بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Able to do all things.
الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ
Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving;
الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا ۖ مَّا تَرَىٰ فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ مِن تَفَاوُتٍ ۖ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِن فُطُورٍ
Who has created the seven heavens one above another, you can see no fault in the creations of the Most Beneficent. Then look again: “Can you see any rifts?”
ثُمَّ ارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ الْبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ
Then look again and yet again, your sight will return to you in a state of humiliation and worn out.
وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَاهَا رُجُومًا لِّلشَّيَاطِينِ ۖ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ
And indeed We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made such lamps (as) missiles to drive away the Shayatin (devils), and have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire.
وَلِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ
And for those who disbelieve in their Lord (Allah) is the torment of Hell, and worst indeed is that destination.
إِذَا أُلْقُوا فِيهَا سَمِعُوا لَهَا شَهِيقًا وَهِيَ تَفُورُ
When they are cast therein, they will hear the (terrible) drawing in of its breath as it blazes forth.
تَكَادُ تَمَيَّزُ مِنَ الْغَيْظِ ۖ كُلَّمَا أُلْقِيَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌ
It almost bursts up with fury. Every time a group is cast therein, its keeper will ask: “Did no warner come to you?”
قَالُوا بَلَىٰ قَدْ جَاءَنَا نَذِيرٌ فَكَذَّبْنَا وَقُلْنَا مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّـهُ مِن شَيْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ كَبِيرٍ
They will say: “Yes indeed; a warner did come to us, but we belied him and said: ‘Allah never sent down anything (of revelation), you are only in great error.’
وَقَالُوا لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِي أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ
And they will say: “Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!”
فَاعْتَرَفُوا بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسُحْقًا لِّأَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ
Then they will confess their sin. So, away with the dwellers of the blazing Fire.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَيْبِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ
Verily! Those who fear their Lord unseen (i.e. they do not see Him, nor His Punishment in the Hereafter, etc.), theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise).
[Surah Al-Mulk (67: 1-12]
This world is truly beautiful, isn’t it? Paradise, which is the reward for the believers, is even more beautiful than that. Imagine.
عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال: سُئلَ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ عن الجنَّةِ فقالَ من يدخلُ الجنَّةَ يحيا فيها ولا يموتُ وينعمُ فيها ولا يبأسُ لا تبلى ثيابُه ولا يفنى شبابُه قيلَ يا رسولَ اللَّهِ: ما بناؤُها؟ قالَ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ لبنةٌ من ذَهبٍ ولبنةٌ من فضَّةٍ ومِلاطُها المسكُ وترابُها الزَّعفرانُ وحصباؤُها اللُّؤلؤُ والياقوتُ
Ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) narrated: The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was asked about Paradise, so he said: “Whosoever is admitted into Paradise shall live and never die, shall be happy and never be miserable. His clothing shall never wear out and his youth shall never come to an end.” It was said: “What is it constructed of?” He (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “A brick of fold and a brick of silver, its mortar is musk and its earth is saffron and its gravel consists of pearls and rubies.” [Sahih At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb, Hadeeth No. 3713]
Actually, scratch the “imagine” part, because it is something beyond imagination.
وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ ثَمَّ رَأَيْتَ نَعِيمًا وَمُلْكًا كَبِيرًا
And when you look there (in Paradise), you will see a delight (that cannot be imagined), and a great dominion. [Surah Al-Insan (76) : 20]
عن سَهْلَ بْنَ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيَّ، يَقُولُ شَهِدْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَجْلِسًا وَصَفَ فِيهِ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى انْتَهَى ثُمَّ قَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي آخِرِ حَدِيثِهِ : فِيهَا مَا لاَ عَيْنٌ رَأَتْ وَلاَ أُذُنٌ سَمِعَتْ وَلاَ خَطَرَ عَلَى قَلْبِ بَشَرٍ . ثُمَّ اقْتَرَأَ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ {تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ * فَلاَ تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ} .
Sahl ibn Saad As-Saidi reported: I was in the company of Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) that he gave a description of Paradise and then Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) concluded with these words: There would be bounties which the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard and no human heart has ever perceived them. He then recited this verse:
تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّا أُخْفِيَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“They forsake (their) beds, calling upon their Lord in fear and in hope, and spend out of what We have given them. So no soul knows what refreshment of the eyes is hidden for them: a reward for what they did” [Surah As-Sajdah (32) : 16-17]
[Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 6783]
Guess what? The beauty of Paradise is no comparison to the beauty of its Creator.
عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى، قَالَ قَامَ فِينَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَقَالَ : إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لاَ يَنَامُ وَلاَ يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَنَامَ يَخْفِضُ الْقِسْطَ وَيَرْفَعُهُ يُرْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ عَمَلُ اللَّيْلِ قَبْلَ عَمَلِ النَّهَارِ وَعَمَلُ النَّهَارِ قَبْلَ عَمَلِ اللَّيْلِ حِجَابُهُ النُّورُ – وَفِي رِوَايَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ النَّارُ – لَوْ كَشَفَهُ لأَحْرَقَتْ سُبُحَاتُ وَجْهِهِ مَا انْتَهَى إِلَيْهِ بَصَرُهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ
Abu Musa (radiallahu anhu) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was standing amongst us and he told us five things. He said: Verily the Exalted and Mighty Allah does not sleep, and it does not befit Him to sleep. He lowers the scale and lifts it. The deeds in the night are taken up to Him before the deeds of the day. and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night. His Veil is the light. [In the hadith narrated by Abu Bakr instead of the word” light” it is fire]. If he withdraws it (the veil), the splendor of His Face would consume His creation so far as His sight reaches.” [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 343]
The greatest joy of the people of Paradise is looking at His Face.
عَنْ صُهَيْبٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ : إِذَا دَخَلَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ الْجَنَّةَ – قَالَ – يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى تُرِيدُونَ شَيْئًا أَزِيدُكُمْ فَيَقُولُونَ أَلَمْ تُبَيِّضْ وُجُوهَنَا أَلَمْ تُدْخِلْنَا الْجَنَّةَ وَتُنَجِّنَا مِنَ النَّارِ – قَالَ – فَيَكْشِفُ الْحِجَابَ فَمَا أُعْطُوا شَيْئًا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّظَرِ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
Suhaib (radiallahu anhu) reported the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) saying: When those deserving of Paradise would enter Paradise, the Blessed and the Exalted would ask: Do you wish Me to give you anything more? They would say: Have You not brightened our faces? Have You not made us enter Paradise and saved us from the Fire? He (the narrator) said: “He (Allah) would lift the veil, and of things given to them nothing would he dearer to them than the sight of their Lord, the Mighty and the Glorious.” [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 347]
This is really what it is is all about it – seeing Allah. This is what we need to work for, so if you haven’t started already, start now.
May Allah make us of those who see His Beautiful Face.