A peep into Jannat al-Firdous, the finest of Allah's seven heavens...
“There (in Paradise) they shall pass from hand to hand a (wine) cup, free from any 'Laghw' (dirty, false, evil vague talk between them), and free from sin (because it will be legal for them to drink). [Koran 52:23]
Like with other aspects of the unseen, Muslims are obligated to believe in Heaven in order to complete their faith.
A Detailed description of the Islamic Jannat al-Firdaus, the finest of seven, is given below.
The Doors of Heaven
One ahadith implies that the Islamic heaven has eight doors: Whoever performed a perfect ablution and recited the Shahadah, then all the eight doors of the Jannah is thrust open for him (believer) for he may enter from whichever door he likes. [Sahih Muslim].
The Prophet of Allah has narrated:
“When Ramadan comes round, the doors of the skies are opened. Another tradition has it that the doors of the Heaven are opened and those of the Fire are closed” [Sahih Bukhari].
Width of the Doors of Heaven
The Prophet of Allah said:
“By Him in whose hands my soul is, the distance between the two gate posts of paradise is like the distance between Makkah and Himyar or between Makkah and Basra” [Bukhari].
Keys of Heaven
“Indeed swords are the keys of heaven”. [Ibn Abi Sheeba, Kitabul Jihad]
The Width of Heaven
“Be you foremost (in seeking) forgiveness from your Lord, and a garden of Bliss the width of whereof is as the width of heaven and earth. [Al-Hadid: 21]
The Prophet has described the width of heaven thus: Harith’s [RA] mother came to the Prophet; Harith had been martyred during the battle of Badr. She said: "O Prophet of Allah! You know how much I loved him. If his reward is heaven, than I will not cry but if not than you see what I will do before you?" The Prophet of Allah said: "Is that just one heaven? There are very many heavens and your son is in the best of them, Al-Firdous Al-Aala." [Sahih Bukhari]
The Width of Hundred Grades of Heaven and Sublimity of Jannat al-Firdaus
The Prophet of Allah said:
“Indeed, there are hundred grades of the Heaven and the distance between the two grades is as great as between the heaven and earth. Allah has prepared these grades for those who perform Jihad in the way of Allah”. [Bukhari]
The Prophet said of Firdous:
“When you pray ask for Firdous, for it is in the middle of heaven and is higher in grade than the heaven and above Firdous is Allah’s throne, moreover the canals of heaven flow from Firdous”. [Bukhari]
Land and Weather of Heaven
The Prophet said:
"And then I was showed in the heaven, I saw there were camps made of pearls and the soil was of musk." [Bukhari]
The Qur’an says of the dwellers of the heaven: ‘They will see there neither the sun’s [excessive heat] nor the moon’s excessive cold’.
Trees in Heaven
The Prophet of Allah said:
“Indeed, there is a tree in heaven so big that if a person keeps riding on a brisk Madhamar [a specially bred horse] for a hundred years even then he would not reach the end of that tree”. [Bukhari]
Each Tree is of Gold
Abu Huraira (RA) reported that the Prophet of Allah (SAW) said:
‘There is no tree in the heaven that does not have a trunk of gold’. [Muslim]
A Tree That Will Manufacture Robes
There is a tree in the heaven, which will manufacture robes for the dwellers of the heaven. That tree is called Tuba. An ahadith has these words about this tree.
‘Tuba is a tree in the heaven, which spreads out as much as a distance that can be covered in a hundred years. Robes for the dwellers of the heaven will sprout from its buds’.
How to Plant Trees in Heaven
The Prophet said:
“In the night of Isra when I met Ibrahim (AS) he said: O Muhammad (SAW) tell your people that the heaven has pure soil and sweet water but the land is bare. If they want to plant trees in the heaven, they should say Subhan Allah Al-Hamdulillah and Allah Akbar”.
Scent of Heaven
According to an ahadith, ‘the scent of the Heaven can be smelled from a distance of 70 years’. [Sahih Al-Jame As-sagheer]
Mansions in Heaven
The Prophet of Allah said:
“Indeed, there will be a mansion made of pearls for a believer. It will be spread over an area of 60 miles, and in it will be the household of a believer who will visit them but they will not be able to see each other”. [Bukhari]
No Sleep in Heaven
The Prophet said:
“Sleep is the sister of death and the dwellers of the heaven will not sleep”. [Silsalatul Ahadith]
The Bazaar of Heaven
It is reported on the authority of Anas bin Malik (RA). The Prophet of Allah said:
“Indeed, there is a bazaar in the heaven where the dwellers of the Heaven will come on every Friday. The northerly wind will spray scent on them and this will enhance their beauty. And when they will return to their homes, their households will say "By Allah, your beauty has enhanced." "So has yours," they will return the compliment”. [Muslim]
In short, they will be overwhelmed by Allah’s favours.
“And when you look, it is there you will see bliss and a realm magnificent”. [Ad-Dahr: 20]
Gabriel’s Impression of Heaven
The Prophet of Allah said:
“When Allah Almighty created the heaven and the hell, He asked Jibraiel to go and take a look at what He has prepared for the believers in Heaven. Jibraiel went and had a look at what was there in the Heaven, and then he came back and expressed himself thus: ‘By your dignity! Whoever will hear of this Heaven will certainly strive for it’. Then it was said that the road to the heaven is littered with hardships, and Jibraiel was asked to take another look at the Heaven. He came back and said, ‘By your dignity I am afraid that nobody will be able to enter it’. [Tirmizee]
Can anyone imagine? Wearing the finest silk clothing and sitting on chairs made of gold and precious gem stones? Those, who disbelieve in the words of the Majestic Allah, say that this is all a fairy-tale, made up by a would-be prophet!
The most striking expression of what the believers feel when they will win Allah's good pleasure …is that He will manifest Himself to them in a way that they can see Him. This is impossible in the world because, as the Koran says: "Eyesight cannot perceive Him" (Surah 6:10). But according to the same Koran, in the next life and in a certain way Lord (Allah) will manifest Himself to His believing servants. Only the Majestic Allah (Mohammad?) knows how this will happen?
Apart from the Koranic descriptions, Muhammad, would often describe this Paradise to his companions. His descriptions were oftentimes so vivid and moving to him that, many-a-companion would hurriedly rush towards it. This was the case, as Anas narrated that the ‘Messenger of Allah, and his companions proceeded towards Badr and arrived there before the disbelievers of Makkah. When the disbelievers arrived, the Messenger of Allah said, "None of you should step forward ahead of me to do anything." Then the disbelievers advanced [towards us], and the Messenger of Allah, said, ‘Rise to enter Paradise whose width is equal to the Heavens and the Earth.’ Umayr Ibnul Humam al-Ansari asked, "O Messenger of Allah is Paradise equal in width to the heavens and the earth?" He said, "Yes." Umayr said, "Bak'hin! Bak'hin!" (An Arabic word denoting excitement and astonishment) The Messenger of Allah asked him, "What made you say these words: Bak'hin, Bak'hin?" He said, "Messenger of Allah, nothing but the desire to be amongst its residents." Mohammad said, "You are surely among its residents." He then took some dates form his bag and began to eat them. Then he said, "If I were to live until I had eaten all of the dates, indeed this life would be too long." Anas then said, "He threw away the remaining dates he had with him. He then fought [the disbelievers] until he [Umayr Ibnul Humam al-Ansari] was killed." [Sahih Muslim]
As Paradise is the aim and hope of each and every Muslim… And even though Allah describes Paradise for the believers in the Koran, He still says:
"So no soul knows the delights of the eyes, which is hidden for them; a reward for what they did." [Surah 32:17]
To be continued…
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