الحمد لله رب العالمين، وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين، أما بعد
‘Abdul-Ghani al-Maqdisee (rahimahullaah) said:
“The most profound of that which a person could ask of his Lord are three things:
The good pleasure of Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic.
Looking at His Noble Face.
Al-Firdous, the highest heaven.”[1]
The Good Pleasure of Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic
With regard to the good pleasure of Allaah, The Most High, He The Mighty and Majestic, said:
قَدْ جَاءَكُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ * يَهْدِي بِهِ اللَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ
((Indeed, there has come to you from Allaah a light and a clear Book. Wherewith Allaah guides all those who seek His Pleasure to ways of peace [well-being].))[2] (Al-Maa-idah: 15-16)
He, The Glorified and Most High, said likewise:
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ ۚ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
((Allaah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein forever, and beautiful dwellings in gardens of everlasting inhabitance. But the good Pleasure of Allaah is greater. That is the tremendous success.)) (At-Tawbah: 72)
Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said: “Indeed the good pleasure of Allaah toward the servant is greater than Paradise and that which is in it, because good pleasure is an attribute of Allaah, whilst Paradise is His creation. Allaah, The Most High, said:
وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ
((But the good Pleasure of Allaah is greater))
After His saying:
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ ۚ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
((Allaah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein forever, and beautiful dwellings in gardens of everlasting inhabitance. But the good Pleasure of Allaah is greater. That is the tremendous success.)) (At-Tawbah: 72)
This pleasure is a recompense of their pleasure of Him in the life of this world, and since this recompense is the best of rewards, its reason is due to the best actions.”[3]
Shaikh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan as-Sa’dee (rahimahullaah) said regarding the saying of Allaah, The Most High:
وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ
((But the good Pleasure of Allaah))
“He permits it for the people of Paradise, and therefore:
أَكْبَرُ
((is greater))
Than that which they are in by way of bliss, for indeed their bliss is not complete except by seeing their Lord and His good pleasure of them, since it is the goal that the worshippers betake themselves to, and it is the outcome that those who love (Allaah) traverse towards. Therefore the good pleasure of the Lord of the earth and the heavens is greater than the bliss of the gardens.”[4]
The good pleasure of Allaah upon the people of Paradise is further explained in the hadeeth in which the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقُولُ لِأَهْلِ الجَنَّةِ: يَا أَهْلَ الجَنَّةِ، يَقُولُونَ: لَبَّيْكَ رَبَّنَا وَسَعْدَيْكَ، فَيَقُولُ: هَلْ رَضِيتُمْ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: وَمَا لَنَا لاَ نَرْضَى وَقَدْ أَعْطَيْتَنَا مَا لَمْ تُعْطِ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِكَ، فَيَقُولُ: أَنَا أُعْطِيكُمْ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، قَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ، وَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ؟ فَيَقُولُ: أُحِلُّ عَلَيْكُمْ رِضْوَانِي، فَلاَ أَسْخَطُ عَلَيْكُمْ بَعْدَهُ أَبَدًا
((Indeed Allaah, will say to the people of Paradise: “O people of Paradise.” they will say: “At Your service our Lord! And upon aiding Your cause.” He will say: “Are you pleased?” They will say: “And what is with us that we should not be pleased, when You have given us that which You have not given to anyone from Your creation?” He will say: “ I shall give you (something) better than that.” So they will say: “O Lord! And what can be better than that?” Then He will say: “I bestow upon you My good pleasure and I shall never be angry with you thereafter.”))[5]
Regarding the statement:
أُحِلُّ عَلَيْكُمْ رِضْوَانِي، فَلاَ أَسْخَطُ عَلَيْكُمْ بَعْدَهُ أَبَدًا
((I bestow upon you My good pleasure and I shall never be angry with you thereafter.))
Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr (rahimahullaah) said: “In it is an allusion to His saying, The Most High:
وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ
((But the good Pleasure of Allaah is greater.)) (At-Tawbah: 72)
Since His pleasure is a cause of every success and bliss, and anyone who knows that his master is pleased with him, then he is more of a delight to his eye and more agreeable to his heart than every comfort, due to that which is in it from veneration and honour. In this hadeeth is (a proof) that the bliss which is procured for the people of Paradise – it has no excess upon it.”[6]
A sign of the good pleasure of Allaah upon the servant is the good pleasure of the servant with his Lord. Regarding this Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:
“He (Allaah) has informed that His reward is His good pleasure of them which is superior and greater and more sublime than the gardens (of Paradise) and that which is within them. So whoever is pleased with his Lord; his Lord will be pleased with him, rather the good pleasure of the servant with Allaah is from the outcomes of the good pleasure of Allaah with him. For it is enclosed by two forms of His good pleasure with His servant, a good pleasure before it (on account of actions performed) deserving of Him being pleased with him, and a good pleasure after it which is the effect of His good pleasure with him. So due to that; good pleasure is the greatest domain of Allaah, and is the Paradise of the world and the repose of the acquainted ones and the life of those who love and the bliss of the worshippers and the coolness of the eyes of the yearnful.”[7]
The path to attaining all happiness and enjoyment and a pleasant way of life is in attaining the good pleasure of Allaah, The Most High, both in this life and in the Hereafter, Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:
“O the astonishment! Had the intellects been sound; they would have known that the path to attaining enjoyment, happiness, delight and a pleasant mode of life is only in pleasing The One Whom – all bliss lies in His good pleasure.”[8]
Therefore, focusing one’s attention on those things which bring about the good pleasure of Allaah causes a person to work righteousness for His Lord and to strive for the eternal life which is to come in the Hereafter, and this detracts from seeking the distractions of the life of this world. Ibn Hazm (rahimahullaah) said:
“Whoever comes to know his Lord, as well as the magnitude of His good pleasure and His anger, then insignificant with him become the expiring enjoyments and the dissipating vanities of this world.”[9]
How is the Good Pleasure of Allaah Attained?
