- Interpretation Of Quran / The long version
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- Surat Al-Waqi'ah (056)
Dear brother, we are starting with the first lesson of Surat Al-Waqi'ah. Allah the Exalted says:
"When the Event (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) befalls."
The Day of Resurrection is inevitable:
All of you know that itha (a conditional article in Arabic language, which means when) indicates that something inevitably occurs, and thus the Event must absolutely befall. On the other hand, if the ayah started like: in (a conditional noun in Arabic language, which means if) the Event befalls, the meaning would be that the Event might or might not befall. This explains why Almighty Allah says:
"When comes the Help of Allah (to you, O Muhammad (PBUH) against your enemies) and the conquest (of Makkah)"
In another Ayah, He says:
"O you who believe! If a rebellious evil person comes to you with a news,''
The rebellious evil person may or may not come, but the Help of Allah definitely comes just like the Event:"When the Event (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) befalls."
The most miserable is whoever considers the worldly life the home of residence:
The Event is the Day of Resurrection. In fact the pillars of faith are six: belief in Allah, belief in the Hereafter, belief in the Angles, belief in the Revealed Books, belief in the Prophets, may Allah have peace upon them and belief in the Predestination by Allah of all things, both the (seemingly) good and the (seemingly) bad. The two closely connected pillars are belief in Allah and belief in the Hereafter, because they complement one another. When you deeply believe that Allah exists, He knows whatever you do and He will call you to account on day when you may either be in everlasting Hell or in everlasting Paradise, you will be steadfast.
The Ayat we are discussing from Surat Al-Waqi'ah are about the Hereafter, and believing in the Hereafter is the essence of faith. Thus, if you do not seek the Hereafter through all your concerns, efforts, ambitions and goals, the worldly life will be the home of misery. The most miserable people in it are those who seek it, so if you consider it the home of residence and the place where your wishes come true, you will live miserably, but if you make it a path towards the Hereafter, you will be happy in it
We need to believe that our residence in the worldly life is temporary:
When man spends his summer vacation (three months) in a house which is not his, he does not care if there is something wrong with it. Since he knows that his residence is temporary, he is relieved, but if he sees something wrong with his permanent residence, he feels sad about it. Hence, the feeling that we are guests in the worldly life, and that we are leaving soon and will never come back, makes us pleased. Listen again to the Noble Ayah, please:
"When the Event (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) befalls."
Because of the terrifying nature of the Event, the second part of the subordinating clause is not mentioned:
"When the Event (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) befalls *And there can be no denying of its befalling."
The verb is in the simple past (in Arabic it is waqa'at; befell) to indicate that whatever Allah informs us about the future using the past tense will definitely take place. Almighty Allah says:
"The Event (the Hour or the punishment of disbelievers and polytheists or the Islamic laws or commandments), ordained by Allah will come to pass,"
It has not come to pass yet:"so seek not to hasten it."
"Seek not to hasten it" means that it has not come to pass yet, but Almighty Allah says it came to pass (the verb in Arabic ata is in the past tense, and it means came.)
Whatever Allah informs man about must occur:
We should believe whatever Allah informs us as if we saw it; Almighty Allah says:
"Have you (O Muhammad (PBUH)) not seen how your Lord dealt with the Owners of the Elephant? [The elephant army which came from Yemen under the command of Abrahah Al-Ashram intending to destroy the Ka'bah at Makkah]."
Whatever Allah informs us must be believed in as if it was seen, and His future Actions must be believed in as if they happened, because the Speaker is Almighty Allah, the Creator of universe:"and whose words can be truer than those of Allah? (Of course, none")."
"And who is truer to his covenant than Allah?"
Thus, we should believe in whatever Allah informs us as if we saw it, and in His future Actions as if they took place.The speaker is Allah, so His Words will come true sooner or later:
This explains why Almighty Allah says:"And (remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): "O 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: 'Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah?' " He will say: "Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner-self though I do not know what is in Yours, truly, You, only You, are the All-Knower of all that is hidden and unseen.* "Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allah) did command me to say: 'Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.' And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world)."
This dialogue has not taken place yet:"And (remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): "O 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)!"
As long as the Speaker is Allah, His Talk about His future Actions is in the past form to indicate that as if they happened. Also, if Allah informs us about something which happened in the past, but we did not witness, we should believe it as if we saw it.
