10. The Paradise

  1. The First to Enter Jannah
  2. The Gates of Jannah
  3. Who are the ones that will enter Jannah before the Day of Judgment
  4. How Many of this Ummah will Enter Jannah?
  5. A Bridge of Purification
  6. A Tour of Jannah
  7. WHY do the people of Jannah Eat?
  8. Which Husband will a Woman Be With?
  9. Gold and Silver
  10. Socialization in Jannah
  11. Conversations with the People of Hell
  12. No Worship Except Tasbih
  13. Anything You Want
  14. The Marketplace
  15. Something Even Better!
  16. Late Comers to Jannah
  17. Jannah is Surrounded by Obstacles
  18. The People of Jannah will Inherit from the People of Hell
  19. The Majority in Paradise are the Weak
  20. Who is More in Jannah – Men or Women?
  21. Children of the Believers
  22. Children of the Non-believers
  23. Those Given the Glad Tidings of Jannah
  24. Jannah is Not a Price for Our Deeds
  25. Jannah vs. Dunya
  26. A Final Note on Jannah

1. The First to Enter Jannah

Anas ibn Maalik narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said, “I will have the greatest/largest following on the day of judgment among the ambiya of Allah. And I will be the first person to knock on the gates of Paradise.” [Muslim] He will get there while the proceedings of the day of judgment are still going on and people are still going through hisaab.

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Prophet ﷺ said: “I will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and would seek its opening. And the keeper would say: ‘Who are you?’ I would say: ‘Muhammad.’ He would then say: ‘It is for you that I have been ordered, and not to open it for anyone before.’” [Muslim, 1/384] The gatekeeper has been at this post for years and years with instructions not to open the gate for anyone but Prophet ﷺ and he will be the first to enter.

1.1 The Prophets, and then Abu Bakr

Following the Prophet ﷺ, the ambiya of Allah will enter – 124,000. After all of the ambiya have gone in, who will be the first to enter the gates of Jannah? Let us look at this hadith from Sunan Abu Dawood. Prophet ﷺ said that Jibreel held my hand and he took me to paradise, and he pointed to me the gate through which my ummah would enter through and he told me, “This is the gate through which your Ummah will enter from.” Abu Bakr said, “O RasulAllah, I wish I were with you to see that.” Prophet ﷺ said, “O Abu Bakr, you are going to be the first among my Ummah to enter into paradise.”

Prophet ﷺ said that he will be the first from this Ummah, then how do we know that he will be the first from all of the Umam? It is because Prophet ﷺ has mentioned in another hadith that the best amongst humanity, after the ambiya of Allah, is Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq.

1.2 Seventy Thousnands of this Ummah

Following Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq will be the first batch of Muslims. In the Musnad of Ahmad, Prophet ﷺ says, Allah has given me 70,000 of my ummah who will enter into paradise without going through the Reckoning. So these are a hand-picked few, 70,000 throughout the history of the Ummah, that will chosen by Allah to bypass the Reckoning. While everyone else is going through Reckoning, these 70,000 will go through the back door and enter Jannah. [Bukhaari, 8/76/549] What are their characteristics? They trust in Allah with everything.

Prophet ﷺ was very happy with that, but Prophet ﷺ always wants the best for Ummah, so he asked for more. Also in Musnad of Ahmad, Prophet ﷺ said he was given 70,000 to enter into Jannah without reckoning, so he asked for more. Allah gave him with everyone, 70,000. So if you multiply them, you get 4 million and 900,000. Then Allah has given him more. Allah said, I will give you three handfuls that will enter with them. Prophet ﷺ told the sahabah to do the best so that they will be amongst the 70,000.

1.3 The Poor Immigrants (Muhajireen)

The next group that will enter, we know through a hadith in Muslim. Abu ‘Abdul-Rahman reported that three persons came to ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al ‘Aas while I was sitting with him and they said: “By Allah, we have nothing with us either in the form of provision, riding animals or wealth.” Thereupon he said to them: “I am prepared to do whatever you like. If you come to us, we would give you what Allah would make available for you. And if you like I would make a mention of your case to the ruler, and if you like you can show patience also. For I have heard Prophet ﷺ as saying: “The destitute amongst the emigrants [muhajireen] would precede the rich emigrants by forty years in getting into Paradise on the Day of Resurrection.” Thereupon they said: “We then, show patience and do not ask for anything.”[Muslim, 42/7102]

How come the poor among al-muhajireen were forty years ahead of the rich? There’s a hadith narrated by Al-Haakim. He says that the poor muhajireen will come to the gates of paradise. The gatekeepers will not have been expecting them that early, so they will ask, “Did you already go through the reckoning?” The poor muhajireen will say, “Reckoning for what? We didn’t have anything to be reckoned for. We were carrying our swords on our shoulders and we died in the sake of Allah.” The meaning of this hadith is that one of the things that will delay people on the day of resurrection is the questioning regarding wealth.

We know from another hadith that Prophet ﷺ says that your feet will not move until you are asked for questions – and two of them are how you gained your wealth and how you spent it.

This all has to do with the timing of entering Jannah, not the rank. Someone who comes later can be in a higher rank in Jannah. The wealthy will be held up on the Day of Judgment because they have more wealth to be asked about.

Abu Huraira reported Prophet ﷺ as saying: “We are the last (but) we would be the first on the Day of Resurrection, and we would be the first to enter Paradise […]” [Muslim, 4/1860] Allah has saved the best for last. In fact, some of the ambiya (prophets/messengers) used to wish that they would be a follower of Prophet ﷺ. This is the honor that Allah has given us, which we are taking for granted.

2. The Gates of Jannah

Allah says: “Gardens of Eternity, whose doors will (ever) be open to them.” (38:50)

Allah says: “And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Garden in crowds: until behold, they arrive there; its gates will be opened; and its keepers will say: ‘Peace be upon you! Well have you done! Enter you here, to dwell therein.’” (39:73) Compare this to the reprimand that the dwellers of hell will receive when they reach its gates. The people of Jannah will be given this beautiful greeting by the angels. Imagine the excitement, rushing towards the gates of Jannah and hearing the welcoming of the angels.

There are eight gates of Jannah. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Paradise has eight gates, and one of them is called Ar-Rayyaan through which none will enter but those who observe fasting.” [Bukhaari, 4/54/479]

The Sahabah knew the value of fasting. One of the sahabah said, I have no desire in living in this world except for a few things: to fast the long days of summer, to pray the long nights of winter and to sit with brothers who choose the best words, like you would choose out of a basket of fruits. There would be no obscenity, cursing or idle talk in their words.

Prophet ﷺ said that those who engage in prayer will be invited to enter by the gate of prayer; those who take part in jihad will be invited to enter by the gate of jihad; those who give charity will be invited to enter by the gate of charity; and those who observe fasts will be invited to enter through the gate of ar-rayyaan. Abu Bakr asked Prophet ﷺ, “Messenger of Allah, is it necessary that a person be invited through one of these gates, will anyone be invited to enter by all of those gates?” Prophet ﷺ said, “Yes, and I hope you will be one of them.”

So imagine this – Abu Bakr is walking to Jannah, and the angels from every gate will be asking him to come in through their gate. You know when you go to bazaars, and there are a lot of goods and everyone is inviting you to their shop? Well, the angels of Jannah will be asking Abu Bakr to come into Jannah through their gates, because they all want that honor. The angels are called pure by Allah, and they will ask Abu Bakr to just pass by them.

The human being has the potential of being the worse of creation – worse than animals. And they have the potential of being the best – better than angels. Allah says, they are like cattle; nay, even worse. Some of them will be honoured to a level that they are higher than the angels.

2.1 To Enter through all Eight Gates

If you want to be invited through all of the gates, here two methods:

1.     Prophet ﷺ says that whoever testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, Who has no partners, and that Prophet ﷺ is His slave and His Apostle, and that Jesus is Allah’s slave and His Apostle and His Word which He bestowed upon Mary the Virgin, and a spirit created by Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, Allah will invite him to enter through all of the gates.[Bukhari] This is talking about deep, firm Imaan.

2.     If any of you performs wudhu`/ablution, and then completes wudhu` well, and then says “I testify that there is no God but Allah and that Prophet ﷺ is the servant of Allah and His messenger,” then the eight gates of paradise will be opened for him and he may enter through whichever of them he wishes.[Muslim] The Du’aa` after Completing Wudhu`

 You will notice in both hadith that there is the shahaada – so the kalima has this value, but the person has to have a firm, certain faith in them.

How large are the gates? Prophet ﷺ mentions in a hadith in Muslim, the distance between the two leaves of the door from the supporting frames – so we’re not talking about the whole distance of the door – is like the distance between Makkah and Hajr. That is a very long distance, like 1,000 miles plus. Allahu ‘Alam, this is just an estimate.

Prophet ﷺ says in Musnad of Ahmad, The whole distance between the two sides of the gate is 40 years walking distance. That is how wide the gate is. Then Prophet ﷺ says, a day will come when it will be crowded. There will be so many people entering on the Day of Judgment that it will be crowded, even though it takes 40 years walking to cover the distance of this gate.

3. Who are the ones that will enter Jannah before the Day of Judgment

Who are the ones that will enter Jannah before the Day of Judgment, or they have already been there?

1.       Ash-shuhadaa` 2.   Children who die at a young age

Who was the one who lived in Jannah? Adam and Hawwa`. Allah says: “And We said: ‘O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zalimun (wrong-doers).’” (2:35)

4. How Many of this Ummah will Enter Jannah?

4.1 Filling the Horizons

The Prophet ﷺ said, “The people were displayed in front of me and I saw one prophet passing by with a large group of his followers, and another prophet passing by with only a small group of people, and another prophet passing by with only ten (persons), and another prophet passing by with only five (persons), and another prophet passed by alone.[Imagine that – a prophet with no followers. Someone who kept giving da’wah and working for Allah and nobody answered their call. Imagine Nuh – he gave da’wah for 950 years and no one responded! That is what keeps us going – seeing the fruits of our effort. Imagine how much discipline that takes, with people rejecting you and insulting you, etc. The drive that the ambiya have is a miracle in itself.]

“And then I looked and saw a large multitude of people, so I asked Gabriel, ‘Are these people my followers?’ He said, ‘No, but look towards the horizon.’ I looked and saw a very large multitude of people. Gabriel said. ‘Those are your followers, and those are seventy thousand (persons) in front of them who will neither have any reckoning of their accounts nor will receive any punishment.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘For they used not to treat themselves with branding (cauterization) nor with Ruqya (get oneself treated by the recitation of some Verses of the Qur’an) and not to see evil omen in things, and they used to put their trust (only) in their Lord.”

On hearing that, ‘Ukasha bin Mihsan got up and said (to the Prophet), “Invoke Allah to make me one of them.” The Prophet said, “O Allah, make him one of them.” Then another man got up and said (to the Prophet), “Invoke Allah to make me one of them.” The Prophet said, “‘Ukasha has preceded you.” [Bukhaari, 8/76/549]

This hadith is also in Bukhaari: Prophet ﷺ said, I was with the angel and he told me to look at the horizon. So I looked at the horizon and saw I saw the horizon blocked with the faces of men. They told me to look at the other side, so I looked at the other side and saw the horizon blocked with the faces of men. Allah subhaana wa ta’aala asked me, O Muhammad, are you pleased? Prophet ﷺ said, O Allah, I am pleased, I am pleased. Then Allah said, I will give you in addition to them 70,000 who will enter without any reckoning.