Shaikh ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said: “Having knowledge with regard to the religion and teaching it and enjoining it – by way of it the servant attains the good pleasure of Allaah, The Most High.”[10]
Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said: “From the greatest factors in the attainment of the good pleasure (of Allaah) is: to adhere to that which Allaah has made His good pleasure to lie therein. For indeed it will convey him to the station of good pleasure – and necessarily so.”[11]
Shaikh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez bin Baaz (rahimahullaah) said: “Allaah, The Majestic and Most High, created the creation for worship of Him, and He sent the Messengers and revealed the Books for this affair. So whoever remains upright on the religion of Allaah and safeguards that which Allaah has obligated upon him and abandons that which he forbade upon him – out of sincerity and out of truthfulness; then that is from the signs that Allaah is pleased with him, because He, The Glorified, is pleased with the believers and is pleased with the pious dutiful ones. Therefore whoever remains upright on the command of Allaah and safeguards the limits ordained by Allaah and stays away from sinfulness to Allaah, then that is from the signs that Allaah, the Majestic and Most High, is indeed pleased with him and loves him – when he is sincere for Allaah and truthful in that.”[12]
Shaikh Al-Fawzaan (hafidhahullaah) said: “How is the good pleasure of Allaah attained? It is attained through worship of The Most Merciful alone, and to apply His obedience, as well as to have patience upon His religion.”[13]
Earning the Good Pleasure of Allaah Does Not Necessitate Putting Oneself Through Hardships and Difficulties
Shaikh ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said: “From that which should be known is that with regard to Allaah, His good pleasure or His love does not lie in the mere punishment of the soul and inducing it upon hardships – such that the action; every time it is more difficult; then it is deemed better, as is assumed by many of the ignorant ones that the reward is on the basis of the hardship in all things. No, however, the action is in accordance to the benefit of the action and its advantage as well as its interest and in accordance to obeying the command of Allaah and His Messenger.”[14]
Looking at The Face of Allaah, The Most High
The believers seeing their Lord in the Hereafter is a point of ‘Aqeedah (belief) which has been established in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah, such as the saying of Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic:
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ * إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ
((Faces that Day will be radiant. Looking at their Lord.)) (Al-Qiyaamah: 22-23)
He, The Most High, said likewise:
لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ
((For those who have done good is the best [reward] and more.)) (Yunus: 26)
It has been reported that the explanation of “more” is: looking at The Noble Face of Allaah, The Most High, from: Abee Bakr As-Siddeeq and Hudhaifah bin Al-Yamaan and ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Abbaas and Sa’eed bin Al-Musayyib and ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Abee Layla and ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Saabit and Mujaahid and ‘Ikrimah and ‘Aamir bin Sa’ad and ‘Ataa and Dahhaak and Al-Hasan and Qataadah and As-Suddi and Muhammad bin Ishaaq and other than them from the Salaf and those who came after.[15]
He, The Majestic and Most High, said:
لَهُم مَّا يَشَاءُونَ فِيهَا وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيدٌ
((They will have whatever they wish therein, and with Us is more.)) (Qaaf: 35)
Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer (rahimahullaah) said: “His saying:
وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيدٌ
((And with Us is more.)) (Qaaf: 35)
Is like His saying, The Most High:
لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ
((For those who have done good is the best [reward] and more.)) (Yunus: 26)
It has preceded in Saheeh Muslim from Suhaib bin Sinaan Ar-Rumi that it is looking at The Noble Face of Allaah.”[16]
The proof of the believers seeing their Lord in the Hereafter in the authentic ahaadeeth are a great many, from them is the hadeeth of Suhaib bin Sinaan Ar-Rumi (radhiyallaahu ‘anhu) in which the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:
إذا دَخَلَ أهْلُ الجَنَّةِ الجَنَّةَ، قالَ: يقولُ اللَّهُ تَبارَكَ وتَعالَى: تُرِيدُونَ شيئًا أزِيدُكُمْ؟ فيَقولونَ: ألَمْ تُبَيِّضْ وُجُوهَنا؟ ألَمْ تُدْخِلْنا الجَنَّةَ، وتُنَجِّنا مِنَ النَّارِ؟ قالَ: فَيَكْشِفُ الحِجابَ، فَما أُعْطُوا شيئًا أحَبَّ إليهِم مِنَ النَّظَرِ إلى رَبِّهِمْ عزَّ وجلَّ
((When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, Allaah, the Blessed and Most High, will say: ‘Do you wish for anything that [on account of which] I may enrich you?’ So they will say: ‘Have You not illuminated our faces? Have You not entered us into Paradise and You saved us from the Fire?’
