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]
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