Allah, the Exalted, says:
| “Truly, the muttaqun (the pious and righteous persons) will be amidst Gardens and water-springs (Jannah). (It will be said to them): ‘Enter therein (Jannah), in peace and security.’ And We shall remove from their breasts any deep feeling of bitterness (that they may have). (So they will be like) brothers facing each other on thrones. No sense of fatigue shall touch them, nor shall they (ever) be asked to leave it.” [Al-Qur’an 15:45-48] |
| “(It will be said to the believers of Islamic Monotheism): ‘My slaves! No fear shall be on you this Day, nor shall you grieve. (You) who believed in Our ayat (proofs, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and were Muslims (i.e., who submit totally to Allah’s Will, and believe in the Oneness of Allah). EnterJannah, you and your wives, in happiness.’ Trays of gold and cups will be passed round them; (there will be) therein all that inner-selves could desire, and all that eyes could delight in and you will abide therein forever. This is the Jannah which you have been made to inherit because of your deeds which you used to do (in the life of the world). Therein for you will be fruits in plenty, of which you will eat (as you desire).” [Al-Qur’an 43:68-73] |
| “Verily, the muttaqun (the pious), will be in place of security (Jannah). Among Gardens and springs dressed in fine silk and (also) in thick silk, facing each other. So (it will be). And We shall marry them to hur (fair females) with wide, lovely eyes. They will call therein for every kind of fruit in peace and security. They will never taste death therein except the first death (of this world), and He will save them from the torment of the blazing Fire. As a bounty from your Rabb! That will be the supreme success!” [Al-Qur’an 44:51-57] |
| “Verily, al-abrar (the pious and righteous) will be in Delight (Jannah). On thrones, looking (at all things). You will recognise in their faces the brightness of delight. They will be given to drink of pure sealed wine. The last thereof (that wine) will be the smell of musk, and for this let (all) those strive who want to strive (i.e., hasten earnestly to the obedience of Allah). It (that wine) will be mixed withtasnim. A spring whereof drink those nearest to Allah.” [Al-Qur’an 83:22-28] |
The Qur’anic ayat on the subject are many and well-known.
Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “The inhabitants of Jannah will eat and drink therein, but they will not have to pass excrement, to blow their noses or to urinate. Their food will be digested producing belch which will give out a smell like that of musk. They will be inspired to declare the freedom of Allah from imperfection and proclaim His Greatness as easily as you breathe.” [Muslim] |
Commentary: Belching the vapours of musk means that after meals one would not feel heaviness and acidity. On the other hand, the belch will give out scented air, and the food will be digested by it. There will be no excrement or urine there.
Secondly, recitation of Allah’s Name will ever remain on their tongues without the least effort like the way we breathe, without any effort whatsoever. In other words the food in Jannah would be so light and fine that there would be no disagreeable urine or excrement. On the other hand, there will only be fine smell like that of musk.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “Allah, the Exalted, has said: ‘I have prepared for my righteous slaves what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and the mind of no man has conceived.’ If you wish, recite: |
| ‘No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.’ ” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the ayah recited is Al-Qur’an 32:17] |
Commentary: About the gifts and pleasures of Jannah, here a hadith has been stated in the Words of Allah. The subject matter is confirmed from the Verse of the Qur’an given in the text of the hadith.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, also reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “The first group (of people) to enter Jannah will be shining like the moon on a full-moon night. Then will come those who follow them who will be like the most shining planet in the sky. They will not stand in need of urinating or relieving of nature or of spitting or blowing their noses. Their combs will be of gold and their sweat will smell like musk; in their censers the aloes-wood will be used. Their wives will be large eyed maidens. All men will be alike in the form of their father ‘Adam, sixty cubits tall.” |
Another narration is that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “Their utensils will be of gold, their perspiration will smell like musk; everyone of them will have two wives; the marrow of the bones of the wives’ legs will be seen through the flesh out of excessive beauty. They (i.e., the people of Jannah) will neither have difference, nor enmity (hatred) amongst themselves; their hearts will be as if one heart, and they will be glorifying Allah in the morning and in the afternoon.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. |
Commentary:
1. The people in the Jannahwould be similar in shape and height, etc. There would be no differences between them. It won’t be that one person is beautiful and the other ugly or one is fair in colour and the other is black. This is one view. The other view is that they would be similar in being good mannered and the desirable and loving disposition. They will be on the highest pedestal of ethics, etiquette, politeness and morality. None of them would be immoral, discourteous or ill-tempered.
2. Everyone there would have two wives. They would either be from the houris or from the humans. The narration, which claims that every one would have seventy-two wives has a weak chain of narrators. However, in one narration of at-Tirmidhi which has been claimed to be sahih, it is stated that a martyr would get seventy-two wives. [At-Tirmidhi, Chapter about the Superiority of Jihad]. Then the saying,
| “One would get in the Jannah what he wants” |
may also be considered and so the possibility of more than two wives cannot be denied.
