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Showing posts with label Paradise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paradise. Show all posts

Thursday 17 August 2023

Worldly acts that will bring a believer closer to Paradise and keep him away from Hell on the Day of Judgement

This life is nothing but a test for mankind. The rules of living in this worldly life have been mentioned in all Divine Scriptures and further explained in detail by the messengers and prophets of Allah since the days of Prophet Adam (may peace be upon him). Yet people remain in doubt and many think that this worldly life is the end of everything, that is when one dies, he is done for forever with no questions being asked. This is especially true for the atheists, who want their heads buried in the sand like an ostrich and do not listen to reason and logic.

But the stark reality is completely different and no matter how the reality is denied, the world will come to an end one day and all people who ever lived will be brought to life and will be made to answer for their worldly act in front of none but the Lord of the universe. And then their fate will be decided for their eternal life and their abode selected in either the Jannah (Paradise) or Jahannam (Hell).

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has been quoted as telling a Bedouin who came to him, held his camel and asked what would bring him closer to Paradise and keep him away from Hell. The revered Prophet ﷺ told him to at upon five things that would take him closer to Jannah. And if even one is missing, his fate would hang in imbalance. Let us know what these five acts are.

This Hadith is mentioned in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Chapter 1 - Faith) as Hadith 104, given herein under:

Abu Ayyub narrated that a Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) when he was on a journey, and took hold of the nose-rein or halter of his she-camel, then said: "O Messenger of Allah" - or: "O Muhammad - tell me of something that will bring me closer to Paradise and keep me away from Hell." The Prophet (s.a.w) paused, then he looked at his Companions, then he said: "He has been guided." He said: "What did you say?" (The Bedouin) repeated his question, and the Prophet (s.a.w) said: "Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish the Salat, pay the Zakat, and uphold the ties of kinship. Let go of the camel."

Arabic text:
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عُثْمَانَ حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ طَلْحَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو أَيُّوبَ أَنَّ أَعْرَابِيًّا عَرَضَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ فِي سَفَرٍ فَأَخَذَ بِخِطَامِ نَاقَتِهِ أَوْ بِزِمَامِهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَوْ يَا مُحَمَّدُ أَخْبِرْنِي بِمَا يُقَرِّبُنِي مِنْ الْجَنَّةِ وَمَا يُبَاعِدُنِي مِنْ النَّارِ قَالَ فَكَفَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ نَظَرَ فِي أَصْحَابِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَقَدْ وُفِّقَ أَوْ لَقَدْ هُدِيَ قَالَ كَيْفَ قُلْتَ قَالَ فَأَعَادَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ لَا تُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَتُقِيمُ الصَّلَاةَ وَتُؤْتِي الزَّكَاةَ وَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ دَعِ النَّاقَةَ.

These five acts mentioned above are self-explanatory and should leave no doubt whatsoever in anyone's mind. However, the first and second acts are interrelated: That is, one must worship Allah, while ensuring no one is associated with Him nor anyone added to share the powers of Allah. Allah alone is sufficient for everything that belongs to the entire universe which He created and does not need anyone to share His might to assist Him or to share His limitless powers.

Those still in doubt of Oneness of Allah should read Surah Al Ikhlas, the 112th chapter of the Holy Qur'an which deals exclusively with Tawhid. Whoever understands it and believes in its teaching will get rid of the shirk (polytheism) completely. It is a short declaration of Tawhid, Allah's absolute oneness. The basic theme of Islam revolves around the Oneness of Allah and this has been highlighted at many a place in the Holy Qur'an. However, if there is one single chapter or surah which sums up the oneness of Allah is Sūra al-Ikhlāṣ. Although one of the very short surahs / chapters of the Holy Qur'an, it embodies in itself the clear message of monotheism for there being none equal or comparable to Allah.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Friday 4 November 2022

DEEDS that may qualify a man to enter Paradise (Hadith Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)

The concept of Paradise (Jannah) and Hell (Jahannam) is amply highlighted in Qur'an and by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in many of his Hadiths. In fact, this was the most sought out questions by believers who had recently embraced Islam in times of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who wanted to leave the evil life they had spent as non-Muslims and do as many good deeds as possible to rewrite their slates. 

We share a Hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in which a similar question was asked from Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and he replied that if a man did four things, he may be rest assured that he would be a likely contender of entering Jannah.