In another hadith, Prophet ﷺ said, I have seen my Ummah, so I was very impressed with their numbers and their looks. They filled the plains and the mountains. Wherever I would look, I would see my Ummah. You can imagine how happy Prophet ﷺ will be on the day of judgment when he sees his Ummah.

Prophet ﷺ said, Get married and have a lot children because I want to be proud of you on the day of judgment. He is asking us to have a lot of children so that we will increase his ummah.

The ambiya have a competition in good amongst each other. When Prophet ﷺ passed by Musa, he was crying. Why was he crying? Because he said that a man after him will have a larger following than him. Until that time, Musa had the largest following. The largest Ummah after the Ummah of Prophet ﷺ is that of Bani Israel. Allah says: “O Children of Israel! Remember My Favour which I bestowed upon you and that I preferred you to the ‘Alamin (mankind and jinns) (of your time period, in the past).” (2:47) This was talking about when Bani Israel were the chosen – they were the carriers of the followers of truth and they were the first to fight jihad. No other prophet has fought jihad in the past. With Musa (Moses), Allah revealed jihad.

4.2 Half the People of Paradise

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection), ‘O Adam.’ Adam will reply, ‘Labbaik wa Sa’daik (and all the good is in Your Hand).’ Allah will say: ‘Bring out the people of the fire. Adam will say: ‘O Allah! How many are the people of the Fire?’ Allah will reply: ‘From every one thousand, take out nine-hundred-and ninety-nine.’ At that time children will become hoary headed [gray-haired], every pregnant female will have a miscarriage, and one will see mankind as drunken, yet they will not be drunken, but dreadful will be the Wrath of Allah.” The companions of the Prophet asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! Who is that (excepted) one?” He said, “Rejoice with glad tidings; one person will be from you and one-thousand will be from Gog and Magog.”

Prophet further said, “By Him in Whose Hands my life is, hope that you will be one-fourth of the people of Paradise.” We shouted, ‘Allahu Akbar!” He added, “I hope that you will be one-third of the people of Paradise.” We shouted, “Allahu Akbar!” He said, “I hope that you will be half of the people of Paradise.” We shouted, “Allahu Akbar!” He further said, “You (Muslims) (compared with non Muslims) are like a black hair in the skin of a white ox or like a white hair in the skin of a black ox (i.e. your number is very small as compared with theirs).” [Bukhaari, 4/55/567]

4.3 Eighty Rows

In a hadith in at-Tirmidhi, Prophet ﷺ says, The people of Jannah are dividing into 120 rows. 80 rows will be from this Ummah and 40 from all of the other Umam combined.

Prophet ﷺ says in a hadith in Muslim, I would be the first intercessor in the paradise, and no apostle amongst the apostles has been testified by such a large number of people as I have been testified. (I have the largest Ummah). And verily, there would be an apostle from amongst the apostles that would be testified by only one man from his people.

In Bukhaari, Prophet ﷺ said, “Every Prophet was given miracles because of which people believed, but what I have been given, is Divine Inspiration which Allah has revealed to me. So I hope that my followers will outnumber the followers of the other Prophets on the Day of Resurrection.” [Bukhaari, 6/61/504] Why? Because the miracle of Prophet ﷺ is different – it is the Qur’an. The miracles of the other prophets were limited to their era.

5. A Bridge of Purification

On the Day of Judgment, this person will be to a bridge that leads to Jannah – the only road that goes there. He will be stopped. All of the believers that he used to know in dunya and he owes them something – whether it is financial or whether he’s hurt, abused or spoken ill about any of them – they will be bought together on this bridge. Everything that happened between them will be evened out. They will go through a process of purification on this bridge. If you slapped someone in dunya, you’ll get that back. If you spoke ill about someone, you will have to be paid back for on that bridge.

Allah is pure and He accepts nothing that is not pure. Because Jannah is pure, no one can enter until they are 100% pure. The purification process that a person goes through begins in dunya. Any pain or suffering you go through in this world is a purification, and the pain of death, the pain in the grave and the waiting of the day of judgment – all are purification.

In a hadith in Bukhaari, Prophet ﷺ says, “When the believers pass safely over (the bridge across) Hell, they will be stopped at a bridge in between Hell and Paradise where they will retaliate upon each other for the injustices done among them in the world, and when they get purified of all their sins, they will be admitted into Paradise. By Him in Whose Hands the life of Muhammad is everybody will recognize his dwelling in Paradise better than he recognizes his dwelling in this world.” [Bukhaari, 3/43/620] Instinctively, you will know where you belong. You will know where your house is better than you knew your house in dunya. This is because you are a son of Adam and Adam’s (‘alayhis salaam) original house was Jannah. He did not belong to certain country in this world; he did not have a nationality. He didn’t have a pride of belonging to a country; his homeland was Jannah. And his children who are righteous their homeland is Jannah. Prophet ﷺ says, be in this world as a wayfarer – a traveller.

6. A Tour of Jannah

Imagine that you are taking a tour of Jannah – the true wonderland. No matter how great you imagine jannah, that won’t be a fraction of the real thing. Imagine yourself in the position of experiencing everything we will talk about. The more you are attached to paradise, the more you fear hell, and the closer you will be to Allah.

Allah talks about the righteous in the Qur’an and says: “…they call on their Lord, in Fear and Hope…” (32:16)They fear the punishment of Allah, and they are also expecting the ajr of Allah. 

6.1 Your First Meal

You’ve spent a lot of time waiting on the Day of Judgment, standing in the heat, with no food or water. You’re hungry and thirsty. As soon as you get to the gates of Jannah, you will be treated. So what will be the first meal of Jannah and what will you drink? This meal will start with an appetizer, move onto a main dish and then following that, you will have something to drink. Remember that you’re very hungry and thirsty, so this will be one of the tastiest foods you have ever had.

The appetizer will be fish liver. I don’t know if that is your favourite in liver – or if any of you love to have fish in the first place – but keep in mind that anything you get in Jannah will be good. Prophet ﷺ called it fish liver, but it’s going to be good [see Bukhaari, 6/60/7]

The main course is going to be a good steak. The hadith doesn’t say steak, but it says in the hadith that it is an ox – a steer. This steer is alive right now – in Jannah. It is eating in Jannah. As it is the tradition of the ambiya, if they ever had an animal to slaughter, they would do that as an honoring for their guest (like it is mentioned about Ibraheem ‘alayhis salaam in the Qur’aan, in which he slaughtered the calf for his guests). 

Since you are entering into Jannah, and you are a new guest in paradise, the angels are going to prepare this special treat for you. So this ox/steer that has been feeding in Jannah for a very long time, it will be slaughtered, and you will have its meat in Jannah. [Bukhaari, 8/76/527 and Muslim, 39/6710]

What will you drink? The drink that will be along with this food is from a spring called salsabil. We have no idea what salsabil is. It sounds very good and will taste very good. Thauban, the freed slave of the The Prophet ﷺ, said: While I was standing beside the Prophet ﷺ, one of the rabbis of the Jews came and said: “Peace be upon you, O Muhammad.” I pushed him back with a push that he was going to fall. Upon this he said: “Why do you push me?” I said: “Why don’t you say: ‘O Messenger of Allah?’” The Jew said: “We call him by the name by which he was named by his family.” The Prophet ﷺ said [out of kindness]: “[Yes] My name is Muhammad with which I was named by my family.”

The Jew said: “I have come to ask you (something).” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Should that thing be of any benefit to you, if I tell you that?” He (the Jew) said: “I will lend my ears to it. [I cannot guarantee that I will benefit, but I will lend my ears to it].” The Prophet ﷺ drew a line with the help of the stick that he had with him and then said: “Ask (whatever you like).”

Thereupon the Jew said: “Where would the human beings be on the Day when the earth would change into another earth and the heavens too (would change into other heavens)? [referring to the day of judgment]. The Prophet ﷺ said: “They would be in darkness beside the Bridge.”

He (the Jew) again said: “Who amongst people would be the first to cross (this bridge)?” Prophet ﷺ said: “They would be the poor amongst the refugees [muhajireen].”

The Jew said: “What would constitute their breakfast [it is translated as breakfast here, but tuhfa is an appetizer or treat] when they would enter Paradise?” He (Prophet ﷺ) replied: “A caul of the fish-liver.” He (the Jew) said. “What would be their food after this?” He (Prophet ﷺ) said: “A bullock which was fed in the different quarters of Paradise would be slaughtered for them.” He (the Jew) said: “What would be their drink?” He (Prophet ﷺ) said: They would be given drink from the fountain which is named Salsabil.” [Muslim, 3/614 for the rest of the hadith]

6.2 Difference of Levels of Jannah

So now you have had your meal and now you are heading straight for your property in Jannah. You are travelling through your instincts and you are seeing all of this wonder around you – breathtaking scenes.

We know that Jannah is divided into different levels. Allah says: “See how We have bestowed more on some than on others; but verily the Hereafter is more in rank and gradation and more in excellence.” (17:21)

Allah is saying that people in this world have differences in wealth and health; people have different provisions. Similarly, the people in Jannah will have greater and larger differences. In Jannah, the differences will be huge. Prophet ﷺ says that people who are in a lower level will see people in the level above them as you see stars – that is the tremendous difference between them. Remember that Jannah is huge.

Allah says: “Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous.” (3:133) That is the width of Paradise, not the length.

There are seven heavens. We are living in the lowest heaven, and this heaven, compared to the one above it, is like a ring in a desert. How large is the heaven we are in? Every star that we see and every galaxy that is discovered are all within the lowest heaven. Allah says: “Verily! We have adorned the near heaven with the stars (for beauty).” (37:6) We are talking about light years of distance – the sun is about 8 minutes in light years. And the closest star is 4.25 light years. And we know the speed of light. Imagine how far and vast the universe is, subhanAllah! And each heaven is like a ring in a desert compared to the one above it. And the seventh heaven, compared to the al-Kursi of Allah is like a ring in a desert, and the Kursi compared to the Throne is like a ring in a desert.

All of humanity is fighting over this earth and it is not like a speck compared to Jannah.

Prophet ﷺ said, “A strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone…” [see Muslim, 33/6441 for rest of hadith]

Prophet ﷺ said, “The inmates of Paradise would see the inmates of the apartment over them just as you see the shining planets which remain in the eastern and the western horizon because of the superiority some have over others.” [see Muslim, 40/6790 for complete hadith] So small deeds in this world will have a big leverage in akhirah.

Prophet ﷺ said that those who recite Qur’an will be told to recite when they enter Jannah. And with every ayah that they recite, they are going to go up one level. Very small deeds in dunya make a big difference in akhirah.

Allah talks about two groups of people in surah Ar-Rahman. Allah says: “But for such as fear the time when they will stand before (the Judgment Seat of) their Lord, there will be two Gardens.” (55:46) Allah then says: “And below them both [in excellence] are two [other] gardens.” (55:62) So you have a high status and a lower status beneath them.

6.3 The Lower and Higher Statuses

Ibn Mas’ud reported: Verily the Prophet ﷺ said:

“The last to enter Paradise would be a man who would walk once and stumble once and be burnt by the Fire once. Then when he gets beyond it, he will turn to it and say: ‘Blessed is He Who has saved me from thee. Allah has given me something He has not given to any one of those in earlier or later times.’ Then a tree would be raised up for him and he will say: ‘O my Lord I bring me near this tree so that I may take shelter in its shade and drink of its water.’ Allah, the Exalted and Great, would say: ‘O son of Adam, if I grant you this, you will ask Me for something else.’ He would say: ‘No. my Lord.’ And he would promise Him that he would not ask for anything else. His Lord would excuse him because He sees what he cannot help desiring; so He would bring him near it, and he would take shelter in its shade and drink of its water.

