The Desire For The Hereafter

Adopted from Imam Ibn ul-Qayyim’s "Al-Fawa’id" by Abu Aasiya


The desire for the Hereafter is not complete without renouncing this world, and renouncement from this world is not achieved except after:


a) Looking at this world, and how quickly it passes away and reaches its end, its deficiencies, decline, vileness; the distress of competing for it, and the way it spoils and causes misery. Also, its ephemerality and discontinuation comes with misery and regrets. The one who seeks this world benefits only by having sadness before acquiring it, worries when he is enjoying it, and grief after its passing away.


b) Knowing with surety that the Hereafter is going to come and its arrival is certain. The eternality, endlessness, and nobility of the good and pleasing things in it, and the difference between what is there and what is here. It is as He said:

“Although the life to come is better and more enduring.” (88: 17)

For over there are complete, unending pleasures, and over here are insufficient, ephemeral, and vanishing fancies.

After completely understands these two aspects the intellect is required to make its preference and renounce what it should renounce.

So anyone who is naturally disposed to leave the enjoyment of this world and the present pleasures for the pleasures that are hidden and yet to come in the Hereafter will not do so unless the excellence of the next life over this one is clear to him, and has a strong desire to achieve the superior instead of the inferior.

When he prefers the transient and the inadequate it is either because he does not understand what is better for him or because he does not have the desire to obtain the best.


Either one of them shows weakness of Eemaan, intellect, and insight. This is because the one who desires this world and prefers it is either because he believes that what is there is nobler, better, and more enduring, or he does not.



If he does not believe this, he would loose his Eemaan right away. On the other hand, if he believes this but does not prefer it, then he has weak intellect and will power. So, preferring this life over the next one could either be from corrupted Eemaan or imperfect intellect.


This is the reason why the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions put this world behind their backs, turned their hearts away from it, and abandoned it. They did not befriend it, instead they renounced it. They did not incline towards it. They considered it to be a prison, not Paradise! They renounced it as it ought to have been renounced. Had they wished, they could have had anything they liked and reached anything they desired because the key of its treasures were presented to them, but they refused to accept them.



They did not exchange their share of the Hereafter with her. They knew that it was a corridor and a passage way, not a residence of permanence and stability. They understood fully well that it is a transit station, not a pleasure house. They took it for tis real worth - a summer cloud that shall disperse soon.



The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said in authentic narrations:

“What am I in this world except for like a person who is traveling and stopped under the shade of the tree to rest for a few moments and then continues with his traveling.”

“What is this world compared to the Hereafter except like when one of you puts his finger in the sea, so he sees what he takes out (of the sea with his wet finger).”



Our Lord, the Creator of this world, draws a parable from our own lifes to illustrate the real value of this world:

“The parable of the life of this world is but that of rain which We send down from the sky, and which is absorbed by the plants of the earth whereof men and animals draw nourishment, until - when the earth is clad with its adornments and is beautified, and they who dwell on it believe that they have all the powers of disposal over it - there comes down upon it Our judgment, by night or by day, and We cause it to become (like) a field mown down, as if it had not flourished yesterday.

And (know that) Allah invites (man) unto the abode of peace, and guides whom He wills onto a Straight Way.”

(10: 24, 25)

So Allah, our Lord, informs us about the ignobility of this life and ascetism from it, and tells us about the home of peace and invites us to it.


In another passage Allah says:


“And propound unto them the parable of the life of this world: (it is) like the water which We send down from the skies, and which is absorbed by the plants of the earth: but (in time) they turn into dry stubble which the winds blow freely about.

And it is Allah (alone) who determines all things.

Wealth and children are an adornment of this world’s life: but good deeds, the fruit whereof endures forever, are of far greater merit in your Sustainer's sight, and a far better source of hope.” (18: 45, 46)


“ and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter is but a brief passing enjoyment.” (14: 26)



He has threatened with the greatest threat the one who is pleased with the life of this world, is satisfied with it, is ignorant of His aayat, and is not hopeful of meeting Him:


“Verily, those who hope not for their meeting with us, but are pleased and satisfied with the life of the present world, and those who are heedless of Our aayat, those, their abode will be the Fire, because of what they used to earn.” (10:7, 8)


“O you who believe, what is the mater with you, and when you are asked to march forth in the Cause of Allah you cling heavily to the earth? Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter.” (9: 38)



Meaning that the obedience of Allah and seeking the Hereafter becomes a burden on the one who desires this life and is pleased with it.


It is enough to renounce this life by the saying of Allah (in translation):


“Tell Me, if We do let them enjoy for years, and afterwards come to them that (punishment) which they had been promised! All that which they used to enjoy shall not avail them.” (26: 207)


“ And on the day when He shall gather them together, (it will be) as if they had not stayed but an hour of a day. They shall recognize each other.” (10: 45)


“On the Day when they shall see that (torment) with which they are promised (it will be) as if they had not stayed more than an hour in a single day. But shall any be destroyed except people who are disobedient.” (46: 35)


“The day they see it, (it will be) as if they had not tarried (in this world) except an afternoon or a morning.” (80: 46)


“And on the day that the Hour is established, the disbelievers will swear that they stayed not but an hour.” (30: 55)


“He will say: ‘What number of years did you stay on earth?’

