Most Read in the Category of Paradise

1-) What are the characteristics of paradise life? Is eternal life not boring even if it is in paradise?

It would be a mistake for us to evaluate the life in Paradise by comparing it to life on Earth. In Paradise, human beings will be freed from all kinds of boredom and all characteristics which cause boredom. As the boons of Heaven are infinite and as one moment of us will be better than the previous one in Paradise, there will not be any boredom and routine there.

Moreover, one’s position will not be stable in Paradise and it will be promoted constantly and eventually the amount of joy one feels will not remain the same and it will increase gradually. For this reason, there will not be boredom in the form of a vicious cycle in Paradise.

Anything wished for comes true in Paradise

Everything existing in the universe reflects Allah’s infinite might and power. Allah creates everything in accordance with a law as a requirement of testing on earth and presents everything within a cause and effect relationship so that human mind can perceive. For this reason, when people see a fruit, they do not doubt that it is a fruit borne by a tree which grew from a seed. Of course, that is the cause of the fruit on earth according to the law of Allah, and it should be kept in mind that Allah can also create the whole universe independent from causes. Allah is the one who creates anything He wishes in any form and any time, whose creation is unique and who is not in need of anything. In this sense, there is no need for any causes, means or steps for Allah to create.

The fact that everything in the world is based on certain causes and natural laws must not deceive people. Allah, as the Creator of all these causes and laws, is free of all of them. In this sense, as there will not be creation based on causes in Paradise, a fruit taken off from a tree will be replaced by a new one right away and there will not be any diminution.

It is Allah who creates both causes and effects. For instance, when we look at the shadow of a tree, we have the knowledge that the reason of this shadow is the reflection angle of the sunlight. Shadow is an effect of the Sun; however, what makes the Sun to cause shadow is Allah. This occurrence is stated in a Quranic verse as follows:

“Have you not turned your vision to your Lord?- How He does prolong the shadow! If He willed, He could make it stationary! Then do We make the sun its guide; then We draw it in towards Ourselves,- a contraction by easy stages.” (al-Furqan, 45-46)

“… Allah well-pleased with them, and they with Allah: That is the great salvation, (the fulfillment of all desires).” (al-Maidah,119).

It is an art of Allah to create everything on earth within a cause and effect relationship in this way and these manifestations of our Lord’s are infinite. Allah can create everything at any time He wishes and in any form He wishes, and He can turn them into any form He wishes. Allah, who created the universe out of nothing, will abolish all of the laws and causes which we try to comprehend on earth when He wishes. Righteous Muslims will be able to ask for anything that comes into their minds and anything they like, and as soon as they ask for, they will have them with the permission of Allah. Their physical appearance will be as they desire, they will do whatever they like and live amongst the boons they most enjoy, and their environment will physically look as they desire. Besides, none of them will happen in order to meet a need, to compensate for a defect or to cover up a flaw, but they will happen only for the people of Paradise to enjoy and have fun, as a blessing and kindness from Allah. (Allah knows the best.)

Some of the examples on the issue given in hadiths are as follows:

A man asked the Messenger of Allah: “Are there horses in Paradise?” And the Messenger of Allah answered:

“If Allah lets you into Paradise, and if you want to wander on the back of a horse made of red rubies, it will fly you wherever you want.”

Then, another one asked: “Are there camels in Paradise?” However, the Messenger of Allah did not answer it as he answered the other and said:

“If Allah lets you into Paradise, there will be everything you wish to have and you feel like seeing.”(Tirmidhi, Kutub Sitta, XIV/431).

“Everything you wish to have and you feel like seeing” expressed in the hadith is not limited to our worldly perception and imagination. Allah emphasizes the abundance of boons in Paradise with the verse

“…there will be there all that the souls could desire, all that their eyes could delight in: and ye shall abide therein (for aye).” (az-Zukhruf, 43/71).

The other verses about this issue are as follows:

“…therein shall ye have all that your souls shall desire; therein shall ye have all that ye ask for!”(Fussilat, 41/31).

“…what their souls desired, in that will they dwell.”(al-Anbiya,21/102).

There are lots of things which all of us wanted to do but could not do because sometimes we could not spare time for them and sometimes because they were risky. For instance, driving a car or riding a motorbike too fast can be such an exciting hobby for some people; some people may want to do dangerous sports such as diving into deep waters for long hours, or skiing in high mountains or parachuting at a height of hundreds of meters. However, all of them are branches of sports which risk one’s life.

“Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds. Except the Companions of the Right Hand. They will be) in Gardens (of Delight)”(al-Muddathir, 74/ 38-40).

Many people may want to have special talents such as playing a musical instrument and painting pictures professionally. Those kinds of things require technical knowledge and training in some cases, besides talent. However, one will have the opportunity to do them without any talent, without any struggle, when s/he wishes in Paradise. (Allah knows the best)

It is stated in Quranic verses and hadiths that anything desired by a person will come true in Paradise with the wishing of Allah. In this sense, in Paradise, it may be possible for people to experience things which they can only dream of but cannot be possible on earth. For instance, it is impossible to fly on horseback under earthly conditions; however, it is possible with the wishing of Allah in Paradise, as pointed out by the hadiths. In the following hadith, it is stated that whoever desires can fly:

“If you are intended for the Garden and say “I would like to ride a horse of red ruby you will do so. If you say you wish to fly, you will fly.” (Ramuz al-Ahadith, p.149/5)

The Prophet says in another hadith about the abundance of boons in Paradise following:

“Allah said:, ‘I have prepared for My righteous slaves (such excellent things)
as no eye has ever seen, nor an ear has ever heard nor a human heart can ever think of.’" (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Kutub Sitta-14, p.4419/1).

Everything Desired Comes True Right Away in Paradise:

One who wants a fine dish on earth has to spend time and effort for it. The possibility that one will find those dishes in front of his/her as soon as s/he desires, without making any effort, is a situation which human soul will enjoy so much. However, it is not possible under earthly conditions. Boons will be offered to people in promised Paradise in a way that people will enjoy so much, without lots of causes and stages such as buying, spending time and making effort. That situation is described in a hadith as follows:

You will desire bird-meat in Paradise. It will be served in front of you right away as roasted.” (Büyük Hadis Külliyatı (Great Collection of Hadiths)-5, p.414/10123)

Another narration informs us of a hadith of the Prophet’s as follows:

“…if any of the inhabitants of Paradise wished to eat a bird, he would simply call it and the bird will drop on his table cloth. It would turn, part of it into roast bird meat and part of it into fried bird meat. When he completed eating it, the bird would reappear and fly back to its place on the tree. (Tadhkirat-al Qurtubi-1, p.58)

On the other hand, as one can do whatever s/he wishes in Paradise, it is stated in a hadith that it is possible for one to work on agriculture just for fun, though s/he does not need to work:

While Our prophet was talking to a man from the inhabitants of desert, it is narrated that He replied his questions as follows:

“One of the inhabitants of Paradise will seek permission from his Lord for cultivation. Allah will ask him: ‘Are you not in a state that you like?’ He will say: ‘Yes, but I like to cultivate (the land).’ (When the man is permitted) he will soon sow the seeds. The plants will grow up get ripe and be ready for harvesting. Then the yield will develop into conglobation like huge mountain… (Bukhari, Büyük Hadis Külliyatı (Great Collection of Hadiths)-5, p.413/10119).

Changing Appearances as One Likes:

The original place of flawlessness and beauty human beings appreciate is Paradise. Allah will recreate a person in Paradise with a flawless beauty and in the form which s/he will like the best. Besides, this beauty is not limited to a single appearance. Allah will give people in Paradise an opportunity to choose whatever appearance they like at any time and this way people of Paradise will have different kinds of beauty whenever they wish.

“…therein shall ye have all that your souls shall desire; therein shall ye have all that ye ask for!” (Fussilat, 41/31).

The Prophet (pbuh) states that true believers in Paradise will get into any appearance they like from the markets in a hadith of his as follows:

“There is a market in Paradise. However, there is neither selling nor buying there. There are only appearances of men and women. If a man likes an appearance amongst them, he gets into that appearance.” (Tirmidhi, Kutub Sitta-14. p.434/17)

There is no Night in Paradise:

Night is created as a time of resting for people on earth. As there will not be a need for resting and sleeping in Paradise, there will not be a need for the darkness of the night as well. The fact that there will not be night in Paradise is stated in hadiths as follows:

“There is no night in Paradise. It (Paradise) consists of brightness and light…”(Ramuz al-Ahadith-2 p.366/4)

There is no Sleep in Paradise:

Sleep is one of the weaknesses that people experience on earth. All people are created in such a way that they will all need sleep and no matter how much they want to stay awake, they cannot resist it. When a body is exposed to lack of sleep, its resistance against illnesses will decrease and the person will look exhausted.

On the other hand, the time spent on sleeping is so long that it cannot be ignored. A person spends approximately one third of his life asleep. It means that a long part of the lifespan, which is already short, passes as if one is dead. As a matter of fact, Allah informs us that sleeping is a kind of death in the Quran with the following verse:

“It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep…”(az-Zumar, 39/42).

However, there are not weaknesses such as weariness and sleep in Paradise. Allah informs His slaves of that reality with the following verse:

“There no sense of fatigue shall touch them, nor shall they (ever) be asked to leave.”(al-Hijr, 15/48).

In another hadith, the fact that there is no sleep in Paradise is described as follows:

They asked the Prophet (pbuh): “Do people of Paradise sleep?” He answered: “Sleep is the brother of death. People of Paradise do not sleep.” (Büyük Hadis Külliyatı (Great Collection of Hadiths)-5, p.414/10125)

There is No Disagreement in Paradise:

One of the most important characteristics of people of Paradise is their high moral qualities. One hadith attracts attention to the moral beauties of the people of Paradise as follows:

“I guarantee a mansion in the gardens of Paradise, in upper Paradise and lower Paradise for the one who leaves quarrel though s/he is right, who does not lie even as a joke and improves his/her high moral qualities in order to set an example for people.”(Ramuz al-Ahadith-1, p.152/6)

Everybody feels comfortable in an atmosphere where there are people who use their consciousness and who fear Allah. And where there are no high moral qualities, there are quarrels, jealousy, fight, anger, hatred, mockery and touchiness. The people who live away from the moral values of the Quran form an atmosphere which reminds of Hell with their own hands because of these bad moral qualities they have.

“And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury: (they will be) brothers (joyfully) facing each other on thrones (of dignity).”(al-Hijr, 47)

They lose a great boon because they give in to their own desires and passions, running after their worldly ambitions though they could live in a blissful, peaceful and safe atmosphere in a friendly and brotherly way and in tolerance. Being patient, moderate, wise, reasonable, balanced, forgiving, affectionate, full of love and having high moral qualities on earth bear a deep joy of faithfulness for Muslims. When a Muslim sees those good characteristics in her/himself, s/he feels a different joy, and when s/he sees them in other Muslims, s/he feels a different joy, too. Those pleasures, joys and beauties, which will last to the eternity, will increasingly last in Paradise too. The Prophet talks about that atmosphere in Paradise in one of his hadiths as follows:

“… Their hearts is like the heart of a single person. There is no disagreement, animosity among them…”(Kutub Sitta-14, p. 449/3)

In a similar hadith, the moral qualities of the people of Paradise are described as follows:

“Their moral qualities are like those of a single person.”(Tadhkirat-al Qurtubi, p.329/579)

Allah draws attention to the sincere and hearty friendship that people of Paradise experience in the Quran as follows:

“And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury: (they will be) brothers (joyfully) facing each other on thrones (of dignity).”(al-Hijr, 15/47).

There are not Negativities such as Sadness and Boredom:

Moods such as sadness and boredom which torture people are often seen in people who live away from the moral values of the religion. Those people, who ignore that Allah created everything with a destiny and for a good reason, fall into fear and panic when they encounter events which seem difficult. They fall into boredom; they complain because they do not submit themselves to Allah, and they even feel so great sadness that it harms their health. However, one cannot know what is good and what is bad for oneself; only Allah can know it. That reality is stated in the following verse:

“…But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows, and you know not.”(al-Baqarah, 2/ 216)

A situation which looks like a hardship, a trouble on earth can turn into a beauty which will lead one to Paradise in the hereafter. True believers who are aware of it ward off those negativities which seem to be troubles and hardships they encounter on earth with the help of the power of their faith. They consider every incident they encounter a beauty created by Allah, with the comfort and peacefulness of submitting to Allah and being consent with everything He created. For this reason, people who have the hope of entering Paradise do not evaluate any worldly thing as negativity. And they will live in Paradise eternally freed from all sadness, troubles and worries, with the mercy of Allah. This boon in Paradise is described in hadiths as follows:

“… And all worries will end. Expect those of people of Hell…”(Ramuz al-Ahadith-2, p.342/15).

“… and they will say:“We are eternal, we will never be destroyed, we are blissful people, we will never grieve…”(Tirmidhi, Büyük Hadis Külliyatı (Great Collection of Hadiths)-5, p.409/10099)

“…No any trouble and danger therein…”(Ramuz al-Ahadith-1, p.170/1)

The issue is also mentioned in Bible as follows:

“…Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation of John, 7:13-17)

Allah describes that peaceful state of true believers in the Quran as follows:

“They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah: And with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them (in their bliss), the (Martyrs) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they (cause to) grieve.”(Aal-i Imran, 3/170)

“And they will say: "Praise be to Allah, Who has removed from us (all) sorrow: for our Lord is indeed Oft-Forgiving Ready to appreciate (service)”(al-Fatir, 35/34)

“But Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will shed over them a Light of Beauty and (blissful) Joy.”(al-Insan, 76/11)

“Thou wilt recognize in their faces the beaming brightness of Bliss.”(al-Mutaffifin, 83/24).

As we have stated before, everything on earth is created with deficits and flaws deliberately as a requirement of testing. True believers show patience in the face of all hardships and troubles on earth; they submit to Allah. The Prophet states that one will have real peace only when s/he enters Paradise in his hadiths:

“Only those who enter Paradise receive comfort.”(Ramuz al-Ahadith-1, p.138/13)

In another hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) describes the peaceful atmosphere in Paradise as follows:

“Paradise is a place of shining light, a widespread scent, a well-built mansion, a flowing river, a ripe fruit, greenness, joy, coolness and freshness as an eternal dwelling.”