The Day of Resurrection will absolutely befall:
The Noble Ayah:
"When the Event (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) befalls *And there can be no denying of its befalling."
There are many events in our life which may or may not happen, but the thing which will absolutely befall is the Event; the Day of Resurrection will come:
"And there can be no denying of its befalling."
The characteristics of the Day of Resurrection:
Dear brother the most eloquent and accurate description of the Day of Resurrection is the following:
"It will bring low (some); (and sh3er) it will exalt"
People are ranked into different ranks in the worldly life:
"See how We prefer one above another (in this world)"
For instance, a teacher who teaches in the village, where life is tough, and where he should take his food with him every day has to bear the difficulty of transportation and the ignorance of the students there. In the village, services are not good and the capabilities are limited, so there is a big difference between his situation and the one of a teacher who teaches at the university. Other examples: there are big differences between the status of the soldier and the one of the chief of staff, between the nurse and the surgeon and between the travelling salesman and the merchant. In life there are ranks and positions, but on that Day ranks will change even between the man who celebrates his son's wedding which cost him 20.000.000 liras, and the one who cannot afford a loaf of bread.
The believer is at the highest rank, while the deviated one is at the bottom:
What do you think if the situation is the opposite when the Event befalls?
"And there can be no denying of its befalling* It will bring low (some); (and sh3er) it will exalt"
Those who are the wealthiest will be the poorest, those who are the most healthy and powerful will suffer an endless torment and those who are the most impoverished, but accept Allah's Wisdom and His Predestination of all things, both the (seemingly) good and the (seemingly) bad, and they remain chaste and patient will be in the everlasting Paradise. What do you think of those people? What matters is our status in the Hereafter, not in this life. Hence this Event:
"It will bring low (some); (and sh3er) it will exalt"
People are classified into ranks in the worldly life, but the steadfast and obedient to Allah will be at the highest rank in the Hereafter, while whoever is deviated from Allah's Order, the heedless one and he who spends his life committing sins, will be at the bottom no matter how prominent his position is or how wealthy and well-known. Therefore, what counts is not our rank in the worldly life, but rather the rank we will be at in the Hereafter. This is why Almighty Allah says:
"and the (blessed) end is for the Muttaqun."
It was reported in the relic:
((Verily a fed and elegant ownself in the worldly life will definitely be hungry and naked on the Day of Resurrection (since it is deviated and heedless). Verily, the one who glorifies himself will be humiliated, whereas the one who is humiliated will be honored.))
The mind is the main tool of thinking:
Almighty Allah grants us the mind in order to manage our affairs, seek the prosperous future and walk on the path towards happiness, so that we can reach Paradise:
"When the Event (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) befalls* And there can be no denying of its befalling* It will bring low (some); (and sh3er) it will exalt"
If Almighty Allah honors someone in the worldly life and raises his rank as he is steadfast, disciplined, pious, generous (gives Sadaqah regularly) and kind to sh3er, his blessings in the worldly life will be connected to the ones in the Hereafter. He is in an earthly Paradise, and he will be in a heavenly Paradise in the Hereafter. If man is granted a blessing which he employs to help him act upon Allah's Order, thank Allah's Blessings and never veils him from obeying Allah, the blessings he is granted in the worldly life will be linked to the ones of the Hereafter. The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
((O Allah, make the blessings of the Hereafter connected to the ones of the worldly life.))
On the other hand, if man deviates from Allah's Order and is tempted by the worldly life in which he becomes indulged, the day when death comes to him, all the enjoyments will come to an end. The contradictory situations of people in the Hereafter can be clarified by the following simple example: assume that your seat is in the light of the sun, but when the bus turns to the opposite side, you become where the shade is, while whoever is in the shade becomes in the light.
On Day of Resurrection situations will be changed:
Sometimes man is promoted or demoted all of a sudden, but on the Day of Resurrection ranks change, which is one of the characteristics of that Day. The earthly balance: whoever is rich is respected, whoever is powerful is feared, whoever is wealthy his wealth is sought, whoever is handsome is attractive and whoever is eloquent is admired. However, these are blessings of the worldly life, so when the Event befalls, the balance is changed. Who is the kind person then? Who is the steadfast? The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, passed with his Companions by a grave, and said:
((Praying two rak'at of nawafel that are the least and the simplest to pray is better for the man in this grave than the worldly life you live in.))
