By : Sayyid Abdul Husain Dastghaib
God says: Wa Li Man…Aftaan (Surah Rahman 55:46-47) which means: The one who fears of standing in front of his Lord (that is for the accouting in Qiyamat as mentioned earlier and who will not have sinned will get two gardens in paradise wherein will be all kinds of bounties and various vegetables, flowers and fruits.
Allamah Majlisi (r.a.) has quoted this hadith of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.): If a woman comes down from paradise in the world in a dark night, her scent will make the people of the entire world feel extremely happy.
Imam Sadiq (a.s.) is reported to have said that the scent of paradise reaches upto a distance of a thousand years long journey. It is also mentioned that the earth (dust) of paradise is musk. It is also understood from several narrations that the ground and walls and everything in paradise are fragrant.
Light In Paradise
The Lord Almighty says: Laa Ya Raw Na…Zamhareera. (Surah Dhar: 13) which means people in paradise will not see sun and its heat nor will they experience cold and chill, that is, they will dwell in a moderate atmosphere. They will not require sun or its heat. Rather their own Noor (light) of faith and good deeds will be enough for them as has been mentioned earlier.
It is also mentioned that the light or radiance of Hoors will surpass the light of sun. It is also mentioned in many narrations that the dress and vessels and everything in paradise will be giving off light or noor.
Songs And Voices In Paradise
The bounties of various kinds which we see in this world and so also all the good tastes and feelings are but only an atom of what is available in the paradise. This applies to good sound and voice too. The best and perfect of it all is found in paradise only. If even a single song of paradise is made to be heard in this world the residents of this world will not be able to hear it and they will die. The voice of the Prophet Dawood (a.s.) is well known as called as Lahne Dawudi. Though it voiced was in this world none was able to bear it. When he was reciting Zaboor (Psalms) different kinds of animals used to gather around him and were fainting together and some even died.
Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) And The Singing Hoories Of Paradise
Describing the events of messengers (a.s.) Amirul Momineen (a.s.) says in one of his speeches in Nahjul Balagha: Wa Dawood… meaning: Hazrat Dawood will be holding Mazmir (musical instrument) in Paradise and he will be the reciter in paradise. It means that he will make the people of paradise hear his qiraat or recitation. Of course it will be a melodious song of paradise sand those in paradise will have the ability to hear it.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) is reported to have been quoted in Majmaul Bayan: The best of the songs of paradise will be those sung by the hoories for pleasing their husbands. Their voice will be so wonderfully pleasing that none before would have ever heard like it. But it will not be in the tune of musical instruments. But they will be based on the glorification and praising of the Lord of the universe Only One God.
Reward Of Discarding Singing In This World
It is mentioned in narrations that the birds of paradise will sing in the best of voices. People once asked Imam Sadiq (a.s): Will there be music and songs in the paradise? He replied: There is a tree in paradise. God will order the winds of paradise to move. It will make the tree give out various kinds of songs. The sounds will be such as never heard by anyone in this world from neither any singer or any musical instrument. Then the Hazrat said: This is the reward of discarding music and songs for fear of God in this world.
Spiritual Favours And Tastes
There also will be various kinds of spiritual bounties to imagine which is beyond our power of understanding. One of them is that veils will be lifted off the eyes, that is, what we had only known to exist will be here witnessed by eyes. What one had wished to know from Divine Truths, one will gain it here, especially the sight of and meet with Muhammad and Aale Muhammad (a.s.).
In Tafsee-e-Saafi, it is written for explaining the Holy verse: Wa Aqba ka… (Surah Saffat: 27) that the people of paradise will discuss matters about knowledge and Grace of God and the Holy Prophet with one anther.
Among all other bounties will also be the respect and honour granted by God. For example, every one who will be fortunate to enter paradise will, by his intercession, keep his parents and wives and children with him, provided they had died with faith and were entitled for paradise.
This will be as a respect to the true faithful, though his parents and wives and children etc were not entitled to the high status. Hence the Lord of the universe says in the Holy Quran: Jannaatu adn…Zurriyyaatihim. (Surah Ra'd 13: 23).
Translation: Everlasting gardens in which they will enter and also the virtuous among their fathers and forefathers and wives and children.
Greetings By Angels And The Honour Of Communicating With The Lord Of Universe
When the righteous people will reach their respective places in paradise. God Almighty will appoint one thousand angels for visiting them. They will give them greetings. There will be a palace for the Momin and that palace will have a thousand doors. There will be an angel at every door to salute the faithfuls.
Wal Malaaikatu…baab (Surah Ibid: 23-24)
The highest honour available to the faithful will be the honour of communicating with the Lord of the universe. There are many narrations in this respect. But what is mentioned by the Lord in Surah Ya Sin of the Holy Quran is sufficient that: Salaam…Raheem.