[see Prof. Subhi Salih, Ölümden Sonra Diriliş (Trans. Prof. Dr. Şerafeddin Gölcük), Kayıhan Yayınları, İstanbul, 2004, s. 232]

2-) Would it not be better for believers to go directly to Paradise without the experience of dying?

3-) How will we benefit from things in Paradise? Will everybody benefit from Paradise in the same way?

Imagine a person who committed all kinds of harams that Allah has forbidden almost all of his life but repented at a time when his death was near. On the other hand, imagine another person who tried to live a life in compliance with the Islamic rules from his puberty until his last breath. When a comparison is made between the two, is it not regarded as injustice if both go to Paradise?

Allah (SWT) is just. He does not lose anyone’s deeds; He rewards people according to their deeds. Thus, if a person has more good deeds than another person, and if they both are in Paradise, the one who has more good deeds will benefit from Paradise better than the other one.

When a person who has a less taste of perception and another one who is far better than him eat the same apple, the pleasure of the former is far better than the latter when compared. This is valid in Paradise, too. Even though both are in Paradise, the pleasure they get from the paradise will be different.

While listening to the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, even if a prophet and an ordinary student are in the same place, they do not get the same pleasure and delight from it. The fact that they are in the same place does not mean that their pleasure will be at the same level. For that reason, even if two friends or spouses will be in the same place, their pleasures will not be the same in the hereafter where material and spiritual benefactions are worthy of Paradise. There is no drawback to their togetherness.

The subject and the related hadith that we have presented above are explained by Badiuzzaman as follows:

“We shall allude to this elevated truth with a comparison. For example, a magnificent personage set up a vast banquet and finely-adorned spectacle in a splendid garden.

He prepared it in such a way that it included all the delicious foods that the sense of taste can experience, and all the fine things that please the sense of sight, and all the wonders that amuse the faculty of imagination, and so on; he included in it everything that would gratify and give pleasure to the external and inner senses.

Now, there were two friends and they went together to the banquet and sat down at a table in a pavilion. But the sense of taste of one of them was very limited, so he received only minor pleasure. His eyes could see only a little, he had no sense of smell, and he could not understand the wondrous arts nor comprehend the marvels. He could only benefit from and take pleasure in a thousandth or even a millionth of that beautiful place, to the extent of his capacity. The other man however had developed his outer and inner senses, his mind, heart, emotions, and subtle faculties so perfectly and to such a degree that although he was next to his friend, he could perceive and experience all the subtleties and beauties and marvels and fine things in the exhibition, and receive their different pleasures.

Since this confused, sorrowful, and narrow world is thus, and although the greatest and the least are together, the difference between them is as great as from the ground to the Pleiades, surely in Paradise, the realm of bliss and eternity, while friend is together with friend, each will receive his share from the table of the Most Merciful and Compassionate One in accordance with his capacity and to the extent of his abilities.

Even if the Paradises in which they are found are different, it will not be an obstacle to their being together. For although the eight levels of Paradise are one above the other, the roof of all of them is the Sublime Throne.5 If there are walled circles round a conical mountain, one within the other and one above the other from its foot to the summit, the circles are one over the other and look to one another, but do not prevent each other seeing the sun. There are also various narrations of Hadiths indicating that the Paradises are in a manner close to this.”

4-) “There will be for them therein all that they wish and more besides in Our Presence.” (Qaf, 35) According to this verse, is Paradise limited? Why is it said ‘more besides in Our presence’?

There will be for them therein all that they wish and more besides in Our Presence. (Qaf, 35)

In the verse, it is said as follows: “there will be more besides in Our presence.” Humans demand benefactions and want to have things that lead to happiness according to their ability of knowing and understanding given to them in the world. However, spiritual benefactions that will make humans happy in the eternal life will not be limited like what is known, thought and dreamt of in the world life. In Paradise, there will be things that lead to prosperity such as “ridwan” (a state of perfection and pleasure caused by God’s acceptance; His declaration of His consent) and “Ruyatullah” – (seeing God beyond any imaginable attributes or qualities.)

(See. Diyanet Tefsiri, Kur’an Yolu: V/60-61)

5-) Will everybody be the same in Paradise? Will there be degrees of beauty?

Answer 1:

There is an important issue to be noted here: The body shape to be given to those who enter Paradise is not the one here; a new shape worthy of Paradise will be given to people there. From this point of view, in Paradise, there will not be anything that is unpleasant in the world.

If a seed under the ground had intellect and if you asked it how the perfect tree with fruit on top of the ground formed, how would the seed describe it? It is virtually impossible for us to understand what kind of tree we will be in the garden of Paradise like those things under the ground. As a matter of fact, the Prophet (pbuh) described Paradise as follows: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no heart has conceived.”

All tastes/pleasures will be found in all levels in Paradise; a believer will be given as much property as the world; it will be full of palaces and gardens; a person will be in thousands of places at the same time in Paradise.

In that case, there will be anything one wishes in Paradise. Whatever man wants will exist in all levels. They will be in the form Allah’s wisdom wishes and man will be pleased with

Paradise is a different realm. Since a saint of Allah can be in more than one place and speak in this world, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) can meet and talk to all believers at the same time in Paradise. It is not possible for them to be in a certain place and only to reach a certain level of people there. It is not in question for him to be in a certain place and only people of certain levels to talk to him.

Believers can listen to the talks of many people at the same time and can have many different flavors and pleasures at the same time in Paradise. It is not possible for us to understand that realm in this world. However, the pleasure believers take from the same talk in Paradise will be different.

We can view this reality through the following example of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi: If the senses of taste of the people eating the same food at the same table are different from one another, the taste they receive will be different from one another even if they eat the same things. Accordingly, we should try to make efforts to develop our sincerity, worship, taqwa and high ethics so that our share will increase in that realm.

The concepts beautiful and ugly exist in the world but there is nothing ugly in Paradise, which is alive in all aspects.

As it is understood from hadiths, everybody in Paradise will be given a place of five hundred years, presumably as big as the earth. In such a large place, a person’s private place will be separate from the realm where he will be with his friends.

Besides, no bad habits exist in Paradise. For this reason, there will be no jealousy; and a person will not have lustful feelings toward non-mahram people. A person who has no eyes cannot see and a person who is deaf cannot hear. Will you be disturbed when a blind person is near you? Will you feel worried when a little boy is near your mother or sister?

So, there are no bad thoughts and habits in Paradise. They are given in this realm to test us. Since there is no need for test in Paradise, they do not exist there. The feeling of lust is deactivated toward non-mahram people. Therefore, no one will be disturbed by others.

What kind of a place is Paradise?

Paradise is the happiness corner of the realm of the hereafter ... Paradise is the sea of blessings and goodness, land of pleasure and tranquility ... Paradise is the town of consent, land of peace. Our Lord, who is free from all sorts of incompleteness and imperfection, commands us to keep away from sins and to be purified from evil so that He will lead us to His land of peace, which is free from all bad deeds and evil ...

There is no place for bad beliefs like unbelief, polytheism and heresy there…
No people with bad habits like lying, gossiping and slander can enter Paradise...
You cannot find any imperfection like illness, fatigue and insomnia there...
There are words and phrases that cannot exist in the glossary of that town like aargh, ouch, I wish and alas…
That land of peace is free and away from all of them...

This universe, whose end our eyes are unable to reach and whose vastness our imagination cannot comprehend, is our examination hall. Man can be tested in candlelight, on a dry board and with a bagel in his hands. So why is this world so magnificent? What do these vegetables and fruits of various types mean?

The huge sun is our lamp in our examination hall. This state opens up a wide horizon to us. It shows to our imagination how wonderful the realm of the hereafter, whose nature we cannot know, is. If the examination hall is so great, beautiful and magnificent, how will the realm of happiness and reward be? If we are given so many boons and blessings in the test, who knows what blessings we will attain in Paradise. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following: “The world is a field of the hereafter.” The field is not a place of entertainment. There is difficulty and fatigue in the field. Time is used in the best way in the field.

With this hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) advises us to make use of this field of the world in the best and most productive way. He also gives us the glad tidings that the things we will sow here as seeds will sprout there, one seed yielding one thousand, seventy thousand and more fruits. The eating, drinking, talking, listening and meditating of a believer are like seeds. If they are done legitimately, they will be trees of Paradise.

A person who participates in a religious and scientific talk sows many seeds in that field. The ephemeral minutes spent in that assembly becomes eternal. He becomes a candidate to listen to talks in Paradise in return for the words that he listens there. His power of understanding and meditation in Paradise increases as he understands and meditates there. He is regarded to have prayed to see luminous faces in Paradise when he sees the faces of believers there.

A person who eats halal food adds what he eats to his account of Paradise. He who always tells the truth and declares what is right adds those words to his account of Paradise. If we make use of all of our deeds, attitudes and words like that, we will attain unbelievable rewards, prepare our capital for Paradise here and send our food in Paradise from the world

Our Lord gives the glad tiding for Paradise as follows:

“Allah hath promised to Believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss. But the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah: that is the supreme felicity.” (at-Tawba, 9/72)

There are interpretations such as rivers of clean water, rivers of milk and rivers of honey for the rivers in Paradise. And there are many rivers that have not been expressed yet. The small examples of these rivers exist in our world. There is a river of milk flowing every day in our world but we cannot see the whole of this river; we only see the part coming out of breasts. Those rivers have flown for centuries like the rivers of the Nile, the Tigris and the Euphrates. Our Lord, who informs us about the rivers of Paradise the pleasant dwellings of Eden and who encourages us to prepare for those places, makes our hearts turn toward His consent and teaches us to do all our deeds sincerely with the lofty lesson at the end of the verse: “But the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah: that is the supreme felicity.”

The difference between a child who fulfills his father’s request willingly in order to please him and another child who fulfills his father’s request in order to get a chocolate from him is so big. The share of the people who are aware of this subtlety and evaluate their lives with this consciousness related to the eternal grace will be many times more.

This divine news has an aspect that is valid for all people of Paradise: when the fortunate people of the land of happiness receive a blessing/boon, they feel a lofty pleasure thinking as follows: “This is a sign and indication that my Lord is pleased with me.” Badiuzzaman Said Nursi expresses this meaning in a very nice way in his book called Mektubat:

"An apple an august monarch presents to you holds a pleasure superior to that of a hundred, indeed a thousand, apples, for it is he that has bestowed it on you and made you experience the pleasure of a royal favor...”

Thus, believers will benefit from material blessings/boons in Paradise; they will also taste spiritual pleasures superior to them. It will be a wrong understanding contrary to the spirit of all of the verses related to the hereafter not to regard this issue like that and to regard Paradise only as something spiritual.

The spirit only watches the palace of Paradise and houris. It regards it enough to look at the rivers of Paradise. It does not matter whether they are these or those rivers. In that case, will the blessings of Paradise, which are infinitely superior to the blessings of the world, not be lower than the blessings of the world? Is it not better to drink a glass of milk in this world than to watch the river of milk in Paradise?

The spirit will not be satisfied with such an incomplete paradise. Such an understanding satisfies only the delusions of those who cannot accept in their minds that resurrection is material. The way to the land of Paradise, which is full of the original forms of all kinds of material and spiritual pleasures, is through Sirat Bridge. Those who pass Sirat Bridge safe and sound reach the gates of Paradise. The seed of Sirat Bridge, like everything else in the hereafter, is in the world. Those who carry out all of their works based on the orders of Allah in this world and who always tell the truth will pass Sirat Bridge safe and sound in the hereafter.

If a person falls off from the right side or the left side of Sirat Bridge, he will fall into Hell. This reality also has its seed in the world. Doing something both too much and too little destroys man. That is, both types of extremism prepares man’s destruction. So, man needs to keep away from both of them and proceed steadily to reach Paradise, the place of bliss.

Answer 2:

No boon in Paradise is the same as the previous boon. For instance, if a believer who has eaten a fruit eats another one in the same place, the second fruit will be better and more delicious than the first one. If it is thought that even a fruit is not the same as another one, it will be understood that the spouses given to a believer will not be the same.

"But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits therefrom, they say: "Why, this is what we were fed with before," for they are given things in similitude; and they have therein companions pure (and holy); and they abide therein (for ever)." (al-Baqara, 2/25)

Some of the interpretations made related to the similarities of the boons served in Paradise are as follows:

1) The sustenance served to believers in the hereafter is the fruit of good deeds in the world. The good deeds in the world are virtually transformed into thawabs and are served as sustenance in Paradise. Therefore, the people of Paradise will know the sustenance given to them and say, "They are the outcome of the good deeds we did in the world."

2) The boons of Paradise are served in a way that is similar to those in the world but there is a big difference between their tastes.

3) What is meant by "before" is the boons given to them before in Paradise.

Accordingly, no boon will be the same as another one.

6-) Will the things that are haram in this world be halal in Paradise? Alcohol and wine are haram here but rivers of wine are mentioned in Paradise.

Things that are regarded as sins in the world will not exist in Paradise, which is a pure and clean place and where only clean and good things exist.

“Not frivolity will they (people of Paradise) hear therein, nor any taint of ill.” (al-Waqia, 56/25),

“No vanity shall they hear therein, nor Untruth.” (an-Naba’, 78/35)

The verses above express clearly that let alone deeds that are regarded as sins, even unnecessary talks will not exist in Paradise.

Muttaqis (pious people) who avoided those deeds in the world though they did not see Allah and who will be in the presence of their Lord in Paradise will never do the bad deeds that caused Allah’s wrath and the elimination of various tribes and deeds that will remind them.

According to the view of some people who think that some deeds that are regarded as sins in the world will be permissible in Paradise, those deeds will be nice deeds in Paradise and they can be imagined now.

Such a person will regard such major sins as simple and those who did them in the world will be regarded as "hustlers".