Then He (Allaah) will remove the veil. So they would not be granted anything more beloved to them than looking at their Lord, The Mighty and Majestic.))[17]
It has likewise been reported in the hadeeth of Jareer bin ‘Abdillaah (radhiyallaahu ‘anhu) who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) came out to us on a night of a full moon, so he said:
إنَّكُمْ سَتَرَوْنَ رَبَّكُمْ يَومَ القِيَامَةِ كما تَرَوْنَ هذا، لا تُضَامُونَ في رُؤْيَتِهِ
((Indeed you shall see you Lord on the Day of Resurrection just as you see this, you will suffer no inconvenience in seeing Him.))[18]
Abdul-Ghani Al-Maqdisee (rahimahullaah) said: “The people of truth are unanimous and the people of Tawheed and truthfulness are in agreement that Allaah, The Most High, will be seen in the Hereafter, as has come in His Book and is authentically reported from His Messenger.”[19]
Imaam An-Nawawee (rahimahullaah) said: “The proofs of the Book and the Sunnah and the concensus of the companions have demonstrated, as well as those after them from the Salaf of the Ummah, the affirmation of seeing Allaah, The Most High, in the Hereafter on the part of the believers.”[20]
Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer (rahimahullaah) said: “The believers’ looking at Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, in the abode of the Hereafter has indeed been established in the authentic ahaadeeth, from consecutive chains of transmission with the great Imaams of hadeeth. It is not possible to reject them or decline in acceptance of them.”[21]
Shaikh ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said regarding the saying of Allaah, The Most High:
وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُ وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابَهُ
((And they hope for His Mercy and fear His punishment.)) (Al-Israa: 57)
“((His Mercy)) is a comprehensive term for every good, and ((His punishment)) is a comprehensive term for every evil, and the abode of absolute mercy – is Paradise, whereas the abode of absolute punishment – is the Fire. As for this world; then it is an abode of mixed combination. Therefore hope – despite it being related to the entry into Paradise; yet Paradise is a comprehensive term for every bliss, the most paramount of which is looking at The Face of Allaah.”[22]
Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said regarding the saying of Allaah, The Most High:
لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ
((For those who have done good is the best [reward] and more.)) (Yunus: 26)
“So ((the best [reward])) is: Paradise, and ((more)) is: looking at His Noble Face, and it was explained as such by the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) upon whom the Qur’aan was revealed, and then by the companions after him.
Since He, The Glorified, adjoined ((more)) in conjunction with ((the best [reward])) – which is Paradise; it is indicative that there is yet another circumstance beyond Paradise – and of a magnitude that surpasses it.”[23]
Ibn Al-Atheer (rahimahullaah) said with regard to seeing Allaah, The Most High, in the Hereafter: “It is the ultimate goal in regard to the bliss of the Hereafter, and is the highest level of the precious awards of Allaah, may Allaah cause us to attain from them that which we hope for.”[24]
‘Abdullaah bin al-Mubaarak (rahimahullaah) said: “Whoever wishes to look at The Face of his Creator; then let him carry out righteous action – and not inform anyone of it.”[25]
Al-Haafidh Ibn Rajab (rahimahullaah) said: “The ambitions of the acquainted loving ones are connected with respect to seeing Allaah, and of looking at His Face in the abode of His Munificence – as well as closeness to Him.”[26]
The state of the believers when they shall look at their Lord in Paradise is made clear by Ibn Al-Qayyim when commenting on the saying of Allaah, The Most High:
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ * إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ
((Faces that Day will be radiant. Looking at their Lord.)) (Al-Qiyaamah: 22-23)
He said: “So He completed and so perfected their exteriors with radiance and their interiors with looking at Him.”[27]
The Bliss of Looking at Allaah, The Most High, in the Hereafter is Greater than the Bliss of Paradise Itself
The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:
فَما أُعْطُوا شيئًا أحَبَّ إليهِم مِنَ النَّظَرِ إلى رَبِّهِمْ عزَّ وجلَّ
((So they would not be granted anything more beloved to them than looking at their Lord, The Mighty and Majestic.))[28]
Al-Hasan Al-Basree (rahimahullaah) said: “When the people of Paradise look at Allaah, The Most High, they will forget the bliss of Paradise.”[29]
Ibn al-Qayyim said:[30] “The foremost bliss of the Hereafter and its most eminent and most elevated – without exception is looking at the Face of The Lord, The Mighty and Majestic, and to hear His address, as occurs in Saheeh Muslim[31] from Suhaib (radhiyallaahu ‘anhu) who said from the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) that he said:
إذا دخل أهل الجنة الجنة نادى مناد: يا أهل الجنة إن لكم عند الله موعدا يريد أن ينجزكموه، فيقولون: ما هو؟ ألم يبيض وجوهنا، ويثقل موازيننا، ويدخلنا الجنة، ويُجرنا من النار؟ قال: فيكشف الحجاب، فينظرون إليه، فما أعطاهم شيئا أحب إليهم من النظر إليه
((When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, and the people of the Fire [enter] the Fire, a caller will call out: “O people of Paradise! Indeed, you have an arrangement with Allaah which He wishes to fulfill.” They will say: “And what is it? Did He not make our faces bright? And make our balance [of good deeds] heavy? And enter us into Paradise and save us from the Fire?” Then the veil will be removed and they will look at Him. So He would not have given them anything more beloved to them than looking at Him.))