“Afterwards a tree more beautiful than the first would be raised up before him and he would say: ‘O my Lord! Bring me near this tree in order that I may drink of its water and take shelter in its shade and I shall not ask Thee for anything else.’ He (Allah) would say: ‘O son of Adam, if I bring you near it you may ask me for something else.’ He would promise Him that he would not ask for anything else. His Lord will excuse him because He would see something he cannot help desiring. So He would bring him near it and he would enjoy its shade and drink its water.

“Then a tree would be raised up for him at the gate of the Paradise, more beautiful than the first two. He would say: ‘O my Lord! Bring me near this (tree) so that I may enjoy its shade and drink from its water. I shall not ask Thee for anything else.’ He (Allah) would say: ‘O son of Adam! Did you not promise Me that you would not ask Me anything else?’ He would say: ‘Yes, my Lord, but I shall not ask Thee for anything else.’ His Lord would excuse him for He sees something the temptation of which he could not resist.

“He (Allah) would bring him near to it, and when He would bring him near it he would hear the voices of the inhabitants of the Paradise. He would say: ‘O my Lord! Admit me to it.’*** He (Allah) would say: ‘O son of Adam, what will bring an end to your requests to Me? Will it please you if I give you the whole world and a like one along with it?’ He will say: O my Lord! Art Thou mocking at me, though Thou art the Lord of the worlds?’”

Ibn Mas’ud laughed and asked (the hearers): “Why don’t you ask me what I am laughing at.” They (then) said: “Why do you laugh?” He said: “It is in this way that the Prophet ﷺ laughed.” They (the companions of the Prophet) asked: “Why do you laugh, Messenger of Allah?” He said: “On account of the laugh of the Lord of the universe, when He would say: “I am not mocking at you, but I have power to do whatever I will.” [Muslim, 1/361]

Allah will tell him, “Son of Adam, what will please you? If I give you the equivalent of the earth and everything in it inside Jannah, will that satisfy you?” The man will say, “Yes.” Allah will say, “I will give you that and similar to it and similar to it and similar to it….” So Allah will multiply it 5 times. So the man will stop Allah subhaana wa ta’aala and say, “That’s enough, Allah! I am pleased! I am pleased!” Allah will say, I will give you all of that times 10, and I will give you all that will please your eyes and satisfy your heart (in addition to that.) This the lowest level of Jannah! This is the reward for a man burned in hell for years and the last person to enter Jannah – subhanAllah!

What about the highest level of Jannah? It is like a pyramid – the people in lower levels are more and there are less and less on top. At the very top is only one person.

Prophet ﷺ says, “Whoever after listening to the Adhan says, ‘O Allah! Lord of this perfect call (of not ascribing partners to You) and of the regular prayer which is going to be established! Kindly give Muhammad the right of intercession and superiority and send him (on the Day of Judgment) to the best and the highest place in Paradise which You promised him)’, then intercession for me will be permitted for him on the Day of Resurrection.” [Bukhaari, 1/11/588]

 Allah reserved this place for Prophet ﷺ. His place is right beneath the Throne of Allah. Prophet ﷺ is right next to the Creator – Allah.

There are other people who are high – the messengers.

Prophet ﷺ was asked who are the best of shuhadaa`. Prophet ﷺ said that when they die, Allah will smile at them. And if Allah smiles at anyone, they will not go through reckoning. They are going to be in the highest mansions of paradise.

Prophet ﷺ also says, The one who looks after the orphan, whether he is a relative or not, I and he will be together in Jannah like this. [Two fingers next to each other].

Also, people will realize that they are getting to an elevated status in Jannah. They will ask why they are being elevated in status, and they will be told: Because your children used to make istighfaar for you. If you want to be dutiful towards your parents, make du’aa` for them. And teach your children to make du’aa` for you as well.

6.4 Walking to Your Palace in Jannah

Prophet ﷺ says in the hadith that we talked about earlier that you will know your place in Jannah more than you knew your house in dunya. Instinctively, you will know where your residence is in Jannah.

So you get to this huge mansion that is yours. One brick is gold and one brick is silver; wonderful colours. Architecture is something that we don’t know of in this world. In Jannah, there is no limitation of gravity, the material of Jannah is not restricted as it is in dunya; there’s no concrete or tile in Jannah. The palaces are of gold and silver.

You’re getting closer and closer to your palace, and you see something that makes you freeze in your tracks. You become immobile and you cannot move any further, because of the stunning beauty of what you see – your wife in Jannah.

Before we talk about that, let’s talk about your palace in Jannah. Allah says in the Qur’an: “But those who fear Allah and keep their duty to their Lord (Allah), for them are built lofty rooms; one above another under which rivers flow (i.e. Paradise). (This is) the Promise of Allah: and Allah does not fail in (His) Promise.” (39:20) There’s a lot of emphasis in Jannah of things above each other. Things are in all directions; it is not like the surface of this earth. Only Allah knows if Jannah is limited to the three dimensions. This is just speculation, but Jannah is different. The rivers are flowing beneath them.

Everything that we have in dunya, there is something that resembles it in akhirah. But that is the only thing that is the same – the name. There is Fire in dunya and Fire in akhirah. But the fire in akhirah is different. Prophet ﷺ says that hell fire was burned for 1,000 years until it turned red. Then it was burned for 1,000 years more until it turned white. And then it was burned for 1,000 years more until it turned dark. Imagine black fire. There is fire in dunya in fire and akhirah, but they are different.(It was reported from Abu Hurayr. Tirmidhi, Muwatta)

Similarly, there is water, milk and wine in Jannah. The only thing that they have in common with the things in this dunya is the name. The quality and quantity is completely different. Just as there are tents in this dunya, there are tents in Jannah. Allah says: “Companions restrained (as to their glances), in (goodly) pavilions.” (55:72) You have these huge pavilions.

The Prophet ﷺ said that Gabriel said, “Here is Khadija coming to you with a dish of food or a tumbler containing something to drink. Convey to her a greeting from her Lord (Allah) and give her the glad tidings that she will have a palace in Paradise built of Qasab wherein there will be neither any noise nor any fatigue (trouble).” [Bukhaari, 9/93/588] 

In another hadith in at-Tirmidhi Prophet ﷺ said that there are rooms in Jannah where you can see the outside from the inside and from the inside you can see the outside. How can that be possible? We don’t know. One Bedouin asked Prophet ﷺ who these rooms would belong to. Prophet ﷺ said that they are for those who speak good words, feed the poor, they fast and they pray at night when people are sleep.

Prophet ﷺ said: “A tent (in Paradise) is like a hollow pearl which is thirty miles in height and on every corner of the tent the believer will have a family that cannot be seen by the others.” [Bukhaari, 4/54/466]

6.5 How can we increase our property in Jannah?

Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever built a mosque, (Bukhari thought that ‘Asim, another subnarrator, added, “Intending Allah’s Pleasure”), Allah would build for him a similar place in Paradise.” [Bukhaari, 1/8/441]

Prophet ﷺ said, If you pray 12 rak’ah of sunnah on a daily basis, Allah will give you a palace in Paradise. What are the sunnah prayers? Two before fajr; four before dhuhr & two after dhuhr; two after maghrib and two after isha. Every day, you could be building yourself a new house in Jannah. While it could take you years to build a house for yourself in this dunya, but in akhirah you can get it for these prayers every day. Let us take advantage of this reward.

6.6 Your Spouses

So you are walking towards your palace in Paradise and you see your wife. Whether it is your wife from dunya or your wife from Jannah – but you will see her face and just be frozen in his tracks because of her beauty. Allah says about them, “Companions of equal age” (78:33) and He says, “We have created (their Companions) of special creation, And made them virgin – pure (and undefiled), Beloved (by nature), equal in age.” (56:35-37)

One of the scholars said that this man will just stand there and stare at her for 40 years. These women are not beautiful because they were voted in by a panel of men at a beauty contest Allah said that they are beautiful, and it is enough for us that Allah said they are beautiful. Allah says, “In them will be fair companions, good and beautiful.”

Anas ibn Maalik narrated that Prophet ﷺ says, in a hadith in Bukhaari, “If one of the women of Jannah would just appear to the people of this world, the distance of the heavens and the earth would be filled with light and her scent will cover the whole distance, and the scarf that she has on her head is better than the world and everything in it.” 

This sun of ours that lights up this earth is very close to us. If we go further away in the solar system, the sunlight barely penetrates other parts of the universe. And we have a woman of Jannah, at a much farther distance, and her light will fill the heavens and the earth. Prophet ﷺ said that a piece of cloth on her head (her scarf) is better than the earth and everything in it.

Once, Prophet ﷺ received a piece of cloth as a gift and the sahabah were quite impressed with it – they were passing it around and touching it. Prophet ﷺ smiled and he said, “It seems that you are impressed by the quality of this cloth. The handkerchiefs of Mu’aadh ibn Jabl in Paradise are better than this.” So the quality of things in Jannah is better than anything in this world.

Allah says, about the Hur al ‘ayn, that they have a special creation. The same goes for men – they will have the height of Adam ‘alayhis salaam, which is about 90 yards; the beauty of Yusuf ‘alayhis salaam [who was the most beautiful man]; the age of ‘Eesa [Jesus] ‘alayhis salaam – which was 30 years. Men in dunya will be impotent compared to the men of akhirah. The sahabah were quite shocked by this description. Prophet ﷺ said, in a hadith in at-Tirmidhi, that a man in Jannah will have the strength of 100 men in this world. Everything is better in Jannah.

Allah says of the women of Jannah: “(In beauty) they are like rubies and coral.” (55:58)

Prophet ﷺ says in another hadith that the women of Jannah will be so beautiful that you will be able to see the marrow in the bone from behind the clothes. How could this be a sign of beauty? Keep in mind that RasulAllah has seen this and he is trying to convey it to us. Our minds are unable to grasp this different dimension in Jannah and we cannot understand it.

6.7 Entering Your Palace

You will enter into your mansion. Everything is new to you. Everything is an experience. You look at the furniture in your mansion – the quality, the arrangement, etc. You go from room to room, saying alhamdulillah. This is an insult to call it furniture, because there is no comparison.

Allah says: “Therein will be Thrones (of dignity), raised on high. Goblets placed (ready), and cushions set in rows.” (88:13-15) They are not just beautiful, but the way the furniture is arranged is special. Imagine that an angel that is a specialist and specially prepares this for you. So you and your wife will go around and be amazed by the taste and art of the angels, and comparing it to your house in dunya and the difference. So you’ll go and have a seat and touch the fabric, impressed with everything.

Allah says: “They will recline (with ease) on Thrones (of dignity) arranged in ranks; and We shall join them to Companions, with beautiful big and lustrous eyes.” (52:20) So you’ll spend a few months, enjoying the pleasure of these cushions and this beautiful palace. 

In the lowest Jannah, you will have 10 times of this dunya and everything in it. The levels in akhirah in huge – so imagine how much more a person in a higher rank will have! So this is humongous real estate in Jannah.

You will have youth running around your palace, dressed in wonderful colours, they’re all smiling and serving you all of these things you have never seen before. Just seeing how welcoming and bright these youth are is an enjoyment in itself.

Ibn Kathir says, the people of Jannah will be served by youth that live for eternity. They never change or grow in age. If you see how many they are and how willing they are to serve you and how bright and beautiful their faces are, smiling all the time, and you look at the colours of their clothes and the jewellery they are wearing, they appear to be scattered pearls.