The rivers in Paradise are often mentioned in the hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh):

Rivers of Paradise originate from mountains or hills of musk." (Tadhkiratul-Qurtubi, p. 307/501)

In Paradise, there are seas of honey, wine, milk and water. The other rivers will originate from them. (Tirmidhi, Büyük Hadis Külliyatı-5, p. 409/10097)

It is stated in the hadith that there are seas of honey, milk and wine in Paradise. However, the milk, honey and wine mentioned here are different from the ones in the world, with properties peculiar to Paradise. Each of them is a clean drink that provides flavor and comfort in Paradise. For instance, the wine presented in Paradise does not resemble the wine in the world. It will not intoxicate people. The wine Allah prepared for Paradise is described as follows in the verses of the Quran:

"Crystal-white, of a taste delicious to those who drink (thereof), Free from headiness; nor will they suffer intoxication therefrom." (as-Saaffat, 37/46-47)

Besides, those examples – rivers of milk, honey and wine – indicate that there may be different beautiful things waiting for Allah’s slaves with whom He is pleased with. Milk is a food item that turns bad very easily but the existence of seas and rivers of milk is a remarkable example of the perfectness of the boons there.

The use of the words "river and sea" while those boons are described emphasizes the abundance in Paradise. People see those boons in limited amounts in the world. It is an exciting boon and beauty for the people of Paradise who bought them in jars and bottles or different packages in the world to see them as a spring in Paradise without going bad or getting dirty and to be offered to them abundantly and with perfect flavor.

The properties of those rivers are mentioned in detail in the Quran:

"(Here is) a Parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised: in it are rivers of water incorruptible; rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink; and rivers of honey pure and clear. In it there are for them all kinds of fruits; and Grace from their Lord..." (Muhammad, 47/15)

Some boons like milk, honey and wine are given as examples in the verse. However, it is also possible for any boon that one likes to flow like a river, be abundant and clean like water and remain without going bad. Besides, Allah states that the drinks will be presented in cups in Paradise, that they will not cause headache and that the believers will not lose their consciousness. Allah states the following in another verse: "Round will be passed to them a Cup from a clear-flowing fountain..." (as-Saaffat, 37/45) The following has been prepared for believers in Paradise: "Their thirst will be slaked with Pure Wine sealed: The seal thereof will be Musk: And for this let those aspire, who have aspirations: With it will be (given) a mixture of Tasnim." (al-Muttaffifin, 25-27) (Tasnim: the name of a fountain in Paradise)

As it is stated in the verses, those drinks also contain nice smells. On the other hand, there may be extraordinary beauties that we cannot imagine under the seas and at the bottom of the rivers in Paradise. Allah may enable the people He wishes to plunge without having a problem of breathing and to watch the beauties under the sea with the naked eye and with a crystal-clear vision. The beauties under the sea that people can be aware of only through documentaries can be in a form that believers can see easily and take ample pleasure.

Houris will serve the people of Paradise like slaves or servants. So will ghilmans (boys). The women from the world will not be like servants; they will be the wives of the men and they will be served. The states in Paradise should be evaluated based on the conditions of Paradise .

The Prophet (pbuh) describes the people of Paradise as follows:

"Every one of them (People of Paradise) will have two wives; the marrow of the bones of the wives' legs will be seen through the flesh out of excessive beauty. They ( i.e. the people of Paradise) will neither have differences nor hatred amongst themselves; their hearts will be as if one heart and they will be glorifying Allah in the morning and in the evening." (Bukhari, Bad'ul-Khalq, 59, Sifatul-Jannah)

The women who believed in the world and became virtuous slaves are superior to "houris" because they had to struggle against both devils and their own souls. They won this struggle, attained Allah’s consent and deserved to enter Paradise. Houris did not enter Paradise based on their own deeds. Allah created them for the people of Paradise like the other boons. The following hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) confirm it:

Once, Umm Salama asked the Prophet (pbuh) "O Messenger of Allah! Are the women in the world or houris superior?" The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) answered: "The superiority of the women in the world is like the superiority of the fabric to the lining." When Umm Salama asked "Why?", the Prophet (pbuh) answered as follows: "Because the women in the world perform prayers, fast and do many other deeds of worship." (from Tabarani, Mawdudi, Tafhimul-Qur'an Translation, VI. 81)

Houris are very beautiful women of Paradise that the All-Compassionate created for the men in Paradise and put under the women’s order. Many verses mention and describe them.

7-) Is it true that men get 72 virgin women in paradise when they die? If so does it apply to a men that are married in this life as well?

ANSWER 1

In the Qur'an the number of Houris is not mentioned. In technical term, “houri” refers to each of the beautiful girls Allah promised to the ones who deserve to enter Heaven.

They are girls whose eyes are large and their eyes’ iris is extremely black and it is quite white around iris. The word “hur” in Arabic is the plural form of “havra”. It is used as “houri” by adding the relative suffix “i” to it.

The word “iyn” which is used in Quran to express “houris” is derived from the word “ayn (eye)” and it refers to women with large eyes.

We learn about Houris’ body structure, beauty, and moral values from Quran verses and hadiths.

“As to the Righteous (they will be) in a position of Security among Gardens and Springs; dressed in fine silk and in rich brocade, they will face each other. Moreover, We shall join them to Companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes.” (ad-Dukhan, 51-54)

“Verily for the Righteous there will be a fulfillment of (the heart's) desires; Gardens enclosed, and grapevines; companions of equal age (girls); and a cup full (to the brim).” (an-Naba, 78/31-34).

“Therein will they recline (at ease): Therein can they call (at pleasure) for fruit in abundance, and (delicious) drink; and beside them will be chaste women restraining their glances, (companions) of equal age.” (as-Sad, 38/51-52).

“We have created (their Companions) of special creation and made them virgin - pure (and undefiled), beloved (by nature), equal in age, for the Companions of the Right Hand.” (al-Wa’iah).

What is meant by the expression of “equal in age” in verses above can be both that all of these women are at the same age and they are at the same age with their husbands.

Here is this Allah’s kind gift to His righteous and blissful slaves who arranged their lives in accordance with Allah’s orders and prohibitions; put up with all kinds of troubles, sorrows and torment in order not to abandon their religion; did not give in to arrogant ones and rioted against cruelty and cruel ones.

“In them will be fair (Companions), good, beautiful” (ar-Rahman, 55/70).

“In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched” (ar-Rahman, 55/56).

“And (there will be) Companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes like pearls well-guarded.” (al-Waq’iah, 56/22-23).
The most important trait of a woman is her modesty and purity. For this reason, Allah the Glorious, while declaring the boons of Heaven, firstly mentioned their modesty and purity before their purity.

It can be deduced from the second verse above that there will be righteous women for righteous men from jinns in the Heaven. These women will be wives for men of jinn, like righteous women of humankind will be for men of humankind. Neither these righteous women of jinn nor the righteous women of humankind will be touched by men.

The Prophet (pbuh) describes the inhabitants of Heaven as follows:

“Every one of them will have two wives; the marrow of the bones of the wives' legs will be seen through the flesh out of excessive beauty. They (i.e. the people of Paradise) will neither have differences nor hatred amongst themselves; their hearts will be as if one heart and they will be glorifying Allah in the morning and in the evening.” (Bukhari, Bed’al-Halk, 59, Sifatu’l Jannah)

In addition, women who believed in Allah and became one of righteous slaves of Allah while in earthly life are superior to houris, because they have to struggle against devils and their own lower-selves. They became victorious in this struggle, gained Allah’s consent and deserved to enter Heaven. However, houris are not in Heaven because of their own deeds. Allah created them for the inhabitants of Heaven amongst other boons of Heaven. The Prophet’s hadith below confirms this:

“The women of this world will have superiority over the houris just as the outer lining of a garment has superiority over the inner lining."... "Because they performed salâh, fasted, and worshipped [Allah]. Allah will put light on their faces and silk on their bodies...” (narrated Tabarani; Mawdudi, Tafhimu’l Quran, VI. 81).

As there is no jealousy in Paradise, the women will not be disturbed and be jealous when houris are given to their husband in Paradise.

How will the poygamy be in Paradise? How should we understand the verses about this matter?

For example, in the commentary of the verse “ ... and they have therein companions pure (and holy)...” this sentence of the scholar Elmalılı : “ in the heavens, there are pure, clean spouses, that is, wives for men and husbands for women” ((Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, Hak Dini Kur’ân Dili, Eser Bookstore, İstanbul, nd, I, 276.) has been misunderstood by some as if the women would be given many men (ghilman) just like many houris will be given to men.

However, what is meant here is that all men and women will be married and will have pure spouses. Because they are mentioned in the plural form as men and women, their spouses are also mentioned in the plural form. That is, each man and woman will have a pure spouse.

This expression is just like the words of a teacher told to the students: “I will hand out your report cards now” at the end of the year. It does not mean that a student will receive more than one report card. Conversely, it means each student will receive one report card. Since the students are plural, so the report cards are plural. The reason of this misunderstanding is just the lack of knowledge about the subject matter.

The mankind that was created to be tested on this earth, which is a member of the Milky Way Galaxy and the Solar System in the endless cosmotic space of the universe, is obliged to get to know the Creator of the universe and worship Him through faith.

The true believers who had faith and did good deeds in accordance with the purpose of creation have been given the good news of entering Paradise in all heavenly books and have been encouraged to do good deeds in order to gain it.

For the man who is prone to and desires the perfection and the beauty at the utmost degree with a passionate feeling, the Quran elaborates the boons of Paradise; and beyond this, the contentment of Allah was promised.

Paradise contains all the blessings of both spiritual and emotional kind, and at the same time, all the bodily and material pleasures. Eating, drinking and marriage are among the highest boons of Paradise. According to the statements of the Quran and hadiths, a marriage bond established in this world, will continue in the other life on condition that both spouses deserve Paradise; and their relationship will last forever in Paradise. However, an unbeliever spouse who died denying Allah and other tenets of the religion, -like the spouses of the prophets Noah and Lot, and the Pharaoh, the husband of the believer Asiya- will be separated from his/her spouse and will suffer the eternal torments of Hell, in return for their denial.

The believing women that went to Paradise because of their faiths and good actions, will be given back to their husbands by Allah, after removing all the worldly flaws with His Compassion and Might. Those women of the earth will be more beautiful than houris, be an eternal life-time companion to their spouses and a sultan of houris. They will make use of the blessings of Paradise together with their beloved ones eternally, and without any feeling of jealousy and antagonism.

The believing men and women that die before marrying anyone in this world, will surely get married in Paradise and there will be no one remaining single. However, the ones who died in the infancy period are exempted from this rule. According to the meaning of this verse of the Quran: “Wildanun mukhalladun” (Endless living children), the kids of the believers that died before adolescence, will directly go to Paradise, but they will remain kids forever and thus they will give the pleasure of child caressing and loving to their parents.

However, as for the kids in the period of pre-adolescence that performed prayers and fasted the Ramadan, with the encouragement of their parents, Allah will create them like adults and will bestow onto them this difference as a reward of their good deeds. The children of the infidels will go to Paradise too, but they will be servants there. The insane ones, the ones that were unaware of the true religion because of living in the period of Interregnum (a period between two Prophets) will not be accounted for their sins; and thus, they will go to Paradise.

The word “ghilman” is mentioned only in one verse of the Quran. It is the surah at-Tur ,- the 52nd surah- the verse 24, “Round about them will serve, (devoted) to them, youths (handsome) as Pearls well-guarded.” In the dictionary, “ghulam” means “child, young boy, servant” (but ghilman is the plural of ghulam), which, at the same time, apparently means the youths that were created by Allah for serving the believers in Paradise. They serve food and drinks for the residents and they do this service happily.

As for houris, they are very beautiful women that were created specially for the believing men in Paradise and they are under the command of the women of Paradise. Many verses mention and describe them. Generally, they are described in several verses as “they have big eyes with pure white and darkish black, girls having white and silvery skins” ,” they are fond of their males, unaware of the others, untouched by others, pearly skinned, ruby cheeked, peer young girls” They are so beautifully created that, a hadith says “ Even if they wear seventy garments, their bone marrows are still visible”

Badiuzzaman expounds this fact as follows : “Yes, by saying, "The Houris wear seventy garments and the marrow of their leg-bones can be seen," the Hadith points out that however many senses, feeling, powers, and faculties man has which are enamoured of beauty, worship pleasure, are captivated by ornament, and yearn for loveliness, the Houris comprise every sort of adornment and exquisite loveliness, physical and spiritual and immaterial, which will please and satisfy all of them, and gratify and make happy each of them..

That is to say, since the Houris are of seventy of the varieties of the adornment of Paradise, and not of one sort, as they are clothed in garments which do not conceal one another, they display from their beings and selves and bodies, perhaps more than seventy of the different sorts of its beauty and loveliness. They demonstrate the truth indicated by the verse: “There is everything that their souls desire and eyes enjoy” (Words p.813) However, the women of the earth will be created more beautifully than them because of their good deeds on the earth and those women who had married more than once will have the chance to prefer the husbands that they would like.

ANSWER 2

According to the statements of the Quran and hadiths, the family life that is established in the world will continue forever if both spouses deserve to go to Paradise; their marital relations will go on endlessly. However, the spouses that did not believe and died as unbelievers will be separated from their spouses and they will suffer the punishment for their unbelief by staying in hell forever even if they are the wives of Hazrat Noah and Lot and the husband of Asiya, the Pharaoh.

ANSWER 3

If the woman does not want her husband, she can get marry with another man in paradise.

If one of the spouses wants the other but the other spouse does not want him/her (if there is a consciousness and demand like that), the one who likes will be given a similar spouse, and the other is left free; he/she will marry whomever she wants.

It should not be forgotten that a depressing situation is never in question in Paradise. Nobody will be more beautiful and beloved than one’s spouse no matter whom one marries. The sadness and longing in the world are not in question in Paradise. In other words, the longing and sadness remaining from the world will be eliminated there by reunion or there will be no traces from them; what is important is to enter Paradise. Therefore, it is necessary to compete in taqwa, that is, in obeying the commands and prohibitions of Allah, which is a prerequisite for entering Paradise.

QUESTION : Does a woman have to marry her husband in the world in Paradise? If she married only once in the world, will she have the right to choose another man?