There are wealth, factories, hotels, companies, parks, beautiful places, women and so many other things in the worldly life, but the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
((Praying two rak'at of nawafel that are the least and the simplest to pray is better for the man in this grave than the worldly life you live in.))
What goes on is a miniature example of what will happen:
What will happen "When the Event (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) befalls"?
Almighty Allah says:
"When the earth will be shaken with a terrible shake."
Allah the Exalted gives us miniature examples in the worldly life. You can notice how terrifying the effects of the earthquakes are; the collapse of the buildings, the destruction of the bridges, the crack of the roads, the fracture of the lands and the burial of people alive under the ruins. This is what happens when an earthquake which lasts for 4 or 6 seconds on the Richter scale occurs, so what will happen:"When the Event (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) befalls* And there can be no denying of its befalling* It will bring low (some); (and sh3er) it will exalt* When the earth will be shaken with a terrible shake* And the mountains will be powdered to dust."
Imagine how Himalayas which are over 9000 meters high will become floating dust particles:"And the mountains will be powdered to dust."
Mountains will become floating dust particles:
"So that they will become floating dust particles."
The dust particles can be seen when the sunlight comes into the room in winter and you are sweeping the ground, you will notice how the particles are stuck in the sunlight and are floating in the room. Thus, those high and huge mountains will become floating dust particles:
"When the earth will be shaken with a terrible shake* And the mountains will be powdered to dust* So that they will become floating dust particles"
These particles will be floating everywhere. Believe it or not, there is a mountain in the South of Damascus that is black, and for over forty years trucks have been filled with its black sand from it daily without affecting its shape. If you look at this mountain, you will see how its shape has never changed for all these years, so how will be the case if all these mountains become floating dust particles?"When the Event (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) befalls* And there can be no denying of its befalling* It will bring low (some); (and sh3er) it will exalt* When the earth will be shaken with a terrible shake* And the mountains will be powdered to dust* So that they will become floating dust particles."
They will become dust particles stuck in the air and floating everywhere.People will be in three kinds in the Day of Resurrection:
"And you (all) will be in three kinds (i.e. separate groups)."
We are in the worldly life classified into sects, races, nations and so on. There are sects and there are origins; the Anglo-Saxons, the Semitics, the Africans, etc. Also, there are producing people and consuming ones, and there are developed countries and developing ones. People are classified into categories according to the country they live in, the village or even the kinships they belong to. All these categories human beings are classified into; races, beliefs, sects, origins, etc, will be reduced into three kinds on the Day of Resurrection:
"And you (all) will be in three kinds (i.e. separate groups)* So those on the Right Hand (i.e. those who will be given their Records in their right hands), Who will be those on the Right Hand? (As a respect for them, because they will enter Paradise)* And those on the Left Hand (i.e. those who will be given their Record in their left hands), Who will be those on the Left Hand? (As a disgrace for them, because they will enter Hell)* And those foremost [(in Islamic Faith of Monotheism and in performing righteous deeds) in the life of this world on the very first call for to embrace Islam,] will be foremost (in Paradise)* These will be those nearest to Allah."
1- Those of the Right Hand:
Those of the Right Hand are people who are busy with fulfilling the lawful desires, but they are obedient to Allah the Exalted.
2- Those of the Left Hand:
Those of the Left Hand are people who deviate from Allah's Method and are extremely busy with satisfying the forbidden pleasures. The people on the Right Hand act upon Allah's Order and they fulfill the permitted desires, whereas people on the Left Hand deviate from Allah's Method and indulge in the forbidden desires.
3- The foremost:
The foremost are those of another kind. They sell themselves in Allah's Cause; their time, wealth, families, experiences, professions, travels and residence are all in Allah's Cause. They apply the saying, "O Allah I seek your closeness and contentment." They neither take any step to raise the anger of disbelievers nor inflict any injury upon an enemy but is written to their credit as a deed of righteousness:
"And those foremost [(in Islamic Faith of Monotheism and in performing righteous deeds) in the life of this world on the very first call for to embrace Islam,] will be foremost (in Paradise)."