So he (‘alaihis salaatu was-salaam) made clear that they – despite the perfection of their bliss with that which their Lord had given them in Paradise, He did not give them anything that would be more beloved to them than looking at Him, and that is more beloved to them because that which is procured for them by way of delight, bliss, happiness, joy and a coolness of the eye is above that which is procured for them from the enjoyment of eating and drinking and the women of Paradise. There is no parallel between the two delights and two forms of bliss whatsoever.
It is due to this that He, The Glorified, and Most High, said concerning the disbelievers:
كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ * ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُو الْجَحِيمِ
((No! Surely, on that day they shall be veiled from their Lord. Then indeed, they will suffer the burn of Hell)) (Al-Mutaffifeen: 15-16)
Hence two forms of punishment are combined over them; the punishment of the Fire and the punishment of being veiled from Him, The Glorified. Just as there will be two forms of bliss combined together for His allies; the bliss of gratification with that which is in Paradise as well as the bliss of gratification in regard to seeing Him, and He, The Glorified, has mentioned these four types in this Soorah. Thus He, said concerning the righteous:
إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ * عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ
((Indeed the righteous will surely be in delight. Upon couches gazing forth.)) (Al-Mutaffifeen: 22-23)”[32]
Shaikh Muhammad bin Saalih Al-‘Uthaimeen (rahimahullaah) said: “Know that the most gratifying bliss and the most pleasant delight with the people of Paradise – I ask Allaah that He makes me and you to be from them – is looking at The Face of Allaah. There is nothing that will equal it, and it is due this that He, The Mighty and Majestic, said:
لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ
((For those who have done good is the best [reward] and more.)) (Yunus: 26)
The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) explained that it is looking at The Face of Allaah.”[33]
Knowledge of Allaah and Loving Him and Its Relation to Seeing Allaah in the Hereafter
The delight of looking at the Face of Allaah on the Day of Resurrection is pursuant to the delight of having knowledge of Him and of loving Him in the life of this world, Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said in this regard:
“So just as there is no comparison to the bliss of that which is in Paradise to the bliss of looking at His Face, The Most High, The Glorified, then likewise there is no comparison to the bliss of this world to the bliss of loving Him and having knowledge of Him and longing for Him and agreeableness with Him. Rather the delight of looking at Him, The Glorified, is pursuant to their having knowledge of Him and their love of Him. For indeed; delight pursues perception and love, so the more that the one who loves becomes more acquainted with the beloved and is stronger in love of him, then his delight with nearness to him and seeing him and arrival at him is greater.”[34]
He said likewise: “If this is understood; then the greatest of factors that procure this delight is itself the greatest of the delights of the life of this world without exception, and it is the delight of having knowledge of Him, The Glorified and delight of love of Him. For indeed that is the Paradise of the life of this world – and its lofty bliss, and the comparison of its transient delights to it is like foam upon the sea. For indeed; the soul, heart and body were created only for that.