ANSWER : We can give the following summarized information regarding the issue:

a. The principle is that each husband and wife continue their marriage in Paradise.

b. The women who died before getting married can marry the men they like.

c. According to the opinion of some scholars, if a woman married two or more men in the world, she will marry her first husband if her other marriage(s) took place as a result of the death of her husband not as a result of divorce; according to the opinion of other scholars, she will marry her last husband. However, she can also marry the one that she likes better. (cf. Alusi; ad-Duhan, the interpretation of the verse 44/54.)

d. If one of the spouses wants the other but the other spouse does not want him/her (if there is a consciousness and demand like that), the one who likes will be given a similar spouse, and the other is left free; he/she will marry whomever she wants.

- It should not be forgotten that a depressing situation is never in question in Paradise. Nobody will be more beautiful and beloved than one’s spouse no matter whom one marries. The sadness and longing in the world are not in question in Paradise. In other words, the longing and sadness remaining from the world will be eliminated there by reunion or there will be no traces from them; what is important is to enter Paradise. Therefore, it is necessary to compete in taqwa, that is, in obeying the commands and prohibitions of Allah, which is a prerequisite for entering Paradise.

ANSWER 4

The word ghilman is mentioned only once in the Quran. The following is stated in verse 24 of the chapter of at-Tur (chapter 52): "Round about them will serve, (devoted) to them, youths (handsome) as Pearls well-guarded." The word ghilman, which is the plural form of ghulam, lexically means "children, adolescents, servants". It is understood that they are young people of Paradise that Allah specially created for His believing servants and whose duty is to serve believers. They serve food and drinks to the people of Paradise and feel happy to do so.

After the ephemeral life ends, an eternal life will start. Allah's mercy, grace and grants will be manifest magnificently there. The center of this endless bliss and eternal bounties and beauties is Paradise. Paradise is a place where both believing men and women enjoy all kinds of bounties. That is, both men and women will make use of the bounties of Paradise; both will be given all kinds of bounties and grants.

Paradise and the people of Paradise are described very nicely in the Quran. Believing women are mentioned together with believing men in most places. For instance, the following is stated in verse 72 of the chapter of at-Tawba:

"Allah hath promised to Believers men and women Gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of everlasting stay but the greatest bliss in the Good Pleasure of Allah: that is the Supreme Felicity."
When the people and bounties of Paradise are mentioned in the Quran, the word "muttaqis" (people who fear from Allah) is used. This word is used for both men and women. They are not discriminated.

The phrases and words mentioned in hadiths are also related to both men and women. All glad-tidings, favors, bounties and grants are the same for all of them. One of the hadiths regarding the issue is as follows:

"When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, an attendant calls out as follows: 'You will definitely live eternally in Paradise; you will never die. You will never get ill; you will always be healthy. You will be granted endless bounties and you will never be sad or sorrowful."1

The state of the people of Paradise is described as follows in another hadith:

"Even if a person is in the lowest level of Paradise, he will definitely be asked by angels acting upon the order of Allah, 'Wish whatever your heart wants.' He wishes a lot of things. Thereupon, he is asked, 'Have you wished all of what your heart wants?' When he answers, 'Yes', he is addressed as follows: You will definitely be given twice as much.'"2

In general, the bounties of Paradise are common for both believing men and women; however, regarding certain issues, one gender is superior to the other. Some of these superiorities belong to men and some belong to women. In the Quran, women of Paradise are described as "azwajun mutahharatun" (clean wives). This phrase includes the following meanings: Paradise is a place for women. Those women deserve high levels of Paradise. Their beauties increase in parallel with the levels of Paradise. Paradise becomes beautiful and adorned with them.3

That is, women of Paradise add to the beauty of Paradise and they serve as a living element that decorate Allah's eternal land. The following meanings are also deduced from the word "mutahharatun" (clean): "Women of the world will be cleared of the evil and bad features like jealousy; their inner appearance will be as pure and clean as their outward appearance. They surpass houris in terms of beauty."

The Prophet describes women of Paradise as follows: "The marrow of their shanks would be visible through the flesh due to the beauty and pleasantness of their bodies. There would be no dissension amongst them and no enmity in their hearts."4
That is, women of Paradise are so beautiful that only their beauty will surpass the beauty of houris, only one nail of whose is so bright as to cover the sunlight if it was to be seen in the world. Is it possible for a woman to imagine something more beautiful than this?

You can think about the amount and level of bounties and grants of Allah since He will give both believing men and women twice as much as they wish through their hearts. After such bounties and grants, one cannot say, "Why does Allah give a man many houries but women of Paradise are not given such an opportunity?" Impossible is impossible in Paradise. Allah will give man all kinds of bounties and grants in accordance with the nature of man and He will not deprive anybody of anything.

The important thing is to attain the consent of Allah, to deserve the endless bliss, to leave this ephemeral world as a believer and to arrive at the door of Paradise.

1. Muslim, Jannah 22.
2. Muslim, Iman: 301.
3. Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, İşaratü'l-İcaz, p. 175.
4. Muslim, Jannah: 14-17.

Mehmed Paksu, En Çok Sorulan Mes'eleler ve Çözümleri -2, 2. Baskı, Nesil yayınları, İstanbul, 2000, pp. 144-146.

8-) Is there reproduction in Paradise? That is, it is possible to have children there?

According to the majority of tafsir and Islamic scholars, there is no reproduction in Paradise. However, according to some narrations, it is possible to have children in a way that is different from the worldly life. The Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

“When a believer desires a child in Paradise, he shall be carried, born, and complete his aging in an hour.” (Tirmidhi, Jannah, 23; Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 39; Darimi, Riqaq, 11; Ibn Hanbal, III, 9)

Tirmidhi says this hadith is gharib, attracting attention to its weakness.

According to some scholars, there is sexual life in Paradise but a child will not be born as a result of it. Mujahid, Tawus and Ibrahim an-Nahai hold this view. As a matter of fact, Abu Razin al-Uqayli reports the following from the Prophet:

“People of Paradise will not have children.” (Tirmidhi, Jannah 23, 2566)

Ishaq b. Ibrahim and others say that when a believer wishes a child, he will be born suddenly as he wishes but he will not wish. (Sha’rani, Mukhtasaru Tadhkiratil-Qurtubi, p. 104)

It is understood that the phrase “but they will not wish” is not a part of the hadith but the statement of Ishaq b. Ibrahim and others who reported the statement of the Prophet (pbuh). Otherwise, such a statement (hadith) will be of no significance.

It is clear that to mention something that will not take place in detail as if it will take place is nonsensical. For, if the meaning were like that, the phrases "be carried, born, and complete his aging" would not have been mentioned; only the following expression would have been used: “it would happen if he wished.”

Besides since the conjunction “idha (when)”, which expresses certainty, is used instead of “in (if)”, it shows that what is wished will take place. Thus, in our opinion, such an evaluation is a forced interpretation based on the narration that people of Paradise will not have children.

The narrations regarding the issue can be combined as follows:

- Paradise is not a place of reproduction through pregnancy, etc. in the sense that we know.

- Having a child as in the world does not take place in Paradise. However, one can have a child whenever he wishes.

- It is possible for the children of Paradise to be created at different ages. For, every phase of childhood has a beauty peculiar to it.

- It can be thought that the use of the words wildan and ghilman in the Quran for the children in Paradise indicates this. Thus, it is possible that wildan is used for little children and ghilman is used for young children.

9-) Do i have to get married in jannah ? Can i be single in jannah? will i get tired of being lonely in jannah?

Those who cannot marry each other in this world can marry in the hereafter.

Allah Almighty will marry a single believing woman off to a believing man in the hereafter. For, along with eating and drinking, one of the pleasures of Paradise is marriage. A woman should also benefit from this boon.

As it is known, every man in Paradise will be given two wives from the world and several houris based on his degree. On the other hand, there are women and men who die when they are single in the world. Allah Almighty will marry single men in Paradise.

Besides, the women of Paradise who were married to the men of Hell will be married off to the believing men of Paradise. As it is stated in various hadiths, believing men will marry a woman of Paradise like this along with their own wives. (Ibn Majah, Zuhd: 39)

Will there not be jealousy in Paradise? No, there will be no jealousy because people will be purified from all kinds of bad feelings and they will have only good characteristics. Therefore, neither the women of the world nor houris will be jealous of each other; they will get on very well.

Detailed information regarding the bounties of Paradise has been given in the Quran for man, who is inclined to all kinds of perfection and beauty and who desires his highest degree like a lover; in addition, he has been pledged the content and pleasure of Allah.

Paradise, which includes all kinds of spiritual and emotional bounties, also contains all kinds of bodily and material bounties. Eating, drinking and marrying are regarded among the highest bounties of Paradise. According to the statements of the Quran and hadiths, the family life that is established in the world will continue forever if both spouses deserve to go to Paradise; their marital relations will go on endlessly. However, the spouses that did not believe and died as unbelievers will be separated from their spouses and they will suffer the punishment for their unbelief by staying in hell forever even if they are the wives of Hazrat Noah and Lot and the husband of Asiya, the Pharaoh.

God Almighty will give the believing women who entered Paradise due to their belief and good deeds to their husbands as spotlessly clean wives by cleaning them from all kinds of worldly defects. Those women of the world, who were created in a more beautiful form than houris, will be eternal friends of life for their husbands and become the sultans of the houris. They will make use of Paradise forever with the people they love without any feelings of jealousy and competition.

The believing men and women who died before they got married in the world will be married in Paradise; all of the single people will be married there. However, those who died as children are exceptions to that rule. As it is understood from the phrase, “wildanun mukhalladun” (immortal children), the children of believers who died before reaching the age of puberty will go to Paradise directly, but they will make their parents enjoy the pleasure of caressing and loving children by remaining as children forever. However, God Almighty will create the children who prayed and performed fasting thanks to the encouragement of their parents although they did not have to as adults and he will grant them the return for their deeds as Paradise. The children of unbelievers who died before reaching the age of puberty will enter Paradise but they will be employed as servants. Those who were not sane and the people of interregnum who were unaware of the true religion will enter Paradise since they were not mukallaf (responsible); they will not be accounted for their mistakes.

– Which one of her husbands will a woman who married several times in the world be together with in Paradise?

– First of all, it is necessary not to forget the characteristic of Paradise. If its characteristic is forgotten, many questions cannot be answered. That characteristics is as follows:

Paradise is a place of complete happiness. A person who enters Paradise will not come across with even the slightest thing that will overshadow his happiness. On the contrary, he will have all of the things that will make him happy and as he likes them to be; there will be no deprivation.

Acting upon that basic criterion, we can say that she will be together with the husband that she will be happy with. In other words, she will prefer to be with the husband that made her happy in the world; she will increase the happiness of the world more in the hereafter. In Paradise, it is out of question to be together with a person that one does not like or does not want. Then, those who love will be together with the people whom they loved in Paradise; they will transform their ephemeral happiness in the world to eternal happiness in the hereafter. That is the summary of the judgment expressed by the hadiths that are thought to have different meanings.

As a matter of fact, the following famous hadith that is uttered as a proverb among people expresses the same thing:

– A person is together with whom he loves!

Unfortunately, the world is not a place that is appropriate for fulfilling every wish. A person might not be together with the person he loves in the world no matter how much he wants. However, it is certain that he will be together with whom he loves in the hereafter though not in the world.

What is more, those who did not express their love openly and could not be together with their lovers will meet their lovers there.

We can add the following remark here.

Since a person will be together with whom he loves in the hereafter, one should love the people who deserve to go to Paradise so that he will be together with them in Paradise. God forbid, if you love the people who deserve to go to Hell, it is possible that you go to Hell in order to be together with whom you love. – Do not say is it possible? It is. They say love is blind. A person may love someone that Allah does not love. He follows that person and goes to the place where he/she goes because a person is together with whom he loves.

Then, love the people that Allah loves so that you will be together with them in the hereafter. Be careful not to be a victim of wrong love and a person who is overcome by his feelings.

Another important point to remember here is as follows.

Great saints say:

– Do not attribute your love in your marriage to outward appearance and beauty, which will disappears soon. Do not regard the beauty of a face, which will disappear soon, as the only reason for love because outward beauty will disappear in a short time; since what makes you love disappears, your love may disappear too. That approach will soon make the family loveless. However, if one attributes his love to nice qualities like belief, ethics, sincerity and loyalty, which will increase as one gets older, not to outward beauty, which will disappear, the future of the family will be guaranteed. The parties who see that the reason for their love continues lifelong will maintain their family without weakening it until they die because the high ethics that originates from devoutness brings the wife and husband together in Paradise; it will enable them to be together in the eternal life after the world; thus, they make their love kind of eternal. Therefore, they are very careful and try not to disappoint and hurt their eternal friend here.

The following point regarding the issue should never be forgotten:

– The wife and husband that will be together in Paradise will not be the same couple with their weaknesses in the world. Both of them will be together in Paradise after being cleaned from all kinds of material and spiritual dirt. What is more, the wife and husband that they imagined will appear exactly; they will have the appearance of a Paradise youth and a Paradise houri that will make each other happy. They will meet in Paradise being freed from some views that overshadowed their love that existed in the world.

Thus, the wife of the man in the world will be a Paradise houri that he will admire fully and the husband will be a Paradise youth that she will admire fully; they will have the opportunity of enjoying their overshadowed happiness in the world without being overshadowed in Paradise, and in a better phase.

Therefore, the love in the world should not be attributed only to the temporary outward beauty. They should focus on the beauty of belief and ethics that will gain them the eternal friendship of life in Paradise, which will improve as they get older so that their family love will continue lifelong and will be transformed to eternal friendship of life.

Ahmed ŞAHİN

Does a woman have to marry her husband in the world in Paradise? If she married only once in the world, will she have the right to choose another man?

We can give the following summarized information regarding the issue:

a. The principle is that each husband and wife continue their marriage in Paradise.

b. The women who died before getting married can marry the men they like.

10-) Will you mention the properties of the People of Paradise under the light of verses and hadiths?

In the Quran, Paradise is usually promised to the people of "belief and righteous deeds". In a verse, it is stated that the bounties of the eternity will belong to prophets, sincere lovers of truth, martyrs and righteous people (an-Nisa 4/69); in another verse stating that the width of Paradise is that of the whole of the heavens and of the earth, the properties of avoiding bad deeds, spending freely whether in prosperity or in adversity, restraining anger, pardoning people and asking for forgiveness for sins from Allah without insisting on sins are listed. (Aal-i Imran 3/133-135).

