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 Tasneem ((Tasneem is a fountain in Paradise)) , ginger, and Kaafoor ((Kafoor in translated as Camphor in most translations. Etymologists derive the word kafoor from the root word kfr)) .

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?

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

As mentioned towards the end of the last article, we will be discussing the various characteristics of the people of Jannah (Paradise) mentioned in the Qur’an, and we have particularly selected two passages from the Qur’an which give many of the important qualities of the people of Paradise. We will mainly be taking a look at Shaykh Saalih ibn Uthaimeen’s commentary on the verses, when he was describing the people of Jannah to his students during a Ramadan many years ago.

Surah Mu’minoon (Qur’an 23:1-11)

1. Certainly will the believers have succeeded:
2. They who are during their prayer humbly submissive
3. And they who turn away from ill speech
4. And they who are observant of zakah (annual charity)
5. And they who guard their private parts
6. Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed –
7. But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors –
8. And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive
9. And they who carefully maintain their prayers –
10. Those are the inheritors
11. Who will inherit al-Firdaus [the highest level of Paradise] They will abide therein eternally.

Shaykh Uthaimeen explains:

First: “the believers”—These are the ones who believe in Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) and with all of the obligations of faith, from the angels, books, messengers, the Last Day, to Divine Decree, its good and its bad; they believe in all of this and practice it in their sayings and actions.

Second: “Who are humble in their prayers”—Their hearts are present with them, and they feel as if they are standing between the hands of Allah (swt) speaking to Him with His words, and getting closer to Him with His remembrance, and they make supplication to Him, so they are humble.

Third: “Who shun vain talk”—Vain talk is all that has no benefit, and there is no good in its saying or action, so they stay away from it with their strength and their willingness not to waste time. Just like they make their prayer filled with humbleness, they make their time filled with benefit.

Fourth: “And who pay the zakah”—They pay what they are obliged to, and this is a way to purify their sayings and actions.

Fifth: “And who guard their modesty / Save from their wives or the [slaves] that their right hands possess, for then they are not blameworthy”—They protect their modesty from committing zina (adultery), and also from touching and seeing unlawfully. “For then they are not blameworthy” shows that it is permissible for them to be with their wives and what their right hand possesses; “But whoso craveth beyond that, such are transgressors” shows that masturbation is not permissible, because the verse only mentions the wives and what the right hand possesses.

Sixth: “And who are shepherds of their pledge and their covenant”—They do what they promise at its promised time with its promised conditions. Allah (swt) has mentioned the description of the people of Paradise in many different parts of the Qur’an. Allah (swt) mentions them so that whoever desires to go to Paradise will know its requirements.

Another interesting fact that came to my mind as I was going through these ayaat (verses) of the Qur’an—Allah (swt) mentions various qualities from the first till the 9^th verse of Surah Mu’minoon, but the concentration and dedication to prayers is mentioned twice. This is one of the various indications in the Qur’an of the importance of salah (prayer). Every time the mu’addhin (caller to prayer) gives the adhaan (call to prayer) he says, “hayya alas salaah,” (come to prayer) and, “hayya alal falaah” (come to success), showing that ultimately success in both this life and the hereafter lies in the amount of connection and remembrance of Allah (swt) that we have. Even the one who cannot move a single muscle in his body is not exempted from prayer, as long as he is conscious. Whether you pray standing, sitting or lying down, you have to pray. Even in the battlefield, Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) laid down the laws of how prayer is to be made. Even during war, prayer was never allowed to slip from the mind of a believer. As establishing prayers in our lives is the key to Paradise, neglecting the prayers, not praying them on time and giving them lesser preference to more “important” stuff is a slippery path to the fire of Hell. May Allah (swt) save us from it.

Moving on we will discuss the ayaat of Surah Ali `Imran from verses 133-136. Those who have checked out the videos of Brother Nouman Ali Khan that I posted in the last article will know quite a lot about them by now insha‘Allah (God willing).

Surah Ali `Imran (Qur’an 3:133-136)

133. And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden [i.e., Paradise] as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous
134. 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;
135. And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins – and who can forgive sins except Allah? – and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.
136. Those – their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow [in Paradise], wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers.