So the very best of that which is in the life of this world is knowledge of Him and loving Him, and so the most delightful of that which is in Paradise will be looking at Him and witnessing Him. Hence; loving Him and having knowledge of Him is the coolness of the eyes and the delight of the souls and the joy of the hearts and the bliss of this world and its happiness. Rather the delights of the world which are severed from that subvert into pains and torment, and their associate remains in a woeful life. So the good life is not except by way of Allaah.”[35]
Seeing Allaah in the Hereafter and Its Connection With the Fajr and ‘Asr Prayers
On the authority of Jareer bin ‘Abdillaah (radhiyallaahu ‘anhu) who said: “We were with the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), so he looked at the moon one night – meaning the full moon, and so he said:
:إِنَّكُمْ سَتَرَوْنَ رَبَّكُمْ كَمَا تَرَوْنَ هَذَا الْقَمَرَ لاَ تُضَامُّونَ فِي رُؤْيَتِهِ، فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَنْ لاَ تُغْلَبُوا عَلَى صَلاَةٍ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا فَافْعَلُوا. ثُمَّ قَرَأَ
وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِ
((Indeed You will see your Lord as you see this moon, you will suffer no inconvenience in seeing Him, so if you can avoid being overcome in observing a prayer before sunrise (Fajr) and before its setting (‘Asr) then do so.)) Then he recited:
((And glorify with Praise of your Lord, before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting.)) (Qaaf: 39)[36]
Shaikh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez bin Baaz (rahimahullaah) said: “The people of knowledge have mentioned that the underlying reason for that is because whoever safeguards them, then he will be from those who shall look at Allaah morning and evening in Paradise, meaning that it is the extent of the morning and evening, Paradise does not have night in it, all of it is continuous day, however it is the extent of the morning and evening, as He, The Most High, said:
وَلَهُمْ رِزْقُهُمْ فِيهَا بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا
((And they will have their provision therein, morning and evening.)) (Maryam: 62)
Meaning; it is the extent of the morning and evening in the life of this world, and similarly in the issue of the sighting (looking at Allaah) in the extent of the morning and evening, meaning the exclusive ones from the people of Paradise, there will be for them a sighting in that which is between the morning and the evening; meaning many sightings due to their good actions and their true faith, and from the reasons for that likewise is their safeguarding the ‘Asr prayer and the morning prayer.”[37]
Shaikh Muhammad bin Saalih Al-‘Uthaimeen (rahimahullaah) stated similarly when he said: “Indeed safeguarding the Fajr prayer and the ‘Asr prayer is from the reasons for looking at the Face of Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, O what it has by way of immense worth. O what it holds by way of value and preciousness. Safeguard the Fajr prayer and the ‘Asr prayer, you will look at the Face of Allaah on the Day of Resurrection in gardens of bliss.”[38]
In addition, there are those from the people of knowledge who state that there is a connection with witnessing the Jumu’ah prayer in the life of this world and seeing Allaah in the Hereafter being a reward for it. For further insight, refer to the discussion of Shaikh ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah[39] and Al-Haafidh Ibn Rajab.[40]
Seeing Allaah, The Most High, in the Hereafter and the Tests and Trials of the Life of This World
Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said: “Allaah, The Glorified, if He intends good for a servant, He causes him to drink a medicament from tribulation and trial – in accordance to his circumstance; by way of it He vacates the destructive maladies, until; once He refines him and cleanses him and purifies him, He renders him worthy of the most noble levels of the world – and it is servitude to Him, as well as the highest reward of the Hereafter[41] – and it is seeing Him and nearness to Him.”[42]
Seeing Allaah in the Hereafter Due to Having Seen His Proofs and Signs and Having Believed in Them in the Life of This World
Allaah, The Most High, said:
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ * إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ
((Faces that Day will be radiant. Looking at their Lord.)) (Al-Qiyaamah: 22-23)
Shaikh Al-Fawzaan (hafidhahullaah) said in his explanation of this verse: “This is the most elevated bliss, that they should look at Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, those who believed in Him in the life of this world yet they did not see him, they only believed in Him when the evidences and proofs concerning Him, The Glorified and Most High, were established with them from the reports of the Messengers. So they believed in Him and yet they did not see Him, however they saw His signs and His proofs and so believed in them. Therefore Allaah, The Glorified and Most High, shall reward them on the Day of Resurrection in that He, The Glorified and Most High, will reveal Himself to them, so they will see Him visually – with their eyes, and this will be the greatest bliss that they will find in the Hereafter, and it is looking at The Noble Face of Allaah.”[43]
If the Removal of the Veil and Seeing Allaah is the Greatest Bliss of the Hereafter, Then Its Exact Opposite Will be From the Greatest Forms of Punishment
Shaikh ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said: “Allaah, The Most High, said concerning the disbelievers:
كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ * ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُو الْجَحِيمِ
((No! Surely, on that day they shall be veiled from their Lord. Then indeed, they will suffer the burn of Hell.)) (Al-Mutaffifeen: 15-16)
So the punishment of veiling is the greatest forms of punishment, whereas the delight of looking at His Face is the most elevated of delights.”[44]
Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:[45] “Were His, The Glorified, being veiled from His servant not have been the most severe punishment upon him, He would not have made threat of it to His enemies, as He, The Most High, said:
كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ * ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُو الْجَحِيمِ
((No! Surely, on that day they shall be veiled from their Lord. Then indeed, they will suffer the burn of Hell.)) (Al-Mutaffifeen: 15-16)
So He informs that for them there shall be two punishments:
One of them; is the punishment of being veiled from Him.
The second; suffering the burn of Hell.
Yet one of the two punishments is more severe than the other.
This then is just as He, The Glorified, shall bestow favour upon His allies by way of two forms of bliss:
The bliss of the removal of the veil, so that they look at Him.
The bliss of Paradise and that which is in it.
