The
inheritance of Paradise
Abū Huraira
said that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم)said:
“Whoever fears (Allāh) sets out at nightfall,[1] and whoever
sets out at nightfall will reach the goal. Indeed, the goods
of Allāh are expensive; indeed, the goods of Allāh is
Paradise.”[2]
Shaykh al-Albānī comments:
“The meaning of this is that there is a price for entering
Paradise and that entering it does not happen by feeling
safe (from the plan of Allāh) and at-tawākul (not taking any
means and saying ‘Allāh will provide for me’), but rather it
happens by (doing) righteous deeds and at-tawakkul (taking
the means and putting one’s trust) in Allāh, the Blessed and
Most High; as Allāh, the Might and Majestic, said: ‘And say
(O Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)): ‘Do deeds! Allāh will see
your deeds, and (so will) His Messenger.’’[3]
And in this hadīth, there is an indication of the noble āyah
that says: ‘This is the Paradise which you have been made to
inherit because of your deeds which you used to do (in the
life of the world),’[4] and in the other āyah: ‘Enter you
Paradise because of that (the good) which you used to do (in
the world).’[5] And here, it occurs to many students who
have some participation in studying the Sunnah, as they read
or at least hear the statement of the Messenger (of Allāh) (صلى
الله عليه وسلم) which is established in the sahīhayn[6] that
he said: “‘None of you will enter Paradise by his (good)
deeds, but rather by the Favor of Allāh and His Mercy.’ They
said, ‘Not even you O Messenger of Allāh?’ He said, ‘Not
even myself, unless Allāh encompasses me with His Favor and
His Mercy.’”[7] So it seems that there is a contradiction
between this hadīth and the previous āyah along with our
hadīth in this book of ours where (the Prophet) (صلى الله
عليه وسلم) said: ‘Indeed, the goods of Allāh are expensive;
indeed, the goods of Allāh is Paradise.’ Hence, there is a
price (that one must pay) for Paradise and the two previous
āyāt indicate that the price of Paradise is righteous deeds,
and there is no doubt that good deeds do not benefit the one
who does them at all except if he is truly a believer in
Allāh and His Messenger. So therefore, the price of Paradise
is īmān (faith) and righteous deeds. Then how does one
reconcile between these three texts – this reality that we
learned from our hadīth tonight, ‘Indeed, the goods of Allāh
are expensive’ and from the two previous āyāt – and between
this hadīth: ‘None of you will enter Paradise by his (good)
deeds, but rather by the Favor of Allāh and His Mercy’?
The reconciliation between (these two) is that… that which
is negated in the last hadīth ‘None of you will enter
Paradise by his (good) deeds’ is one thing and that which is
confirmed in the āyah ‘Enter you Paradise because of that
(the good) which you used to do (in the world)’ is something
else. That which is established in the āyah and the like is
merely the entrance (into Paradise), i.e., the key to
Paradise, as mentioned in some narrations from Wahb bin
Munabbih in Sahīh al-Bukhārī: ‘…the key to Paradise is lā
ilāha illAllāh (none has the right to be worshiped but Allāh).’[8]
So the key to Paradise is this īmān (faith) and righteous
deeds. But, if this Muslim enters Paradise and he enjoys in
it, as mentioned in some authentic narrations, that which
‘no eye has seen, no ear has heard and (that which) has not
come to the mind of a human being,’[9] then this type of
enjoyment is not by means of a price that this enjoyer
presented, but rather (it is) by the Favor of Allāh, the
Mighty and Majestic, and His Mercy.
So the price of merely entering (into Paradise) is īmān
(faith) and righteous deeds. As for, part of the specific
nature of enjoyment in Paradise which we pointed to
previously – there is in it what ‘no eye has seen, no ear
has heard and (what) has not come to the mind of a human
being’ – then there is no price for this; it is impossible
for a price to be determined for it. Why?
It has been mentioned in Sahīh Muslim from the hadīth of ʽAbdullāh
bin Masʽūd (may Allāh be pleased with him) that the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:[10] ‘Indeed, I know the last man
to come out from the Fire and the last man to enter
Paradise. A man will come out of the Fire crawling.’ The
meaning of this is that he comes out of the Fire being the
most punished in it from the Muslims, and he comes out
destroyed, exhausted (and) fatigued. Therefore, he is not
able to walk straight as Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic,
created him. But rather, he crawls until his life returns to
him and his limbs are energetic and active. So he walks in
this manner until Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, shows
him a very great tree from far such that he is captivated by
its beauty and splendor. And he wished for the Favor of
Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, and His Mercy after He saved
him from the His severe punishment. Thus, he says: ‘O my
Lord! Bring me to this tree so that I may be shaded by its
shade, eat from its fruit[11] and drink from its water.’