This Hadith has been mentioned in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī  (Book 78   Good Manners and Form (Al-Adab) كتاب الأدب / Chapter 10: Superiority of good relations with relatives باب فَضْلِ صِلَةِ الرَّحِمِ) as Hadith 5983

Narrated Abu Aiyub Al-Ansari:

حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ، حَدَّثَنَا بَهْزٌ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَوْهَبٍ، وَأَبُوهُ، عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّهُمَا سَمِعَا مُوسَى بْنَ طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ ـ رضى الله عنه أَنَّ رَجُلاً قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَخْبِرْنِي بِعَمَلٍ يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ‏.‏ فَقَالَ الْقَوْمُ مَالَهُ مَالَهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ أَرَبٌ مَالَهُ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ تَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ لاَ تُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا، وَتُقِيمُ الصَّلاَةَ، وَتُؤْتِي الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، ذَرْهَا ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ كَأَنَّهُ كَانَ عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ‏.‏

A man said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Inform me of a deed which will make me enter Paradise." The people said, "What is the matter with him? What is the matter with him?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "He has something to ask (what he needs greatly)." The Prophet (ﷺ) said (to him), (In order to enter Paradise) you should worship Allah and join none in worship with Him: You should offer prayers perfectly, give obligatory charity (Zakat), and keep good relations with your Kith and kin." He then said, "Leave it!" (The sub-narrator said, "It seems that the Prophet (ﷺ) was riding his she camel."

The Hadith in nutshell is the total summary of Deen of Islam. If a man sincerely ensures these four things, he has in fact followed the true spirit of Islam. While the first three actions are purely related to between man and Allah, the last one is the between him and everyone around him, especially his kith and kin. It must be remembered that the first right of good conduct is that of parents, which is undebatable and unquestionable, for no matter how harsh or bad they have been with their children, children need to respect and honour them. After the parents, one's brothers/sisters and then very near ones need to be treated gently and goodly. Anyone who breaks the bondage with his near and dear ones, is in fact committing a grave error and may annoy Allah for the base of Islam rests on peace and ensuring peace.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.  
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible to make you accept it forcibly, And if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, You will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
Photo | References: | 1 | 2 |

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Monday 14 September 2020

Allah calls you to the Abode of Peace


Islam is a religion of peace, calling believers to walk the path of true truth, the path as explained at a number of places in the Qur'an. It has been promised that those who leave the worldly gains and eye for the promised bounties after the Hereafter would be the ones who would be blessed ones. However, to walk on the razor edge thin path of truth is not easy as man has to sacrifice so many of worldly wishes, lusts and temptations to please Allah and be blessed on the day when those who enjoyed the worldly life who would thrown into the raging fire of hell.

Under this theme, we are today sharing three verses from Surah 10. Yunus. In the first verse, Allah calls believers to the way that leads to the abode of peace in the Hereafter, while the following two verses explain who will be the blessed ones and who would not be:

وَاللّٰهُ يَدۡعُوۡۤا اِلٰى دَارِ السَّلٰمِؕ وَيَهۡدِىۡ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ اِلٰى صِرَاطٍ مُّسۡتَقِيۡمٍ‏ 
(10:25) (You are being lured by this ephemeral world) although Allah calls you to the abode of peace and guides whomsoever He wills to a straightway.

In this verse, “The abode of peace” means "Jannah" - the Paradise, where there will be no fear whatsoever of any loss, calamity, sorrow, pain and trouble.

The renowned Muslim scholar and exegete Ibn Kathir explains this verse as under:

When Allah mentioned the swiftness of this world and its termination, He invited people to Paradise and encouraged them to seek it. He called it the Abode of Peace. It is the Abode of Peace because it is free from defects and miseries. So Allah said: (Allah calls to the Home of Peace and guides whom He wills to the straight path.) 