Yet one of the two forms of bliss will be more beloved to them than the other, and more preferred to them, and more cooling to their eyes, as occurs in the Saheeh from him (the Prophet – sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) that he said:
إذا دَخَلَ أهْلُ الجَنَّةِ الجَنَّةَ، قالَ: يقولُ اللَّهُ تَبارَكَ وتَعالَى: تُرِيدُونَ شيئًا أزِيدُكُمْ؟ فيَقولونَ: ألَمْ تُبَيِّضْ وُجُوهَنا؟ ألَمْ تُدْخِلْنا الجَنَّةَ، وتُنَجِّنا مِنَ النَّارِ؟ قالَ: فَيَكْشِفُ الحِجابَ، فَما أُعْطُوا شيئًا أحَبَّ إليهِم مِنَ النَّظَرِ إلى رَبِّهِمْ عزَّ وجلَّ
((When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, Allaah, the Blessed and Most High, will say: ‘Do you wish for anything that [on account of which] I may enrich you?’ So they will say: ‘Have You not illuminated our faces? Have You not entered us into Paradise and You saved us from the Fire?’
Then He (Allaah) will remove the veil. So they would not be granted anything more beloved to them than looking at their Lord, The Mighty and Majestic.))”[46]
Al-Haafidh Ibn Rajab (rahimahullaah) mentioned: “The greatest punishment of the people of the Fire will be their being veiled from Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, as well as their being distant from Him and His turning away from them and His anger upon them.
Just as the good pleasure of Allaah upon the people of Paradise is better than every bliss of Paradise, as well as His manifestation to them and their looking at Him – being greater than all of the varying forms of delights of Paradise. Allaah, The Most High, said:
كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ * كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ * ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُو الْجَحِيمِ * ثُمَّ يُقَالُ هَٰذَا الَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ
((No! Rather, on their hearts is the enveloping stain of that which they used to earn. No! Surely, on that day they shall be veiled from their Lord. Then indeed, they will suffer the burn of Hell. Then it will be said [to them], “This is what you used to deny.”)) (Al-Mutaffifeen: 14-17)
So Allaah, The Most High, mentioned three types of punishment for them;
Their being veiled from Him.
Then their suffering the burn of Hell.
Then their rebuke – on account of their denial of it in worldly life.
Likewise He described them as having an enveloping stain upon their hearts, and it is the rust of sins that had blackened their hearts. Therefore during worldly life there was not to reach them after that anything from knowledge of Allaah or of His sublimity and awe of Him and fear of Him and love of Him. So just as their hearts had been veiled from Allaah in worldly life; then so shall they be veiled in the Hereafter from seeing Him, and this is in contrast to the state of the people of Paradise.”[47]
Al-Firdous – The Highest Heaven
It is established in the Book and the Sunnah that Paradise has many levels, and that the people of Paradise shall enter and dwell in those levels on the basis of their Eemaan and their actions, Allaah, The Most High said:
انظُرْ كَيْفَ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ ۚ وَلَلْآخِرَةُ أَكْبَرُ دَرَجَاتٍ وَأَكْبَرُ تَفْضِيلًا
((Look how We have favoured some of them over others. and verily, the Hereafter is greater in degrees and greater in preferment.)) (Al-Israa: 21)
He, The Mighty and Majestic, said likewise:
وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَاتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوا
((And for all there will be degrees [ranks] according to what they did.)) (Al-An’aam: 132)
Shaikh ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said: “Paradise has levels, distinguished in phenomenal distinction, and the Awilyaa of Allaah – the believing pious ones will be in those levels in accordance to their Eemaan and their Taqwaa.”[48]
The highest of the levels of Paradise as well as its best part is Al-Firdous, and its mention has come in the Book of Allaah, as He, The Most High, said:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ الْفِرْدَوْسِ نُزُلًا
((Indeed; those who believe and do righteous deeds, for them shall be the Gardens of Al-Firdous as a dwelling.)) (Al-Kahf: 107)
Imaam At-Tabaree (rahimahullaah) said in his explanation of this verse: “Those who believed in Allaah and His Messenger and acknowledged the Oneness of Allaah and that which had been revealed from His Books and engaged in obedience to Him, for them there shall be the gardens of Al-Firdous.”[49]
Regarding it the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:
إِنَّ فِي الجَنَّةِ مِائَةَ دَرَجَةٍ ، أَعَدَّهَا اللَّهُ لِلْمُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ ، كُلُّ دَرَجَتَيْنِ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ ، فَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُ اللَّهَ فَسَلُوهُ الفِرْدَوْسَ ، فَإِنَّهُ أَوْسَطُ الجَنَّةِ ، وَأَعْلَى الجَنَّةِ وَفَوْقَهُ عَرْشُ الرَّحْمَنِ ، وَمِنْهُ تَفَجَّرُ أَنْهَارُ الجَنَّةِ
((In Paradise there are one-hundred levels which Allaah has prepared for those who fight in His cause, and the distance between each two levels is like the distance between the heaven and the earth. So when you ask Allaah, ask Him for Al-Firdous. For indeed it is the middle [and best] part of Paradise and the highest part of Paradise. Above it is the Throne of The Most Merciful and from it spring the rivers of Paradise.))[50]
Ibn Battaal (rahimahullaah) said: “His saying:
فَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُ اللَّهَ فَسَلُوهُ الفِرْدَوْسَ
((So when you ask Allaah, ask Him for Al-Firdous))
Is an address to his entire nation, there enters into it the Mujaahidoon and others besides them. Therefore it is a proof that Allaah grants it to the one who does not fight (in His path) – yet is close to the level of the Mujaahid, because Al-Firdous; since it is the highest part of Paradise and there is no level above it, and he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) commanded all of his nation with requesting Al-Firdous from Allaah, it is proof that whoever is granted residency in Al-Firdous; even if he does not fight (in His path), then his level has indeed come close to the levels of the Mujaahid in elevation. Even if it be that the levels vary in abundance, and Allaah grants His Bounty to whomsoever He wishes.”[51]
Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:
“From the created things present in existence that is most free of imperfections and is the most distinct of them and the brightest of them and the most noble of them and the highest of them in essence and prestige as well as the most extensive of them is: the Throne of The Most Merciful, Exalted be His Majesty, and so due to that; His being above it is befitting.
