Servants could prepare the cost of paradise through 'Tasbih'

ا إِلَهَ إِلاّ أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ وَبِحَمْدِكَ

There is no deity but You! Glory be to You, and Yours is the Praise!

The phrase 'There is no deity but You' is termed Tahlil, 'Glory be to You' is labeled Tasb¢¦, and 'Praise is Yours' is called Tahmid.

If someone utters Tahlil while he believes in it sincerely and wholeheartedly, removing any other deity from his thought and life, he is a real monotheist. He would then be safeguarded by Allah and away from worldly and heavenly defamation. Such a servant would therefore be sent to Paradise on the Last Day, while Allah is content with him, the angles love him and the prophets, the righteous, and the martyrs are his companions.

The reality of Tahlil is realized when human becomes aware of Allah's Divine Attributes and Glorious Names via the Holy Qur’¡n, the teachings of the prophets, especially Prophet Mu¦ammad and his Household (a.s). He is pure of impurities, attempts in fulfilling the obligations, and sincerely serves Allah's servants.

By following this path human soul and body confesses Allah's uniqueness and call out:

Be aware that everything is fictitious except Allah and every blessing is certainly temporary.

Indeed is there any dweller in the world of existence to be worshipped and asked for sustenance? Is there any one except Him to solve the problems, remove calamities, forgive the sins, and conceal the wicked acts?

The remembrance of Allah by Tahlil, Tasb¢¦, and Tahmid is in fact appropriate for this section of Kumayl supplication, as the supplicant, knowing his poorness and weakness, and confessing to his sins states that: I found no one to forgive my sins and conceal my wicked acts. Because he knows well that this is only possible by Allah's Power.

The Cost of Paradise

The servant who sincerely utters Tahlil and practically denies any other deity except Allah would certainly obey and worship Allah and no one else. Such a servant is preparing the cost of paradise, while placing himself in the secure fort of the Compassionate.

Imam al-Riza (a.s) has narrated from his noble ancestors who have narrated from the Messenger of Allah who cited from the Almighty:

لاَ إلَهَ إلاّ اللهُ حِصْنِي؛ فَمَنْ دَخَلَ حِصْنِي أمِنَ مِنْ عَذَابِي.

Taw¦¢d (Unity of Allah) is My Fort, so whoever comes to My Fort would be secured from My chastisement.[1]

The Messenger of Allah (s.a) said:

مَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ أنْعَمَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ إلاّ الجَنَّةَ.

The reward of one to whom Allah has granted the blessing of Taw¦¢d is not but Paradise.[2]

مَنْ مَاتَ وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ أنَّ اللهَ حَقٌّ دَخَلَ الجَنَّةَ.

One who dies while he knows that Allah is indeed the Truth, would enter Paradise.[3]

Imam Sadiq (a.s):

قَوْلُ لاَ إلَهَ إلاّ اللهُ ثَمَنُ الجَنَّةِ.

The cost of Paradise is the sincere uttering of ‘There is no deity but Allah’.[4]

Moreover, he said:

مَنْ قَالَ لاَ إلَهَ إلا ّ اللهُ مُخْلِصاً دَخَلَ الجَنَّةَ؛ وَإخْلاَصُهُ أنْ تَحْجِزَهُ لاَ إلَهَ إلاّ اللهُ عَمَّا حَرَّمَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

One who confesses to the Unity of Allah sincerely would enter Paradise and his sincerity makes him away from what Allah has declared unlawful.[5]

A man came to the fifth infallible Imam, Imam al-B¡qir (a.s) and asked about the Prophet's tradition about the cost of Paradise. Imam (a.s) said: “It is true.” That man returned from the house of Imam al-B¡qir (a.s), but then the Imam ordered to return him back to the house. Then he stated:

There are some conditions for Taw¦¢d and I, the infallible Imam selected by Allah and obeying me is obligatory in every aspect, am among its conditions.[6]

Anyway the only way for human salvation is belief in Taw¦¢d (Allah's Unity) and its conditions. In other words, when human knows Allah as the only deity Who possesses and gives sustenance to anything in the world, and confesses to it verbally, accepting the prophet hood of the prophets and the Imamate of the infallible Imams, as well as the Holy Qur’¡n, he has for sure resorted to the only salvation key.

After confessing to the Unity of Allah every good act of human's would be accepted, and if he does something wicked, he would be forgiven after regret and repentance. Without Taw¦¢d, however, no good deed is accepted and even the tiniest sins are not forgiven.

If the believers in Allah's Unity get subject to chastisement in the Hereafter for wrongdoing, they would then be saved for the blessing of Taw¦¢d. Important traditions have been cited in authentic tradition books, one of which is narrated here.

The Prophet of Islam (s.a) said to Gabriel, the angel of revelation, the nearest to Allah: Describe the Inferno for me. Gabriel described its residents and positions one by one until the first position and then kept silent. The Prophet (s.a) asked Gabriel: Who are the residents of the Hell's first position? He answered: “The chastisement of them is easier than that of other positions' residents, who are the sinners from your nation. The Prophet (s.a) said: Will anyone from my nation go to the Hell? The nearest angel said: Those who have committed major sins without repenting.