Allah says, “And round about them will (serve) youths of perpetual (freshness): If thou seest them, thou wouldst think them scattered Pearls.” (76:19) Your wife doesn’t have to do anything; it is pure enjoyment for both of you. So you’re sitting there and being served by these wonderful servants. You’ll have something to eat and drink and then you’ll leave.

6.8 Four Rivers of Jannah 

You will have a guide for you since the property is so big. As soon as you leave your mansion, you’ll smell this wonderful smell. You’ll look for the source and discover that it is the soil of Jannah. You’ll pick it up and see that it is musk. You’ll go and find that this soil – white, pure musk – is the soil of Jannah, everywhere.

Then you will hear the sound of water. You’ll ask your guide, what is this? He will tell you that it is a river, located right beneath your palace. You’ll wonder, I have a river underneath my palace?! And then he will tell you this river belongs to you – it’s all yours. You’ll go to visit it. You’ll ask the guide, what is this? The guide will tell you, it’s a River of Water.You’ll take a cup and keep drinking – it is nothing like the water of this world. Now, if you’re Jannah, you’re not drinking because you are thirsty. If you are in Jannah, you already had a drink of al-kawthar, and that will satisfy you for eternity.

On the Day of Judgment, an extension of al-kawthar will come to where the Day of Judgment is being held. Prophet ﷺ will be standing next to this pool/lake, and he will be pouring water for his followers. He will do it with his own hands. If you are one of the Muslims and he is making shafa’aa` for you, he will invite you and provide you water and feed it to you. That cup of water that you will drink from the Prophet’s hands will be sufficient for you. So the people of Jannah drink for pure pleasure.

You’ll keep drinking from this water – it just decipitates. Prophet ﷺ said that it will come out as a burping – but it is the smell of musk. Your guide will say, what are you doing? You’ll say that this water tastes wonderful; I just want to keep drinking from it. He will say, that’s up to you, I’m your guide, I’ll do whatever you want. But tell you what – you have another river that is better than this.

So you’ll say, let’s go visit this other river. You, your wife and your guide will travel about 1,000 miles to your other river. Of course there are other forms of transportation in Jannah and you can go as fast or slow as you want. Your guide will tell you this River of Milk; it will not taste, look or smell like the milk of this world. You and your wife will take cups and keep drinking here as well. Your guide will tell you that there is a third river that is better than this.

You will travel to this third river. You’ll ask, what is this? He will tell you, this is the River of Honey. You’ll have some to drink. Your guide will take you to your last river, then. And that is the River of Wine. You’ll spend some time drinking from the wine from that river.

Then you’ll have a tour of the springs. Allah says, “(Here is) a Parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised: in it are rivers of water incorruptible; rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink; and rivers of honey pure and clear…” (47:15)

Then you will go to al-kawthar. The Prophet said: “While I was walking in Paradise (on the night of Mi’raj), I saw a river, on the two banks of which there were tents made of hollow pearls. I asked, ‘What is this, O Gabriel?’ He said, ‘That is the Kauthar which Your Lord has given to you.’ Behold! Its scent or its mud was sharp smelling musk!” [Bukhaari, 8/76/583]

Allah says: “As to the Righteous, they shall drink of a Cup (of Wine) mixed with Kafur, A Fountain where the Devotees of Allah do drink, making it flow in unstinted abundance.” (76:5-6) So you’ll go and join other believers there and drink with them. Then you’ll have a chat with them and drink and then move on to others.

Allah says: “Truly the Righteous will be in Bliss: On Thrones (of Dignity) will they command a sight (of all things): Thou wilt recognize in their faces the beaming brightness of Bliss. Their thirst will be slaked with Pure Wine sealed: The seal thereof will be Musk: And for this let those aspire, who have aspirations: With it will be (given) a mixture of Tasnim. A spring, from (the waters) whereof drink those Nearest to Allah.” (83:22-28)

And Allah also says: “And they will be given to drink there a cup (of wine) mixed with Zanjabil (ginger, etc.) A spring there called salsabil.” (76:17-18)

6.9 Day and Night in Jannah

You start noticing something – there is no sun or moon. There is no darkness; there’s no shadow; no winter, fall or spring. You start wondering how long the day is – is there day and night? You find out that it is constant daylight. The only way you recognize if its day or night is by a beam coming from the Throne of Allah. Otherwise, it is all light in Jannah.

AlQurtubi says, “There is no night or day in Paradise, but it is continuous light.” Ibn Taymiyyah says, “There is no sun, moon, night or day, but you know the morning from the afternoon from night from a beam of light that is coming from underneath the Throne of Allah.”

Allah says: “And they will have therein their sustenance, morning and evening.” (19:62)

6.10 Trees in Jannah

Prophet ﷺ said, “There is a tree in Paradise (which is so big and huge that) a rider could travel in its shade for a hundred years. And if you wish, you can recite: ‘In shade long extended’ (56:30) and a place in Paradise equal to an arrow bow of one of you, is better than (the whole earth) on which the sun rises and sets.” [Bukhaari, 4/54/475]

Then you go to other places and see other trees. The trees look very different. There are trees with all silver branches, all gold branches, some that produce fruit, some that produce clothes…etc etc…

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Then I was taken to Sidrat-ul-Muntaha whose leaves were like elephant ears and its fruit like big earthenware vessels. And when it was covered by the Command of Allah, it underwent such a change that none amongst the creation has the power to praise its beauty.” [Muslim, 1/309]

Once, Prophet ﷺ was speaking about Jannah. A man asked RasulAllah, “O Messenger of Allah, are the clothes of Jannah created or are they woven?” The Sahabah laughed; they thought it was a stupid question. The Prophet ﷺ asked, Why are you laughing? Are you laughing because he is ignorant and he is asking somebody who knows? In other words, RasulAllah was saying that there is no question that is stupid. 
RasulAllah told “Where is the one who asked the question?” The man said, “Here I am, O Messenger of Allaah”. He said, “No, they are produced by the fruits of Paradise“ three times” [Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 4/640

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported: A man said to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, “What is Tuba (13:29)?” The Prophet said, “It is a tree in Paradise as wide as a hundred years of travel. The clothes of the people of Paradise will come from its leaves.” : Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 7573

Allah says: “Every time they are fed with fruits there from, they say: ‘Why, this is what we were fed with before,’ for they are given things in similitude.” (2:25) You can see how picky the people of Jannah become; they don’t want to have the same food again. They will realize that it only gets better.

Prophet ﷺ says in a hadith in at-Tirmidhi, the trees of paradise, the branches and the trunk of it, are made of gold.

How can you increase your share in the trees of Jannah? Prophet ﷺ met with Ibraheem ‘alayhis salaam in Israa` wa miraaj. Ibraheem is the father of this Ummah; he wants the best for this Ummah. Even though he died thousands of years before Prophet ﷺ, and is so detached from this Ummah (in terms of time span), he was still so eager to help us. 

He tried to help Prophet ﷺ and so he said to him: “O Muhammad, give your Ummah my salaam, and tell them that Pardaise is beautiful – it’s water is pure, and it’s soil is clean, and tell them it is vast, huge pieces of land. The trees of Jannah are subhaanAllah, walhamdulillah, wa laa ilaaha ilallah, wAllahu Akbar.” It’s that easy – just saying that makes a tree grow in Jannah for you. Use your time in dunya to grow acres of these trees. You don’t want to find empty land when you go there.

If you want to have some treasures in Paradise: la hawla wa la qu watta ilallah billah. That is of the treasure of the treasures of Paradise.

What about the animals and the birds of Jannah? Prophet ﷺ was asked about the rivers of al-kawthar. So he said, it is a river that Allah has given to me. It is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. There are some birds that drink from it, and their necks are like the necks of camels; these birds are so huge and well fed from drinking from al-kawthar. They are organic, however, because sometimes we associate size with growth hormones. ‘Umar ibn AlKhattaab was in the audience and he said, subhaanAllah, they must be having a lot of fun! Prophet ﷺ said that the ones who will eat them will have more fun [the people of Jannah].

Allah subhaana wa ta’aala says: “And the flesh of birds, any that they may desire.” (56:21) Say you see a bird that really opens up your appetite – you just make a request and point towards it; it will be there for you immediately for you to eat.

6.11 The Wine of Jannah

Allah Says: ‘Round will be passed to them a cup from a clear, flowing fountain, baydaa`oo – crystal white, of a taste delicious to those who drink it. Neither they will have Ghoul (any kind of hurt, abdominal pain, headache, a sin, etc.) from that, nor will they suffer intoxication there from.” (37:45-46)

Ibn Kathir says, it will not cause them headache, nor will it make them lose their minds. Ibn ‘Abbaas says that there are four negative aspects of alcohol: drunkenness, headaches, increased urination and nausea and vomiting. These are four negative side effects of drinking. 

Ibn ‘Abbaas says that Allah has purified the wine of Jannah from all four of these things. The people of Jannah will drink a lot of wine, but it will not make them drunk, it will just give them pleasure. Everything in dunya is a mixture of pleasure and pain – there is nothing completely good or completely bad. 

This world is not good enough to be Jannah or bad enough to be Hell. Alcohol comes with all of these side effects, that is why it is made haraam in Qur’an. Allah says that there are some good aspects from it, but the sin coming from it is greater. In Jannah, all of these side effects will be gone and it will be pure pleasure.

7. WHY do the people of Jannah Eat?

AlQurtubi says, The people of Jannah do not eat to relieve themselves of pain of hunger; they do not drink to quench themselves of thirst; they do not put on perfume to eliminate bad smell. The reason that they do these things is because they want to have continuous pleasures. And he says to look at the two verses where Allah tells Adam in Jannah: “There is therein (enough provision) for thee not to go hungry nor to go naked.” (20:118) So we’re not putting clothes on in Jannah to cover our nakedness; we’re not eating to relieve ourselves from hunger; nor are we suffering from thirst. So everything in Jannah is for the purpose of pleasure and pleasure alone. Then he [AlQurtubi] says, Everything that people used to like in this world, similar will be given to them in Jannah, but then Allah is hiding from them things we don’t even know about.

8. Which Husband will a Woman Be With?

There was a question about a woman who is divorced or widowed – who will she be with in Jannah? First of all, if a man is married to a woman and they are both going to Jannah, they will both be in Jannah, even if they are different in Jannah. How will that affect their statuses? Allahu ‘Alam, but the lower level will jump up to the higher level, because Allah, out of His Mercy, will not lower anyone in Jannah. Allah says, “Gardens of perpetual bliss. They shall enter there, as well as the righteous among their fathers their spouses, and their offspring: and angels shall enter unto them from every gate.” (13:23) And Allah says, “They and their wives, in pleasant shade, on thrones reclining.” (36:56)

Allah says: “Enter ye the Garden, ye and your wives, in (beauty and) rejoicing.” (43:70) So they will all be greeted into Jannah.

Now, what happens in the situation where a man passes away and his wife marries after him? For the other scenario, where the wife passes away and the man remarries, he will be with his first wife and his second wife. In this case, where the woman remarries, who will she be with in Jannah? There is a narration that Mu’awiya wanted to marry the wife of Abu Dardaa` and she refused. Umm Dardaa`said that she heard Abu Dardaa` say that Prophet ﷺ said A woman will marry her last husband in dunya. This hadith is da’eef [weak], but it is strengthened by two other narrations.

Asmaa` bint Abi Bakr was married to AzZubayr ibn Al-Awwaam – one of the ten promised Jannah. She went to her father (Abu Bakr) and complained to him about her husband being too strict with her. AzZubayr ibn AlAwwaam was a very strong man – a knight. He was amongst the strongest in the Sahabah. The other Muslim soldiers once told him that he had such a powerful sword; AzZubayr got mad and said not to give credit to the sword, it was his arm. 

