremost (in seeking) forgiveness from your Lord, 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 Lord of Grace abounding.” Q57:21.

Indeed Allah bestows on whom He pleases, that is, a grace and favour beyond any one's own merits. It is bestowed by Allah according to His Holy Will and Plan, which is just, merciful, and righteous.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) told us that the lowest in rank among the dwellers of Paradise will have ten times the like of this world, and he or she will have whatever he or she desires and ten times like it. Narrated in Sahih Muslim

Also, the Prophet Muhammad said: “A space in Paradise equivalent to the size of a foot would be better than the world and what is in it.” Narrated in Sahih Al-Bukhari.
He also said: “In Paradise there are things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has thought of.” Narrated in Sahih Muslim

He also said: “The most miserable man in the world of those meant for Paradise will be dipped once in Paradise. Then he will be asked, ‘Son of Adam, did you ever face any misery? Did you ever experience any hardship?’ So he will say, ‘No, by God, O Lord! I never faced any misery, and I never experienced any hardship.” Narrated in Sahih Muslim

Quran says: “And give good news (O Muhammad) to those who believe and do good deeds, that they will have gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow....” (Quran 2:25)

If you enter Paradise, you will live a very happy life without sickness, pain, sadness, or death; Allah will be pleased with you; and you will live there forever.
This is the Paradise, the eternal home and final destination of the righteous believer. May Allah, Most High, make us worthy of it. Ameen.

Alahumma infa`ni bima `allamtani wa `allamni ma yanfa`uni! (OH ALLAH! Make useful for me what You taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me!

May Allah bless us to serve Him in all aspects of our lives.

Wa Salaam Alaikum Waramotullahi Wabarakatuhu.