The foremost will be those nearest to Allah:
Allah the exalted starts describing the foremost who are the outstanding and the top in society according to Allah's View not to people's views. There are those who are top in people's view and those who are top in Allah's, so those foremost are the top in society according to Allah's View. The greatest blessing they seek is becoming the nearest, but do you know to who? To the Creator of the universe.
"Verily, The Muttaqun (pious), will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers (Paradise)* In a seat of truth (i.e. Paradise), near the Omnipotent King (Allah, the All-Blessed, the Most High, the Owner of Majesty and Honour)."
If someone gets closer to a powerful person, he boasts about it, shows to people his closeness to that person and mentions the details of his meetings with him, his symposium and his visits. He is proud of that saying, ''I am a close friend to that man, I can enter his office without taking permission, I spend the evening with him, I travel with him'' and so on. If you know someone who is powerful or wealthy, you boast about him before people, so what do you think of those foremost who are the nearest to Allah?"These will be those nearest to Allah."
You all know that the essence of beauty is Allah the Exalted, so if you are one of those nearest to Allah, you will be the happiest person. Do we not say, "O Allah, send your peace and blessings on the happiest among us Muhammad"? He, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, is the happiest person ever. Being one of those nearest to Allah is the greatest bounty, triumph and success.The severest punishment is being veiled from Allah:
The severest punishment:
"Nay! Surely, they (evil-doers) will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day."
The greatest bounty is to be one of those nearest to Allah and the severest punishment is to be one of the veiled from Him:"And you (all) will be in three kinds (i.e. separate groups)* So those on the Right Hand (i.e. those who will be given their Records in their right hands), Who will be those on the Right Hand? (As a respect for them, because they will enter Paradise)* And those on the Left Hand (i.e. those who will be given their Record in their left hands), Who will be those on the Left Hand? (As a disgrace for them, because they will enter Hell)* And those foremost [(in Islamic Faith of Monotheism and in performing righteous deeds) in the life of this world on the very first call for to embrace Islam,] will be foremost (in Paradise)* These will be those nearest to Allah."
Dear brother, there are many people in the worldly life who you cannot get close to, and the way to be near to them is blocked. Therefore it is impossible to reach them.Getting nearer to Allah can only be achieved by obeying Him:
The Lord of Honor and Power, the Creator of universe and in whose Hand is the dominion of heavens and earth, is the Great Creator, yet He is near to you unlike the galaxy which is 300 thousand billion light years far from us:
"And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad PBUH) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor)."
Allah says:"So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness"
"These will be those nearest to Allah."
They are the nearest to Allah, and they have the means by which they get closer to Him. Hence, they are the nearest, and they can get nearer. You can get nearer to Allah by obeying Him:"Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. one of the Muttaqun]."
((A disheveled dusty man came to the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, so the Prophet welcomed him heartedly and warmly. He, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said to him, "Let me welcome the one whom Jibrael told me about his coming.'' The man asked: "Did Jibreal tell you about me?" The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said to him: "Yes, brother he did. You are a low profile person on earth but a beacon in Allah's Sight".))
We all have the means to get closer to Allah, irrespective of our status; rich, poor, dangerous, obscure, powerful, weak, healthy, sick, intelligent, less intelligent, etc. Whatever your position is, the key of drawing nearer to Allah is in your hands; obey Allah, and you will feel that you are close to Him.
The most sublime feeling is to feel that Allah loves you:
By Allah, if the believer performs a deed seeking by it Allah's Face, Allah will grant him a feeling that He loves him. The most sublime feeling on earth is to feel that Allah loves you:
"for verily, you are under Our Eyes."
