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Category: Paradise-Hell

The Wishes of the People of Paradise

Some of the People of Paradise will wish for things that will be fulfilled in the strangest ways, unlike anything that happens in this world. The Messenger (saw) told of some of these and how they will be fulfilled.
Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet (saw) was speaking and a bedouin man was present. The Prophet (saw) said: “A man from the people of Paradise will ask his Rabb for permission to grow things. Allah will ask him, “Do you not have what you want?” He will say, “Of course, but I love to grow things.” So he will sow the seeds and in the blinking of an eye the plant will grow and its fruit will ripen and become like mountains. Allah (swt) will say, “Here it is. O son of Aadam nothing satisfies you!” The Bedouin said, “By Allah! you wont find him except he is from Quraysh or the Ansaar for these are the people that love to grow things. As for us, we don’t grow anything!” The Messenger of Allah (saw) laughed.”
Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/95, no. 5653

The Clothing, Jewellery and Incense-Burners Of the People of Paradise

The people of Paradise will wear the most luxurious clothes, amongst other things, garments of silk and bracelets of gold, silver and pearls. Allah (swt) says:

“And their recompense will be Paradise, and silken garments, because they were patient.” [76:12]

“…wherein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments will be of silk.” [22:23]

“‘Adn Paradise they will enter, therein will they be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments there will be of silk.” [35:33]

“…They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Rabb will give them a pure drink.” [76:21]

Their clothes will be colorful, including garments of green silk and brocade:
“..They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade. They will recline therein on raised thrones. How good the recompense! How beautiful a couch to recline on.” [18:31]

“Their garments will be of fine green silk, and gold embroidery. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver..” [76:21]

Their clothing will be far superior to any man-made garment. al-Barraa ibn ‘Aadhib said, “A silken garment was brought to the Messenger (saw) and we began to admire its beauty and softness.” The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “The handkerchiefs of Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh are better than this.” [al-Bukhaari, Kitaab Bid’ al-Khalq, Baab Maa Jaa’a fi Sifat al-Jannah wan-Naar, Fath al-Baari, 6/319]

The Prophet (saw) also told us that the people of Paradise will have combs of gold and silver, and that they will perfume themselves with ‘Ud at-Teeb, even though the scent of musk will be emanating from their pure bodies. al-Bukhaari narrates from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (saw) said of those who will enter Paradise:

“Their vessels will be of gold and silver, their combs will be of gold and the coals of their incense-burners will be of aloe-wood [Abul-Yaman said, “of ‘Ud at-Teeb] and their sweat will be musk.” [al-Bukhaari, Kitaab Bid’ al-Khalq, Baab Maa Jaa’a fi Sifat al-Jannah wan-Naar, Fath al-Baari, 6/319]

Their jewellery will include crowns. at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah report from al-Miqdaam ibn Ma’d Yakrib that among the honors bestowed upon the martyr will be: “..there will be placed upon his head a crown of dignity, one ruby of which is better than this world and all that is in it.” [Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/358, no. 3834, Saheeh Muslim, saheeh]

The clothing and jewellery of the people of Paradise will never wear out or fade. Muslim reports from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said, “Whoever enters Paradise is blessed, and will never be miserable, his clothes will never wear out and his youth will never fade away.” [Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab al-Jannah, Baab fi Dawam Na’eem al-Jannah, 4/2181, no. 2836]

The Levels of Paradise

(i) Evidence that Paradise has various levels and its inhabitants will be in different categories

Paradise consists of levels, some of which are above others, and its people will be of differing levels and categories according to their position in Paradise. Allah (swt) says:

“Whoever wishes for the quick passing [transitory enjoyment of this world] we readily grant him what We will for whom We like. Then afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell, he will burn therein disgraced and rejected, [-far away from Allah’s Mercy]. And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due to it, [ i.e. righteous deeds of obedience to Allah] while he is a believer [in tawheed] then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, thanked and rewarded [by Allah]. To each – these as well as those – We bestow from the bounties of your Rabb. And the bounties of your Rabb can never be forbidden” [17:18-20]

Allah (swt) explains how He gives more of His bounty in this world or the next, as He (swt) wills, and His Bounty is not withheld [forbidden] from either the righteous or the sinful. Then He (swt) says:

“See how We prefer one above another [in this world] and verily, the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preference.” [17:21]

Allah (swt) explains that the differences between people in the Hereafter will be greater than the differences between them in this life, and the difference between the levels or ranks of the Hereafter is greater than the differences here in this life. Allah (swt) also differentiates between His Prophets as He does between the rest of His believing slaves. Allah (swt) says:

“Those Messengers! We preferred some to others; to some of them Allah spoke [directly]; others He raised to degrees of [honour]; and to ‘Eesa the son of Maryam, We gave clear proofs and evidence, and supported him with Ruh al-Quddus [Jibreel]…” [2:253]

and “…And indeed We have preferred some of the Prophets above others..” [17:55]

Muslim reports from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said “A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah (swt) than a weak one although both are good…” and al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Abu Hurayrah and ‘Amr ibn al-Aas that the Prophet (saw) said, “If a judge seeks to form an independent judgement [ijtihaad] and is correct, he will have two rewards; if he seeks to form an independent judgement and is wrong, he will have one reward.”

The Palaces And Tents Of Paradise

Allah (swt) will build good and beautiful dwellings for the people of Paradise:

“and beautiful mansions in Gardens of everlasting bliss” [9:72]

In some places in the Qur’an, Allah (swt) described these dwellings as ghurafaat [chambers or dwellings]:

“and they will reside in the high dwellings [Paradise] in peace and security.” [34:37]

The reward for the slaves of the all-Merciful will be:

“Those will be rewarded with the highest place [in Paradise] because of their patience. Therein they shall be met with greetings and the word of peace and respect” [25:75]

Allah (swt) described these Ghurafaat:

“But for those who fear Allah and keep their duty to their Rabb [Allah], for them are built lofty rooms, one above the other, under which rivers flow. [This is] the Promise of Allah, and Allah does not fail in [His] Promise.” [39:20]

Ibn Katheer said: “Allah has told us about His blessed slaves who will have rooms [or dwellings] in Paradise: these will be lofty palaces, “lofty rooms, one above another – story upon story, well-constructed, strong and decorated. The Prophet (saw) described these palaces to us. According to a hadith narrated by Ahmad, and Ibn Hibbaan from Abu Maalik al-Ash’ari and by at-Tirmidhi from ‘Ali (ra) the Prophet (saw) said:

“In Paradise there are dwellings whose inside can be seen from the outside, and the outside can be seen from inside. Allah [swt] has prepared them for those who feed the hungry, and speak softly and gently, fast continuously and pray at night whilst the people are asleep.” [Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer, 2/220, no. 2119]

Allah (swt) has told us that there are tents or pavilions in Paradise:

“Houris [beautiful, fair females] restrained in pavilions” [55:72]

The Vast Extent of Hell

Hell is huge and vast and immensely deep, as is proven by several things:

(1) Those who will enter Hell are innumerable, yet one of them will be so huge that his molars will be as big as Mount Uhud, and the distance between his shoulders will be equivalent to three days walking. Nevertheless, Hell will accommodate the huge number of Kuffaar and evildoers who have existed throughout history, in spite of their huge size, and there will still be room for more, as Allah says in the Qur’an:

“On the Day when We will say to Hell: “Are you filled?” It will say: “Are there any more to come?” (50:30)

The Fire of Hell is like a mill to which are brought thousands upon thousands of tons of grain, which it grinds tirelessly until it is all done, then waits for more. In the hadith that describes the debate between Paradise and Hell, it says that Allah (swt) said to Hell, “You are My Punishment; I will punish in you whomsoever I will”. Both Paradise and Hell will be filled, but Hell will not be filled until Allah (swt) places His foot in it and it will say, “Enough, enough!”. Then it will be filled and its different parts will come closer to one another. Allah (swt) will not wrong any one of His Creation. Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (ra) (Jaami’ al-Usool, 10/544). [See the narration from Anas in al-Bukhaari, Muslim and Mishkaat ul-Masaabeeh, 3/109 with a similar meaning].