Shaykh Uthaimeen comments on them:

This is the description of the people of Paradise.

First: “the righteous”—These are the ones who fear their Lord, and fear the punishment in the afterlife, and they do what they are commanded obediently, with hopes of being rewarded.

Second: “those who spend, whether in prosperity, or in adversity”—These are the ones who spend what is commanded of them from zakah and charity, and spending on those who have a right to the money, and on jihad (striving in the cause of God) and other paths of good. These people spend in prosperity and they do not love the money, and they spend in adversity without fear of needing the money.

Third: “who restrain anger”—They are the ones who control their anger, and when they get angry they don’t harm those around them from their anger.

Fourth: “and pardon men”—They are the ones who forgive those who have wronged them. Then Allah (swt) says, “for Allah loves those who do good,” which shows that those who pardon others are from the good doers, because they wish to make good ties between the people as Allah (swt) says, “So whoever forgives, and repairs the relationships, indeed their reward is on Allah.”

Fifth: “And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, earnestly bring Allah to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins”—The sin to be ashamed of is from the major sins, like wrongfully killing someone, or disobeying parents, or committing zina, or stealing, or taking the money of the orphan, or spending in usury, and other major sins. The sin that wrongs a person’s soul is from the minor sin. So if a person commits a major or minor sin, then they remember the greatness of the One whom they disobeyed and feel fear, then remember His forgiveness and mercy, so they race to it. And for these reasons, they are forgiven. As Allah (swt) says, “And who can forgive the sins except Allah?” This shows that they do not seek forgiveness from other than Allah (swt), because no one else can forgive besides Him.

Sixth: “and are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done”—Meaning they do not continue committing the sin while they know it’s a sin, and they know the greatness of the One whom they disobey.

Thus are the people of Paradise, may Allah (swt) make us of them. Our duty now is to try and be among the people of Paradise by internalizing the qualities mentioned above insha’Allah. Sometimes we might think that it’s too tough to maintain it for the rest of our lives. I will leave you with a gem from one of the greatest scholars in the history of Islam. The son of Imam Ahmad once asked his father during times of great oppression, “O my father, when will we be able to rest?” Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah (swt) have mercy upon him replied, “The first day that we put our feet in Paradise.”

By Raiiq Ridwan | Based on a lecture by Br. Nouman Ali Khan

In light of the recent protests against Islam, or as coined by the West, “Islamophobia”, it is very important that we refer back to the Qur’an to seek guidance on this issue. Many times we have been played right into the hands of the enemies of Islam, and hence, with the right equipment derived from the book of Allah and the practice of His beloved Messenger ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him), we will insha’Allah be able to do what is right. For those who have followed the Ground Zero mosque controversy in New York, you will have learned that nearly two-thirds of Americans were against it, subhan’Allah. You would think that more cosmopolitan regions like New York would host less prejudice, but no, it is the same statistics nearly everywhere.

What we must remember is that the Islamophobes have certain values and principles. While we have our Islamic values and principles, they have their values and principles. However, when it comes to dealing with Muslims, they will compromise their own values. The Quraysh tribes during the Prophet’s ﷺ era would never attack one of their own; Tribal values meant everything to them, except when it came to Muhammad, the Messenger of God ﷺ, and those who were with him. So, instead of reacting by getting fired up, breaking down buildings and burning cars, as has become common in the Muslim world, we should expect this attitude. We cannot expect the enemies of Islam to treat us nicely; they will always keep doing the evil they are doing.

But instead of looking at what they are doing we should be looking at what we are doing. Pastor Terry Jones may say that he is “burning the Qur’an” but he is burning nothing but ink and paper. The Qur’an’s words are embedded onto the hearts of the believers. They would have to burn our hearts if they want to eliminate the Qur’an.