There are numerous stories telling about AzZubayr’s courage and his strength; it was legendary even amongst the sahabah. AzZubayr was very strict in his dealing with his wife, Asmaa` as well. Abu Bakr didn’t have a problem with her complain; it was valid. AzZubayr had her do laborious work and was strict with her. Abu Bakr said to her, “O my daughter please be patient, because a woman, if she has a righteous husband and then he dies, and she does not marry after him, Allah will bring them together in Jannah.” 

Abu Bakr knew she was going through tough times, but he wanted her to be patient because Abu Bakr knew that AzZubayr would have one of the highest statuses in Paradise, so he wanted for her that to be in the same high status as AzZubayr in Jannah. It is not all about this life.

This is also an advice to the brothers and sisters – if you don’t like something in your spouse, but they are righteous, be patient. It is not about dunya.

A woman came to ‘Umar ibn AlKhattab and said, “O ‘Umar, I do not love my husband.” ‘Umar looked at her and said, “Marriages are not all based on love.” It is a cooperation in al-dunya, and then we are going to pass away. It’s not all romantic love; it’s about a house that they are establishing, raising a Muslim family and bringing up children in a good household. There needs to be some compassion. Prophet ﷺ said, Don’t be harsh with your spouses, because if you don’t like something in them, then there is something else good in them that you love in them, and it should compensate.

We are not going to get our pleasure and reward in dunya; we are going to get it in the akhirah inshaAllah.

The other narration is from when Hudhayfah was dying. He said to his wife, “O my beloved wife, if you want to be my wife in akhirah, in Jannah, then do not marry anyone after me, because I heard Prophet ﷺ say that you will be with your last husband.”

Won’t I be Jealous of the Hoor Al ‘Ayn?

Dear sister, let’s get it straight first of all that nobody will have any bad feelings – no pain, jealousy, etc in Jannah.

Allah knows His creation better than anyone and He knows what will make them happy.

Ibn AlQayyim said that Muslim scholars are needed in both dunya and in akhirah. They are needed in dunya to guide people to the straight path. In akhirah, they are needed to know what to ask Allah for in Jannah. We don’t even know what’s good for us! We may even have to ask the scholars what to ask Allah for.

9. Gold and Silver

Allah says: “And amongst them will be passed round vessels of silver and cups of crystal, Crystal-clear, made of silver. They will determine the measure thereof according to their wishes.” (76:15) It is transparent, but not glass, it’s silver. You discuss this with your wife; look at how amazing it is. One of your servants will say, let me take you and show you something that is more impressive.

In one garden, everything is made of gold. In the other, everything is made of silver. So you go to this garden of silver and you see that the trees, the palaces, the cups, the plates, the tables, the floor, the tiling, ALL are made of pure silver.

Then you move onto the next garden and everything is gold. Maybe your wife would tell you, I’ll take this garden (the gold one) because gold is haraam on you. The guide will say, it’s halaal for both of you. If you want me to give you even more, you’ll get it.

Everything is a combination of physical and psychological happiness. You will get everything you want.

Prophet ﷺ says, “There would be two gardens (in Paradise) the vessels and contents of which would be of silver, and two gardens whose vessels and contents would be of gold. The only thing intervening to hinder the people from looking at their Lord will be the mantle of Grandeur over His face in the Garden of Eden.” [Muslim, 1/346]

10. Socialization in Jannah

Part of the pleasure of Jannah is the social aspect. It’s not like you are alone with your wife and you two eventually get sick of each other. There is a very lively social life in Jannah. The people of Jannah meet together and spend a lot of time together. If you want, you can make the first objective when you get to Jannah to get to know everyone in Jannah.

Because there is no time limit on anything, you can meet with whoever you want and spend as much time with them as you want. Allah subhaana wa ta’aala tells us of many of these conversations in the Qur’an.

First, it is important to remember that Allah says: “And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury: (they will be) brothers (joyfully) facing each other on thrones (of dignity).” (15:47) The reason why there is so much pleasure in meeting people is because there is no sense of ill feeling between any two people. Everyone loves everyone else in Jannah.

Prophet ﷺ says that their hearts will be like the heart of one man. So just meeting each other is a joy in itself – even before the conversation starts You will be released from all of these built-in negative feelings (jealousy, hatred, etc). They are negative, but it is human nature to have these feelings. As a Muslim, you have to fight a jihad within yourself to get rid of these feelings. In Jannah, all of these ill feelings will be gone.

When Prophet ﷺ was a child, Gibreel and another angel came down and opened up his heart and took out a cloth of blood, saying “This is a share of shaytaan.” Any influence of shaytaan over his heart was taken out. Everyone of us has a qareen – a shaytaan that is with you wherever you go, trying to mislead you. Prophet ﷺ said, With me, my qareen became a Muslim.

In Jannah, we do not have to suffer from all of this. Sometimes, in dunya you will have some ill feeling towards your brother, even though you know you should love him. In Jannah, all of this will be gone.

11. Conversations with the People of Hell

Allah says: “Then they will turn to one another, mutually questioning. A speaker of them will say: ‘Verily, I had a companion (in the world), Who used to say: “Are you among those who believe (in resurrection after death). (That) when we die and become dust and bones, shall we indeed (be raised up) to receive reward or punishment (according to our deeds)?”’ (The man) said: ‘Will you look down?’ So he looked down and saw him in the midst of the Fire.” (37:50-55)

By the way – the people of Jannah will have access to the people of the fire. They will be able to see the people of the fire. This will add to their pleasure because they can appreciate what Allah saved them from. So this man will speak to this man in hell. He will say: “By Allah! You have nearly ruined me. Had it not been for the Grace of my Lord, I would certainly have been among those brought forth (to Hell).” (37:56-57)

The people of Jannah will laugh at the people of Hell, just as the people of Hell used to laugh at the people of Jannah in this world. The Companions of the Garden will call out to the Companions of the Fire: “We have indeed found the promises of our Lord to us true: Have you also found Your Lord’s promises true?” They shall say, “Yes”; but a crier shall proclaim between them: “The curse of Allah is on the wrong-doers.” (7:44)

The third conversation: “Verily! (During the worldly life) those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed. And whenever they passed by them, used to wink one to another (in mockery); And when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting; And when they saw them, they said: ‘Verily! These have indeed gone astray!’ But they (disbelievers, sinners) had not been sent as watchers over them (the believers). But this Day (the Day of Resurrection) those who believe will laugh at the disbelievers. On high thrones, looking at all things.” (83:29-36)

12. No Worship Except Tasbih

In Jannah, there is no worshipping of Allah.  You are not commanded to pray, fast or give zakah (charity). The period of worshipping of Allah is over with. The only form of worship in Jannah will be tasbih. Prophet ﷺ says in Al-Bukhaari, They would praise Allah in the morning and in the evening.

The scholars say: this is not something that they are requested from them. It is something that they do naturally. It is a form of entertainment and joy for them to do. They will be given tasbih like they used to breathe in this world. So, glorifying Allah will be their breathing; it is something that is effortless. So they are not breathing air; they are breathing tasbih

13. Anything You Want

The people of Jannah can ask for whatever they want. There are no restrictions. 

Prophet ﷺ mentions to us an example of this, and it is in Bukhaari. Once the Prophet was narrating (a story), while a Bedouin was sitting with him. “One of the inhabitants of Paradise will ask Allah to allow him to cultivate the land. Allah will ask him, ‘Are you not living in the pleasures you like?’ He will say, ‘Yes, but I like to cultivate the land.’ When the man (will be permitted he) will sow the seeds and the plants will grow up and get ripe, ready for reaping and so on till it will be as huge as mountains within a wink. Allah will then say to him, ‘O son of Adam! Take here you are, gather (the yield); nothing satisfies you.’” On that, the Bedouin said, “The man must be either from Quraish (i.e. an emigrant) or an Ansari, for they are farmers, whereas we are not farmers.” The Prophet smiled (at this). [Bukhaari, 3/39/538] That’s funny What the Bedouin said; he was surprised that anyone would want to farm in Jannah.

In another hadith, in at-Tirmidhi, Prophet ﷺ says, If someone in Jannah wants to have children, the pregnancy and the birth and the growth of the child will be immediate, as he wants. There is a difference of opinion on what this hadith means.

There are some scholars that say that obviously in Jannah, the spouses will enjoy each other, but there will not be any children involved. They say that the meaning of this hadith says that IF the person wants this to happen, it will, but the person will not want it. This eliminates a lot of the confusion with questions such as – “If you can ask, can you ask to be elevated? And how far can you elevated?” So this hadith is saying IF you were to, though you will not. You will not ask to be elevated to the highest rank in Jannah, because you know you do not deserve it; someone else does. In fact, if you were requested to go to a lower level, you would do so, because you will be having so much fun.

In the hadith of the last man to enter Jannah, there is a narration that says, when Allah gives him 10 times the world and everything in it, his two wives of hoor al ‘ayn will come to him and say, “Praise be to Allah, Who has bought you to us, finally.” When he hears that, he will say, “Allah subhaana wa ta’aala has blessed me and given me what He has not given anyone else!” He is so happy with what Allah has given him.

14. The Marketplace

Prophet ﷺ says that there is a sooq in Jannah – a marketplace. Keep in mind that a lot of the descriptions of Jannah were given for the first generations of Muslims to understand. So many of the descriptions were associated with what they know. For example, for a man who gave a camel for the sake of Allah, RasulAllah told him he would be given 700 camels in Jannah. Camels were used as an example for them, but say a person gave cows – would he be given camels? Now, he would be given cows.

The marketplace was also a cultural centre for the Arabs. The poetry, the competitions in language and in speeches, etc was the marketplace as well. They used to go there for trade and business; the poets would give public speeches there. It is mentioned in the hadith that Prophet ﷺ would give da’wah in the marketplace. The people of Jannah will have similar places in Jannah. The intent is not for business, but it is for people to meet. Similarly, there are places in downtown, etc that are business districts, but people go there at night to have fun, meet, go to restaurants, etc.

Prophet ﷺ says in a hadith in Muslim, “In Paradise there is a street to which they would come every Friday. The north wind will blow and would scatter fragrance on their faces and on their clothes and would add to their beauty and loveliness, and then they would go back to their family after having an added lustre to their beauty and loveliness, and their family would say to them: By Allah, you have been increased in beauty and loveliness after leaving us, and they would say: By Allah, you have also increased in beauty and loveliness after us.” [Muslim, 40/6792] Jannah only gets better and better by the passage of time.

You will be with your family in the privacy of your family, enjoying the fruits and food of Jannah with them. Then you will hear an announcement inviting you to this city centre, downtown, the sooq, or whatever you want to call it. You will rush there with your family and find that all of the people of Jannah are gathered in one place. Not only will you be gathered in Jannah, but you will see all of the people of hell gathered in one place. In the area separating Jannah and naar, the angels will bring with them death in the form of a ram. You will see death in a physical form. Everyone will extend their necks up – a very exciting moment. 

Everyone is paying attention. Then the angels will take a knife and slaughter death. Death will cease to exist. Then they will make an announcement and say, “O people of Paradise, you will live for eternity, and there is no death.” And “O people of Hell fire, eternity and death.” RasulAllah said that if there was ever a moment where a person would die because of how happy they are, it would be this moment for the people of Paradise. And if there was a moment in which a person would die from sorrow and despair, it would be this moment for the people of Hell. This would be the best moment for the people of Jannah and the worse for the people of Hell. [Bukhaari 6/60/254 and Muslim 40/6827]

Allah says: “Nor will they there taste Death, except the first death; and He will preserve them from the Penalty of the Blazing Fire.” (44:56) and “They will live there for eternity.”