In various hadiths, the qualities of those who will enter Paradise are mentioned differently. (see Miftahu Kunuzi’s-Sunnah, “item al-jannah”) When Hz. Prophet was describing the high ranks of Paradise, the Companions who were with him said only prophets could settle in those places. The Messenger of Allah said, “Yes, and those who believe in Allah and approve His prophets” can attain those ranks. (Bukhari, “Bad'u’l-Khalq”, 8; Muslim, “Jannah”, 11)

Quranic verses and hadiths describe those who will go to hell as rude, conceited, stingy, hard-hearted, etc and the people of Paradise with the opposites of these attributes. In a hadith, the people of Paradise are described as someone who wields authority and is just and fair, someone who is merciful and kind hearted towards his relatives and to every Muslim, and someone who does not stretch his hand in spite of having a large family to support; in another hadith, it is stated that the people whose hearts are sensitive like the hearts of birds will enter Paradise. (Muslim, “Jannah”, 27, 63)

Many hadiths describing the people who will not be able to enter Paradise were reported from Hz. Prophet. Among those people are a person who has conceitedness, though very little, in his heart, a person who is a talebearer, a person who does not visit and talk to his relatives, a person who harasses his neighbor and a statesman who does not act sincerely toward his people and who does not heed advice. (Miftahu Kunuzi’s-Sunnah, “item al-jannah”) The scholars of Ahl as-Sunnah hold the view that these kinds of hadiths have didactic and instructional purposes and that the believers will enter Paradise even if they are punished in Hell for a while. In a narration of the hadith stating that the gate of Paradise would be opened by him, the Prophet says, “I am the first person to open the gate of Paradise but a woman tries to open it before me. I ask her, ‘What are you doing? Who are you?’ She says, ' I am a widow who did not marry in order to take care of her children.” (Muslim, “Iman”, 333; Haythami, VIII, 172).

In various hadith resources, including Bukhari and Muslim, there are hadiths stating that a lot of groups from the ummah of Muhammad will enter Paradise without being called to account. Main properties of these groups are as follows: Not to have tattoos on their bodies, not to practice exorcism, not to believe in the existence of ominous things and incidents, to rely on Allah only and not to fear anyone else. (Ibn Kathir, II, 147-160). It is understood that the issues mentioned here indicate the beliefs of idolatry before Islam.

Reference: Bekir Topaloğlu, DİA, Item Cennet, VII, 384-385

11-) How much space will be given to the last person to enter Paradise?

- According to the hadith included in Tirmidhi (Jannah, 17), the Prophet (pbuh) said,

“Indeed, the least of the people of Paradise in rank is the one who shall look at his gardens, his wives, his bounties, his servants and his beds for the distance of a thousand years, and the noblest of them with Allah is the one who shall look at His Face morning and night.” Then the Prophet (pbuh) recited the following verses: “Some faces, that Day, will beam (in brightness and beauty), looking towards their Lord.” (al-Qiyamah, 75/22-23)

Tirmidhi states that there are a few versions of the hadith above and that three of them have been reported as mawquf (not the words of the Prophet, but Ibn Umar). It is stated that the narrator called “Thuvwayr” included in the narration is weak. (see Tuhfatul-Ahwazi, 7/227)

- Mughira Ibn Shu’ba (May Allah be pleased with him) narrates: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,

“Hz. Musa asked his Lord: Who amongst the inhabitants of Paradise has the lowest rank? Lord Almighty said: The person who will be admitted into Paradise last of all among those deserving of Paradise who are admitted to it. It will be said to him, ”Enter Paradise!” He will say: O my Lord! How shall I enter? Everybody has settled in their places and taken the shares. It will be said to him:

“Would you be pleased if you were given as much land as the kingdom of a king in the world?” He will say: “I would, my Lord.” Allah will say: “It has been given to you, and as much as that, and as much as that, and as much as that, and as much as that.” The man will say after the fifth one, “O Lord! I am pleased. (That is enough)”. Allah will say: “It has been given to you and ten times as many. And for you is what your heart desires and your eye enjoys.” The man will say, “O Lord! I am pleased. (That is enough)”. Hz. Musa continues asking:

“Who amongst the inhabitants of Paradise has the highest rank?” Lord Almighty said: “They are those whom I chose. I establish their honor with My own hand and then set a seal over it. No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human mind has perceived what I have prepared for them.” (Muslim, Iman 312; Tirmidhi, Tafsir Sajda, 3196)

- Abu Said al-Khudri narrates: “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: Allah will say to the people of Paradise: ”O people of Paradise!” They will say, “O our Lord! Yes. We are ready for your orders. You have what is good. Allah will say, ”Are you pleased?” They will say, “Why should we not be pleased since You have given us what You have not given to anyone of Your creatures?”

Allah will say, “Shall I give you something better than that?” They will say, ‘What can be better than what you have given to us?’ Allah will say, “I will bestow My pleasure and contentment upon you so that I will never be angry with you forever.” (Bukhari, Riqaq 51, Tawhid 38; Muslim, Jannah 9; Tirmidhi, Jannah 18)

- The interpretation of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi regarding the issue is as follows:

“An important question raised by a significant person: According to tradition, a five-hundred-year paradise will be given to everyone in Paradise. How can worldly intelligence comprehend this truth?”

“The Answer: In this world everyone has his private and temporally limited world as broad as the world, the pillar of which is his life. He makes use of his world through his inner and outer senses. He says to himself, “The sun is my lamp, the stars are my candles.” The existence of other creatures and animate beings in no way negates his ownership of these; on the contrary, they brighten and illumine his world.

In the same way, although on an infinitely higher plane, in addition to the garden of each believer that contains thousands of palaces and houris, there is a private five-hundred-year paradise for everyone, apart from the general Paradise. He will benefit from this paradise and eternity through his senses and feelings, according to the degree of development they have reached. The fact that others share in the general Paradise in no way harms his ownership or benefit, but on the contrary strengthens these, and adorns that vast Paradise.

Man in this world benefits from a garden lasting an hour, a spectacle lasting a day, a country lasting a month and a journey lasting a year, with his mouth, his ear, his eye, his taste and all his other senses. So too, in that realm of eternity, his sense of smell and touch, which in this transient world barely profit from a garden lasting an hour, will benefit as if from a garden lasting a year. The sense of sight and hearing which here barely profit from an excursion lasting a year, will there be able to benefit from a five-hundred-year excursion in a manner fitting that realm, adorned from end to end.” (see Lem’alar, p. 156)

12-) "And they will have therein their sustenance, morning and evening." (Maryam, 62) Will there be two meals in Paradise?

"They will not there hear any vain discourse, but only salutations of peace: and they will have therein their sustenance, morning and evening." (Maryam, 62)

What is meant by the statement "And they will have therein their sustenance, morning and evening" is that the food and drinks they wish are ready at two time periods that are as long as morning and evening. For, there is no morning and evening in reality in Paradise; there is no day or night there. The phrase "as long as" is regarded in the verse. (This interpretation was reported from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Jurayj.)

Some tafsir scholars say this sentence means "their sustenance is not stopped ". As a matter of fact, Allah Almighty stated the following in another verse: «It is neither stopped nor prevented by anybody.» It is like the following statement: «I mention your name in the morning and evening »; that is, I always mention your name.

Zubayr bin Bakkar reports from Ismail bin Abi Uways, who reports from Anas Ibn Malik: He said «Muslims have two meals a day» and read that verse. Then, he said, «Allah Almighty determined suhur as a meal so that Muslims will be strong enough to worship.»

Hakim at-Tirmidhi reports from Aban's hadith in his book called «Nawadiru'l Usul». He reports from Hasan and Abi Kilaba:

Somebody asked: «O Messenger of Allah! Are there night and day in Paradise? »

Hz. Prophet said, «What made you ask this question?» The man said:

«O Messenger of Allah! Allah Almighty states in the Quran: 'And they will have therein their sustenance, morning and evening.' I thought night is between evening and morning. Therefore, I asked you.»

Hz. Prophet answered: «There is no night there. There is only luminous light there. Morning comes after evening and evening comes after morning. The most valuable presents are sent to them by Allah during the times of prayer. Those prayers are performed in the world. The angels greet them.»

The hadith above explains the meaning of the verse:

Scholars said: «There are no nights and days in Paradise. The people of Paradise are in eternal luminous light. The night is distinguished from the day by the curtains being drawn and doors being closed. The length of the day is understood when the curtains are and doors are opened.» This was reported from hadiths scholars by Abu'l Faraj'il-Jawzi and Mahdawi. (Qurtubi, Ahkam'ul-Kur'an, Vol: 11, p: 127, ff.)

(see Ali Arslan, Büyük Kur’an Tefsiri, Arslan Publications: 11/139-147.)

13-) Will there be night and day, brightness and darkness in Paradise? Are there the concepts of morning and evening there?

Since there will be no tiredness and darkness in Paradise, there will not be night and sleep. In the Quran and hadiths, examples are given from the world so that we will understand the life in Paradise. What is meant by morning and evening is whenever they wish.

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"And they will have therein their sustenance, morning and evening." (Maryam, 62) Will there be two meals in Paradise?

14-) Will you give information about the levels of Paradise?

According to what Ibn Abbas narrates, Heaven is reported to consist of seven levels. They are Firdaws, heaven of Adn, heaven of Na’im, Dar al-khuld, heaven of Ma’wa, Dar as-Salam and Illiyyun. In each of these levels, there are degrees or positions for Muslims, which they will enter in return for their good deeds.

It is possible to list the names and layers of jannah used in order to express heaven/Paradise in the Islamic literature as follows:

1. Jannah: It is the most widely used term among the names in the Quran, various hadiths and other Islamic works to express the eternal land of bliss; its content is wide enough to cover all the places and possibilities in it. It is mentioned in one hundred and forty-seven places in the Quran. In the Islamic literature, the promises, encouraging expressions and descriptions about eternal bliss generally focus on the name jannah. Although the singular forms of other names are used, jannah is included in its plural form (jannat) in many verses, which shows that jannah is not a certain region of the abode of bliss, but the whole land.

2. Jannatun-Naim: It is mentioned in thirteen verses. Naim, which has a more comprehensive content than the word blessing, which means "welfare, peace, happy life" in Arabic, expresses all the material and spiritual beauties that give man bliss. Accordingly, jannatun-naim means heavens full of bliss.

"Make me one of the inheritors of the Garden of Bliss (jannatun-naim)." (ash-Shuara, 26/85)

3. Jannah Adn: Adn, which means dwelling and place of dwelling in general, is mentioned in eleven verses. It is understood that Adn is the name of a certain part of jannah or, acting upon its plural form, it is a name expressing the whole jannah.

"Those who have faith and do righteous deeds,- they are the best of creatures. Their reward is with Allah. Gardens of Eternity (Jannat And), beneath which rivers flow; they will dwell therein for ever; Allah well pleased with them, and they with Him: all this for such as fear their Lord and Cherisher." (al-Bayyina, 98/7-8)

4. Firdaws: It means vineyard or garden with grapes. It is mentioned in two verses. Firdaws can be a name that refers to the whole jannah, or it can be the special name of its middle, highest and most valuable region.

"As to those who believe and work righteous deeds, they have, for their entertainment, the Gardens of Paradise (Firdaws)." (al-Kahf, 18/107)

5. Husna: It is accepted by the majority of tafsir scholars that the word husna (more beautiful, better, the most beautiful, the best) in verse 26 of the chapter of Yunus expressing that those who do good will be responded with a greater good deed and that an addition will be made to it means Jannah. What is meant by "ziyadah (more)" in the verse is to attain the honor of seeing Allah from jannah.

"To those who do right is a goodly (reward)- Yea, more (than in measure)! No darkness nor shame shall cover their faces! they are companions of the garden; they will abide therein (for aye)." (Yunus, 10/26)

6. Darus-Salam: This compound, which consists of the word salam, which means being protected from material and spiritual disasters and unpleasant things, and the word dar (land), is mentioned in two verses as the name of jannah or a layer of it. There is no doubt that jannah is the land of peace. It is understood that true peace can only be found in jannah, and that eternal life, wealth without any need, honor and superiority that do not leave room for humiliation, and complete well-being exist only there.

"But Allah doth call to the Home of Peace: He doth guide whom He pleaseth to a way that is straight." (Yunus, 10/25)

7. Darul-Muqama: This compound, which means the main place to stand and the land to live forever, should be an expression that will be used by those who enter jannah for the place they are in while praising and thanking Allah.

"Who has, out of His Bounty, settled us in a Home that will last: no toil nor sense of weariness shall touch us therein." (Fatir, 35/35)

8. Jannatul-Ma'wa:

"For those who believe and do righteous deeds are Gardens as hospitable homes (Jannatul-Ma'wa), for their (good) deeds." (as-Sajda, 32/19)

Apart from those names, the word "dar", which means "home, mansion, city, country, land", is used in the Quran in the sense of jannah in the compounds darul-khuld (home of eternity), darul-akhira (land of the hereafter), aqibatud-dar and uqbad-dar (the end of the world homeland).

In spite of the fact that Ibn Abbas limits the levels of Heaven to seven, as it can be understood from verses, Heaven has got a lot of levels. Those levels of Heaven mentioned by Ibn Abbas and also mentioned in the verses are the highest levels of Heaven, because those levels themselves consist of a lot of levels. In fact, Allah’s verses mentioning them in plural form as “Heavens of Firdaws” and “Heavens of Na’im” prove it. Moreover, this fact is expressed by the Prophet (pbuh) himself in the event of Umm Haritha. Umm Haritha visited Hazrat Prophet to get information about her son martyred in the Battle of Badr and the Messenger of Allah, pointing out that there were a lot of Heavens, comforted her by saying that her son was in "heaven of Firdaws" (Mansur Ali Nasif, at-Taju’ al-Jami li’l Usul, fi Ahadithi’r Rasul, Istanbul (n.d), 5, 4033).