They will say: ‘We stayed a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep account.”

He (Allah) will say: “You stayed not but a little,- if you had only known!’” (23: 112-114)


“The day when the Trumpet will be blown: that Day the disbelievers will be blue eyed with dark faces. In whispers will they speak to each other (saying): ‘You stayed no longer than ten (days).’” (23: 20)

Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah's (691H - 751H)

'Qasidah Nuniyyah' (on the Description of Jannah)

Recited by Abdul Aziz Al-Matrafy


Qasidah Nuniyyah being the Arabic for, 'A Poem, all the verses of which end with the letter Nun.


Trays of gold and cups will be passed round them, (there will be) therein all that the one's inner-selves could desire, all that the eyes could delight in, and you will abide therein forever. 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). Therein for you will be fruits in plenty, of which you will eat (as you desire). (Al-Quran, 43: 71-73)


Abu Hurairah (may Allaah Almighty be pleased with him) Narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, Almighty Allah says,

'I have prepared for my pious servants that which no eye has seen and no ear has heard and neither has the thought occurred in any persons' heart, so recite if you wish'.


'No soul knows what pleasures are hidden for him' (Al-Qur'an, 32: 17)



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Description of PARADISE...

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem


Description of Paradise
by Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim, Rahimahullaah

Ibn al-Qayyim said, in regards to the description of the Paradise and
the delights that it contains:



"And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.

And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.

And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of
gold and silver.

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree
except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and
sweeter than honey.

And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.

And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who's
taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those
who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water
that is fresh.

And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they
will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.

And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem, ginger, and Kaafoor.

And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear
and made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the
shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.

And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would
have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance
that would be travelled in a thousand years.

And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like
a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.

And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in
buildings that have rivers running underneath them.

And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the
shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the
heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.

And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of
silk and gold.

And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest
silk laid out in the highest of its levels.

And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty,
then they are like the image of the Moon.

And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years
in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.


And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing
of their wives from among the Hoor al-'Ayn, and better than that are
the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the
Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.


And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of
everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.


And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and
full-breasted and have had the liquid of youth flow through their
limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it,
light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her
love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights;
he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking
into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her
muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she
would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful
wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorifiy, praise, and
exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would
be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everthing but
her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of
the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of
the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and
Protects all the exists.


And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is
in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from
an umbilical cord, childbirth and menses, and pure of mucous, saliva,
urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is
never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and
no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is
restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his
attention is restricted to her so she is the sole object of his
desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has
touched her before of either humans or Jinn.


And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of
the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face - free from any
resemblance or likeness to anything - as you see the Sun in the middle
of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the
day that the caller will call: 'O People of Paradise! Your Lord -
Blessed and Exalted - requests you to visit Him, so come to visit
Him!' So they will say: 'We hear and obey!'


Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all
meet - and none of them will turn down the request of the caller - the
Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will order His Chair to be brought there.
Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls,
gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on
sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs
above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting
and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: 'O People of
Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to
reward you!' So they will say: 'And what is that reward? Has He not
already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into
Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?'


And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that
encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold:
the Compeller - Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names - has come to
them from above them and majestified them and said: 'O People of
Paradise! Peace be upon you!' So, this greeting will not be responded
to with anything better than: 'O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You
is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!' So the
Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will laugh to them and say: 'O People of
Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen
Me? This is the Day of Increase!'

So, they will all give the same response: 'We are pleased, so be
pleased with us!' So, He will say: 'O People of Paradise! If I were
not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My
Paradise! So, ask of Me!' So, they will all give the same response:
'Show us your Face so that we may look at it!' So, the Lord - Mighty
and Majestic - will remove his covering and will majestify them and
will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah - the Exalted - had
not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except
that his Lord - the Exalted - will speak to him and say: 'Do you
remember the day that you did this and that?' and He will remind him
of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: 'O Lord!
Will you not forgive me?' So, He will say: 'Of course! You have not
reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my
forgiveness.'

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the
righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife...

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, looking at their Lord...} (al-Qiyaamah:22-3)




[from the amazing and beautiful book Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad
il-Afraah by Ibn al-Qayyim, pg. 193]

Al imam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah rahimahu Allah said :


Just as the heart may be described in terms of being alive or dead, it may also be regarded as belonging to one of three types; these are;



- The Healthy Heart

- The Dead Heart

- The Sick Heart.




The Healthy Heart


On the Day of Resurrection, only those who come to Allah with a healthy heart will be saved. Allah says:

"The day on which neither wealth nor sons will be of any use, except for whoever brings to Allah a sound heart." (Qur'an 26: 88-89)

In defining the healthy heart, the following has been said:


"It is a heart cleansed from any passion that challenges what Allah commands, or disputes what He forbids. It is free from any impulses which contradict His good.