Then Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, says, while having more
knowledge of His slave: ‘Would you ask me for other than
it?’ (The man) says: ‘No O Lord, I will not ask you for
other than it.’ So Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, brings
him to that tree such that he is shaded by its shade, eats
from its fruit and drinks from its water. Then, he continues
on his way toward Paradise. Meanwhile, another tree appears
to him which is more radiant, more beautiful and greater
than the first one. So he hopes again and wishes more and
more for the Favor of Allāh, so he asks Him and says: ‘O my
Lord! Bring me to this tree’- and repeats the previous
saying, then he is shaded by its shade and so on. Then Allāh,
the Mighty and Majestic, says: ‘Would you ask me for other
than it?’ (The man) says: ‘I will not ask you for other than
it,’ while (Allāh) is more knowledgeable of him; our Lord
knows that he will wish and wish until he enters Paradise.
So He brings him to that tree such that he is shaded by its
shade, eats from its fruit[12] and drinks from its water.
Then, he continues on his way until he comes near the door
of Paradise such that part of its refreshment, scent and joy
come to him and he hears the voices of the people of
Paradise. Thus, he says: ‘O my Lord! Let me enter Paradise,’
and maybe he says ‘Let me enter past the door of Paradise.’
So Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, says: ‘Enter Paradise,
and there is for you the like of the world and ten times as
much.’ So, the slave – almost not believing in the like of
this divine favor when (Allāh) says to him ‘there is for you
in Paradise the like of the world and ten times as much’ –
says: ‘Are you mocking me while you are the Lord?’ And here,
the narrator of the hadīth laughed, who was ʽAbdullāh bin
Masʽūd as we mentioned. So he was asked by the one to whom
he was narrating this hadīth: ‘Why did you laugh?’ He said:
‘Because when the Messenger (of Allāh) (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
narrated the statement of the slave to His Lord ‘Are you
mocking me while you are the Lord,’ he (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
had also laughed.’ They had asked the Messenger (of Allāh) (صلى
الله عليه وسلم) himself (about his reason for laughing), so
he said: ‘Because Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, laughed at
His slave when he said ‘Are you mocking me while you are the
Lord.’
What is clear from the hadīth is that this person is the
last to come out from the Fire and the last to enter
Paradise, and he will have the like of the world and ten
times as much. So does this destroyed person, who was the
last to come out of the Fire, deserve this vast dominion in
Paradise for his (good) deeds? No, this is by the Favor of
Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, and His Mercy…
Thus, if we regard this detailed explanation, the
contradiction disappears between this hadīth and the two
āyāt. And this is one of the many examples in which some
contradiction appears to some people, even the sincere ones
amongst them, between some texts, whether from the Qurʽān
and Sunnah or from each of them individually. So, the Muslim
must not be hasty and he must reflect on both texts, and if
the way for reconciling between the two is not possible for
him, he (should) ask the one who is above him, as our Lord,
the Blessed and Most High, said: ‘So ask the people of the
Reminder if you do not know.’”[13]
~ asaheeha translations ~
[1] Shaykh al-Albānī explains: “i.e., he is headed for good
and righteous deeds early, and he hastens to do them.”
[2] Sahīh at-Tirmidhī #2450
[3] Sūrat ut-Tawbah, 9:105
[4] Sūrat uz-Zukhruf, 43:72
[5] Sūrat un-Nahl, 16:32
[6] the two sahīhs, i.e. Sahīh al-Bukhārī and Sahīh Muslim
[7] Sahīh al-Bukhārī #5673, Sahīh Muslim #2816
[8] Sahīh al-Bukhārī Book 23, Chapter 1
[9] Sahīh al-Bukhārī #4779
[10] the following includes the narrations of Sahīh Muslim
#186 and #187, in addition to the Shaykh’s commentary
[11] the wording, “eats from its fruit,” is found in Sahīh
aj-Jāmiʽ #1557 and attributed to the second tree
[12] the wording, “eats from its fruit,” is found in Sahīh
aj-Jāmiʽ #1557
[13] Sūrat ul-Ambiyā, 21:7 ~ |