In fact, in the hadith which Muslim narrates from Abu Said al-Khudri, Hazrat Prophet indicates that the ones who make Jihad for the sake of Allah will be elevated a hundred levels in return for their Jihad and that the distance between each level is equal to the distance between the earth and the sky (Muslim, Imara, 116). The possibilities put forward about the issue of levels stated in the hadith are as follows: It is possible to understand those levels as they seem. Actually, it is possible that those levels in question are layers (stages) which mount on one another, as it can be understood from what it is described. On the other hand, it is also possible that what is meant by “mounting on one another” is the abundance of boons, the greatness and abundance of blessings which no human or no other creature has ever thought of and has ever dreamed of in Heaven. In fact, the kinds of blessings and bounties which Allah blesses upon Mujahids are different from one another and superior to one another. In this sense, the differences of superiority among the boons resemble the distance between the earth and the sky. However, al Qadi Iyad (544/1149) preferred the former view (an-Nawawi, Sharhu Muslim, Cairo (n.d), 13, 28).

Again, in a narration by Bukhari, Hazrat Prophet indicates that for the ones who make Jihad for the sake of Allah, a hundred levels are prepared, and the distance between two levels resembles the distance between the earth and the sky; and he continues as follows: “When you ask from Allah, ask for Firdaws… because Firdaws is the middle of Heaven and the highest level of Heaven (…). From Firdaws spring out Heaven’s rivers.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 4).

Ayni interprets the statement “Firdaws is the middle (mediocre) of Heaven” as Heaven’s best or most superior place and supports his view with the word “wasatan” written in the verse “Thus We have appointed you a middle (wasatan) nation” (al-Baqara, 2/143). (al-Ayni, Umdatul-Qari fi Sarhi Sahihi'l-Bukhari, Istanbul 1309, VI, 539). Various narrations put the beauties of Firdaws into words.

On the other hand, the distance between the levels of heaven mentioned in hadith varies as “a distance of hundred years” and “a distance of five hundred years” in different narrations (al-Ayni, ibid).

It can be concluded from all those verses, hadiths and interpretations of scholars that Heaven has a lot of levels. We are informed of those levels’ names because some of them are superior to others and their boons are more beautiful or superior. Heaven of Firdaws is the highest level of Heaven by means of its position. (Also see: at-Tabari, Tafsir, Egypt 1954, 16, 37-8).

15-) Will you give information about being jealous of houris in Paradise and the state of the women who go to Paradise from the world?

Since there will be no feelings such as jealousy in Paradise, you will not have such a desire. Besides, a pious woman who is worthy of entering Paradise after passing the world test will be superior to houris. They will serve the people of heavens like slaves or servants. So will ghilmans. Women who go to Paradise from the world will not be in the position of servants; they will be in the position of the man’s wife and will be served. It is necessary to consider Paradise according to the conditions of that place.

The Prophet (pbuh) describes the people of Paradise as follows:

“Every man in Paradise has two women. The marrow of the bone in each of their calves is visible through their flesh due to the beauty and elegance of their bodies. There will be no conflict, enmity or jealousy among them. They will glorify Allah in the morning and evening.” (Bukhari, Bad’ul-Khalq, 59; Muslim, Jannah, 14-17)

However, women who believe in the world and join the class of righteous servants are superior to “houris” because they have to fight with their devils on the one hand and their souls on the other hand. They become victorious in that struggle, attain Allah’s consent and deserve to enter Paradise. As for houris, they do not enter Paradise because of their own deeds. Allah created them for the people of Paradise like other blessings. The following hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) confirms it.

Once, Umm Salama asked the Prophet (pbuh)

“O Messenger of Allah! Are the women of the world or houris in Paradise superior?” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“The superiority of women of the world is like the superiority of the right side of the fabric over the lining.” Umm Salama asked,

“Why?” He answered as follows:

“Because the women in the world pray, fast and perform many deeds of worship.” (Tabarani, al-Mujamul-Kabir, 23/367-h. no.870)

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In the Paradise houris (houri : A nymph in the form of a beautiful virgin supposed to dwell in Paradise for the enjoyment of the faithful) will be given to men. What about the marital status of women in the Hereafter?

16-) What if a person in Paradise wants those who are in Hell to enter Paradise?

The meaning of the statement “Allah fulfills all the wishes of everyone who goes to Paradise” is the requests that are reasonable, possible and approved by Allah.

Otherwise, if someone wants to take a person from Hell to Paradise and if someone else wants him to be expelled from Paradise and thrown into Hell, their requests will contradict. And no one will be so rude as to make such requests. Forgiveness occurs there only within the framework of the intercession procedure. It is for the believers who die with belief but go to Hell due to their sins.

As it is stated in the Quran, intercession takes place only by Allah’s permission. If Allah gives a servant in Paradise the feeling of a request for a believer in Hell to enter Paradise, it means that Allah has forgiven him through the intercession of that servant.

It means only those who are permitted by Allah are authorized regarding the issue. Otherwise, it will be nonsense for everyone to express their wishes in the way they want.

Besides, those who die as unbelievers and stay in eternal Hell will not be able to leave Hell.

In that case, a person of Paradise will never have a desire for a person who will stay in Hell forever to enter Paradise.

To sum up, those who enter Paradise will only want everything that is in harmony with Paradise and Allah’s consent; they will never want anything contrary to them.

17-) In paradise, can I watch all my memories that I experienced in the world?

“They (those in Paradise) will advance to each other, engaging in mutual enquiry. They will say: "Aforetime, we were not without fear for the sake of our people. But Allah has been good to us, and has delivered us from the Penalty of the Scorching Wind. Truly, we did call unto Him from of old: truly it is He, the Beneficent, the Merciful!".” (at-Tur, 52/25-28)

It is indicated in the verses above that those in Paradise will mention their lives in the world.

They will also want to see the incidents and scenes they mention verbally.

“There will be there all that the souls could desire, all that their ayes could delight in: and ye shall abide therein (for eye).” (az-Zukhruf, 43/71)

As it is indicated above, the worldly scenes that eyes delight in exist there.

An interpretation by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi regarding the issue is as follows:

“For example, the people of Paradise will surely wish to recall their adventures in this world and recount them to one another. They will be exceedingly curious to see the images and pictures of those adventures, and they will enjoy it immensely if they can watch them like watching a cinema screen. Consequently, as the verse, “joyfully facing each other on thrones of dignity” (15:47; 37:44) indicates, in Paradise, the realm of delight and happiness, worldly adventures and scenes of worldly happenings will be recalled, amid everlasting panoramas. (…)"

"In just the same way, the All-Wise Maker of the beings of spring and this world records the aims of their brief lives, which look to the World of Eternity, in that world. He records in everlasting scenes in the Eternal Realm the vital duties and the divine miracles they have performed throughout the stages of their lives, as required by His names of All-Wise, All-Compassionate, and Loving.” (see Mektubat, Yirmi Dördüncü Mektup, İkinci Makam, p. 294)

18-) Will the people of Paradise be bald?

According to what is reported from Ibn Abbas, the Prophet (pbuh) said:

“The people of Paradise are young, beardless and hairless. Except for the head, eyebrows and eyelashes, there is no hair, for example, in their armpits and pubic regions. They will be as tall as Adam with their height of 60 cubits, and at the age of Jesus at 33 years old. (See al-Adlu wal-Ihsan, Wasful-Jannah)

Despite all our research, we could not find a source for this narration in the hadith collections.

However, we have no hesitation that they will not be bald because the existence of baldness, which is a bad sight, in Paradise, a place equipped with beauties, is something contradictory.

19-) Will people be allowed to watch the world in Paradise?

“To them will be passed round, dishes and goblets of gold: there will be there all that the souls could desire, all that their ayes could delight in: and ye shall abide therein (for eye)." (az-Zukhruf, 43/71) According to the apparent meaning of the verse above, man will watch the scenes of worldly happenings in Paradise.

The following statements of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi give a nice answer to the question:

“The world is a workbench and an arable field raising crops suitable for the market of the hereafter. Just as jinn and men send their actions to the market of the hereafter, so too the other beings in the world perform numerous duties on account of the hereafter and produce many crops for it. It may even be said that the earth travels for them, or even that this is its purpose. This dominical ship traverses a twenty-four thousand year distance in one year, circumscribing the field of the resurrection.

For example, the people of Paradise will surely wish to recall their adventures in this world and recount them to one another. They will be exceedingly curious to see the images and pictures of those adventures, and they will enjoy it immensely if they can watch them like watching a cinema screen. Consequently, as the verse, عَلَى سُرُرٍ مُتَقَابِلِينَ (joyfully facing each other on thrones of dignity) indicates, in Paradise, the realm of delight and happiness, worldly adventures and scenes of worldly happenings will be recalled, amid everlasting panoramas.” (Mektubat, 293- 294)

"If for example all nations are invited to a general congress in America and each boards a huge boat and goes there, in the same way, the globe, which travels the long distance of twenty-five thousand years in one year in the vast ocean of the universe, will take on its people, travel to the field of the resurrection, and disembark them.

Furthermore, the Hell at the center of the earth is indicated by the fact that the earth’s temperature increases one degree every thirty-three meters. That Hell will pour its fire into the Greater Hell, whose temperature of two hundred thousand degrees is similar to that described in Hadith and according to Hadiths will carry out some of the duties of the Greater Hell in this world and the Intermediate Realm. Then at a divine command, the earth will be transformed into a better, eternal form, and will become one of the habitations of the hereafter." (Mektubat, Üçüncü Mektup)

The ship that carries the people of Hell to Hell is the Earth we live in. Just as the ships float in the sea so too does the world float around the ocean of gathering place like a ship.

This means that the world has been proceeding since its first creation, drawing the large and wide gathering place. One day it will definitely disembark the people in the terminal, which will be Paradise or Hell.

So to speak, he says the world is such a cruise ship that it will disembark the people of Paradise and the people of Hell in the gathering place. We understand the following from this statement: Hell is under the gathering place; those who will go to Hell will go down to Hell with their heavy bodies from the gathering place. The people of Paradise will fly to Paradise.

On the other hand, the world will not disembark only the people in it but also the mass of fire called the magma in the center, which is described as little Hell. Acting like a cargo ship, the world we live in will eventually deliver every load to their address.

The world, which will pour the fire in it into Hell, will be transformed into a more beautiful and permanent form with the permission of Allah Almighty and will be, so to speak, a place of accommodation in the hereafter. Maybe it will be a visiting place for the people of Paradise.

Would we not like to see the world, where we live, where we have many good and bad reminiscences, which hosts the blessed places of our religion like Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabawi, as a place of residence and sightseeing?

The people of Paradise would definitely like to see the places where the struggle between belief and unbelief took place and will take place from the time of Hz. Adam to Doomsday. Remembering the legitimate reminiscences is a worldly and harmless pleasure; the pleasures much better than them can be given to people of Paradise like all of the other boons.

20-) What does firdaws mean? How is it mentioned in the verses of the Quran and hadiths?

Firdaws lexically means large garden where there are all kinds of trees especially grapevines. Its plural form is faradis.

In literature, firdaws is used for green gardens where there are a lot of trees, especially grapevines.

Various views are put forward about the origin of the word firdaws in the Islamic resources. It is claimed that it is of Arabic, Greek or Persian origin.

There is a view stating that firdaws is used in the sense of “garden” only in Damascus and hence it was transferred to Arabic afterwards but it is also stated that Arabs knew that word in the past since it is mentioned in a couplet written by the poet Hassan b. Thabit as “jinan minal-firdaws” (Diwan, p. 339).

That the word mufardas derived from the same root meaning “arbored” exists in Arabic shows that firdaws is a word that has been used in Arabic for a long time though it is a foreign word.

Firdaws is also mentioned as the name of some places around Yamama and Damascus in some resources. (Lisanul-ʿArab, “frds” item.; Ibn Qayyim al-Jawvziyya, p. 144-145)

Fakhruddin ar-Razi states that firdaws is an Abyssinian word (Mafatiḥul-Ghayb, XXIII, 82); some scholars hold the view that it is of Assyrian origin. (Ibn Habib as-Sulami, p. 21)

The word firdaws is mentioned twice in the Quran: one in the phrase “jannatul-firdaws” (al-Kahf 18/107) and the other as “firdaws” (al-Mu’minun 23/11).

It is stated in those verses that those who believe and do good deeds will enter gardens of firdaws and that those who act in awe in prayers, avoid unnecessary things, give zakah, protect their chastity, take care of the things entrusted to them, keep their promises and perform prayers regularly will deserve firdaws.

The word firdaws is also used in various hadiths attributed to the Prophet (pbuh) and in which Paradise (heaven) is mentioned.

According to what is stated in those hadiths, firdaws

is the middle of Paradise, the highest and most valuable region of Paradise and it is under the Throne. There are four gardens of firdaws, which is a region where rivers of Paradise gush forth; the objects and decorations are made of gold in two of them and of silver in the other two.

In the hadiths in question, the Prophet (pbuh) advised his Companions to want gardens of firdaws from Allah and gave Umm Haritha, whose son became a martyr, the glad tiding that her son entered the most valuable garden of firdaws. (Bukhari, Tawḥid, 22, Jihad, 4, 14, Maghazi, 9; Musnad, II, 335; III, 124, 197, 210; IV, 416; V, 241, 316; Tirmidhi, Sifatul-Janna, 4; Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 39; Darimi, Riqaq, 101)

It is stated in hadith resources that when the Messenger of Allah died, his daughter Fatima wept by saying, “My dad, whose place is garden of firdaws”. (Musnad, III, 197; Bukhari, “Maghazi”, 83)

It is stated in a narration reported by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawvziyya as mawquf that firdaws is one of the beings created by the divine power Himself. (Ḥadil-Arwaḥ, p. 90)

Muhyiddin Ibnul-Arabi places firdaws in the second place after adn in the list of the places of Paradise. (see Sha‘rani, p. 170, 176)

It is possible to put together the explanations made about firdaws by the Islamic scholars based the information mentioned in the Quran and hadiths, and the interpretations of the Companions in two main points:

Firstly: The word firdaws is a noun expressing the whole Paradise because though it is a masculine word, a feminine pronoun is used in the Quran for firdaws. (al-Muminun 23/11) It shows that it is used for the word Paradise.

