What must we do to enter Paradise?

- To sum up, what are the deeds that will lead us to Paradise?
- Are there any hadiths regarding the issue?

Dear Brother / Sister,

In order to enter Paradise, we must follow the orders and prohibitions of the Owner of Paradise. the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told us what His commands and prohibitions were and showed them to us by practicing them. In one of his hadiths he says, “...you will enter Paradise of your Lord.”

It was narrated from Abu Umama Sudayy Ibn Ajlan al-Bahili that he heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say in his Farewell sermon:

« اتَّقُوا اللَّه ، وصَلُّوا خَمْسكُمْ ، وصُومُوا شَهْرَكمْ ، وأَدُّوا زكَاةَ أَمْوَالِكُمْ ، وَأَطِيعُوا أُمَرَاءَكُمْ ، تَدْخُلُوا جَنَّةَ رَبِّكُمْ »

“Fear Allah. Perform your five daily prayers. Fast in Ramadan. Pay zakah of your wealth. Obey your rulers and you will enter Paradise of your Lord.”  (Tirmidhi, Jumu’a 80).

The attitudes and deeds of Muslims are closely connected with eternal life. Therefore, a Muslim must always live under the influence of taqwa (piety). Taqwa can be proved first by performing the obligatory deeds of worship and then by avoiding prohibitions. Talking about mere respect will not gain anyone anything.

A Muslim is a traveler to Paradise. That is, his ultimate goal is to attain eternal happiness in Paradise. This hadith lists the things that must be done in order to reach this happy ending:

- To fear Allah,
- To perform five daily prayers,
- To fast in Ramadan,
- To give zakah and
- To obey the administrators.

The fact that this instruction was given by our beloved Prophet (pbuh) in his Farewell sermon is of particular importance and attracts attention. Taqwa is the basis of all kinds of worship. As a matter of fact, Allah describes Himself as “worthy to be feared and worthy to forgive” (see al-Muddaththir, 74/56). In other words, Allah is the only one whose punishment is to be feared and avoided, and the only one who can forgive.

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi describes the path to Paradise as follows:

“Yes, the person who believes in Almighty Allah will certainly obey Him. And the most acceptable, the most direct, and the shortest among the ways of obeying Him is without doubt the way Allah’s Beloved (UWBP) showed and followed.” (Lem’alar, 11. Lem’a, p. 61)

To sum up:

1. Doing the deeds mentioned in the hadith is a requirement of taqwa.

2. Taqwa is the way to Paradise and the condition for entering Paradise.

3. Righteousness in this world is the cause of salvation in the Hereafter. Praise be to Allah.

4. It is necessary to obey the administrators as long as they do not command disobedience to Allah. (see Riyazü’s-Sâlihîn Tercüme ve Şerhi, Peygamberimizden Hayat Ölçüleri, Erkam Yay., Hadis No: 74)

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