After the people get together to witness the death of death, they will make a final du’aa`. Allah says: Their call therein will be, “Exalted are You, O Allah,” and their greeting therein will be, “Peace.” And the last of their call will be, “Praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds!”(10:10) The final world that they will say is alhamdulillah – praise be to Allah

Imagine that you are there and now you are saying alhamdulillah, this is where you will be for eternity.

15. Something Even Better!

They think that they have it all, the best of Jannah, but they don’t realize that there is a surprise that is waiting for them. They don’t think that there is nothing that can make them happier, but there is something even better for them…

The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah would say to the inmates of Paradise: “O, Dwellers of Paradise,” and they would say in response: “At your service and pleasure, our Lord, the good is in Your Hand.” He (the Lord) would say: “Are you well pleased now?” They would say: “Why should we not be pleased, O Lord, when You have given us what You have not given to any of Your creatures?” He would, however, say: “May I not give you (something) even more excellent than that?” And they would say: “O Lord, what thing can be more excellent than this?” And He would say: “I shall cause My pleasure to alight upon you and I shall never be afterwards annoyed with you.” [Muslim, 40/6787] This will be a moment in which the psychological happiness of the people of Jannah cannot be described. What is a better thing for them?

If you love someone in dunya – such as a husband and wife loving each other – you care a lot about what the other thinks about you. And you always want them to be happy because they are dear to you. Your love of Allah in Jannah will be so huge and great that when Allah says that He is happy with you, you will be at a level of happiness you have never experienced in Jannah. Now you will think that there is nothing better, but there is STILL something better than that! Jannah only gets better.

Prophet ﷺ says in a hadith in Muslim, When those deserving the Paradise would enter into Paradise, the Blessed and Exalted Allah would say, ‘Do you wish me to give you anything more?’ They will say, ‘O Allah, You have brightened our faces; You have made us enter Paradise and saved us from Hell Fire; there is nothing else that we want.’ Allah would lift the Veil from His Face. And of the things given to them, nothing would be dearer to them than Allah, the Mighty and the Glorious. The biggest deprivation of the people of Hell is that they would not see Allah.

Seeing Allah is something not possible in this dunya. Musa had asked Allah to see Him. Allah told Musa that he could not see Him, but He told Musa to look at the mountain; if the mountain stood in its place, Allah would reveal Himself to Musa. Allah revealed Himself to the mountain, and the mountain turned to dust. Musa, just seeing the mountain, fell unconscious – what would happen to him if he saw Allah? Our bodies are too fragile to sustain the beauty and the glory of seeing the Light of Allah. In Jannah, Allah says that our creation will be different. Our bodies will be stronger and more able to enjoy the pleasure of Jannah.

The people of the lower levels of Jannah will get to see Allah once a week – every Jum’ah, and it would coincide with the time of Jum’ah. Jum’ah is the most special day; Allah has reserved it for the Ummah of Prophet ﷺ. You cannot just walk into this meeting place – the angels will escort you in and seat you. The seats are reserved. You will have this meeting with Allah subhaana wa ta’aala.

The closer you were to the imam in dunya, the closer you will be to Allah subhaana wa ta’aala. You will meet with Allah. In the end of the meeting, Allah will ask you what you want; He will tell you – everyone in there – to make a wish. Everyone will ask Allah what they want, then they will go home.

Prophet ﷺ says that in the higher levels, the people will meet Allah twice a day!

16. Late Comers to Jannah

Prophet ﷺ says in Bukhaari, “Some people will come out of the Fire after they have received a touch of the Fire, changing their color, and they will enter Paradise, and the people of Paradise will name them Al-Jahannamiyin the people of Hell Fire.” [Bukhaari, 8/76/564] This is not discrimination, because there is no discrimination in Jannah. There are no second class citizens in Jannah. They will not be stripped of any of their rights in Jannah. They will have what everyone else is having in Jannah.

We now think that they think it is an insult to call them Al-Jahnnamiyin. That is because we are unforgiving. If somebody makes a mistake 10 years ago, even after tawbah, we will say, “You made a mistake.” We bring up the past as humans, but Allah is forgiving and merciful. Allah punished these people in hell, but now the past is over with and Allah loves them; He will be pleased with them and their past is closed. Allah will also make you [people] like that in Jannah – you will be forgiving. You will know that if it weren’t for the forgiveness of Allah, you would not have made it here.

When you are calling them the people of hell fire, that is just a way of knowing them. It is not a degrading term in any way. Everyone in Jannah is in the same boat; they are all human beings and they all sinned. There was just a different variation of how much they sinned.

Prophet ﷺ says, “The (permanent) inhabitants of the Fire are those who are doomed to it, and verily they would neither die nor live in it. But the people whom the Fire would afflict (temporarily) on account of their sins, He would cause them to die till they would be turned into charcoal. Then, they would be granted intercession and would be brought in groups and would be spread on the rivers of Paradise and then it would be said: ‘O inhabitants of Paradise, pour water over them.’ Then they would sprout forth like the sprouting of seed in the silt carried by flood. A man among the people said: (It appears) as if the Messenger of Allah lived in the steppe. [The other narrator says: The man said that because there was no vegetation in Makkah. RasulAllah did have that expertise because he was a shepherd.]” [Muslim, 1/357]

In another hadith, Prophet ﷺ says, “When Allah has finished His Judgments among the people, He will take whomever He will out of Hell through His Mercy. He will then order the angels to take out of the Fire all those who used to worship none but Allah from among those whom Allah wanted to be merciful to and those who testified (in the world) that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah. The angels will recognize them in the Fire by the marks of prostration (on their foreheads), for the Fire will eat up all the human body except the mark caused by prostration as Allah has forbidden the Fire to eat the mark of prostration. They will come out of the (Hell) Fire, completely burnt and then the water of life will be poured over them and they will grow under it as does a seed that comes in the mud of the torrent.” [Part of the hadith Bukhaari, 9/93/532]

The ones who believe in la ilaaha illallah will eventually be bought out of Hell.

There is an interesting hint in this hadith – if somebody doesn’t pray, how will the angels find them in Hell Fire? So Salah is a very serious matter. Even though the person will come out of the Fire because of saying la ilaaha illallah, the angels will recognize them because of their salah.

17. Jannah is Surrounded by Obstacles

We ask Allah to make us of those who do not have to suffer in the Fire. How can we endure the Fire of Hell if we cannot hold our finger in this worldly fire? The people of Hell Fire will say, “If we had any intelligence, we would not be here.”Allah has shown us the truth. With Muslims, the situation is that we know the truth. If we choose not to follow it, then that’s even more dangerous. Because that is what is why the hypocrites are in the lowest of hell – because they knew the truth and rejected it.

Getting to Jannah is not easy. Prophet ﷺ said that we have to go through obstacles to Jannah. Abu Hurayrah narrated that Prophet ﷺ said, “The (Hell) Fire is surrounded by all kinds of desires and passions, while Paradise is surrounded by all kinds of disliked undesirable things.” [Bukhaari, 8/76/494]

The story of this hadith is that when Allah subhaana wa ta’aala created Jannah and Naar, He told Jibreel to visit them. He paid a visit to both, and he came back to Allah and said, “I don’t think anyone would hear about Jannah and not enter it. I don’t think anyone would hear about Hell and avoid it.” So Jibreel was saying that this is so straightforward and takes common sense – all humans will end up going to Jannah. Jibreel ‘alayhis salaam was told to go visit them again. This time, Allah wrapped up hell in shahawaat (the desirable things to us; our passions) – this is what attracts us to sin.

Imagine hell as a magnet, pulling us towards us. Remember the analogy that Prophet ﷺ gave of him being the man in the desert, trying to save insects from going into the fire.

Jibreel saw hell after it was wrapped in these desires and passions. Then he saw Jannah and saw that you have to go through all of these obstacles and disliked things to get to Jannah. Jibreel came back to Allah and said, “Now, I don’t think anyone will make it to Jannah. I think all of them will go to hell.”

An-Nawawi (who has the best commentary on Sahih Muslim) comments on this hadith and says, “Hell fire and Paradise are covered with a veil, and you cannot get to the veiled unless you cross the veil. And crossing the veil to get to Jannah is by going through the disliked and difficult things. For example, being very active in ‘ibaadah; having commitment to ‘ibaadah; being patient; not getting angry; being forgiving; having compassion; giving sadaqa; and staying away from the sins.”

18. The People of Jannah will Inherit from the People of Hell

Every living being on the face of earth has property in Jannah. This is because our homeland is Jannah; that is where we are all from. We kind of adopted other homes later on, but we were all from Jannah. We are descendants of Jannah because that is where Adam ‘alayhis salaam and Hawwaa` were born. 

Everyone has a place in Jannah. If they choose to commit sins, then their property will be taken by the few sons of Adam that will enter Jannah. Therefore, you might end up inheriting the property of a lot of people. That is because we know that the population of Jannah compared to the population of Hell is very minuscule.

Allah says: “This is the Paradise which you have been made to inherit because of your deeds which you used to do (in the life of the world.” (43:72)

19. The Majority in Paradise are the Weak

Prophet ﷺ says that the majority of the population of Jannah will be from du’aafaa` – the weak. He says, “Shall I tell you of the people of Paradise? They shall comprise of every poor, humble person. And if he swears by Allah to do something, Allah will fulfil it. Whereas, the people of the fire comprise every violent, cruel person.” [Bukhari] 

The poor people, in general, tend to be humble because they don’t have a lot of wealth to distract them. They tend to be more attached to the good deeds than other – in general. They tend to make up the lion’s share of the people of Jannah.

Money in itself has nothing to do with where the person will end up. It has to do with how they use the money. If they use it properly, they will have a higher status than the poor because of that added sacrifice. Of the ten promised Jannah, one can assume that the majority of them were considered to be among the wealthy of the Sahabah – Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan, ‘Ali, ‘AbdurRahman Ibn ‘Auf.

The problem is when the weakness of the human being takes over and money tempts and seduces them. Since the poor don’t have all of these temptations, they tend to be closer to Allah. Plus, when a person has a lot of wealth, which usually translates to power – you have access to things others do not have. This person would feel self-sufficient, and they would feel that they don’t need help from others – especially from Allah. And that is what Qarun said.

Prophet ﷺ says that Allah knows what is best for His creation. For some people, wealth is good for them; if they were poor that would corrupt them. And vice versa is true as well. This is true for health and illness as well.

20. Who is More in Jannah – Men or Women?

Now we get to the million dollar question: Who populates the majority of Jannah – men or women? Abu Hurayrah heard a conversation between the sahabah. Some of the men who were present were boasting that men are more than women in Jannah. some man stated with a sense of pride and some disgust whether they would be more men in Paradise or more women. Upon that, Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “The members of the first group to get into Jannah would have their faces as bright as the full moon at night. And the next group would have their faces as bright as a shining star. And every person among them will have two wives, and the marrow of their shanks would glimmer beneath their flesh. And there would be none amongst them that would be without a wife.”

Abu Hurayrah was using this hadith to refute what they were saying: that men are more than women in Jannah. Abu Hurayrah was saying no because every man will be married to two wives, and every man will be married – therefore, women are double the number of men in Jannah. This was the response of Abu Hurayrah. This is good news for the sisters.

However, for the sisters there is a slight bad news – we don’t know if these two wives are from hoor al ‘ayn or if they are from the women of the dunya. Since the Prophet ﷺ said in a hadith in sound hadith of Bukhaari and Muslim that the majority of the people in hell are women. “I’ve seen that the minority of the population of Jannah are women.”