The Prophet (s.a) began crying and continued to do so for three complete days. His daughter Hadrat Zahra (s.a) came to visit him on the fourth day who found him putting his face on the ground and crying so hard that the sol under his face had turned to mud. She asked him the reason. The Prophet (s.a) replied: Because the Trustee angel has informed me that the first floor of the Inferno is resided by the sinners from my nation. Hadrat Fatima (s.a) said: Did you ask Gabriel how the sinners would be taken to the Hell? His honorable father answered: Yes! He said the sinner men and women are held by their hair and taken to the Hell. Then as they approach the Hell and see its agent they would cry out and ask him to let them cry for their misery. When the Hell agent allows them to do so they weep as long as there remains no tears in their eyes, then they would shed tears of blood instead. The agent would say: You'd better had such a cry in the world for the fear of today's account.

Afterwards, the agent of the Inferno takes them to the Hell. The sinners would cry: “l¡-il¡ha ill¡ all¡hu” so the fire recedes from them saying: How can I cover these sinners when they have confessed to Allah's Unity. The agent orders the fire to cover them, but the Almighty addresses: Do not burn their faces since they have prostrated to worship Me and do not burn their hearts because they have bore thirst in Ramadan. So they would remain in the Inferno as long as Allah wills. Then Gabriel is asked of the Muslim sinners' state. The Hell agent shows them to Gabriel. They would observe Gabriel in a pleasant way and would ask his identity. They are answered: He is the angel who brought Mu¦ammad (s.a) revelations in the world. Hearing the Prophet's name, the captives of the Hell would cry: Greet the Prophet (s.a) for us and tell him that the Muslim sinners are in the Hell.

Gabriel would deliver their message to Prophet Mu¦ammad (s.a). He would then prostrate for Allah and ask Him to forgive those sinners for his sake. The Prophet (s.a) would be replied: I forgave them for your sake. So the Prophet would take them out of Hell, while they resemble firewood. Then he would take them into 'Ein Al-Hayat to drink from its water and wash their inner and apparent impurities. On their forheads this phrase is depicted: Liberated from the Fire by the Compassionate.

When they are brought to Paradise, its residents show then to each other saying: These are liberated from the Hell.

The liberated ones would say: O Lord! You had Mercy on us and brought us into Paradise, now remove this sign from our foreheads. So Allah would accept their request and remove their foreheads' signs.”

Tasbih

Tasb¢¦ means considering Allah as purified from any fault or wickedness. It is in fact confessing to Allah's infinite perfections.

Talha Ibn `Abdull¡h says: I asked the Messenger of Allah about the exegesis of “sub¦¡nall¡hi (Glory be to Allah).” He said:

تَنْزِيهُ اللهِ مِنْ كُلِّ عَيْبٍ.

It is regarding Allah as pure of any faults.[7]

Amir Al-Mu'minin Imam `Ali (a.s) was asked about the exegesis of the same phrase. He said:

It is regarding Allah as Grand and purified of what every disbeliever ascribes to Him. When a servant confesses to this sincerely, all the angels praise him.[8]

Many of the verses in the Holy Qur’¡n introduce all the world beings as praising Allah:

وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَكِنْ لاَ تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ.

There is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification. (17:44)

The reason why Tasb¢¦ is mentioned in this part of the supplication may be that since the servant has declared his wrongdoing, which keeps him away from his nearness to Allah, the best way for being delivered is glorifying Allah. So it is the very position to praise Allah, so that He would save Him from the darkness and bring him to His own nearness position. When the Prophet Jonah (a.s) was entangled in the darkness of the fish belly in the dark night:

فَنَادَى فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ أَنْ لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنْ الظَّالِمِينَ. فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنْ الْغَمِّ وَكَذَلِكَ نُنْجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ.

So he called out in the darkness: There is no god but Thou; glory be to Thee. Surely I have been a wrong-doer. So We responded to him and delivered him from the grief and thus do We deliver the believers. (21:87-88)

The author of exegesis book Minh¡j Al-¯¡diqin, explaining about this verse, has narrated the Prophet (s.a) who said:

مَا مِنْ مَكْرُوبٍ يَدْعُو بِهَذا الدُّعَاءِ إلاّ اسْتُجِيبَ لَهُ.

There is no grief-stricken who recites this verse, but his supplication would be accepted.[9]

Imam Sadiq (a.s) has narrated from Amir Al-Mu'minin (a.s):

Tasbih fulls the scale of deeds from rewards.[10]

`All¡mah Majlis¢ in his excellent book, Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r, has narrated a valuable tradition about glorifying Allah: “When something made the Prophet (s.a) happy, he used to say: Praise be to Allah for this! And when some occurrence grieved him, he said

in all states!”[11]