Description of Paradise

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) said, in regards to the description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains:

“And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron. 

And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful. 

And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels. 

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver. 

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver. 

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey. 

And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.

And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who’s taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.

And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.

And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem, ginger, and Kaafoor.

And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear and made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.

And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance that would be travelled in a thousand years.

And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.

And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in buildings that have rivers running underneath them.

And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.

And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of silk and gold.

And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest silk laid out in the highest of its levels.

And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty, then they are like the image of the Moon.

And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.

And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among theHoor al-‘Ayn, and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.

And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.

And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and full-breasted and have had the liquid of youth flow through their limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it, light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights; he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorifiy, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everthing but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.

And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from an umbilical cord, childbirth and menses, and pure of mucous, saliva, urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his attention is restricted to her so she is the sole object of his desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has touched her before of either humans or Jinn.

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face - free from any resemblance or likeness to anything - as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: 'O People of Paradise! Your Lord - Blessed and Exalted - requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!' So they will say: 'We hear and obey!' 

Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet - and none of them will turn down the request of the caller - the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: 'O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you!’ So they will say: 'And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?' 

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller - Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names - has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: ’O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!’ So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: 'O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!’ So the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will laugh to them and say: ’O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!’

So, they will all give the same response: 'We are pleased, so be pleased with us!’ So, He will say: ’O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!’ So, they will all give the same response: 'Show us your Face so that we may look at it!’ So, the Lord - Mighty and Majestic - will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah - the Exalted - had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them. 

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord - the Exalted - will speak to him and say: ’Do you remember the day that you did this and that?’ and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: 'O Lord! Will you not forgive me?’ So, He will say: ’Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.’

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife…

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, looking at their Lord…} (al-Qiyaamah:22-3)

[Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah by Ibn al-Qayyim, pg. 193]

Sheikh Ibn Baaz رحمه الله said,

"I do not know of anything specific for welcome Ramadan except that the Muslim receives it with happiness, cheerfulness, great pleasure and thankfulness that Allah has brought Ramadan to him, as well as being thankful for making him from the successful whom He has allowed to live during this month and be from those who compete in righteous actions.

Indeed, witnessing a new Ramadan is an immense blessing from Allah and due to this fact the Prophet ﷺ used to give glad tidings to his Companions at the commencement of Ramadan, exemplifying it's merits and what Allah has prepared from the fast rewards for those who fast and stand in prayer.

And it is legislated that the Muslim receives this noble month by making sincere repentance."

[الاختيار ات الفقهيت ص٢١٣]

Makhlad ibn Al-Hussayn said:

“Allāh does not command anything except that Shaytān has two provocations regarding it: either to negligence, or to extremism. He doesn't care which one he succeeds in!”

[Hilyatul Awliyā: 8/266]

Imām Ibn Kathīr ‎رحمـه الله تعالـﮯ said :

Allāh ‎ سبحانه و تعالى orders his faithful servants to be Allāh’s supporters at all times, in all their statements and actions, sacrificing their selves and wealth.

Allāh orders them to accept His and His Messenger’s call, just as the disciples said to Prophet ‘Īsā when he said,

“Who are my helpers (in the cause) of Allāh?”

Meaning - Who will support me in conveying the message of Allāh ‎ سبحانه و تعالى.

The disciples said :

“We are Allāh’s helpers”

Meaning - We will support you with regards to the Message you have been sent with and will help you convey it.

Whereby, ‘Īsā sent the disciples to the various areas of Ash-Shām to call the Greeks and the Israelites to Islām.

Similarly, during the days of Hajj, Allāh’s messenger (Muhammad) ‎ﷺ used to ask,

“Who will support me in conveying the Message of my Lord? Verily, the Qur’aysh have prevented me from conveying the Message of my Lord.”

[- Al-Bayhaqi 8:146, Al Hākim 2/624 and Ahmad 3:332]

Allāh ‎ سبحانه و تعالى raised Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj to support the Prophet ‎ﷺ.

They were the residents of al-Madinah who have the pledge to him and supported him, vowing to protect him from mankind and the Jinns if he migrated to them.

When he migrated to them with his Companions, they fulfilled their vow to Allāh.

This is the reason why Allāh and His Messenger ‎ﷺ called them, Al-Ansār - The Supporters.

The name became synonymous with it them.

