A Glimpse of Paradise - II

13/04/2016| IslamWeb

The greatest pleasure of the dwellers of Paradise will be the sight of their Lord. When the dwellers of Paradise see Him, they will forget everything, including all the types of pleasure that they had previously enjoyed.

The bounty of seeing Allah in Paradise is one of its distinct features, and is a means of Allah The Almighty honoring its dwellers:

{“[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant, Looking at their Lord.”} [Quran, 75: 22-23]
Meaning that the faces of the believers will be beautified and joyful as a result of their looking at the Face of their Lord, as was stated by Imam Al-Hasan .

Allah The Almighty also Says: {“For them who have done good is the best [reward] — and extra…”} [Quran, 10: 26] The 'best reward' in this verse refers to Paradise, and the 'extra' is to be given permission to look at the Face of Allah. The Prophet clarified in the following narration: Suhayb, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: “The Messenger of Allah said: “When the inhabitants of Paradise enter it, Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, will say to them: `Do you wish for me to give you anything more?' They will reply: `Have You not made our faces bright? Have You not brought us into Paradise and delivered us from Hell?' Then, Allah will remove the Veil (that screens Him from the believers); the (dwellers of Paradise) will then feel that they have not been awarded anything dearer to them than looking at their Lord.” [Muslim] Then he recited the verse (i.e., the twenty-sixth verse of Chapter Yoonus).”

Having known the greatest bounty and pleasure which the dwellers of Paradise will attain is looking at the Face of their Lord, it becomes evident how deprived the sinners are and how great their loss is. They will be prevented from seeing the Face of their Lord, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {“No! Indeed, from their Lord, that Day, they will be partitioned”} [Quran, 83: 15]

Reward for women in Paradise

Allah The Almighty clarifies (what means): {“And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer - those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even by as much as] the speck on a date seed.”} [Quran, 4: 124] This reflects the kindness of Allah The Almighty and informs us that He will deal fairly and equally with both males and females in terms of accepting their good deeds; He will not wrong anyone by even an amount as small as the 'speck' on the date seed, which is a reference to the very fine membrane that covers it.

In this verse, Allah The Almighty informs women specifically that He will not wrong them, provided they fulfil the condition in it (which means): {“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer— We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”} [Quran, 16: 97] Imaam Ibn Katheer said, “This is a promise from Allah to anyone from the children of Aadam, whether male or female, who perform good deeds, which (of course) are those deeds that are in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger and who perform them whilst their hearts believe in Allah and His Messenger, that they will live a good life.”

If women still doubt their reward in the Hereafter, then the following narration ought to put their mind at ease. Umm ‘Umaarah, may Allah be pleased with her, went to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Why are women not mentioned in the Quran as much as men are?” So Allah The Almighty revealed the verse (which means): {“Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so – for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.”} [Quran, 33: 35] [At-Tirmithi]