Aqeedah (Belief)

The Delights of Paradise

By Raiiq Ridwan

Glimpses into the World of the Unseen: I | II | III | IV |V | VI | VII | VIII | IX

This ends the sequence of articles and I hope and pray you benefitted from it. I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) to accept it and to forgive me for my shortcomings. We will end by again speaking about Jannah (Paradise) as that is what we strive to attain.

Ibn al-Qayyim said, in regards to the description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains:

And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.

And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.

And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.

And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.

And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk whose taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.

And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.

And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem1 , ginger, and Kaafoor2 .

And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear and made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.

And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance that would be travelled in a thousand years.

And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.

And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in buildings that have rivers running underneath them.

And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.

And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of silk and gold.

And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest silk laid out in the highest of its levels.

And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty, then they are like the image of the Moon.

And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.

And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among the Hoor al-’Ayn, and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.

And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.

And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and full-breasted and have had the liquid of youth flow through their limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it, light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights; he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorify, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everything but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.

And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from an umbilical cord, childbirth and menses, and pure of mucous, saliva, urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his attention is restricted to her so she is the sole object of his desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has touched her before of either humans or Jinn.

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face – free from any resemblance or likeness to anything – as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: ‘O People of Paradise! Your Lord – Blessed and Exalted – requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!’ So they will say: ‘We hear and obey!’

Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet – and none of them will turn down the request of the caller – the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: ‘O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allah in which He wishes to reward you!’ So they will say: ‘And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?’

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller – Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names – has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: ‘O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!’ So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: ‘O Allah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!’ So the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will laugh to them and say: ‘O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!’

So, they will all give the same response: ‘We are pleased, so be pleased with us!’ So, He will say: ‘O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!’ So, they will all give the same response: ‘Show us your Face so that we may look at it!’ So, the Lord – Mighty and Majestic – will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allah – the Exalted – had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord – the Exalted – will speak to him and say: ‘Do you remember the day that you did this and that?’ and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldly life, so he will say: ‘O Lord! Will you not forgive me?’ So, He will say: ‘Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife…

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, looking at their Lord…} (al-Qiyaamah 75:22-23)”

[from  Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah by Ibn al-Qayyim, pg. 193]

Wouldn’t you love to enter that?


  1. Tasneem is a fountain in Paradise []
  2. Kafoor in translated as Camphor in most translations. Etymologists derive the word kafoor from the root word kfr []

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12 Comments

  • Salaam. Thank you for this article. Reading this, I wonder why we are told what the Wives of Paradise look like, but not the Husbands? In other words, what do we sisters have to look forward to (insha Allah) if we enter Paradise? And I wonder why no female companion asked this of the Prophet (saaw)? Reading this description, surely people ( back then and now) would think, “That’s great for the men to have those gorgeous Wives of Paradise, but what do women have to look forward to?” Will we get gorgeous husbands?

    • walaikum assalam warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu. the greatest blessings of paradise are those which are hidden, that which the eyes cannot see, the ears cannot hear, and the mind cannot imagine. and in jannah will be “everything their inner selves desire” (surah fussilat), so whatever you have in your wildest imaginations you will get it. moreover, these hadith are there as well

      Umme Salamah R.A narrates that she said to Rasûlullah SAW “O Rasûlullah, are the women of this world superior or the hûrs?” He replied, “The women of this world will have superiority over the hûrs just as the outer lining of a garment has superiority over the inner lining.”

      Umme Salamah R.A then asked, “O Rasûlullah, what is the reason for this?” He answered, “Because they performed salâh, fasted, and worshipped [Allah]. Allah will put light on their faces and silk on their bodies. [The human women] will be fair in complexion and will wear green clothing and yellow jewelry. Their incense-burners will be made of pearls and their combs will be of gold. They will say, ‘We are the women who will stay forever and we will never die. We are the women who will always remain in comfort and we will never undergo difficulty. We are the women who will stay and we will never leave. Listen, we are happy women and we will never become sad. Glad tidings to those men for whom we are and who are for us.'” (Tabrânî)

      hope that suffices from my limited knowldge 🙂

  • SubhAllah. The wonders of paradise are indeed beyond our imagination. May Allah (SWT) make the way to Jannah easy for me, my parents, my family and all my Muslim brothers and sisters. Ameen !

  • May Allah [swt] our lord,our protector,most merciful, irresistible, most oft forgiving, please forgive me for past sins, may you protect my family [and other Muslims] from the fire whose fuel is men and stones, inshallah and make our journey to Jannah as easy as possible. Please forgive past doubts, and other things you have not ordained. May Allah forgive all Muslims, because they shall all be granted Paradise. Ameen.

  • May Allah [SWT] almighty please forgive me for any sins I have made, and make my journey to Paradise easy. We all as humans make mistakes, but we learn from them, and inshallah Allah will make things easier for all Muslims who remain stead fast in their faith. It’s sad that this series is ending, but it’s helping people benefit from it. I am still a child and,of course do not always think things through before I do them. But now, I have learned that I should. Ameen.

  • SUBHANALLAH! MASHALLAH! ALLAHU AKBAR! LA HOWLA WALLA KOWATA ILLA BILLAH!

    May Allah [SWT], the Most Merciful, the Most Kind, the All-Forgiving, The Compassioanate forgive me and my family for our sins and help us enter this beautiful jannah.

    This is the most beautiful thing I have read in a long time.

  • The descriptions of Jannah and what inhabits it sound so grand and majestic that truly it seems hard to comprehend completely. Allah is Almighty. It leaves me in awe and makes me want to contemplate it for the longest time. It gives me a great sense of encouragement. It is so grand that it leaves me speechless. May Allah include us all, with our spouses, parents, siblings, thuriyah, friends, and loved ones in the highest level of Paradise with no judgement! May we all be worthy of Jannatul Ferdaws! Ameen!

  • Mash allah it is pleasure to read this beautiful article May allah guide us the right path of the paradise. Jazza akkahlahu khair i want to transilate Somali if u allow me Sheikh. Thank you
    May allah Protect you

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