Are mental patients going to enter Paradise?

Are mental patients going to enter Paradise?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Arasat is the place where people will gather on the Resurrection Day, in other words, it is the place of resurrection and Great Gathering on the Day of Judgment immediately after the resurrection. All people and jinn will gather in Arasat with the permission and order of Allah (SWT). All people will be there, including clever ones, mental patients, unbelievers, believers, cruel ones and oppressed ones. It is the place of resurrection and Great Gathering where the reckoning and the Great Judgment will take place. The oppressors often from this world with honor and the oppressed ones leave with abasement. There will be a day on which the oppresses will be resurrected and gathered in abasement and the oppressed ones will be resurrected in honor; and both of them will be judged and the absolute justice will be realized. All of these will come true with the permission of Allah (SWT) in Arasat. (Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Sözler, (the Words), 54)

A’raf lexically means peak, high places, top of great towers or walls. Regarding our issue A’raf means high places, hills, towers and walls between Paradise and Hell. In this sense, 'A’raf' is a term in the chapter of al-Araf Qur'an. 'A’raf' became the name of this surah because of the explanations about A’raf in it. Allah (SWT) states the following in the Quran:

"Between them shall be a veil, and on the Heights will be men who would know everyone by his marks: they will call out to the companions of the Garden 'peace on you' they will not have entered, but they will have an assurance (thereof.)"

When their eyes shall be turned towards the companions of the Fire, they will say: 'Our Lord! send us not to the company of the wrong- doers.'

"The men on the Heights will call to certain men whom they will know from their marks, saying: 'Of what profit to you were your hoards and your arrogant ways? Behold! Are these not the men whom you swore that Allah with his Mercy would never bless?' 'Enter ye the Garden': no fear shall be on you nor shall ye grieve."  (Al-Araf, 7/46-49)

Who are the people of A’raf? What kind of people will be in A’raf? And how long will they stay at A’raf?

Since those people who did good deeds go to Paradis, and those who did bad deeds go to Hell, it is easier to guess who the people of A’raf are: They are the people in-between.

How is it possible to be in-between in terms of deed?

People who died without being informed about the message any prophets might be in this group; likewise, it is stated that polytheists or unbeliever's children who died very young will be in this group. In addition, the believers whose good deeds and bad deeds are equal are among the people of A’raf. Moreover, there is a view stating that the people who are not held responsible like mad people will be at A’raf, too. That is, the people who do not have belief in Allah in their hearts, but have not denied Allah (SWT)', those who have not worshipped, but have not disobeyed Allah, and who have not done any good or bad deeds along with those whose good deeds and sins are equal are estimated to be among the people of A’raf

Nevertheless, it will be appropriate to accept the term "A’raf" as mutashabih (allegorical) and leave the truth to Allah's knowledge and judgment because there is no clear verse or hadith about who the people of A’raf are. Moreover, there is no explanation in the verses above about who will be the people of A’raf. Only the existence of A’raf is absolute and it is certain that A’raf is a place between Hell and Paradise.

However, the scholars who accept that people of A’raf consist of the people whose good deeds and bad deeds are equal say that they will not stay at A’raf long. According to Imam Ghazali, the people of A’raf are the people of salvation and they will get rid of Hell; after staying in A’raf for a while, God Almighty inshaallah will take them to Paradise because there is no place except Paradise and Hell on the Day of Judgment.(Ihya, IV/57)

In verses and hadiths, it is heralded that some of the people of Hell will come out of Hell and go to Paradise after they are burned for some time depending on their sins. For instance, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) explains the state of the last person who comes out of Hell and will go to Paradise as follows: in a hadith reported by Ibn Masud and included in Bukhari and Muslim:

"He will come out of Hell crawling, and Allah will say to him,

'Go and enter Paradise.' He will go there but he will see it full.

Thereupon, he will say, 'O Lord, I have found it full.'

Allah will say,

'Go and enter Paradise, and you will have what equals the world and ten times as much.' On that, the man will be surprised and say,

'Do you laugh at me though You are the King of the realms? Are you making fun of me?"

Ibn Masud says, "I saw Allah's Messenger (pbuh) smiling so much that his premolar teeth became visible. He said,

'He is the person with the lowest in degree amongst the people of Paradise.'" (Muslim, Iman 310)

Since the person who will be the last to come out of Hell and the last to enter Paradise will have what equals the world and ten times as much, the people of Araf who have not entered Hell and have not been punished by Allah are hoped to enter Paradise in a better position.

So, mental patients will enter Paradise with the permission and favor of Allah.

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