21. Children of the Believers

AnNawawi says that it is the consensus of the scholars that the children of the believers that die before the age of takleef (the age of responsibility) that they will be in Jannah. Allah says in the Qur’an: “And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith, We shall join them with their descendants and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds. Every person for what he earned is retained.”

AlBukhaari narrates, Prophet ﷺ said that a Muslim who lost three children before puberty will be granted Paradise due to His Mercy. So the children of the believers are going to Jannah. The father is going to Jannah.

What about the mother? AlBukhaari narrates, the women requested of the Prophet ﷺ to give them a day. They came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “The men have taken you away from us.” Prophet ﷺ said, “Then I will devote a day for you (exclusively).” And he would go and give a reminder to the women on a weekly basis. During one of those sessions, Prophet ﷺ said, A woman whose three children die, those children will be a screen for her from Hell. If three children die and a sister has patience and accepts that, then they will save her from Hell. A woman who heard that said, “What if two died?” Prophet ﷺ said, “Even if two died.” Abu Hurayrah commented that those two children should be below the age of puberty.

We say in general that the children of the believers will go to Jannah, but we cannot guarantee – pinpoint and say – that this person is going to Jannah. Why do we say this? Because ‘Aa`isha reported that a child died and I said, “There is happiness for this child who is a bird from amongst the birds of Paradise.” Prophet ﷺ said, “Don’t you know that Allah created Paradise and He created Hell and He created the dwellers of Paradise and the denizens for Hell?” In another words, the Prophet ﷺ didn’t like what she said, by saying that that particular child was going to Jannah.

22. Children of the non-believers

What about the children of al-mushrikeen? In Bukhaari, Prophet ﷺ was asked about the children of the non Muslims. Prophet ﷺ said that when Allah created them, He knew what they would do. So Prophet ﷺ left it open. We don’t judge what will happen to them.

There is a hadith, which is narrated by Abu Na’eem and Abu Ya’la, in which the Prophet ﷺ says that the children of the non-Muslims are servants for the people of Jannah. So they will be in Jannah, but as servants. The scholars say that this hadith is Sahih.

How do the scholars combine all of these hadith? Some scholars say that all of the children – Muslim or non-Muslim – are going to Jannah. This is the opinion of Al-Jowzee, An-Nawawi and AlQurtubi.

AlQurtubi says that the Prophet’s knowledge on this grew over time. In the beginning, the Prophet ﷺ said that they are going to be with their fathers in Hell. Later on, Prophet ﷺ said that we should not judge what will happen to them. After that, Prophet ﷺ said that they are granted forgiveness and they will be granted Jannah. AlQurtubi said that that is why there is conflicting evidence on this.

The other opinion is that we don’t judge about them. Allah will test them on the Day of Judgment. We mentioned earlier about how Allah will test the insane, the blind and the deaf. This is the opinion of Abu Hasan AlAsh’ari. Abu Hasan considers this to be the official position of Ahl us-Sunnah. Ibn Taymiyyah agrees with him.

We leave it at that; there is a difference of opinion. It is an issue of ghayb (the unseen). We speak according to the knowledge that we have, but we don’t speak beyond that.

23. Those Given the Glad Tidings of Jannah

We cannot say that anyone is guaranteed Jannah. That is going beyond the limits. You are taking the position of Allah by sending this person to hell or that person to hell.

Prophet ﷺ says, “The good deeds of any person will not make him enter Paradise.” The sahabah said, “Not even you, O Apostle of Allah?” Prophet ﷺ said, “Not even myself, unless Allah bestows His Favour and Mercy on me.” If the Prophet ﷺ said that his deeds don’t qualify him for that – then who are we?

23.1 Among the Men

In a hadith in at-Tirmidhi, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib says, Prophet ﷺ told him that the masters of the people of Jannah – throughout all of mankind, with the exception of the ambiya – will be Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Prophet ﷺ said that they are the noblest of the people of Jannah after the prophets. Then Prophet ﷺ told ‘Ali, “Do not tell them so.” So Abu Bakr and ‘Umar are the best of the creation of Allah after the ambiya of Allah.

Also in At-Tirmidhi, Prophet ﷺ said, “The masters of the youth in Jannah will be Al Hasan and Al Hussain.” They are the grandchildren of the Prophet ﷺ, the children of ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib.

Why does it say the elders and the youth? Won’t everyone be the same age in Jannah? Yes, but some people will be considered elders because they died at an older age. Some will be considered youth because they died at a younger age.

In another hadith in Ahmad, an angel came down to Prophet ﷺ and RasulAllah said that this angel never came down to him. The angel came to tell the Prophet ﷺ that Al-Hasan and Al-Hussain are going to be amongst the noblest of the youth in Jannah.

23.2 Among the Women

Prophet ﷺ drew four lines in the sand [with a stick]. He said, “Do you know why I drew these four lines?” The sahabah said, “No.” Prophet ﷺ said, “The best amongst the women in Jannah are four – 

  1. Maryam bint ‘Imraan, 
  2. Khaadija bint Khuwaylid, 
  3. Faatima bint Muhammad 
  4. Aasiya ibn Muzaahim – (Wife of Firoun)

Why did the Prophet ﷺ draw these four lines? It was an instructional method to get the attention of the Sahabah. Usually teachers would use this to get the attention of the students. He knew that they didn’t know the answer, but he wanted to get their attention. Prophet ﷺ did this frequently.

The best of all – the greatest woman that ever lived – is Maryam bint ‘Imran (the mother of Jesus). The next is Khaadija, the third is Faatima and the fourth is Aasiya.

Allah says about Maryam: “Behold, the angel said ‘Allah has chosen you and purified and chosen you above the women of all nations.’” So it was stated in Qur’an that she was the best of the creation of Allah subhaana wa ta’aala.

We mentioned the hadith of Jibreel, in which Jibreel ‘alayhis salaam said salaam from himself and Allah to Khaadija, and gave her the glad tidings of a palace for her in Jannah. The reward is according to the deed – Khaadija was living in a very small place in Makkah, so Allah will give her a palace in Jannah. And Khaadija was going through a lot of harm and suffering when supporting the Prophet ﷺ, and it was very tiring, so Allah is telling her that she will rest in Jannah.

Of Aasiya, Allah says: “And Allah sets forth as an example to those who believe the wife of Pharaoh. Behold! She said, ‘O my Lord, build for me in your nearness to You, a mansion in the garden. And save me from Pharaoh and his doings and save me from those that do wrong.’” Aasiya bint Muzaahim was living in the most extravagant place on the face of the earth – the palace of the Pharaoh. She had all of the worldly things that a person of this world would desire, but she said, ‘O Allah, build for me a place in Jannah.’ SubhaanAllah, you have a woman that was given all of the material things; she said that she didn’t want any of this, but she wanted a place in Jannah and she wanted to be saved from Pharaoh and his doings.

These four women did not get to this high status by having a career in any particular profession or by what the feminist movement would want for their followers. Notice that there is something common between these four women – they are all associated with Prophets. Two of them raised Prophets, and these two are Maryam and Aasiya. 

Maryam raised ‘Eesa (Jesus) and Aasiya raised Musa (Moses). So it was through their effort of tarbiyah that they produced for the world, ‘Eesa and Musa, that they were granted this high level. Khaadija was granted this position because of her support of a nabiy – Prophet ﷺ. She supported him with her wealth and comforted him psychologically. Because Faatima was raised in such a pure household and because she lived with all of the suffering of her father, Allah granted her this position.

This is also an honour for the Prophet ﷺ to have two of the greatest women related to him – his wife and his daughter.

It is very important for the women to take the position upon themselves which they do best. This Ummah cannot move forward until the sisters produce a generation that will move it ahead. The greatest need for this Ummah is that the women raise a generation that will take it ahead. 

Musa and ‘Eesa are products of the women who bought them up. In fact, if you look at the story of Musa, you will see that he was consistently supported by women who supported him and made him who he was. First it was his mother, then his sister, then third the wife of Pharaoh, then the two daughters of Shu’ayb, then the daughter (of Shu’ayb) who married him. Two people were the backbone for Prophet ﷺ – his wife Khaadija and his uncle Abu Taalib. They passed away within weeks of each other, and that is why it was the most difficult year for Prophet ﷺ.

23.3 The Ten who given glad tiding of Jannah

In At-Tirmidhi, Prophet ﷺ says, 

  1. “Abu Bakr is in Jannah; 
  2. ‘Umar is in Jannah; 
  3. ‘Uthmaan is in Jannah; 
  4. ‘Ali is in Jannah; 
  5. Talha is in Jannah; 
  6. AzZubayr is in Jannah; 
  7. ‘AbdurRahman ibn ‘Auf is in Jannah; 
  8. Sa’ad is in Jannah; 
  9. Sa’eed is in Jannah; 
  10. Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn AlJarrah is in Jannah.”

In another hadith in Bukhaari, Abu Musa Al Ash’ari narrates: I performed ablution in my house and then went out and said, “Today I shall stick to Allah’s Apostle and stay with him all this day of mine (in his service). I went to the masjid and asked about the Prophet. They said, “He had gone in this direction.” So I followed his way, asking about him till he entered a place called Bir ‘Arees [the well of ‘Arees]. I sat at its gate that was made of date-palm leaves till the Prophet finished answering the call of nature and performed ablution. Then I went up to him to see him sitting at the well of ‘Arees at the middle of its edge with his legs uncovered, hanging in the well. I greeted him and went back and sat at the gate.

I said, “Today I will be the gatekeeper of the Prophet.” Abu Bakr came and pushed the gate. I asked, “Who is it?” He said, “Abu Bakr.” I told him to wait, went in and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Abu Bakr asks for permission to enter.” He said, “Admit him and give him the glad tidings that he will be in Paradise.” So I went out and said to Abu Bakr, “Come in, and Allah’s Apostle gives you the glad tidings that you will be in Paradise.” Abu Bakr entered and sat on the right side of Allah’s Apostle on the built edge of the well and hung his legs in the well as the Prophet did and uncovered his legs.

I then returned and sat (at the gate). I had left my brother performing ablution and he intended to follow me. So I said (to myself). “If Allah wants good for so-and-so (i.e. my brother) He will bring him here.” Suddenly somebody moved the door. I asked, “Who is it?” He said, “’Umar bin Al-Khattab.” I asked him to wait, went to Allah’s Apostle, greeted him and said, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab asks the permission to enter.” He said, “Admit him, and give him the glad tidings that he will be in Paradise.” I went to ‘Umar and said, “Come in, and Allah’s Apostle, gives you the glad tidings that you will be in Paradise.” So he entered and sat beside Allah’s Apostle on the built edge of the well on the left side and hung his legs in the well.

I returned and sat (at the gate) and said, (to myself), “If Allah wants good for so-and-so, He will bring him here.”Somebody came and moved the door. I asked “Who is it?” He replied, “’Uthman bin Affan.” I asked him to wait and went to the Prophet and informed him. He said, “Admit him, and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise after a calamity that will befall him.” So I went up to him and said to him, “Come in; Allah’s Apostle gives you the glad tidings of entering Paradise after a calamity that will befall you.” ‘Uthman then came in and found that the built edge of the well was occupied, so he sat opposite to the Prophet on the other side.” [Bukhaari, 5/57/23]

Prophet ﷺ told ‘Uthmaan, “Allah subhaana wa ta’aala will give you a cloak (to wear). The people will try to fight you to take it away from you; don’t give it to them.” ‘Uthmaan didn’t know what this meant [at the time]. The cloak was khilafaa. ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan realized that the Prophet was talking about this; he refused to give up the khilafaa, but he said he didn’t want a drop of blood to be spilt for his sake. A lot of the youth amongst the sahabah were willing to defend him – including Al Hassan and Al Hussain – but he didn’t want blood to be spilt because of him. They broke into the house and killed ‘Uthmaan while he was reading Qur’an, and his blood spilt over the mushaf.