As a result, it is safeguarded against the worship of anything other than Him, and seeks the judgement of no other except that of His Messenger. Its services are exclusively reserved for Allah, willingly and lovingly, with total reliance, relating all matters to Him, in fear, hope and sincere dedication.

When it loves, its love is in the way of Allah. If it detests, it detests in the light of what He detests. When it gives, it gives for Allah. If it withholds, it withholds for Allah. Nevertheless, all this will not suffice for its salvation until it is free from following, or taking as its guide, anyone other than His Messenger."


A servant with a healthy heart must dedicate it to its journey's end and not base his actions and speech on those of any other person except Allah's Messenger. He must not give precedence to any other faith or words or deeds over those of Allah and His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Allah says:

"Oh you who believe, do not put yourselves above Allah and His Messenger, but fear Allah, for Allah is Hearing, Knowing." (49:1)

The Dead Heart


This is the opposite of the healthy heart. It does not know its Lord and does not worship Him as He commands, in the way which He likes, and with which He is pleased. It clings instead to its lusts and desires, even if these are likely to incur Allah's displeasure and wrath.


It worships things other than Allah, and its loves and its hatreds, and its giving and its withholding, arise from its whims, which are of paramount importance to it and preferred above the pleasure of Allah. Its whims are its imam. Its lust is its guide. Its ignorance is its leader. Its crude impulses are its impetus. It is immersed in its concern with worldly objectives. It is drunk with its own fancies and its love for hasty, fleeting pleasures. It is called to Allah and the akhira from a distance but it does not respond to advice, and instead it follows any scheming, cunning Shaytaan. Life angers and pleases it, and passion makes it deaf and blind to anything except what is evil.


To associate and keep company with the owner of such a heart is to tempt illness: living with him is like taking poison, and befriending him means utter destruction.




The Sick Heart


This is a heart with life in it, as well as illness. The former sustains it at one moment, the latter at another, and it follows whichever one of the two manages to dominate it. It has love for Allah, faith in Him, sincerity towards Him, and reliance upon Him, and these are what give it life.

It also has a craving for lust and pleasure, and prefers them and strives to experience them. It is full of self-admiration, which can lead to its own destruction. It listens to two callers: one calling it to Allah and His Prophet and the akhira; and the other calling it to the fleeting pleasures of this world. It responds to whichever one of the two happens to have most influence over it at the time.



The first heart is alive, submitted to Allah, humble, sensitive and aware ;

The second is brittle and dead ;

The third wavers between either its safety or its ruin.




Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahu Allah also said: (in his book al waabil as-sayib)


"There is no doubt that the heart becomes covered with rust, just as metal dishes - silver, and their like - become rusty.


So the rust of the heart is polished with dhikr (remembrance of Allaah), for dhikr polishes the heart until it becomes like a shiny mirror. However, when dhikr is abandoned, the rust returns; and when it commences then the heart again begins to be cleansed.


Thus the heart becoming rusty is due to two matters: sins and ahafah ( neglecting remembrance of Allaah ).


Likewise, it is cleansed and polished by two things : istighfaar (seeking Allaah's forgiveness) and dhikr. [remembrance of Allah]

"it will become clear to the one who studies ‘Madaarij as-Saalikeen’ (of ibn al-Qayyim) that these two (ibn Taymiyyah and ibn al-Qayyim) are from the greatest of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaa`ah, and from the Awliyaa of this nation."

[‘Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh’ (8/251-252) his commentary to ‘Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh’, as quoted from in ‘Shubuhaat Ahl al-Fitna’ (pg. 442) of Abdurrahmaan Dimisqiyyah.]

The Prophet, sallallahu `alayhe wa sallam, is reported to have said, "Beware of the firasah of the believer, for he sees with the light of Allah," then he recited the verse, "Surely,--mutawassimeen." (Tirmidhi) The firasah of the believer is always truthful.

Ibn Masoud said, "There are three people with the sharpest firasah. The Egyptian who bought Yusuf and then said to his wife, 'Make his stay comfortable, maybe he will profit for us or we shall adopt him as a son.' [12:21]. The other was the daughter of Shuaib, who said to her father with regards to Musa, 'Hire him!' [28:26] And Abu Bakr, for he appointed Omar as his successor." Another narration includes the wife of Pharaoh who said about Musa, "A comfort of the eye for me and for you. Kill him not, perhaps he may be of benefit to us, or we may adopt him as a son.' [28:9]

Once a man named Sawad Bin Qarib passed by and Umar dind't know him. Umar said, "This is either a soothsayer or he was so in the days of jahiliyyah." Upon sitting before Umar, Sawad said, "O commander of the faithful! You never received any of your guests the way you did me." Umar said, "What we used to do in the days of jahiliyyah is worse than this. But tell me about what I have asked you." Sawad said, "You were true, O commander of the faithful! I was a soothsayer in the days of jahiliyyah, then he told him the story."