Let us go to a time in the life of the Messenger ﷺ when the Muslims suffered a very heavy defeat. It was during the Battle of Uhud, and the Muslims were beaten by the mushrikeen (rejectors/disbelievers). After defeating the Muslims, now the mushrikeen were planning on round two, so that they could finish off the Muslims once and for all. However, the Messenger ﷺ commanded that the Muslims attack the enemy first instead of waiting for another defeat, therefore in spite of the low morale and confidence, many of the injured and tired Sahabah (companions) stood strong beside the Messenger ﷺ. Allah records this in the Qur’an,

“Those [believers] who responded to Allah and the Messenger after injury had struck them. For those who did good among them and feared Allah is a great reward”. (3:172)

Here we get our first lesson. Even through the enemy attacked us, and hit us hard, we should continue responding to the call of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. Instead of leaving salah (prayers) to appease our neighbours, we should rush to salah in the masjid. Instead of shaving our beards and taking off our hijab, we should hold onto it more tightly, courageously. We should learn from the persecution and project our faith and march on positively, in hope of the great reward of Allah for our struggle. Allah continues to explain the Battle of Uhud, and this shows something very relevant as we hear it very often,

“Those to whom people [i.e., hypocrites] said, ‘Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them’…” (Qur’an, 3:173)

“So fear them! Be afraid of them!” – Subhan’Allah, is this not what some Muslims say to us today? ‘They are against you, they will block your visa, please them, they are powerful, they can do this and that.’ Yet, what is the response of the true believers? Allah records their reaction in the same ayah,

“Buy it [merely] increased them in faith and they said ‘Hasbun’Allah wa ne`mal wakeel – Sufficient for us is Allah and [He] is the best disposer of affairs’.” (Qur’an, 3:173)

Subhan’Allah. When statements like this are said by the believer, his depression goes away. He feels near to Allah, protected by Allah, and his heart beats: ‘Hasbun’Allah wa ne`mal wakeel’ – Allah is sufficient for us and He is the best caretaker of our affairs.

When we talk about responding to the attacks on Islam, the first response should be in our hearts and not publicised in the media. Until and unless we firmly believe Islam’s truth in our heart, and say it with our tongue and prove it through our actions that ‘HasbunAllah wa ne`mal wakeel’, then no matter how many press releases we do, no matter how many articles we write about it, or Facebook events we open, the effort is pretty much useless. Are we doing the work out of fear that Islam will suffer or are we doing this to save our reputation, or are we trying to please the kuffar (disbelievers, rejecters of faith) who demonize the name of our beloved religion? Until our fear of other people is gone and we fear Allah alone, it will not help us, as Allah explains to us in Surah Al-Imran. Allah first shows the success of those who responded with bravery,

“So they returned with favour from Allah and bounty, no harm having touched them. And they pursued the pleasure of Allah, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.” (Qur’an, 3:174)

This is what we will get once our hearts have firmly placed reliance upon Allah, and until that we will not be given Allah’s favor and bounty, but rather it will be humiliation. Allah also exposes the reasons why Muslims suffer this shame, in a bid to show the Muslims to abstain from such behavior, when He says:

“That is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters…” (Qur’an, 3:175)

So in reality it is nothing but Shaytaan who incites doubt and fear in the hearts of the believers. This is something we find hard to comprehend, thus Allah makes it clear to us, and now He gives more advice in the same verse:

“So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are indeed believers.” (3:175)

Allah says that we should not be concerned with anyone’s pleasure other than Him if we truly have faith in Him, as we are supposed to say ‘HasbunAllah wa ne`mal wakeel’! This was the same du`a’ (supplication) that cooled the fire that was burning for Ibrahim `alayhi assalam (may Allah send his peace and blessings on them). We will see how powerful this du`a’ is . While any attack on Islam should sadden us, we shouldn’t be saddened by their words because they cannot and will not be able to harm the religion of Allah. Allah gives us the consolation in the next verse of this amazing Surah:

“And do not be grieved, by those who hasten into disbelief. Indeed, they will never harm Allah AT ALL…” (Qur’an, 3:176)

However, we often have questions as to why such behavior from the disbelievers is allowed by Allah. Is Allah pleased with them that they have all this power and we have nothing similar to it? Allah answers such questions in the same verse,

“Allah intends that He should give them no share in the Hereafter, and for them is a great punishment.” (3:176)

And also in a later verse,

“And let not those who disbelieve ever think that [because] We extend their time [of enjoyment] it is better for them. We only extend it for them so that they may increase in sin, and for them is a humiliating punishment.” (Qur’an, 3:178)