3. Hur is the plural of Howra. It means white and pink. So it is said that one would be bewildered to see their beauty. ‘Ein is the plural of ‘Aina’. It means one having large eyes like a deer. In another narration it is said that if any one of them just peeps towards our earth, the whole space would be filled with scent and all the space would be lighted. Her sheet of cloth used to cover the head and the bosom would be so precious that its cost would exceed this whole material earth. [Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Jihad, Chapter about Houri].
Al-Mughirah bin Shu’bah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “Musa (Moses) asked his Rabb: ‘Who amongst the inhabitants of Jannah will be the lowest in rank?’ He said: ‘It will be a person who will be admitted into Jannah last of all when all the dwellers of Jannah have entered Jannah. It will be said to him: Enter Jannah. But he will say: O my Rabb! How should I enter while the people have settled in their apartments and taken their shares? It will be said to him: Will you be satisfied and pleased if you have a kingdom like that of a monarch of the world? He will say: I will be content, my Rabb. Allah will say: For you is that, and like that and like that and like that and like that. He will say at the fifth time: I am well-pleased, my Rabb. Allah will say: It is for you and ten times more like it. You will have whatever your soul desires and whatever your eyes could delight in. He will say: I am well-pleased, my Rabb.’ Musa said: ‘Who will be of the highest rank in Jannah.’ Allah said: ‘They are those whom I chose and I established their honour with My Own Hand. I attest with My Seal that they will be blessed with such bounties as no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human mind has perceived.’ ” [Muslim] |
Commentary: This hadith highlights Allah’s unbounded Mercy and Bounty upon His slaves in Jannah although they do not deserve all that.
‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “I know of the last of the inhabitants of the Hell to be taken out from there and the last one to enter Jannah. He is a man who will come out of the Fire, crawling on all fours. Allah, the Rabb of glory and honour will say to him: ‘Go and enter Jannah.’ He will go to it and think that it is full up. He will then come back and say: ‘O my Rabb, it is full up.’ Allah will say to him: ‘Go and enter Jannah.’ He will again go to it and think that it is full up. So he will turn back. Allah will again say: ‘Go and enter Jannah. For you have what is equal to ten times the world.’ He will say: ‘Are You making fun of me while You are the King?” At this I (i.e., the narrator) saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, laugh till his premolars were visible and he said, “Such man will be the last dweller of Jannah in its lowest rank.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] |
Commentary: The general habit of the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, was just to smile. But while telling about the gifts and honours about an ordinary person in Jannah, he could not help laughing in a manner that his molars became visible. The person on the lowest pedestal in Jannah will be given ten times better things and gifts that could he had on this earth. May Allah admit us into Jannah in His Mercy. Amin.
Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “In Jannah the believer will have a tent made of a single hollowed pearl of which the length will be sixty miles in the sky. The believer will have his wives with him and he will visit them and they will not be able to see one another.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] |
Abu Sa’id Al-Khudhri, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “There is a tree in Jannah that is so huge that if a rider of a swift horse has to cover its distance from one end to another in one hundred years, he will not be able to do so.” Another narration from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, is that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said, “A rider will not be able to cross its (the tree’s) shade even after travelling for one hundred years.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] |
Commentary: The horse referred to in the hadith in described in the Arabic text as mudhammar i.e., a specially trained and well-looked after horse. Such a horse is first fattened by supplying it with large quantities of food. Then slowly the quantity of food given to it is decreased and it is made to sweat in a hot room until it loses weight and thus, becomes fit for running.
The Arabic word dhil translated here as shade, in fact, refers to the expansiveness and vastness of the tree. It does not necessarily mean shade in the ordinary sense, as there will be no sun or heat there. Here the expansiveness and vastness of the trees of Jannah has been mentioned. Allah can do what He likes and create whatever He likes.
Abu Sa’id Al-Khudhri, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “The dwellers of Jannah will look at those in the upper abodes above them as you look at a shining star which remains in the eastern or western horizon; such will be the difference in superiority which some of them have over others.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, was asked: “Will those be the dwellings of the Prophets which no one else will be able to reach?” He, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, replied, “Yes, but by Him in Whose Hand my soul is! men who believed in Allah and acknowledged the truthfulness of the Messengers will reach them.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] |
Commentary: In Jannah, people will have different grades according to the strength of their Belief and love of Allah. Some people will be on a position near that of the Prophets. May Allah grant us such lofty places. Amin.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “A space in Jannah equal to the distance between the middle and the end of a bow will be better than all that upon which the sun rises and sets.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] |
Commentary: Just a very small – a wee bit of a place in the Jannah is better than the whole world, as this world would soon come to an end while Jannah will be eternal.
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “In Jannah there is a market to which the people will come every Friday. The northern wind will blow and shower fragrance on their faces and clothes and, consequently, it will enhance their beauty and loveliness. They will then return to their wives who will also have increased in their beauty and loveliness, and their families will say to them: ‘We swear by Allah that you have been increased in beauty and loveliness since leaving us.’ Thereupon they will reply: ‘We swear by Allah that you have also been increased in beauty and loveliness since we left you.” [Muslim]]. |
Commentary: Bazar refers to a place of gathering, where everything will be available, free of cost. Similarly, Jumu’ah means that people will gather there for a time period equal to that of Jumu’ah, as there will be no sun, nor night and day. Another speciality of Jannah is that the beauty and charm of men and women will go on increasing and so the love and affection between husbands and wives will also keep on progressing and increasing. It will be just the opposite of what happens here in this world.