As long as Allah is with you, fear none, but if He forsakes you, you lose all people. I forgot to mention a story in the symposium I had, but I think I told you about in one of my lessons. It is about a man from Port Sa'id in Egypt who was illiterate, but he had a strong will to be a scholar. He was 55 and very poor. Yet, he rode his donkey and headed to Cairo in order to learn in Al-Azhar. When he reached the outskirts of the city, he asked people, "Where is Al-Az'ar (he did not know how the name is spelled or pronounced)?", so people showed him the way to it. I am telling you the story just as one of the scholars of Damascus narrated it to me. The man started to learn reading and writing. Then, he was able to read the Quran, and he kept seeking the Islamic knowledge until he became the Sheikh of Al-Azhar. He died when he was 96, and his name is Zakariya Al-Ansari. Thus, the gate to get closer to Allah is open and can be reached; reauthor Allah's Book, learn the Shari'ah rulings, lower your gaze and give Sadaqah from your money. Keep in mind that Allah is the Rich One (do not be a miser).Whoever seeks knowledge Allah employs him for the sake of Truth:
I mentioned in one of my sermons a very dangerous Hadith:
((Wathala bin Al-Asqa', may Allah be pleased with him, reported: Allah's Messenger, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said, "He who seeks knowledge and attains it will have a double portion of reward. But if he does not attain it he will have a single portion of reward."))
This does not mean that you should stop working, absolutely not. You should work, but there is a difference between having a difficult job which requires working for many hours, and the income is little, and having a comfortable job which requires working for few hours, and the income is huge. When you seek knowledge, Almighty Allah grants you enough time to acquire it, and He hires you for the sake of Truth. Whoever seeks knowledge, Allah makes him say the truth, be effective to people and gather people around him. Knowledge is very precious.
The greatest bounty man can be given is being with Allah:
Dear brother, the foremost will be those nearest to Allah, and the means to be nearest to Allah is in your hands:
"So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord." "
"These will be those nearest to Allah."
This closeness to Allah is accompanied with:"In the Gardens of delight (Paradise)."
When you are invited to a feast, there may be expensive dishes, but the warm welcoming and hospitality is more important than the food itself. There are intimacy and food, so the best situation is when food is accompanied with intimacy:
"These will be those nearest to Allah* In the Gardens of delight (Paradise)."
The most precious bounty is to be with Allah, and this bounty is accompanied with being in the Gardens of Paradise. How can anyone sacrifice this closeness and permanent delight for this mortal worldly life which pleases none?The Companions used to give sh3er preference over themselves:
However, those foremost and those nearest to Allah are:
"A multitude of those (foremost) will be from the first generations (who embraced Islam)* And a few of those (foremost) will be from the later time (generations)."
Some of the scholars of the interpretation of the Noble Quran said, "All the Umam (nations ) who lived before the Ummah of Muhammad, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, are the multitude, and those who believed in Allah's Messenger and followed his method are the few". Yet, the scholars of the Schools of Thought, (Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Ash-Shafi'i, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad) said, "The multitude is the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, and believed in him, and the few are the believers who come in the end of times." This interpretation is nearer to the meaning of the Ayah.The Companions of the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, were many, and each one of them was as strong as 1.000 men. How strange it is! 10.000 Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, opened the whole world, while we are about one billion and two hundred million Muslims, are oppressed and controlled by sh3er, and we do not have the upper hand. There is a big difference between the Companions of the Allah's Messenger, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, and us. They were heroes, they were worshippers at night and knights during the day, they feared Allah Alone and they gave sh3er (the emigrant) preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that.
Our Master Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, had about 6.00 cargos of the most expensive goods carried by camels, which are equal to 6.00 trucks nowadays. When the merchants wanted to buy some of them, they paid double the price and more than that, but he said, "I was paid more than double the price for my goods, but Allah the Exalted promised to give me for each Hasanah (good deed) ten like it. Thus, these goods are for Muslims." They are about 6.00 trucks, yet this noble Companion, may Allah be pleased with him, gave them to Muslims.
"These will be those nearest to Allah* In the Gardens of delight (Paradise)* A multitude of those (foremost) will be from the first generations (who embraced Islam)* And a few of those (foremost) will be from the later time (generations)."
It means that the honest ones in the later ages will be few.The reward of the nearest to Allah the Exalted:
1- They will be on thrones Reclining thereon, face to face:
Those nearest:
"(They will be) on thrones woven with gold and precious stones,"
These thrones contain precious stones and metals such as gold and silver:
"(They will be) on thrones woven with gold and precious stones* Reclining thereon, face to face."
They find peace of mind there; they have no worries, and the people of Paradise are at the highest level. Man is pleased when he is with those who are like him; the people of Paradise are all good, pure and outstanding. They recline face to face.