Abu Musa Al ‘Ashari said that he interpreted the arrangement of the way they were sitting to be their graves. There was Prophet ﷺ sitting on the rim of the well, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar sat beside him. ‘Uthmaan had to sit further because there was no room. The Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar are buried in the room of ‘Aa`isha, but ‘Uthmaan is buried in Baqiy.

23.4 Others Who were Given Glad Tidings

Prophet ﷺ said that the master of the martyrs is Hamza. This obviously means that he is in the highest levels of Jannah.

In At-Tirmidhi, the Prophet ﷺ said, “I have seen Ja’far ibn Abi Taalib flying with two wings with the angels in Jannah.” Why was he flying with two wings? He was the leader of the army that went to fight the Romans. He was holding the banner in his hands, and both of his arms were chopped, so he hugged the banner with his chest, and that is how he died. Since he didn’t have arms when he died, Allah replaced them with wings.

In Musnad of Imam Ahmad, when Mu’aadh ibn Jabl was dying, one of his students said, “Give us an advice.” Mu’aadh ibn Jabl said, “Knowledge is in its place; if you want it, you’ll find it.” The first thing he is saying is that knowledge will not die or disappear. Then he said, “If you want to learn, go to four people: Abu Dardaa`, Salmaan Al-Farsi, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood and ‘Abdullah ibn Salaam. And ‘Abdullah ibn Salaam was a Jew who became Muslim, and I heard Prophet ﷺ say that he is the tenth person in paradise.” We do not say that ‘Abdullah ibn Salaam will be the tenth to enter Jannah, but we say that this means he will be amongst the earliest to enter Paradise. ‘Abdullah ibn Salaam was the head rabbi of the Jews in Madinah. He knew the descriptions of Prophet ﷺ in their books, and as soon as Prophet ﷺ came, he recognized him and believed. Because of his background in knowledge, that helped him in Islam. The Jews who became Muslim were very few, but they tended to be very knowledgeable because of their background of being a literate nation. The Arabs were illiterate, but the Jews had the scripture which they studied.

Prophet ﷺ said, “I entered into Jannah, and I was met by a young lady. I asked her ‘Who do you belong to?’ She said, ‘To Zaid ibn Haritha.’” Zaid ibn Haritha is another person granted Jannah.

Aa`isha says that Prophet ﷺ says, “I entered into Paradise and saw that Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl had two levels in Jannah.” Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl was a man who died before the Prophet ﷺ. Prophet ﷺ met with him. Zayd used to follow the religion of Ibraheem ‘alayhis salaam. He was an amazing example of remaining steadfast on the truth. He never worshipped idols. He would preach to the people and tell them that these idols are not your gods; they are false; you should worship Allah. He would not eat the meat of the people of Makkah. He would say that Allah is the One Who feeds these sheep and brings down rain from the sky, but when you slaughter them, you slaughter them for these idols?! He would not eat from any meat that Allah’s Name was not pronounced on; he realized all of this from his fitra, subhaanAllah. Prophet ﷺ said that he has two levels in Jannah.

Prophet ﷺ said, “I entered into Paradise and I heard some recitation. I said, ‘Who is this man reciting?’ They said, ‘Haritha ibn Nu’man.’”

Prophet ﷺ says, “I entered into Paradise and heard some noise [he heard the sound of someone walking] and I asked, ‘Who is this?’ Jibreel ‘alayhis salaam said, ‘This is Bilaal, the mu`addhin.’” When Prophet ﷺ came back, he said, “Bilaal has succeeded.”

Prophet ﷺ granted Abu Dahrdaa` Jannah because of his generosity. He donated the best farm in Madinah.

24. Jannah is Not a Price for Our Deeds

We are not given Jannah a payback for our deeds. No matter how much we worship Allah, it would not qualify us a moment to go to Jannah.

There is a story – Allahu ‘Alam if it is authentic or not – but there was a man from Bani Isra`il who worshipped Allah for a very long time. On the Day of Judgment, he was presented with a huge mountain of his good deeds. The angels asked him, “Do you want to enter Jannah with your good deeds or the Mercy of Allah?” So he looked at his good deeds and said, “I want to enter with my deeds.” Allah told the angels to put his deeds on one tip of the scale and put his eyes on the other scale. As soon as his eyes were placed on the scale, all of the deeds flew in the air. This blessing of sight which Allah has given us is more worthy than everything he did. Even if we assume that he was the best worshipper of Allah, wouldn’t he commit sins as a human being? Wouldn’t he take times to rest? Wouldn’t he have ups and downs? Even though he is worshipping Allah as much as he can, the blessing of his eyes are with him 24/7, but his ‘ibaadah (worship) is not 24 hours a day. Add to that his ears, mind, health, wealth, and all of his other blessings….

Prophet ﷺ said that not even his own deeds would grant him Jannah.

“Observe moderation (in doing deeds), and if you fail to observe it perfectly, try to do as much as you can do (to live up to this ideal of moderation) and be happy for none would be able to get into Paradise because of his deeds alone. They (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) said: Allah’s Messenger, not even you? Thereupon he said: Not even I, but that Allah wraps me in His Mercy, and bear this in mind that the deed loved most by Allah is one which is done constantly even though it is small” : Sahih Muslim 2818

Where do our deeds come into play? They determine what level of Jannah we will be in. That is why it’s important to accumulate as many deeds as we can.

25. Jannah vs. Dunya

Allah told Prophet ﷺ, “And strain not your eyes in longing for the things We have given for enjoyment to various groups of them (polytheists and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah), the splendour of the life of this world that We may test them thereby. But the provision (good reward in the Hereafter) of your Lord is better and more lasting.” (20:131)

Allah is telling Prophet ﷺ, who was poor, not to look at the wealth and pleasure He has given them. Don’t look at their palaces, gardens and wealth, because what Allah has for you is better.

Jannah is better compared to this world in four aspects:

25.1 Quantity

The quantity of everything in Jannah is multifolds of everything in this world. Allah says: “[….] Say, ‘Short is the enjoyment of this world. The Hereafter is (far) better for him who fears Allah, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly even equal to the Fatila (a scalish thread in the long slit of a date­stone.’” (4:77) Qaleel is translated as “short” here, but what it is saying that the quantity is very little. What Allah has for you in Jannah is a lot. The person with the least has 10 times of this world.

25.2 Quality

Prophet ﷺ says in Bukhaari, “A (small) place equal to an area occupied by a whip in Paradise is better than the (whole) world and whatever is in it […]” [Bukhaari, 8/76/424] How much would that area occupy? 1 inch by a foot? So if you buy that much in Jannah, that is worth the price of the whole world. Of course, you have distances in Jannah that can be measured in light years.

Prophet ﷺ also says, “By Allah, this world (is so insignificant in comparison) to the Hereafter that if one of you should dip his finger (and while saying this Yahya pointed with his forefinger) in the ocean and then he should see as to what has stuck to it.” [Muslim, 40/6843] The dunya is like a drop of water compared to the akhirah. We are fighting and killing ourselves over a droplet of water! We are neglecting our religion for a droplet of water.

If everyone was promised $100 for showing up for fajr every morning, surely the masjids would be packed. Is $100 worth than Jannah? We are bargaining for the wrong thing! Prophet ﷺ said, “I do not fear poverty on you. My concern is that you will become wealthy, and when you become wealthy you will compete on this world like the nations before. And it will destroy you like it destroyed them.”

25.3 Jannah is Pure, Dunya is Contaminated

Everything in Jannah is pure, whereas everything in dunya is contaminated. Everything in dunya is contaminated – even what you deem as pleasure.

Let’s look at some of the things that we enjoy – food, for example. Imagine for a moment that the digestive system was made transparent and you could see all of what went on once the food was in your mouth. You would see the food mix with saliva, the colour changing. You would see it go into your stomach and coated with fluid. What if you could smell? You would never have a meal with anyone if you could see all of that! Nevertheless, we enjoy food, even though it is [internally] a very gruesome process.

Without getting graphic, the process of reproduction, just think about the process. The whole thing is quite disgusting. Because of desire, it makes it seem very passionate and desirable.

Ibn AlJowzee said to think about kissing – if people really thought about it, they wouldn’t do it.

That is everything in dunya – it is a mask. As soon as you pick up that later, you see how rotten it is from the inside.

Allah says, about the wine of Jannah: “Free from headiness; nor will they suffer intoxication there from.” (37:47)

  • If water settles somewhere for a long time, algae begins to grow in it. Allah tells us the water of Jannah is incorruptible.
  • And milk left out of the fridge for awhile will spoil and become sour. Allah says that the milk of Jannah will never change.
  • One of the difficulties of honey is that it is hard to cleanse. Allah says that in Jannah the honey will be purified for you.

So Allah says about the four rivers that you will have in Jannah, that they will be pure. Your companions will be pure. All of the natural processes that a woman goes through in the dunya – menstruation, etc – will not exist in Jannah. All of the impurities and sins of the heart will be gone. The hearts would be like the heart of one man.

Allah has given us a glimpse of Jannah and Naar in this world, but the real thing is in the akhirah. 

25.4 Dunya is Temporary

Even if there is enjoyment in dunya, it is temporary. In akhirah, it’s permanent. In the dunya, if you enjoy food, you cannot keep eating because it will cause health problems.

You’ll find that in this world the ones who can afford the exotic foods are the ones who cannot eat it – they have high cholesterol, etc.

Everything in Jannah is permanent. You can drink your entire river if you want. You can have fruit and meat of your choice. You will be entertained with your spouse’s for years and years.

The punishment for adultery is stoning. SubhaanAllah, they go through this enjoyment of a few minutes for a punishment like that. In akhirah, the punishment is forever. Everything in dunya is temporary and everything in the hereafter is permanent..

26. A Final Note on Jannah

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah created Adam in his complete shape and form (directly), sixty cubits (about 30 meters) in height. […] So whoever will enter Paradise, will be of the shape and form of Adam. Since then the creation of Adam’s (offspring) (i.e. stature of human beings is being diminished continuously) to the present time.” [Bukhaari, 8/74/246]

  • What about their age? In at-Tirmidhi, it mentions that they will enter Jannah at the age of 33 years old.
  • Prophet ﷺ also says, Sleeping is a brother of death, and the people of Jannah do not sleep. It’s continuous fun – why would anyone sleep?
  • Prophet ﷺ said, there would be bounties which the eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard and human heart has ever perceived it. It said in the hadith that he talked about Jannah in the hadith and then said this. Your mind is limited to this dunya.
  • There was a primitive tribe which some anthropologists visited. The tribe lived in a very hot climate, so they never saw snow in their lives. These anthropologists kept describing snow to them by things in their environment that they knew. Then, when they presented them with snow, they didn’t recognize it. Similarly, when we will never grasp Jannah until we see it.
  • There will be no urination or spitting or anything disgusting in Jannah.

“And when you look therein (Paradise) you will see pleasure and a great kingdom.” (76:20) You are a king in what Allah has given you; or in the case of us sisters, we will be Queens in which Allah has given us (inshaAllah).

Allah says: “No person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden (in reserve) for them – as a reward for their (good) deeds.” (32:17)

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