(2) Another indication of its vast depth is the fact that a stone thrown from the top of Hell takes a very long time to reach the bottom. Muslim reports that Abu Hurayrah (ra) said:

“We were with the Messenger of Allah (saw) and we heard the sound of something falling. The Prophet (saw) said, “Do you know what that was?” We said, “Allah and His Messenger know best”. He said, “That was a stone that was thrown into Hell seventy years ago and it was falling through Hell until now”. (Muslim, Kitaab al-Jannah, Baab fi shiddat haar an-naar, 4/2184 no. 2844)

Haakim reports from Abu Hurayrah, and Tabaraani from Mu’aadh and Abu Umamah (ra) that the Prophet (Saw) said, “If there was a huge stone as big as seven khalifaat stones, and it was thrown from the edge of Hell it would fly through it for seventy years before it reached the bottom”. (Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer, 5/58, no. 5124, Its isnaad is saheeh).

(3) The great number of angels who will bring Hell forth on the Day of Resurrection.

The Messenger (saw) described how Hell will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection, concerning which Allah (swt) said,

“And Hell will be brought near that Day”. (89:23)

The Prophet (saw) said,

“Hell will be brought forth that Day by means of seventy thousand ropes, each of which will be held by seventy thousand angels.” (reported by Muslim from ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas’ud, 4/2184 no.2842)

We can only image the vastness of this terrifying creation that requires such a huge number of strong and powerful angels whose strength is known only to Allah!

(4) Another indication of the vastness of Hell is the fact that two great creations like the sun and moon will be two rolled-up bulls in Hell. at-Tahhaawee reports, in Mishkil al-Aathaar, that Salamah ibn ‘Abdur-Rahman said, “Abu Hurayrah told us that the Prophet (saw) said:

“The sun and moon will be two rolled-up bulls in Hell on the Day of Resurrection” al-Bayhaqi also reported this in “al-Ba’th wal-Nushur”, as did al-Bazzaar, al-Isma’ili and al-Khattaabi, with an isnaad that is saheeh according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari, who reported in al-Saheeh al-Mukhtasar, with the wording “The sun and moon will be rolled up in Hell of the day of Resurrection”. (Sheikh Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaani narrated this hadeeth in Silsilah al-ahadeeth as-Saheehah, 1/32, hadith no:124)

A Beautiful Advice To The People Of This World

Alluring to people is the love of women and sons, and mountains of gold and silver and fine horses and cattle and land. These are the glamours of the life of this world. The hereafter is best in ALLAH’s sight. Should I tell you about something which is better than these things? For those who believe and do right, there will be for them gardens of paradise, beneath which rivers will flow. I give you the good news of being there.

ALLAH has made a trade with the believers that in return for their wealth and their own selves, He will give them a home in His paradise, gardens of happiness beneath which rivers flow, to stay in there forever. A repayment from their Lord, for their good deeds. They will have therein pure friends, and ALLAH will make them enter cool shades. The promise of ALLAH is true, and whose word can be truer than ALLAH’s?

Whoever does good deeds whether male or female and is a believer — they will enter a garden whose width is the width of the sky and the earth. An excellent reward for the doers of right. ALLAH will be pleased with them and they will be pleased with ALLAH. ALLAH will remove whatever of ill-feeling that is in their hearts, and they will be as brethren, facing each other. They will say: O ALLAH! All Glory and thanks be to You, for guiding us to this. We would not have found the way had it not been that You had guided us. It will be said to them: This is the garden of which you are made heirs in return for what you did. Enter there in peace and comfort. Their greetings in it will be: Peace; and they will say: Praise be to ALLAH, the LORD OF THE WORLDS. They will enter there along with those who did good from their parents, spouses and children. The angels will come to them from every gate. They will stay in there by their Lord’s permission. They will be wearing bracelets of gold and pearls, and their clothes therein will be of silk. I give you the good news of entering there.

It has been reported by Abu Sa’id, AbdALLAH, and Omar b. Muhammad (May ALLAH be pleased with them) that ALLAH’s Messenger ( May peace and blessings be upon him ) had said: On the day of resurrection death would be brought in the form of a white colored ram, and placed between hell and heaven. Then it would be slaughtered, and it would be said : O people of paradise, no death for you. O people of hell, no death for you. (The people would stay in their dwelling places forever). This would increase the delight of the people of paradise, and increase the grief of the people of hell. ( Muslim – May ALLAH have mercy on him).