2- In Paradise, they will be served by immortal boys:
"They will be served by immortal boys,"
Whoever has children knows this fact; the little child looks like an angel. He has a smiley face and an innocent soul. Also, he has a spontaneous nature and a sense of intimacy. The little child is so lovely, and in Paradise there are immortal little boys:"They will be served by immortal boys* With cups, and jugs, and a glass from the flowing wine* Wherefrom they will get neither any aching of the head, nor any intoxication."
3- They won't be moved away from the food:
It means that they won't be moved away from food. Suppose that some people are presented expensive dishes, but out of sudden they receive an order which they have to do. They will get away from the dishes, because they no more have the appetite to eat even though they want to test the food presented to them. Listen to the following precise description:
"Wherefrom they will get neither any aching of the head, nor any intoxication."
The food will never stop from being presented to them, nor will they be moved away from it:
"They will be served by immortal boys,"
Those boys never grow up. As long as the boy is little, he is lovely, but when he grows up, his voice becomes rough, and he sometimes becomes rude, behaves foolishly, exceeds his limits; he becomes impolite with his parents. Therefore, they wish he could remain a little child. Those boys are little forever:"With cups, and jugs, and a glass from the flowing wine* Wherefrom they will get neither any aching of the head, nor any intoxication."
4- They will have the best fruit:
The best fruit will be presented to them:
"And fruit; that they may choose* And the flesh of fowls that they desire* And (there will be) Houris (fair females) with wide, lovely eyes (as wives for the pious)* Like unto preserved pearls."
They are like the untouched pearls:"Like unto preserved pearls* A reward for what they used to do."
The reward of the good deeds is Paradise:
Going to the Masjid, spending from what you earn by your own effort on the poor and the needy, helping a brother get what he needs, supporting someone weak, feeding a poor one, raising an orphan, taking care of a needy, giving advice to a powerful one, enjoining Ma'ruf and forbidding Munkar, applying the truth, reciting Allah's Book, remembering Allah and helping your brother in faith are all good deeds whose reward is:
"And fruit; that they may choose* And the flesh of fowls that they desire* And (there will be) Houris (fair females) with wide, lovely eyes (as wives for the pious)* Like unto preserved pearls."
5- There will be Houris like pearls for them:
These are some of the characteristics of the females there, and I do not want to go into details about them. I just would like to explain how their eyes look; they are wide open and very dark. The word “Hour” is the color of the eyes in which the contrast between the whiteness of the oviparous and the darkness of the irises is very beautiful, which is a standard of beauty according to Arabs. They have the most beautiful eyes:"Like unto preserved pearls"
Pearls have the color of diamonds, which is the most beautiful color:
"A reward for what they used to do."
The believer sees how people of Paradise are respectful:
In your daily life, you may hear people arguing in the street and badmouthing each other, so you get upset with their words. You hear someone swears the other one using dirty words which you feel ashamed of, and you can never utter before your children. In Paradise, on the other hand, no bad word is heard:
"No Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk) will they hear therein, nor any sinful speech (like backbiting, etc.)."
Even the trivial talk will not be heard there. Also, there will be no sinful speech, such as backbiting, gossip, mockery or shameful dirty jokes. The talk is very refined and respectful in Paradise:
"No Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk) will they hear therein, nor any sinful speech (like backbiting, etc.)* But only the saying of: Salam!, Salam! (greetings with peace)!"
6- They will hear the kindest words:
They will hear the kindest and nicest words. This is the talk of the People of Paradise; those foremost, the nearest to Allah and the ones who will live in the everlasting Paradise.
The second rank in Paradise is for those on the Right Hand:
"And those on the Right Hand, - Who will be those on the Right Hand?"
They are at the second rank. Those people are the ones who do what is permitted for them to do, and they obey the Lord of heavens and earth. For instance, they dedicate part of their time to religion, but the most important thing to them is their business, job, household, luxury and journeys. Whoever belongs to this group fears Allah and seeks the Hereafter; he prays, fasts, performs Hajj, pays Zakat and is religiously disciplined, but he does nothing more than that. He is satisfied with the acts of worship or the good deeds he performs, and he implements the saying, "Divide your time between Your Lord and yourself." It is enough for this group of people to enter Paradise.1- In this Paradise there will be thornless lote-trees and banana-trees:
"(They will be) among thornless lote-trees,"
Things which will be found there exist in Badiayh (desert); lote-trees are called an-nabq-trees which have thorns, but they will be thornless in Paradise:
"Among Talh (banana-trees) with fruits piled one above another,"
Banana-trees will be piled one above another.
