PARADISE ... 3
Who are the People of Paradise ?
We could go on and on, for the ahadeeth are vast in
numbers, about the Prophet's descriptions of Paradise. But a
place that has houses built with gold and silver bricks: where
its dirt is made of rubies and sapphires and its inhabitants
wear only the finest silk garments, sounds like a pretty
exclusive neighborhood to me. Who are these people who will be
allowed to live in this enchanting place? The Jews say the
Jews. The Christians say the Christians. But Allah says, "And
they say: 'None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a
Christian.' Those are their (vain) desires. Say, 'Produce your
proof if you are truthful.' [2:111] He also says, "(Namely)
those whose lives the angels take in a state of purity, saying
(to them), 'Peace be on you, enter you the Garden, because of
(the good) which you did (in the world)." [16:32]
Always in the Qur'an when Allah mentions those who will
attain Paradise, He mentions the believers, not the Muslims.
He, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "Indeed the Muttaqoon will be
amongst the Gardens and water-springs." [15:45] He also says,
"Verily, the Muttaqoon will be in a place of security, among
Gardens and Springs, dressed in fine silk and (also) in thick
silk, facing each other. This is how it shall be, and We shall
marry them to Houris with wide, lovely eyes. They will request
therein for every kind of fruit in peace and security."
[44:51-55]
So who are the believers and how do we become one of them?
Allah says, "They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and they
enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and they strive with
one another in hastening to good deeds, and those are among
the good." [3:114]
He, subhanahu wa ta'ala, also says of the believers, "But
the Apostle and those who believe with him strive hard with
their property and their persons; and these it is who shall
have the good things and these it is who shall be successful."
[9:88]
He goes on to say, "Allah has purchased of the believers
their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the
Garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and
are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law,
the Gospel, and the Qur'an: and who is more faithful to his
covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain, which you
have concluded: that is the achievement supreme." [9:111]
Of the believers, He also says, "But those who have faith
and work righteousness, they are companions of the Garden:
Therein shall they abide (forever)." [2:82] O slaves of Allah
know that being among this illustrious group of people who
will live in this place of tranquility and bliss is not
something easily attained. Allah says, "Or do you think that
you shall enter the Garden (of bliss) without such (trials) as
came to those who passed away before you? They encountered
suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that
even the Apostle and those of faith who were with him cried,
'When (will come) the help of Allah?' Ah! Verily, the help of
Allah is (always) near!" [2:214]
What Allah and His Messenger, sallallahu alayhe wasallam,
convey to us is that the people of Paradise are the
God-conscious, and the God-fearing. Not everyone, who says,
Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, just as not
everyone who professes the Shahadah, will enter Paradise.
Only those who fear Allah as He ought to be feared, and are
motivated by that fear to do acts of righteousness will attain
success. The one who is conscious of His Lord, in every aspect
of his life, and turns to Him in true submission, will have
purchased for himself safety and security on a day, when there
will be none, except with Allah. He does not cause a soul to
suffer fear twice, the fear of Him in this world, and the fear
on The Day of Judgment. About this, the Messenger of Allah,
sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said, "Allah says, 'I do not
combine for my servants two states of fear, or two states of
safety. So if he feels safe from Me in this world I will cause
him to fear on The Day of Judgment, and if he fears Me in the
world, I will cause him to be safe on The Day of Judgment.'" (Sahih
al-Jami)
It is important, therefore, that Muslims know the
characters of those who will be the inheritors of Paradise.
But it is unfortunate that many of today's Muslims understand
that it is enough for one to pronounce the Shahadah by his
tongue for him to be entitled to enter Paradise regardless of
whether he lived according to Islam or not! But the Shahadah
means and requires more than the mere utterance of it.
Actually this fact is one of the most mentioned aspects of
Islam in the Qur'an and Sunnah. The essence of Eman is deed.
Deeds of the heart and deeds of the tongue and other body
parts. Deeds that are to be continued till one leaves this
world. That was the reason why the Arabs of Makkah refused to
pronounce it. They fully appreciated its implication. They
knew it concerned authority and understood that they had to
govern their deeds and lives with it. Yet many of those who
repeat it today lead life styles that do not resemble those
described in the Qur'an and practiced by the Prophet,
sallallahu alayhe wasallam, and his companions. The Qur'an
warns us that deeds are the basis on which we are to be
judged, not only the utterance of the Shahadah, "It is not by
your wishes nor the wishes of the People of the Book: whoever
does wrong shall be punished for it, and he will find none
other than Allah as a protector or helper." [4:123]
So entering Paradise requires that we live as believers and
die as Muslims. That takes knowledge, dedication and
determination to see it through to its completion. The first
step is belief in Allah and His Messenger, and the flip side
to that is leaving all acts of shirk; this means directing all
acts of ibadah to none but Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, whether
it be wearing talismans, supplicating to others than Allah or
simply showing off. The next step is obeying Allah and His
Messenger, avoiding bid'ah and innovations, and carrying out
all compulsory acts of worship that He has prescribed. Once we
are steadfast and regular in what we must do, we can then
proceed to the next level of eman and worship, by doing the
things that we have been encouraged to do. By increasing our
acts of worship, and remembrance of Allah we will leave off
sin and help safeguard ourselves from a Fire, the fuel of
which is men and stones.
Last modified:
July 19, 2007
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