It is stated that those who perform fasting will enter Paradise through the gate of Rayyan. Will those who do not perform fasting not be able to enter Paradise?

It is stated that those who perform fasting will enter Paradise through the gate of Rayyan. Will those who do not perform fasting not be able to enter Paradise?

Dear Brother / Sister,

For the hadith above, see Bukhari, Sawm, 4; Mıslim, Siyam, 166).

- First of all, we cannot say that all of those who will enter Paradise are those who perform fasting. For, there may be some Muslims who did not perform fasting but who were forgiven by Allah and entered Paradise. It means they will not enter Paradise through the gate of Rayyan. Those who die before the age of fasting might not enter Paradise through this gate.

- The word Rayyan means the one who is not thirsty, whose thirst has been quenched.

This word expresses that the reward of the thirst experienced while performing fasting will be special. On that very hot Gathering Day, those who perform fasting will follow the route where there is no thirst to go to Paradise through the gate of Rayyan.

- In order to point to the special places of some important deeds, eight different gates of Paradise are mentioned on the way to Paradise corresponding eight gardens of Paradise. The names of those eight gates mentioned in different hadiths are as follows: The Gate of Prayer, the Gate of Fasting/Rayyan, the Gate of Sadaqah/Zakah, the Gate of Charity/Jihad, the Gate of Repentance, the Gate of Keepers of their Temper/Forgivers, the Gate of Consent and the Gate of Those who are not Called to Account/the Right Gate (see Nawawi, the explanation of the relevant verse)

- In fact, since all of those who go to Paradise do all or most of these deeds in principle, based on which criteria will the gates be allocated?

The scholars answered this question as follows: Every man does a deed more than other deeds and makes progress in it. Thus, each man will be called through the gate of the deed he was mostly occupied with. When he is called from that gate, the good deed he was engaged in will also be declared. (cf Nawawi ibid)

- Paradise dos not consist of one building only; so, it is necessary to think that the gates mentioned above have different symbols of value. As a matter of fact, according to what is stated in a narration, Hz. Abu Bakr asked the Messenger of Allah, “O Messenger of Allah! Can a person be called through all of these gates?” He said,“Yes, I hope you will be one of them.” (Bukhari, Fadailu’s-Sahaba, 5; Muslim, Zakah, 28)

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