2- The shade in Paradise is long-extended:
"In shade long-extended,"A man may have a farm where there is shade, but it lasts for two hours only, and the sunlight comes in it. Unlike this shade, the one in Paradise is long-extended and permanent.
3- There will be water flowing constantly:
"By water flowing constantly,"
There will be flowing water"And fruit in plenty,* Whose season is not limited, and their supply will not be cut off,"
Sometimes the season when a certain kind of fruit grows is over, so even if you are rich and can buy it, you will not be able to, and sometimes the fruit is available but you cannot afford it. In the worldly life, the fruit is either not available or unaffordable, whereas in Paradise the fruit is in plenty; whose season is not limited, and their supply will not be cut off. People there can choose whatever they want.4- There are couches to rest on raised high:
"And on couches or thrones, raised high."
The couches where they will rest on are raised high to indicate the honor they will be granted."Verily, We have created them (maidens) of special creation."
There are two groups of ‘Houris’ in Paradise:
There are two groups of ‘Houris’: the first group includes those who are created for the first time, and the other group includes the female believers of the worldly life who will be recreated of the best stature. A woman who is not that pretty may look at herself in the mirror and say, "Why did Allah create me like this?" If you know Allah and obey Him, you will be the most beautiful woman in Paradise according to the high standards there. The female believer who knows Allah and acts upon His Order realizes that the worldly life is mortal, while the Hereafter is immortal. She may ask herself why she does not look like the other women, because she thinks that she is less attractive than them, but since she knows Her Lord in the worldly life, she will be recreated to be one of the most beautiful women. Hence, Houris are of two groups: one is created for the first time, and another is recreated, because the women it includes are the female believers in the worldly life.
Those on the Right Hand are honored by having wives equal in age:
"Verily, We have created them (maidens) of special creation* And made them virgins* Loving (their husbands only), equal in age."
The wife who does not care for her husband or does not give him what he wants when they are in bed, is abhored by the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him. Among the characteristics of the believing wife is that she wears the Islamic Hijab, and she is willing to do what her husband asks her to do (she does not refuse her husband's request whenever he asks her to have sexual intercourse with her). The wife in Paradise will be of equal age to her husband; she is mature physically and mentally speaking. Someone may get married to a little girl who always asks him to buy her chocolates, because she is immature, and she is preoccupied with playing with dolls. The husband gets bored with the little wife because she is immature, and if she is old he would say: "She is as old as my mother."
"Loving (their husbands only), equal in age* For those on the Right Hand."
They love their husbands only, and they are equal to them in age. The husband is pleased when his wife has the same educational and social level as his. She can help him act upon Allah's Order. Such honor is granted to those on the Right Hand.The rejoicing and honor of those on the Right:
"And those on the Right Hand, - Who will be those on the Right Hand?"
How happy and honorable they will be before Allah's Sight!"(They will be) among thornless lote-trees,"
Notice: among thornless lote-trees."Among Talh (banana-trees) with fruits piled one above another,"
There will be banana-trees which will be piled one above another:
"In shade long-extended, By water flowing constantly,"
There will be flowing water:"And fruit in plenty,* Whose season is not limited, and their supply will not be cut off* And on couches or thrones, raised high. Verily, We have created them (maidens) of special creation* And made them virgins* Loving (their husbands only), equal in age* For those on the Right Hand."
Those on the Right Hand are many:
Those on the Right Hand:
"A multitude of those (on the Right Hand) will be from the first generation (who embraced Islam)* And a multitude of those (on the Right Hand) will be from the later times (generations)."
They are many, while those foremost are few. Those on the Right Hand include those who perform good deeds, so that they are great in number, but those who sell themselves for Allah's Sake are the foremost, and they are few. Man should be ambitious while seeking the Hereafter (he should work to be one of the foremost). We come to the following Ayah:"And those on the Left Hand Who will be those on the Left Hand?"
Let us stop at the people of Paradise and leave those on the Left Hand for the next lesson.