Likewise everything that is closest to the Throne is brightest and more free of imperfections and more noble than that which is further away from it, and it is due to this that Jannatul Firdous is the highest of the gardens (of Paradise) and the most noble of them and the brightest of them and the most eminent of them – due to its close proximity to the Throne – since it is its ceiling. Likewise everything that is distant from it is darker and more constricted, and it is due to this that the lowest of the low[52] is the worst of places and the most restricted of them and the most distant of them from every good.”[53]
The Acts of Righteousness Which the People of Al-Firdous Have Been Described With – and the Mention of the Prayer in Particular
Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzaan (hafidhahullaah) said: “Allaah has indeed magnified the importance of the prayer in the Qur’aan, and amplified its nobility, and conferred dignity upon its people and specified it with mention from among all of the acts of obedience and He urged with it in exclusive instruction.
So from it is that Allaah, The Most High, mentioned the acts of righteousness for which He enjoined eternal life in Al-Firdous for its people, and He commenced those acts with the prayer, and concluded them with it (the prayer), He, The Most High, said:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ * الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ
((Successful indeed are the believers. Those who in their prayer are humbly attentive.)) (Al-Mu’minoon 1-2)
Until His saying, The Most High:
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ * أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْوَارِثُونَ * الَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
((And those who strictly guard their prayers. Those are the inheritors. Who shall inherit Al-Firdous. They shall dwell therein forever.)) (Al-Mu’minoon 9-11)”[54]
So for the people of these actions, Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, designated a life of eternity in Al-Firdous, and He, The Most High, mentioned these actions between mention of the prayer which came at the beginning, as well as at the end.
To Conclude – They Will Have no Desire for Relocation From the Gardens of Al-Firdous
Allaah, The Most High, said:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ الْفِرْدَوْسِ نُزُلًا
((Indeed; those who believe and do righteous deeds, for them shall be the Gardens of Al-Firdous as a dwelling.)) (Al-Kahf: 107)
In the following verse, He, The Mighty and Majestic, said:
خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلً
((Wherein they shall abide eternally. No desire will they have to be relocated therefrom.)) (Al-Kahf: 108)
Muhammad Ameen Ash-Shanqitee (rahimahullaah) said: “Meaning; abiding eternally in the gardens of Al-Firdous, not desiring any relocation therefrom, meaning a transfer to another abode, because there is not to be found an abode that is better than it for which one would wish to be relocated to away from. Rather; they will abide for eternity therein, forever without relocation or transference.”[55]
May Allaah, The Most High, from His Bounty and Kindness, make us and our parents to be from the inheritors of Al-Firdous, and may He grant us His good pleasure upon us in this life as well as in the life to come, and affords us the honour of seeing His Noble Face in the Hereafter. Indeed He is The Bountiful, The Generous.
وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
___________________________________________
[1] Adh-Dhayl ‘alaa Tabaqaat al-Hanaabilah vol 3 p.20
[2] Shaikh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan as-Sa’dee (rahimahullaah) said: “Meaning: that He guides by way of it whoever endeavoured and was keen upon attaining the Pleasure of Allaah; and that his intent was one of goodness to the ways of peace (well-being) upon which its adherent is safeguarded from the punishment. Along with it directing him to the land of as-Salaam (peace); and it is knowledge of the truth and acting upon it – in general and in specific.” (See: Tayseer al-Kareem ar-Rahmaan p.226)
[3] Madaarij as-Saalikeen vol 2 p.208
[4] Tayseer al-Kareem ar-Rahmaan p.344
[5] Reported by Al-Bukhaaree (no.6549) and Muslim (no.7070) and the wording above is that of Al-Bukhaaree.