The Number Of People From This Ummah In Paradise

Many people from this ummah will enter Paradise, but only Allah knows their exact number. al-Bukhaari reports from Sa’eed ibn Jubayr who said, “Ibn ‘Abbaas told me that the Prophet (saw) said, “I was shown the nations, and I saw a Prophet passing by with his ummah, another with a band of followers, another with ten followers, another with five, and another who was alone. I looked and saw a huge crowd of people, and I asked, “O Jibreel, are these my ummah?” He said, “No look at the horizon.” I looked and saw a vast multitude. He said,”These are your ummah, and the seventy thousand in front will not be brought to account or be punished.” [al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, Baab Yadhkul al-Jannah Sab’oona Alfaan, Fath al-Baari, 11/406]

The first crowd which the Prophet (Saw) thought was his ummah was in fact the Children of Israel as is stated in a number of saheeh reports, “I hoped that this would be my ummah, but I was told that this was Musa and his people.” [Fath al-Baari, 11/407].

Concerning the words “a vast multitude” Ibn Hajar said, “A report from Sa’eed ibn Mansoor says, “huge” [Adheem] and adds, “It was said to me, “look at the horizon” So I looked and I saw a huge multitude. Then I was told, “Look at the other horizon, it is just like the first one.”” According to a report given by Ibn Faadil, “[I saw] a multitude that filled the horizon and it was said to me “Look here and here, all across the horizon”. According to a version narrated by Ahmad, “I saw my ummah filling the plains and the mountains, and I was amazed at the numbers and their appearance. I was asked, “Are you pleased O Muhammad?” and I said, “Yes O Rabb.” [Fath al-Baari, 11/408]

Some hadiths state that along with every thousand of the seventy thousand will be another seventy thousand plus three handfuls added by Allah.

Our Prophet (saw) hoped that this ummah would constitute half of the population of Paradise. In a hadith whose authenticity is agreed upon, Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said that when the Messenger of Allah (saw) was speaking about who would be sent to hell, he said, “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, I hope that you will be half of the people of Paradise. Among the people you are no more than a black hair on the hide of a white bull..” [Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/8]

Some hadith state that this ummah will constitute two thirds of the population of Paradise. at-Tirmidhi reports with a hasan isnaad and ad-Daarimee and al-Bayhaqee also report, from Buraydah, that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “The people of Paradise are one hundred and twenty ranks, eight from this ummah and forth from the rest of the nations.” [Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/92, no. 5644]

Muslim reports from Anas (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “I will be the first intercessor in Paradise. No Prophet was believed in as I was believed in. Among the Prophets is one who was believed in by only one man.” [Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/124, no. 5744].

The reason why so many people of this ummah believed is because of the great miracle of the Messenger of Allah (saw), which was a recited revelation which is addressed to hearts and minds. It is a miracle that is preserved and will remain until the Day of Judgement. al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,

“There is no Prophet who was not given a sign [or miracle] in which people believed and followed him. That which I have been given is a Revelation from Allah and I hope that I will have the greatest number of followers on the Day of Resurrection.” [Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/142, 5746]

Specific People Who Will Be In Hell

The kuffaar and mushikreen will be in Hell, no doubt about it, but the Qur’an and hadith also mention specific people who will be in the Fire. One of them is the Pharaoh who ruled at the time of Musa (as):

“He [Pharaoh] will go before his people on the Day of Judgement, and will lead them into the Fire..” (11:98)

Also included are the wives of Nuh (as) and Lut (as):

“Allah sets forth for an example to the unbelievers, the wife of Nuh and the wife of Lut. They were [respectively] under two of Our righteous slaves, but they were false to their [husbands] and they profited nothing before Allah on their account, but were told: “Enter the Fire, along with those who enter!” (66:10)

Abu Lahab and his wife are also among those mentioned specifically:

“Perish the hands of the Father of Flame [Abu Lahab]! Perish he! No profit to him from all his wealth and all his gains! Burnt soon will he be in a Fire of blazing flames! His wife shall carry the [crackling] wood, as fuel! A twisted rope of palm fibre round her [own] neck!” (111:1-5)