In addition, it is stated at the beginning of the chapter of al-Muminun that those who perform prayers, give zakah, protect their chastity and take care of the things entrusted to them will be inheritors of firdaws and that they will remain there forever. It is stated in the chapter of al-Maarij that those who have the above-mentioned characteristics will be entertained in Paradise (70/22-35). Those verses indicate that firdaws means the whole Paradise. (Qurtubi, p. 525)

Secondly: Firdaws is the name of the regions of Paradise that form the middle of Paradise, the highest and most valuable part of Paradise; prophets and saints will live there. For, it is stated in the hadiths that there are for gardens of firdaws and it is clearly stated that firdaws is the most valuable region of Paradise.

It is also stated in some verses that those who fear their Lord by thinking that they will enter into the presence of the Lord will be given two more gardens along with two gardens. It shows that not all regions of Paradise are the same, that there are different levels of Paradise and that firdaws forms the most valuable part of it. (Hakim at-Tirmizi, p. 129; Qurtubi, p. 518)

According to the conclusions to be drawn from various verses of the Quran and hadiths, the rewards of the believers who will attain bliss in the hereafter will not be the same; similarly, the gardens where they will live will not be equal in terms of quality.

References:

Lisanul-ʿArab, “frds” item.;
Hassan b. Thabit, Diwan (published by. Sayyid Hanafi Hasanayn), Cairo 1983, p. 339;
Ibn Habib as-Sulami, Waṣful-Firdaws, Beirut 1987, p. 21;
Tabari, Jamiʿul-Bayan (Bulaq), XVI, 29-30;
Hakim at-Tirmidhi, Nawadirul-Usul, Istanbul 1293, p. 129;
Zamakhşari, al-Kashshaf (Cairo), III, 27;
Ibnul-Jawzi, Zadul-Masir, V, 199-200;
Fakhruddin ar-Razi, Mafatiḥul-Ghayb, XI, 175; XXI, 175; XXIII, 82;
Qurtubi, at-Tadhkira, Cairo 1405/1985, p. 518, 525;
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Ḥadil-Arwah (published by Yusuf Ali Budaywi), Beirut 1411/1991, p. 84-85, 90, 144-145;
Ibn Kathir, an-Nihaya (published by Muhammad Ahmad Abdulaziz), Beirut 1408/1988, II, 270-271;Sha‘rani, al-Yawaqit wal-Jawahir, Cairo 1317 → Beirut, nd. (Darul-Ma‘rifa), p. 170, 176.
(see TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, Firdaws item)

21-) When there is no bad and good, no wrong and right, no aim, no test in the paradise, Isn't the life in Paradise aimless?

Paradise is not a place of test but reward and peace. From this aspect, while the aims that are required in tests have no place in paradise, the aims for payment and reward is valid there.

What can be more beautiful for man to have an eternal life of which any desires come true and to have an endless pleasure with all friends without despair and the most important is to attain the bliss of seeing Allah?

It would be a mistake for us to evaluate the life in Heaven by comparing it to life on Earth. Human beings will be freed from all kinds of boredom and all characteristics which cause boredom. As the boons of Heaven are infinite and as one moment of us will be better than the previous one in Heaven, there will not be any boredom and routine there.

Moreover, one’s position will not be stable in Heaven and it will be promoted constantly and eventually the amount of joy one feels will not remain the same and it will increase gradually. For this reason, there will not be boredom in the form of vicious cycle.

Anything wished for comes true in Heaven

Everything existing in the universe reflects Allah’s infinite might and infinite wit. Allah creates everything in accordance with a law as a requirement of testing on earth and presents everything within a cause and effect relationship so that human mind can perceive. For this reason, when people see a fruit, they do not doubt that it is a fruit born by a tree which grew from a seed. Of course, that is the cause of the fruit on earth according to the law of Allah, and it should be kept in mind that Allah can also create the whole universe independent from causes. Allah is the one who creates anything He wishes in any form and any time, whose creation is unique and who is not in need of anything. In this sense, there is no need for any causes, means or steps for Allah to create. The fact that everything in the world is bound to certain causes and natural laws must not deceive people. Allah, as the Creator of all these causes and laws, is independent from all of them. In this sense, as there will not be creation based on causes in Heaven, a fruit taken off from a tree will be replaced by a new one right away and there will not be any diminution. It is Allah who creates both causes and effects. For instance, when we look at the shadow of a tree, we have the knowledge that the reason of this shadow is the reflection angle of the sunlight. Shadow is an effect of the Sun; however, what makes the Sun to cause shadow is Allah. This occurrence is stated in a Quranic verse as follows:

“Have you not turned your vision to your Lord?- How He does prolong the shadow! If He willed, He could make it stationary! Then do We make the sun its guide; then We draw it in towards Ourselves,- a contraction by easy stages.” (al-Furqan, 45-46)

“… God well-pleased with them, and they with God: That is the great salvation, (the fulfillment of all desires).” (al-Maidah, 119).

It is an art of Allah to create everything on earth within a cause and effect relationship in this way and these phenomena of our Lord’s is infinite. Allah can create everything at any time He wishes and in any form He wishes, and He can turn them into any form He wishes. Allah, who created the universe out of nothing, will abolish all the laws and causes which we try to comprehend on earth when he wishes. Righteous Muslims will be able to ask for anything that comes into their minds and they like, and as soon as they ask for, they will have them with the permission of Allah. Their physical appearance will be as they desire, they will do whatever they like and live amongst the boons they most enjoy, and their environment will also physically look as they desire. Besides, none of them will happen in order to meet a need, to compensate for a defect or to cover up a flaw, but they will happen only for people of Heaven to enjoy and have fun, as a blessing and kindness from Allah. (Allah knows the best.)

Some of the examples on the issue given in hadiths are as follows:

A man asked the Messenger of Allah: “Are there horses in Heaven?” And the Messenger of Allah answered:

“If Allah lets you into Heaven, and if you want to wander on the back of a horse made of red rubies, it will fly you wherever you want.”

Then another one asked: “Are there camels in Heaven?” However, the Messenger of Allah did not answer it as he answered the other and said:

“If Allah lets you into Heaven, there will be everything you wish to have and you feel like seeing.” (Tirmidhi, Kutub Sitta-14, p.431/14).

“Everything you wish to have and you feel like seeing” expressed in the hadith is not limited to our worldly horizons and imagination. Allah emphasizes the abundance of boons in Heaven with the verse “…there will be there all that the souls could desire, all that their eyes could delight in: and ye shall abide therein (for aye).” (az-Zukhruf, 71).

The other verses about this issue are as follows:

“…therein shall ye have all that your souls shall desire; therein shall ye have all that ye ask for!” (Fussilat, 31).

“…what their souls desired, in that will they dwell.” (al-Anbiya, 102).

“Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds. Except the Companions of the Right Hand. They will be) in Gardens (of Delight)” (al-Muddathir, 38-40).

Many people may want to have special talents such as playing a professional musical instrument and painting pictures. Those kinds of things require technical knowledge and training in some cases, besides talent. However, one will have the opportunity to do them without any talent, without any struggle, when s/he wishes in Heaven. (Allah knows the best)

A hadith emphasizes the limitlessness of desires in Heaven as follows:

And God will say: “… This is where I will give you abundantly. Ask from me whatever you desire!”

They will ask for consent of Allah with them. And He will say: “Already what makes you dwell in here is My consent. I will give you more, ask from me!”

They will continue asking till they run out of their desires.

It is stated in Quranic verses and hadiths that anything desired by one will come true in Heaven with the wishing of Allah. In this sense, in Heaven, it may be possible for people to experience things which they can only dream of but cannot be possible on earth. For instance, it is impossible to fly on horseback under earthly conditions; however, it is possible with the wishing of Allah in Heaven, as pointed out by the hadiths. In the following hadiths, it is stated that whoever desires can fly:

“If you are intended for the Garden and say “I would like to ride a horse of red ruby you will do so. If you say you wish to fly, you will fly.” (Ramuz al-Ahadith, p.149/5)

The Prophet says in another hadith about the abundance of boons in Heaven as follows:

“Allah said:, ‘I have prepared for My righteous slaves (such excellent things) as no eye has ever seen, nor an ear has ever heard nor a human heart can ever think of.’" (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Kutub Sitta-14, p.4419/1).

Everything Desired Comes True Right Away in Heaven:

One who wants a fine dish on earth has to spend time and effort for it. The possibility that one will find those dishes in front of his/her as soon as s/he desires, without making any effort, is a situation which human soul will enjoy so much. However, it is not possible on earthly conditions. Boons will be offered to people in promised Heaven in a way that people will enjoy so much, without lots of causes and stages such as buying, spending time and making effort. That situation is described in a hadith as follows:

You will desire bird-meat in Heaven. It will be served in front of you right away as roasted.” (Büyük Hadis Külliyatı (Great Collection of Hadiths)-5, p.414/10123)

Another narration informs us of a hadith of the Prophet’s as follows:

“…if any of the inhabitants of Paradise wished to eat a bird, he would simply call it and the bird will drop on his table cloth. It would turn, part of it into roast bird meat and part of it into fried bird meat. When he completed eating it, the bird would reappear and fly back to its place on the tree. (Tadhkirat-al Qurtubi-1, p.58)

On the other hand, as one can do whatever s/he wishes in Heaven, it is stated in Hadith that it is possible for one to work on agriculture just for fun, though s/he does not need to work:

While Our prophet was talking to a man from the inhabitants of desert, it is narrated that He replied his questions as follows:

“One of the inhabitants of Paradise will seek permission from his Lord for cultivation. Allah will ask him: Are you not in a state that you like? He will say: “yes, but I like to cultivate (the land). (When the man is permitted) he will soon sow the seeds. The plants will grow up get ripe and be ready for harvesting. Then the yield will develop into conglobation like huge mountain… (Bukhari, Büyük Hadis Külliyatı (Great Collection of Hadiths)-5, p.413/10119).

Changing Appearances as One Likes:

Everybody would doubtlessly want to have a flawless appearance if people were given the right of choice on their faces and physical structures because, people’s souls were created in a way to appreciate beauties and seek for the most flawless and the most perfect ones all the time. They can notice even the slightest flaw in a small detail. However, human beings cannot ever find the flawless beauty on earth. Even if a person is the most beautiful human being on earth, his/her beauty is shadowed by weaknesses, illnesses, and the most importantly, mortality because everything on earth is created with deficits and flaws as a requirement of testing. Those deficits and flaws play an important role and have wisdoms in turning people to the hereafter and making them long for heavenly life. The original place of flawlessness and beauty human beings appreciate is Heaven. Allah will recreate a person in Heaven with a flawless beauty and in the form which s/he will like the best. Besides, this beauty is not limited to a single appearance. Allah will give people in Heaven an opportunity to choose whatever appearance they like at any time and this way people of Heaven will have a different beauty whenever they wish.

“…therein shall ye have all that your souls shall desire; therein shall ye have all that ye ask for!” (Fussilat, 31).

The Prophet (pbuh) states that true believers in Heaven will get into any appearance they like from the markets in a hadith of his as follows:

“There is a market in Heaven. However, there is neither selling nor buying. There are only appearances of men and women. If a man likes an appearance amongst them, he gets into that appearance.” (Tirmidhi, Kutub Sitta-14. p.434/17)

There is no Night in Heaven:

Night is created as a time of resting for people on earth. As there will not be a need for resting and sleeping in Heaven, there will not be a need for the darkness of the night as well. The fact that there will not be night in heaven is stated in hadiths as follows:

There is no night in Heaven. It (Heaven) consists of brightness and light… (Ramuz al-Ahadith-2 p.366/4)

There is no Sleep in Heaven:

Sleep is one of the weaknesses that people experience on earth. All people are created in such a way that they will all need sleep and no matter how much they want, they cannot resist it. When a body is exposed to lack of sleep, its resistance against illnesses will decrease and the person will look exhausted. On the other hand, the time spent on sleeping is so long that it cannot be ignored. A person lives approximately one third of his life asleep. It means that a long part of the lifespan, which is already short, passes as if one is dead. As a matter of fact, Allah informs us that sleeping is a kind of death in the Quran with the verse “It is God that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep…” (az-Zumar, 42).

However, there are not weaknesses such as weariness and sleep in Heaven. Allah informs His slaves of that reality with the verse “There no sense of fatigue shall touch them, nor shall they (ever) be asked to leave.” (al-Hijr, 48). In another hadith, the fact that there is no sleep in Heaven is described as follows:

They asked the Prophet (pbuh): “Do people of Heaven sleep?” He answered: “Sleep is the brother of death. People of Heaven do not sleep.” (Büyük Hadis Külliyatı (Great Collection of Hadiths)-5, p.414/10125)

There is No Disagreement in Heaven:

One of the most important characteristics of people of Heaven is their high moral qualities. One hadith attracts attention to the moral beauties of the people of Heaven as follows:

“I guarantee a mansion in the gardens of Heaven, in upper Heaven and lower heaven for the one who leaves quarrel though s/he is right, who does not lie even as a joke and improves his/her high moral qualities in order to set an example for people.”(Ramuz al-Ahadith-1, p.152/6)

Everybody feels comfortable in an atmosphere where there are people who use their consciousness and fear Allah. And where there are no high moral qualities, there are quarrels, jealousy, fight, anger, hatred, mockery and touchiness. People, who live away from the moral values of the Quran, make an atmosphere which reminds of Hell with their own hands because of these bad moral qualities they have got.

“And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury: (they will be) brothers (joyfully) facing each other on thrones (of dignity).” (al-Hijr, 47)

They lose a great boon because they give in to their own desires and passions, running after their worldly ambitions while they could live in a blissful, peaceful and safe atmosphere like friends, brothers and in tolerance. Being patient, moderate, wise, reasonable, balanced, forgiving, affectionate, full of love and having high moral qualities on earth bear a deep joy of faithfulness for Muslims. When a Muslim sees those good characteristics in her/himself, s/he feels a different joy, and when s/he sees them in other Muslims s/he feels a different joy, too. That pleasure, joy and beauties, which will last to the eternity, will last in Heaven too, increasingly. The Prophet tells about that atmosphere in Heaven in one of his hadiths as follows:

“… Their hearts is like the heart of a single person. There is no disagreement, animosity among them…” (Kutub Sitta-14, p. 449/3)

In a similar hadith, the moral qualities of the people of Heaven is described as follows:

“Their moral qualities are like those of a single person.” (Tadhkirat-al Qurtubi, p.329/579)

Allah draws attention to the sincere and hearty friendship people of heaven experience in the Quran with this verse:

“And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury: (they will be) brothers (joyfully) facing each other on thrones (of dignity).” (al-Hijr, 47).