In between these two verses, Allah addresses a particular sickness that has gripped certain aspects of this Ummah, and He said that the sickness bears no consequence upon the cause of Allah,

“Indeed, those who purchase disbelief [in exchange] for faith – never will they harm Allah at all, and for them is a painful punishment.”  (Qur’an, 3:177)

Today we find Muslims who have converted to Christianity for money; they have left Islam because a particular church helps their visa applications. Muslim youth call themselves atheists cause it’s “cool” to be one. A more pressing issue is with those Muslims who do not apostate but attack Islam from within. They use these anti-Islamic situations to gain some rapport, some popularity in the media. They will deny the divine punishments ordained by Allah for “harmony”, they will even say that being a Jew and Christian can take you to Paradise, or that the illegal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are “not our concern” and so on and so forth.

This is one of the reasons why Allah keeps us through these trials. Many of us ask: Why does Allah test us like this? He answers,

“Allah would not leave the believers in that [state] you are in [presently] until He separates the evil from the good…” (Qur’an, 3:179)

The word used “tayyameeza” is also used for the purification of gold. Gold can only be purified by heating at a very high temperature. This is what Allah is doing to the believers: He is testing us to extract the filth out of this Ummah and only keep the pristine clear believers, and bring out the hypocrites and expose them. Some of us also ask: When will this suffering end? When will we be free? Remember that Allah doesn’t love the oppressors, He is merely using them to test us and only Allah knows what will happen:

“Nor would Allah reveal to you the unseen…” (Qur’an, 3:179)

Allah will decide when it’s time for good to prevail, and that time will be when all the wicked are separeated from the good. Allah doesn’t intend to reveal it to us, so this  uncertaintly is also part of the test. When tested and tried our duty is to fall back onto the legacy of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah tells us,

“…And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from the Mushrikeen much abuse…” (Qur’an, 3:186)

He informs us that yes, we are going to be tested, abused, tortured and imprisoned by the actions of these Islamophobes who attack the very religion that their Creator has ordained upon them. But Allah also reminds us of a noble response:

“But if you are patient and fear Allah, then verily, that will be a determining factor in all affairs, and that is of the matters [worthy] of determination.” (Qur’an, 3:186)

While our screaming is detrimental, our patience speaks volumes. Allah has clearly said our reaction ‘is a determining factor’. ‘All these are from the matters of determination’ and these are what we should hold on to. We should be patient, and also be aware of Allah. However, being patient doesn’t mean just shutting up. Patience is also to act in a calm, calculated manner, as did our beloved Messenger ﷺ. What we should do is counteract the spreading of lies in our universities, our masaajid, especially our homes, institutions, and our workplaces etc. We should do our best in conveying the correct image and true message. Only when the people know the entire truth to a situation and message, can they reject falsehood, or else they will get confused.

We must also work on purifying ourselves more often as we have to face and survive these trials as individuals inshaAllah. The greatest criminal against the book of Allah is the believer who abandons the Qur’an. Today we live in a society where the Qur’an is grossly misunderstood, misinterpreted and misquoted. And we have little knowledge in opening up the dialogue to clarify such issues. We need to come back to the book of Allah ourselves first, and then invite others to it. Media houses and powerful iconcs have instilled a tyrannical fear into the people. Shaytaan has done his job, and now we have to do a better job inshaAllah. So the first step is to fix our individual relationship with Allah, improve ourselves and then clarify the deen to our own people, before going out to teach the world.

Unless we accept Allah we will be cursed by Allah. We have read Allah’s words that no harm touched the believers (Qur’an, 3:173), so when will no harm touch us? When we “seek the good pleasure of Allah”, and we can say in our hearts firmly ‘HasbunAllah wa ne`mal wakeel’. Allah gives a stern promise in His Book twice, in (Qur’an, 9:32-33), and again in (Qur’an, 61:8-9):

“They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will that His light be perfected, no matter how much the Kaafiroon hate it. It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the way of truth, such that it will prevail over every other way of life, no matter how much the Mushrikoon hate it.”

No matter how many talk shows or how much money the anti-Islam people dedicate to discrediting the deen of Allah, Islam will always flourish. So the question is not whether Allah’s light will be perfected because we know it will. Rather the question is, are you and I going to be part of this?