[6] Fathul Baaree vol 15 p.92
[7] Madaarij as-Saalikeen vol 2 p.174
[8] Ad-Daa-wad-Dawaa p.196
[9] Tooq al-Hamaamah p.142
[10] Majmu’ah ar-Rasaa-il vol 5 p.161
[11] Madaarij as-Saalikeen vol 2 p.174
[12] Fataawa Noor ‘Alaa ad-Darb (no.547)
[13] Sharh Risaalah ad-Dalaa-il p.77
[14] Majmu’ Fataawa vol 25 p.281
[15] Tafseer Al-Qur’aan Al-‘Adheem (Tafseer Ibn Katheer) vol 3 p.668 and Tafseer Al-Qur’aan Al-‘Adheem (Tafseer Ibn Abee Haatim) vol 6 p.1945. For a greater discussion of this and the various ahaadeeth of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and the reports of the Salaf from the companions and those after them together with their chains of narration, refer to Haadi al-Arwaah of Ibn al-Qayyim p.622 onwards.
[16] Tafseer Al-Qur’aan Al-‘Adheem vol 6 p.535
[17] Reported by Muslim (no.448)
[18] Reported by Al-Bukhaaree (no.7436)
[19] ‘Aqeedah Al-Haafidh Taqi ud Deen ‘Abdul-Ghani bin ‘Abdil-Waahid Al-Maqdisee p.58
[20] Sharh Saheeh Muslim vol 3 p.15
[21] Tafseer Al-Qur’aan Al-‘Adheem vol 7 p.412
[22] Majmu’ Fataawa vol 10 p.62
[23] Abridged from: Haadi al-Arwaah p.610 and p.615
[24] Jaami’ al-Usool vol 10 p.557
[25] Sharh Usool I’tiqaad Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah vol 2 p.565
[26] Majmu’ Rasaa-il vol 3 p.341
[27] As-Sawaa-iq al-Mursalah vol 4 p.1376
[28] Reported by Muslim (no.297)
[29] Rawdatul Muhibbeen p.572
[30] As occurs in Ighaathatul Lahfaan vol 1 p.48-49 – with slight abridgment.
[31] As hadeeth number 181 with similar wording to that which is above. The wording mentioned by the author is that of Ibn Maajah (no.185) and At-Tirmidhee (no.2552)
[32] Regarding the saying of Allaah, The Most High:
عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ
((Upon couches gazing forth.))
Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer said: “it has been said that its meaning is that they will look into their dominion and that which Allaah gave them from goodness and favour which will not expire nor will it perish, and it has been said that its meaning is: at Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, and this is in contrariety to that which those wicked ones were described with:
كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ
((No! Surely, on that day they shall be veiled from their Lord.))”
(Tafseer Al-Qur’aan Al-‘Adheem vol 14 p.288) Ibn Al-Qayyim stipulated categorically that the meaning of the verse is that of looking at Allaah, The Most High, and that no other meaning and understanding is to be applied. See his discussion in Ighaathatul Lahfaan vol 1 p.49-50.
[33] Sharh Riyaadh us Saaliheen vol 5 p.58
[34] Ighaathatul Lahfaan vol 1 p.50
[35] Ad-Daa wad-Dawaa p.543-544
[36] Reported by Al-Bukhaaree (no.554) and Muslim (no.633)
[37] Fataawa Noor ‘alaa ad-Darb vol 1 p.160
[38] Sharh Riyaadh us Saaliheen vol 5 p.58
[39] Majmu’ Fataawa vol 6 p.455-458
[40] Fathul Baaree vol 4 p.323
[41] Shaikh ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said: “The highest stations are not reached except by way of affliction.” (Majmu’ Fataawa vol 25 p.302)
[42] Zaadul Ma’aad vol 4 p.179
[43] Maa Tayassar wa Tahassal min Duroos Al-Qur’aan fee Hizb al-Mufassal vol 2 p.191
[44] Majmu’ Fataawa vol 1 p.27
[45] As occurs in Miftaah Daarus Sa’aadah vol 2 p.1169-1170
[46] Reported by Muslim (no.448)
[47] Majmu’ Rasaa-il vol 3 p.251
[48] Majmu’ Fataawa vol 11 p.188
[49] Jaami’ al-Bayaan vol 16 p.36
[50] Reported by Al-Bukhaaree (no.7423)
[51] Sharh Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree vol 5 p.13
[52] Allaah, The Most High, said:
ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَاهُ أَسْفَلَ سَافِلِينَ
((Then We return him to the lowest of the low.)) (At-Tīn: 5)
Shaikh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan as-Sa’dee (rahimahullaah) said: “So Allaah returned them into the lowest of the low, meaning: the lowest of the Fire. The place of the sinners, those who are insubordinate against their Lord.” (See: Tayseer al-Kareem ar-Rahmaan p.929)
[53] Al-Fawaa-id p.35-36
[54] Al-Khutab al-Minbariyyah fil-Munaasabaat al-‘Asriyyah vol 3 p.85
[55] Adwaa al-Bayaan vol 4 p.214
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