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MORE
BEAUTIFULL
THAN THIS
VIEW
WHERE IT (
) COULD BE
MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN
THIS PLACE
WHERE IT COULD BE
BUT
PARADISE
Paradise
"And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it as he ought to
strive and he is a believer; (as for) these, their striving shall surely
be accepted." [17:19]
"(These are) they whose labor is lost in this world's life and they
think that they are well-versed in skill of the work of hands."
[18:104]
Now, even though the situation with my Dad threw me for a loop, it
really got me thinking. How many of us, Muslims, are in the very
same predicament as my father? How many of us are working hard
for the life of this world, at the cost of the Hereafter? How many of
us are putting in 40-plus hours a week at our jobs, and other
recreational activities, while putting in only the smallest amounts
of time when it comes to our Deen? Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
says that truly Man shall earn what he strives for. The question
now is what are we truly striving and working for?
Maybe it's because at the end of the week, we are rewarded with
something tangible for our efforts, a check we can see and touch.
The Hereafter, although being equally as real, is at the same time,
mystifying and ethereal in its nature. It's a delayed gratification,
which makes it harder to earn. Our wages for our efforts in the
deen will not be paid in full until we exit the life of this world. For
Allah says, "Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the
Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he
who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have
attained the object (of Life). For the life of this world is but goods
and chattels of deception." [3:185]
Our final destination is the life of the Hereafter. Where we end up,
Jannah (Paradise) or Jahannam (Hell-fire) depends on what we
worked towards in this life. Paradise is the aim and the hope of
every Muslim. But like trying to attain any goal, in order to achieve
success, one must have a well-defined plan, and it must be
implemented to be successful. Allah says,
"O you who believe! Be careful of (your duty to) Allah and seek
means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may
be successful." [5:35]
Allah says, "And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it as
he ought to strive and he is a believer; (as for) these, their striving
shall surely be accepted." [17:19]
"And those foremost (In Tawheed and obedience to Allah and His
Messenger in this life) will be foremost (in Paradise). They will be
those nearest to Allah in the Gardens of Delight. A multitude of
those (the foremost) will be from the first generation (who
embraced Islam) and a few of those (the foremost) will be from the
later (generations). They will be reclining, face to face, on thrones
woven with gold and precious stones. They will be served by
immortal boys, with cups and jugs, and a glass from the flowing
wine, from which they will have neither any headache, nor any
intoxication. They will have fruit from which they may choose, and
the flesh of fowls that they desire. There will be Houris with wide,
lovely eyes (as wives for the pious), like preserved pearls, a reward
for deeds that they used to do. They will hear no vain or sinful
speech (like backbiting, etc.) but only the saying of: Salam, Salam,
(greetings of peace). And those on the Right Hand, who will be
those on the Right Hand? They will be among thorn-less lote-trees
among Talh (banana trees) with fruits piled one above another, in
long-extended shade, by constantly flowing water, and fruit in
plenty, whose season is not limited, and their supply will not be cut
off. They will be on couches or thrones raised high. Verily, We have
created for them (maidens) of equal age, loving (their husbands
only). For those on the Right Hand." [56:10-38]
Wearing the finest silk clothing and sitting on chairs made of gold
and precious stones? Those who disbelieve in the words of Allah,
say that this is all a fairy-tale, made up by a would-be prophet. But
we know, that Allah is the Truthful and that His Messenger,
sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, spoke only what was revealed to from
the Most Truthful. And even though Allah describes Paradise for us
in the Qur'an, He still says, "So no soul knows the delights of the
eyes which is hidden for them; a reward for what they did." [32:17]
What words could have inspired Umair and others like him to long
for, and to pay the ultimate price for a place in Paradise? Let's now
take a look at what the Messenger of Allah, had to say about
Paradise.
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,
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]
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]
"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]
Protect our ears from lewd or evil speech where there is sin. We
should also avoid listening to lies, gossip, music, slander, or
blasphemy.
Protect our tongues by saying always what is correct and true, and
keeping it moist with the remembrance of Allah, and keeping away
from backbiting and other evil speech.
Protect our stomachs by eating the halal and keeping away from
the haram. We should beware of eating usury, carrion, and swine
or drinking intoxicants or taking drugs.
Protect our hands from taking what does not belong to us, or from
doing harm to another Muslim.
Protect our families and children by keeping them away from the
things that may be harmful and that may corrupt their minds and
their souls.
Now, it is true that only Allah knows who the believers are, but that
should not stop us from striving to be among their numbers. For
the believers will have eternal bliss and complete success, because
of the things that they did in this life. Allah says,
"So no soul knows the delight of the eyes which is hidden for them;
a reward for what they did." [32:17]
We now stand at the start of the race, so let us run forward quickly
to the finish line, where the gates of Paradise will be open for those
who strive as they should. The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam, who said, "Paradise is surrounded by hardship
and the Hellfire is surround by wishes and desires," has described
the road to eternal bliss." (Sahih al-Jami)
Despite this, Allah and His Messenger have left breadcrumbs along
the path, for us to follow to make our journey easier. All roads may
lead to Rome, but not all paths lead to Allah and His Paradise. We
must plan our journey by using only the road map given to us by
Allah and His Messenger, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam.
Belief and Righteous Deeds are two of the best routes to Jannah
(Paradise). The door of righteous deeds is wide and the ways of
obtaining rewards are vast, as Allah says, "And those who believe
and do good deeds they are the inhabitants of Paradise, in it they
shall abide." [2:82]
Fighting in the Path of Allah with one's goods and soul. For Allah
says, "O you who believe, shall I lead you to a merchandise which
may deliver you from a painful chastisement? You shall believe in
Allah and His Messenger, and struggle hard in Allah's Cause with
your property and your lives; that is better for you, if you but knew!
He will forgive you your sins and cause you to enter Gardens
beneath which rivers flow, and goodly dwellings in Gardens of
perpetuity; that is the mighty achievement." [61:10-12]
This is what Allah has for the least among us. But despite all the
glorious castles, the beautiful clothes and mates we will posses,
inshaAllah, He still has in store for the believers the greatest honor
awaiting them in Paradise. Suhaib ibn Sinan narrated that the
Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said, "When the inmates of
Paradise enter Paradise and the inmates of Hellfire will enter
Hell, the announcer will say, 'O people of Paradise, verily you
have a promise with Allah and He wishes to fulfill His promise to
you.' They will ask, 'What is His promise? Has He not made our
balances heavy (with good deed), whitened our faces, admitted us
into Paradise, and delivered us from the Hellfire?' Then the screen
will be removed and they will look towards Him. By Allah He will
not give them a thing more beloved to them and more comforting
to their eyes, than the gaze of Himself." (Sahih al-Jami)