Sahl bin Sa’d, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “The dwellers of Jannah will see the upper abodes of Jannah as you see the stars in the sky.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] |
Commentary: See the commentary above to the hadith, “The dwellers of Jannah … ”
Sahl bin Sa’d, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that he was in the company of the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him. The Prophet gave a description of Jannah and concluded with these words,
| “There will be bounties which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human heart has ever perceived.” He, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, then recited this verse:[Al-Bukhari] |
| “Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Rabb in fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allah’s Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy … ” [Al-Qur’an 32:16-17] [Al-Bukhari] |
Commentary: The bliss of Jannah which has been mentioned in the narrations of the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, have also been alluded to in the above mentioned ayat of the Noble Qur’an. That is why the hadith is considered to be the authorized commentary of the Qur’an. It is commentary without which it is not possible to grasp the real meaning of the Qur’an.
Abu Sa’id and Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with them, reported the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “When the dwellers of Jannah enter Jannah, an announcer will call: (You have a promise from Allah that) you will live therein and you will never die; you will stay healthy therein and you will never fall ill; you will stay young and you will never become old; you will be under a constant bliss and you will never feel miserable” [Muslim] |
Commentary: We live in this world according to our life span but we never know when this life may come to an end. Youth is a fleeting experience and with the passage of time it turns into old age. One cannot even be sure about the ease in this life. Any time one may land into hardships. In short, nothing is constant in this world.
In Jannah, however, everything will be permanent. Life will be without any danger of death, there will be health without any risk of disease. There will be happiness and bliss without any fear of aging. Everywhere there will be happiness, ease, comfort, enjoyment without any pain, worry, hardship or distress.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “The lowest place of any of you in Jannah will be that Allah will tell him to express his wish. He will wish and wish again. Allah will then ask him: ‘Have you expressed your wish?’ He will answer: ‘Yes, I have.’ Allah will say: ‘You will have what you have wished for and the like thereof along with it.’ ” [Muslim] |
Abu Sa’id Al-Khudhri, may Allah be pleased with him, said the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “Allah, the Rabb of honour and glory, will say to the inhabitants of Jannah’ ‘O inhabitants of Jannah!’ They will respond: ‘Here we are! At Your service, O our Rabb. All good is in Your Hand!’ He will ask them: ‘Are you pleased?’ They will reply: ‘Why should we not be pleased, O Rabb, when You have given us what You have not given to any of Your creatures?’ Allah will say: ‘Shall I not give you something better than that?’ They will ask: ‘O Rabb! What can be better than that?’ Allah will say: ‘I shall bestow My Pleasure upon you and I shall never be displeased with you.’ ” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] |
Commentary: The declaration about Allah being pleased with the dwellers of Jannah will certainly be the greatest of the boons and rewards of Jannah.
Jarir bin ‘Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, when he looked at the full moon and observed,
| “You shall see your Rabb in the Hereafter as you are seeing this moon; and you will not feel the slightest inconvenience in seeing Him.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] |
Commentary: Just as when we witness the moon there is no problem, no rush or troublesome gathering of people and no pushing of one another, the pious will see Allah without any trouble or difficulty. How shall we see Him, we cannot describe this even by any instance or parable. In Surah ash-Shu’ra’, Verse 11, it is said that there is nothing like Him. However, we cannot see Him in this world with these worldly eyes. The reason is that, as Imam Malik says, these eyes are just temporary and they cannot bear the Sight of Allah. This is why the research scholars claim that the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, did not actually see Allah during his journey to the heavens; he only talked to Allah by way of Revelation. The saying of ‘A’ishah,may Allah be pleased with her, also proves this contention. However, it would be possible to see Allah inJannah as everything there will be eternal and indestructible. Similar will be the case with the sight and eyes which will be provided to us there. Such eyes would have the power to see Allah.
Suhayb, may Allah be pleased with him, reported the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, said,
| “When the inhabitants of Jannah enter Jannah, Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, will say to them: ‘Do you wish me to give you anything more?’ They will reply: ‘Have You not made our faces bright? Have You not brought us into Jannah and delivered us from the Hell?’ And Allah will remove the Veil. The (dwellers of Jannah) will feel that they have not been awarded anything dearer to them than looking at their Rabb.”[Muslim] |
Allah, the Exalted, says:
| “Verily, those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, their Rabb will guide them through their faith; under them will flow rivers in the Gardens of Delight (Jannah). Their way of request therein will be Subhanaka Allahumma (Glory to You, O Allah!) and Salam (peace, safety from evil) will be their greetings therein (Jannah)! and the close of their request will be: Alhamdulillahi Rabbil-‘Alamin [All the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Rabb of ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists)].” [Al-Qur’an 10:9-10] |
Footnote
Riyadh us-Salihin Chapter 372
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