رضي الله عنهم
- Mukhtasar Tafsir Ibn Kathir Surah As-Saff - Shaykh Safiur-Rahmān Mubārakpuri

Translated by Dar us ‏Salaam

Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said:

The people of Islām are strangers amongst mankind. And the believers are strangers amongst the people of Islām. And the people of knowledge are strangers amongst the believers.

And the people of the Sunnah who separate it from the desires and innovations are strangers.
And those who call to it and have patience upon the harm of the opposers, they are the severest of them (all) in strangeness.

However, they are the people of Allāh in truth.

Madārij al-Sālikīn (3/186).

Translated-
Abū ‘Iyād Amjad Rafīq

Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī: “Know that a believer combines himself in the month of Ramaḍān between 2 Jihād (against) his Nafs; Jihād in the day upon fasting and Jihād in the night upon Qiyām (voluntary prayer) so whoever gathers between these 2 Jihād and fulfills (what) is of their rights, will be sufficed with a reward which is without any account (i.e unlimited).”
‎
‎[لطائف المعارف ص ١٧١]

Sh. Ibn al-‘Uthaymeen Raḥimahullāh: Some of the ways to increase in Eemān is as follows;

• Knowing and learning Allāh’s Names and Attributes

• Reflecting upon Allāh’s signs in the universe and His Āyaat

• Performing actions of obedience and seeking Allāh’s nearness through them

• Abandoning sins and fearing Allāh

[شرح فتح رب البرية بتلخيص الحموية]

Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله:

“If the slave completely devotes himself to tawhid, fearing other than Allāh will leave his heart. His enemies will become too insignificant to him for him to fear them along with fearing Allāh; rather, he will fear Allāh alone. He will busy himself with love of Allāh, awe of Him, devotion to Him, and reliance upon him. He will view fearing his enemies and pondering over them to be a deficiency of his tawhid.

Surely, Allāh will defend those who believe in Him. Tawhid is the greatest protection from Allāh; whoever enters it is protected.

Some of the Salaf said:

"Whoever fears Allāh, everything will fear him, and whoever does not fear Allāh will fear everything."

[One Hundred Pieces of Advice | Pg. 60]

هذه فرصةٌ عظيمةٌ في عمرِك؛
"This is a tremendous opportunity in your life,

أيُّها المسلم - فاغتَنِمها،
o Muslim, so take advantage of it.

واسألِ الله أن يُعينك على العمل الصالح فيها،
Ask Allah to assist you upon righteous actions during it,

واسأل الله القبول والمزيد من فضلِه،
and ask Allah for acceptance (of those actions) and increase in His bounty.

فإنَّ مَن أدرك شهر رمضان ومكَّنه اللهُ من الانتفاع به،
Indeed, he who catches the month of Ramadan and for whom Allah makes it possible to benefit from it,

فقد أنعمَ الله عليه نعمةً عظيمةً لا يعدِلُها شيء.
Allah has bestowed upon him a tremendous favor to which nothing is equivalent.”

[الشيخ صالح الفوزان حفظه الله ~مجالس شهر رمضان المبارك]

Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said:

"Innovation is more beloved to Iblis than disobedience.

This is because the sinner is aware of his disobedience thus he repents.

As for the innovator, he believes what he is upon is obedience (to Allah) thus he never repents."

مجموع الفتاوى 11/633

Knowledge does not rest in the extensive amount of transmitted material, but it is a light that Allāh has placed in the hearts of men.

— Ḏh̲ahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ, xiii. 232

Ibn Abi Usaamah رحمه الله said:

❝It was said to Imaam Ahmad رحمه الله during the days of the trial (when he was beaten and imprisoned):

'O Abaa Abdillah, do you not see how the truth was overtaken by falsehood?'

Imaam Ahmad رحمه الله replied:

'Certainly not! Verily, *falsehood overtaking the truth is when the hearts shift from guidance to misguidance* . Yet, our hearts steadfastly cling to the truth.'❞

Siyar A'laam An-Nubalaa (11/238)

Translated - Abu Faysal Ali Alburtugaali

Sheikh Abdul Aziz In Baaz رحمه الله said,

"My sincere advice to the Muslims is that they welcome their great month of Ramadan with truthfulness by repenting from all various types of sin."

[Majmoo al Fatawah Wa Magalat Ibn Baaz 15/ 50]