Another of them is ‘Amr ibn ‘Aamir al-Khuzaa’i, whom the Prophet (saw) being disembowelled in Hell (sahih hadith narrated by al-Bukhaari, Muslim, Ahmad); and the one who killed ‘Ammar and plundered his possessions. A report with a Saheeh isnaad quoted in Mu’jam at-Tabaraani from ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, and his son states that the Prophet (saw) said, “The one who killed ‘Ammaar and plundered his possessions will be in Hell”. (Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4/110, #4170)

The Light of Paradise

al-Qurtubee said, “The scholars said there is no night and day in Paradise, rather they will be in eternal everlasting light. They will know when night comes because curtains or screens will be put up and doors will be closed, and they will know when day comes because the curtains or screens will be taken down and the doors will be opened. This was mentioned by Abul-Faraj ibn al-Jawzee” [al-Qurtubee, at-Tadhkirah, p. 504]

Ibn Katheer in his commentary on the aayah: “And they will have therein their sustenance, morning and evening. Such is the Paradise, which We shall give as an inheritance to those of Our slave who have been al-Muttaqoon [pious and righteous]” [19:62-63] said, “This means something approximate to the times of day and night, it does not mean that there will be a day and night there. They will know the passing of time by the changes in the light” [Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/471]

On the same subject, Ibn Taymiyyah said, “There is no sun and moon in Paradise, and no day or night, but they will know morning and evening from a light that shines from the direction of the Throne” [Majmu’ Fataawa Shaikh al-Islaam, 4/312]

Those Who Take Their Positions In The Highest Levels

Among those who will occupy the highest levels in Paradise are the shuhaadaa, the best of whom are those who fight in the front ranks and never turn away until they are killed. Ahmad and at-Tabaraani report with a saheeh isnaad from Na’eem ibn Hamar (1) that the Prophet (saw) said, “The best of the Shuhaadaa are those who fight in the first rank, and do not turn their faces away until they are killed. They will have the pleasure of occupying the highest dwellings in Paradise. Your Rabb will smile at them, and whenever your Rabb smiles upon any of His Slaves, that person will not be brought to account”. [Musnad Ahmad, Kitaab az-Zuhd, Baab al-Ihsaan ila al-armila wal-masaakeen wal-yateem 2/2286, hadith no. 2982]

The one who helps widows and the destitute will have the status of a mujaahid in Paradise. Muslim reports from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (saw) said, “The one who helps widows and the destitute is like one who fights in jihaad for the sake of Allah (swt).” I [the narrator] think he said, “And he is like the one who stands all night in prayer and never sleeps, and like the one who fasts continually and never breaks his fast”. [Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab az-Zuhd, Baab al-Ihsaan, ila al-armilah wal-miskeen wal-yateem, 2/2286, no. 2982]

The one who sponsors an orphan will be close to the Prophet (saw) in Paradise. Muslim reports from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said, “The one who sponsors an orphan, whether from his own wealth or from the orphan’s wealth, I and he will be like these two in Paradise,” – and Maalik [the narrator] gestured with his forefinger and middle finger. [Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab az-Zuhd, 2/2286, no. 2982; “lahu aw ghayrihi” – whether from his own wealth or from the orphan’s wealth – means whether he supports him from his own wealth or is a legal guardian over the orphan and the orphan’s wealth]

Allah (swt) will raise the status of parents by the blessing of their children’s du’aa. Ahmad reports from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Allah (swt) will raise the status of His righteous slave in Paradise, and he will say, “O my Rabb, how could I deserve this?” He will say, “Because your child sought forgiveness for you.””

Ibn Katheer said, “This is a saheeh isnaad although none of the authors of the six books reported it. But there is a corroborating report in Saheeh Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (ra), according to which the Prophet (saw) said, “When a son of Aadam dies his good works come to an end, except for three: Sadaqah Jaariyah [ongoing charity], beneficial knowledge [that he discovered or propogated], and a righteous son who will pray for him.” [Ibn Katheer, an-Nihaayah, 2/340]