In tafseer Minhajus Sadiqeen a narration of Jabir bin Abdullah has been quoted according to which the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has said that the people of paradise will be drowing (fully enjoying) in the bounties of gardens when a Noor (Radiance) will suddenly flash on then giving out a voice As Salaam Alaikum Yaa Ahlal Jannah. Hence it is said that all those bounties which were available only to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) in the world, including having a word with the Almighty Lord, will be made available, to the people of paradise also in the Hereafter.
There are detailed narrations (traditions) about the divine lights in volume two of Biharul Anwar, one of them being Muqaam-e-Rizwan which is mentioned in the Holy Quran too: Yubash Shirhum…Rizwan. (Surah Taubah 9:21) as well as Wa Rizwan…Akbar. (Surah Ibid: 72).
Joining Of The Faithfuls With The Neighbours Of The Holy Prophet And The Members Of The Holy Progeny (a.s.)
Among all other bounties of paradise is the neighbourhood of Muhammad and Aale Muhammad (a.s.) and meeting with them. The Holy Prophet has said: O Ali! Your Shias will be sitting with bright faces on the pulpits of light and all of them will be my neighbours in paradise. Wa Sheea Taka…Jannah (Dua-e-Nudbah) Also among the said bounties is permanent dwelling in paradise. When the faithful will know that these highly precious bounties will never be retracted from them (nor will they be diminished) they will experience a wonderful delight in their hearts which is undescribable.
One of the spiritual bounties is that one will be meeting frequently with the messengers and the righteous and faithful persons. Almighty God says in the Holy Quran: Ala Sururim Mitaqaabileen (Surah Saffa'at 37: 44) meaning: They will be sitting on thrones facing one another happily.
Daily Feasts Given By The Messengers (a.s.)
It is mentioned that the people of paradise will be going to visit a Messenger (a.s.) daily and they will be their guests. Of course, on every Thursday, they will be the guests of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.), the Last Prophet. On every Friday they will be invited to the nearness of the Highest One. (What is meant by this week long hosting? We could know it because these our worldly weeks will not be there in Hereafter. May be the timing will be according to the length of our weeks).
Admonition – Why Do We Not Make To Get Paradise?
Above was a brief narration of the bounties of paradise. We will have to fairly think, will any wise man want to deprive himself of the said spiritual joys and pleasures and high positions? Fa Habni…Karmatak (Dua-e-Kumayl)
How much trouble a man takes for getting the worldly positions and ranks even though it is not always certain that he will attain the same. Even if he gets them after suffering and undergoing a lot of difficulties and hardships, there is every possibility of being deprived of the same due to his death. But the same person does not make any effort for getting the exalting places and everlasting bounties even though here it is certain that if he strives he will gain his goal. The reason for this carelessness is man's couragelessness and his drowning in the engagement in the world's short lived pleasures and passions and lusts and greed even though there are thousands of impurities in them as is mentioned in the Holy Quran: Bal Yureedul…Amaamah (Surah 75:5) meaning: But man wants to go on indulging in the evil even in front of him.
Paradise As Described By The Ebertruthful Amirul Momineen (a.s.)
Ali (a.s.) says in one of his sermons in Nahjul Balagha: ” (O Lord I believe You are pure and clean of all those things which are not be fitting Your greatness. You are the Creator of all the creation and You are, in the sight of Your creation, the Owner of all secrets (Maknoonaat) concerning nice taste. Accordingly You have created a place named Bihisht (paradise).
There in You have provided, for Your guests, all nicities of feasts and of dining and beautiful hoories and handsome lad servants and highly comfortable apartments, extremely pure and clean springs and rivers of tasty drinks and green fields and gardens and delicious fruits. Then You raised Your representative Muhammad Mustafa (s.a.w.s.) who goes on inviting people to the said paradise of lasting pleasures.
So (it was the ill luck of mankind that) they neither responded to the true caller towards Truth nor did they incline towards the things You called them to nor did they like what You desired them to like and long for. On the contrary, they remained stick to fraudlent and dead world as a result of which they became disgraced. They befriended one another on the basis of their connection with this valueless world. So whoever befriended this untrustworthy world and became mad after it, became totally blind, so blind that he does not understand what is a detriment and a loss for him. His heart became sick for what was beneficial to him and befitting to him. So he sees with weak and sickly eyes and hears with unhealthy ears.
Doubtlessly, worldly desires have made his heart and soul dead and destroyed his intelligence. He has become a slave of this world and also of every one who owns anything from the worldly wealth. (Nahjul Balagha).
Inspite of the fact that there are only two paths before us - no third alternative - man will either to go to Paradise or to hell - Now if one does not take and follow God's path He will not only be deprived of all the bounties mentioned by us above briefly, his dwelling place forever will also be only hell which is full of pains. Only an iota of its pain is and troubles is given below”