It was narrated that Jabir bin `Abdullah said: "Allah's Messenger came out one day and said to us:
" I have seen in my sleep that it was as if Jibril was at my head and Mika'il at my leg. They were saying to each other: `Give an example for him.' He said: `Listen, your ear may listen. And fathom, your heart may fathom. The parable of you and your Ummah is that of a king who has built a house on his land. He arranged a banquet in it. Then he sent a messenger to invite the people to his food. Some accepted the invitation and others did not. Allah is the King and the land is Islam, the house is Paradise and you Muhammad are the Messenger. Whosoever responds to your call enters Islam. And whosoever enters Islam enters Paradise. And whosoever enters Paradise eats from it."  Ibn Jarir recorded this Hadith.
It was also reported that Abu Ad-Darda' said that Allah's Messenger said:  " Two angels descend every day in which the sun rises and say that which all Allah's creatures would hear except Jinn and humans: `O people! Come to your Lord! Anything little and sufficient is better than a lot but distractive.') And He sent this down in the Qur'an when He said: ("Allah calls to the Abode of Peace''.) Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir recorded this.

Renowned exegete Muhammad Asad notes that in contrast with the ephemeral and uncertain pleasures of this material life, there is a higher life to which Allah is always calling. It is called the Home of Peace. For there is no fear, nor disappointment nor sorrow there. And all are called, and those will be chosen who have sought, not material advantages, but the Good Pleasure of Allah. Salam, Peace, is from the same root as Islam, the Religion of Unity and Harmony.

Yusuf Ali adds that Allah "guides whom He wills onto a straight way". As regards the expression salam, rendered here and in many other places as "peace" and elsewhere as "salvation". It is obvious that the term dar as-salam "  دَارِ السَّلٰمِؕ " ("abode of peace") denotes not only the condition of ultimate happiness in the hereafter - alluded to in the allegory of paradise - but also the spiritual condition of a true believer in this world: namely, a state of inner security, of peace with God, with one's natural environment, and within oneself.

As explained earlier, the meaning of this verse 25 is explained in the next two verse in which Allah spells out who are the lucky ones that will be granted a peaceful abode in Jannah and who will find a horrible abode in the hellfire:

لِلَّذِيۡنَ اَحۡسَنُوا الۡحُسۡنٰى وَزِيَادَةٌ ؕ وَلَا يَرۡهَقُ وُجُوۡهَهُمۡ قَتَرٌ وَّلَا ذِلَّـةٌ ​ ؕ اُولٰٓـئِكَ اَصۡحٰبُ الۡجَـنَّةِ​ ۚ هُمۡ فِيۡهَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ‏  
(10:26) For those who do good there is good reward and more besides;33 neither gloom nor humiliation shall cover their faces. They are the people of the Garden and in it they shall abide.

وَالَّذِيۡنَ كَسَبُوا السَّيِّاٰتِ جَزَآءُ سَيِّئَةٍ ۢ بِمِثۡلِهَا ۙ وَتَرۡهَقُهُمۡ ذِلَّـةٌ  ؕ مَا لَهُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ مِنۡ عَاصِمٍ​​ ۚ كَاَنَّمَاۤ اُغۡشِيَتۡ وُجُوۡهُهُمۡ قِطَعًا مِّنَ الَّيۡلِ مُظۡلِمًا ​ؕ اُولٰٓـئِكَ اَصۡحٰبُ النَّارِ​ ؕ هُمۡ فِيۡهَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ‏ 
(10:27) Those who do evil deeds, the recompense of an evil deed is its like,34 and humiliation shall spread over them and there will be none to protect them from Allah. Darkness will cover their faces as though they were veiled with the dark blackness of night. These are the people of the Fire and in it they shall abide.

For the people who will be escorted to the Paradise and for those who will be shown the door to the hell,  Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once explained:
"A person who led the most prosperous life in this world will be brought up and dipped once in the Fire. He will then be asked: `Have you ever found any good or comfort' He will reply: `No.' And a person who had experienced extreme adversity in this world will be brought up and dipped once in the bliss (of Paradise). Then he will be asked: 'Did you ever face any hardship or misery' He will reply: `No.'"
May Allah help us understand Qur'an and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an

You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.
Photo | Exegesis References: | 1 | 2  | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Reading the Holy Quran should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.


An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:
  • The plain translation has been taken from the Holy Quran officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [1]
  • The exegesis of the chapters of the Holy Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. [2]  
In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided by [2], additional input has been interjected from following sources: 
  • Towards Understanding the Quran
  • Tafsir Ibn Khatir
  • Muhammad Asad Translation
  • Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
  • Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
  • Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
In addition the references of  other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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