There are not Negativities such as Sadness and Boredom:

“…But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing which is bad for you. But God knows, and you know not.” (al-Baqarah, 216)

A situation which looks like a hardship, a trouble on earth can turn into a beauty which will lead one to Heaven in the hereafter. True believers who are aware of it ward off those negativities which seem to be troubles and hardships they encounter on earth with the help of the power of their faith. They consider every event they encounter a beauty created by Allah, with the comfort and peacefulness of submitting to Allah and being consent with everything He created. For this reason, people who have the hope of entering Heaven do not evaluate any worldly thing as negativity. And they will live in Heaven eternally freed from all sadness, troubles and worries, with the mercy of Allah. This boon in Heaven is described in hadiths as follows:

“… And all worries will end. Expect those of people of Hell…” (Ramuz al-Ahadith-2, p.342/15).

“… and they will say: “We are eternal, we will never be destroyed, we are blissful people, we will never grieve…” (Tirmidhi, Büyük Hadis Külliyatı (Great Collection of Hadiths)-5, p.409/10099)

“And they will say: "Praise be to God, Who has removed from us (all) sorrow: for our Lord is indeed Oft-Forgiving Ready to appreciate (service)” (al-Fatir, 34)

“…No any trouble and danger therein…” (Ramuz al-Ahadith-1, p.170/1)

The issue is also mentioned in Bible as in the following:

“…Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation of John, 7:13-17)

Allah describes that peaceful state of true believers in the Quran as follows:

“They rejoice in the bounty provided by God: And with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them (in their bliss), the (Martyrs) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they (cause to) grieve.” (Aali-Imran, 170)

“And they will say: "Praise be to God, Who has removed from us (all) sorrow: for our Lord is indeed Oft-Forgiving Ready to appreciate (service)” (al-Fatir, 34)

“But God will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will shed over them a Light of Beauty and (blissful) Joy.” (al-Insan, 11)

“Thou wilt recognize in their faces the beaming brightness of Bliss.” (al-Mutaffifin, 24).

As we have said before, everything on earth is created with deficits and flaws deliberately as a requirement of testing. True believers show patience with all hardships and troubles they face on earth; they submit to Allah. The Prophet states that one will have real peace only when s/he enters Heaven in his Hadiths:

“Only those who enter Heaven receive comfort.” (Ramuz al-Ahadith-1, p.138/13)

In another hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) describes the peaceful atmosphere in Heaven as follows:

Heaven is a place of shining light, a widespread scent, a well-built mansion, a flowing river, a ripe fruit, greenness, joy, coolness and freshness as an eternal dwelling.

22-) Will there be any trace of Hell on the people who left Hell and entered Paradise?

First of all, Paradise is not a place of distress and sorrow. Even if it is known that those people came from Hell, they will not feel any pain when they enter Paradise. Therefore, they will not be sad.

It is stated in hadiths that those who came out of Paradise will not have any traces of burn remaining from Hell on their bodies.

1. Abu Said narrates: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“The permanent inhabitants of Hell are those who are doomed to it; and verily they will neither die nor live in it. However, there are people whom the Fire will afflict temporarily on account of their sins - or mistakes; the Fire will kill them completely. They will be granted intercession after they are turned into charcoal. Thus, they will be brought in groups and will be spread on the rivers of Paradise Then, it will be said: ‘O inhabitants of Paradise! Pour water over them.’ They will sprout forth like the sprouting of seed in the silt carried by flood. “[Muslim, Iman 306, (185)]

2. Musa Ibn Ismail reports from Wuhayb, who reports from Amr Ibn Yahya, who reports from his father, who reports from Abu Said al-Khudri. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, and the people of Hell enter Hell, Allah will say, ‘Take out (of the Fire) whoever has got belief equal to a mustard seed in his heart.’ They will be taken out in the form of burnt coal. Then, they will be thrown into the river of life and they will spring up just as a seed grows on the bank of a rainwater stream.”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also said, “Do you not see that the germinating seed comes out yellow and twisted?” (Bukhari, Riqaq, 51)

3. Buhari narrated the hadith above in Kitabul-Iman under the heading “The Superiority of Believers to One Another in Terms of Deeds”:

Ismail Ibn Abi Uways Ibn Abdullah al-Asbahi al-Madani (Imam of Darul-Hijra, son of Imam Malik’s sister) reports from Imam Malik, who reports from Amr Ibn Yahya al-Mazini, who reports from his father: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“The people of Paradise will enter Paradise and the people of Hell will enter Hell. Allah will say, ‘Take out (of the Fire) whoever has got belief equal to a mustard seed in his heart.’ They will be taken out as blackened people. Then, they will be thrown into the river of Haya’ (rain) or Hayat (life) - Imam Malik is in doubt about it. They will spring up just as a seed grows in a rainwater stream. Do you not see that the germinating seed comes out yellow and twisted?” (Bukhari, Iman, 15)

Explanation of the Hadiths:

“Whoever has got belief equal to a mustard seed in his heart...” That is, whoever has belief in the form of good deeds in addition to the belief of oneness (tawhid). Since belief is something immaterial, it cannot be calculated with weight or volume. What is meant in the hadith is deeds. Deeds are represented by ores. Accordingly, the deeds in the scale of good deeds seem in the form of white and bright ores and the deeds in the scale of sins seem in the form of black and dark ores.

Imam Ghazali deduces the following from the sentence “Take out (of the Fire) whoever has got belief equal to a mustard seed in his heart...”: “Those who understood the reality of belief but who were prevented from uttering kalima ash-shahadah by death will be taken out of Hell.”

Imam Ghazali states the following: However, if a person is able to say kalima ash-shahadah and does not say it until he dies, but believes with his heart, his refraining from saying kalima ash-shahadah is regarded like a person’s refraining from performing prayers. He will not remain in Hell forever. However, the opposite could happen too. Except for Ghazali, the scholars are of the opinion that not saying it with the tongue will cause him to remain in Hell forever. According to that view, the phrase “in his heart” in the hadith needs to be interpreted. Accordingly, the phrase is interpreted as “if he has the power on the condition that he expresses the belief in his heart with his tongue”.

The two possibilities originate from the following: There is a disagreement on the view that expressing belief with the tongue is considered as belief and hence belief will not be complete without doing it. A group of scholars accept that view. Imam Shamsuddin and Fakhrul-Islam are among those who hold that view. Or, the expression of belief with the tongue is essential for the implementation of worldly decrees. That is the opinion of the majority of the investigative scholars. The texts of the hadiths and verses are a bit ambiguous (mutashabih) in this regard. Taftazani is one of those who say so.

Muslim narrated the same hadith in Kitabul-Iman. However, the chain of narrators in Bukhari’s narration is shorter than that of Muslim’s narration. (In other words, the number of narrators in Bukhari’s narration is less, which is called uluww. In that case, the soundness of the hadith increases. -Translator). Nasai also narrated the same hadith.

The hadith shows the falsity of Murjia’s view because it is stated in the hadith that sin will harm a person even if he has belief. (Murjia, on the other hand, defends the view that sin will not be harmful if one has belief). The hadith also shows the falsity of the claim of Mu’tazila, who claim that those who commit major sins will remain in Hell eternally, and those who hold the same view.

4. Suwayd Ibnu Said reports from Hafs Ibn Maysara, who reports from Zayd Ibn Aslam, who reports from Ata Ibn Yasar, who reports from Abu Said al-Khudri:

... Allah will then say, ‘Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find as much as half a dinar of good.’ They will take out a large number of people. Then, they will say,

‘O our Lord! We have not left anyone who had goodness there.’ Abu Said al-Khudri said, ‘If you do not testify me in this hadith, read the following verse of the Quran:’

“Allah is never unjust in the least degree: If there is any good (done), He doubleth it, and giveth from His own presence a great reward.” After that, Allah will say,

‘The angels have interceded; the prophets have interceded and the believers have interceded; and no one remains but the Most Merciful of the Merciful ones.’ He will then take a handful from Fire and bring out from Hell people who never did any good and who had been turned into charcoal. He will cast them into a river called ‘the river of life’ on the outskirts of Paradise. They will come out as a seed comes cut from the silt carried by flood. Do you not see that the side of the stone or tree exposed to the sun is yellowish or greenish and the side under the shade is white? The people there will say,

‘O Messenger of Allah! It seems as if you had been herding sheep in the desert. (That is, he was describing everything by giving examples from the desert.)’ The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) continued as follows:

They will come forth like pearls with seals on their necks. The inhabitants of Paradise will recognize them. They are those who have been set free by Allah. Allah has admitted them into Paradise without any good deed that they did or any good that they sent in advance. Then, Allah Almighty will address them as follows:

‘Enter Paradise; whatever you see in it is yours.’ They will say, ‘O Lord! You have bestowed upon us what You not have not bestowed upon anyone else in the world.’ He will say, ‘There is with Me for you better than this.’ They will say: ‘O our Lord! What can be better than this?’ He will say, ‘It is My consent. I will never be angry with you from now on.’ (Muslim, Iman, 302)

It is also stated in the hadiths that those who come out of Hell will shine like pearls after bathing in the river of rain or life. There will be no trace of Hell on them.

The narration stating that they will have a khatam on them is “There are seals on their necks.” The author of at-Tahrir states the following: What is meant by seals in the hadith is the things that are hung around their necks for their recognition. They are described as “like pearls” because of their simplicity, cleanliness, and the joy and beauty on their faces because there will be no traces of fire and burns on them anymore. Allah knows best.

“They are those who have been set free by Allah.” That is, those in Paradise state the following related to those people taken out from Hell by Allah’s own grace without the intercession of anyone: “They are those who have been set free by Allah”.

“Allah has admitted them into Paradise without any good deed that they did or any good that they sent in advance.” That is, Allah has put them in Paradise only because of their belief though they have no good deeds other than belief.

“Whatever you see in it is yours.” That is, you own the property of what you see and you have the right to benefit from them. They will see only the blessings reserved for them.

“O Lord! You have bestowed upon us what You not have not bestowed upon anyone else in the world.” That is, You gave us what you did not give to the people of Hell. However, those who entered Paradise before them will definitely have more blessings than them. They will utter that statement based on their own thought because what will be given to them at that moment will seem great to them.

When they hear the statement “There is with Me for you better than this”, they will wonder how a blessing better than what has been given to them can exist. Allah also states that He is pleased with them and that He will never be angry with them again. Allah’s consent is definitely the greatest blessing. As a matter of fact, the following is stated in the Quran: “But the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah. that is the supreme felicity.” (Nawawi Sahih-i Müslim Şerhi).

According to Qastallani’s Hamish (annotation), Imam Muslim states the following in the part entitled “The Proof of Intercession and Taking out the People of Tawhid from Hell” in Vol. 2, p. 128:

Harun ibn Sa’id al-Ayli reports from Abdullah Ibn Wahb, who reports from Malik ibn Anas, who reports from Amr Ibn Yahya Ibn Imara, who reports from his father, who reports from Abu Said al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“Allah will make the people of Paradise enter Paradise; He will make those whom He wishes also enter Paradise. He will make the people of Hell enter Hell. Then, He will say, ‘Take out (of Hell) whoever has got belief equal to a mustard seed in his heart.’ They will be taken out as blackened like charcoal. Then, they will be thrown into the river of Life. They will spring up just as a seed grows in a rainwater stream. Do you not see that the germinating seed comes out yellow and twisted?” (Muslim, Iman 304)

23-) Will our personality not develop in Paradise?

- There is nothing that will cause distress and boredom in Paradise.

- Our knowledge, which is like a seed here, will sprout and become saplings there. None of the foods that are repeated so many times every day, in all occasions and in material fields will resemble one another - so that the taste received from renewal and refreshing will increase -; similarly, renewal and fresh knowledge are in question in spiritual fields like science, knowledge and wisdom, especially in knowledge of Allah (marifatullah), which expresses eternity.

New observations emerging from tasbih (glorification), tahmid (praising), takbir (extolling) and tahlil (oneness) will add new tastes to the mental and hearty tastes of man coming from the table of science and knowledge.

Thus, material and spiritual blessings will continue by increasing in the realm of Paradise.

- In addition, Paradise is a very beautiful and nice land that deserves eternity, eternal life and tastes that we cannot understand with our present minds.

As Badiuzzaman Said Nursi puts it,

“Everybody will benefit from Paradise and eternity through his senses and feelings according to the degree of development they have reached.” (Lem'alar, p. 156)

“For example, the people of Paradise will surely wish to recall their adventures in this world and recount them to one another. They will be exceedingly curious to see the images and pictures of those adventures, and they will enjoy it immensely if they can watch them like watching a cinema screen. Consequently, as the verse,

Joyfully facing each other on thrones of dignity (15:47; 37:44) indicates, in Paradise, the realm of delight and happiness, worldly adventures and scenes of worldly happenings will be recalled, amid everlasting panoramas.” (see Mektubat, Yirmi Dördüncü Mektup, İkinci Makam, p. 294)

That is, there are so many tasteful and enjoyable things in Paradise that no eyes have seen them, no ears have heard them and nobody has imagined them. (see Bukhari, Bad'ul-Khalq 8; Muslim, Jannah 2)

“To sum up, man was created for eternity. Therefore, he can enjoy real tastes only in eternal affairs marifatullah (knowledge of Allah), muhabbatullah (love of Allah), ilm (knowledge).” (İşaratü'l-İ'caz, p. 146)

It means the elements that flow toward eternity and produce tastes and flavor are knowledge of Allah, love of Allah and knowledge. They always continue by increasing.

The guarantee of the realities we have indicated for man are given in the following verses:

“Nay,-whoever submits His whole self to Allah and is a doer of good,- He will get his reward with his Lord; on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (al-Baqara, 2/112)

“But those who believe and work righteousness,- no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear,- they will be Companions of the Garden, therein to dwell (for ever).

And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury;- beneath them will be rivers flowing;- and they shall say: "Praise be to Allah, who hath guided us to this (felicity): never could we have found guidance, had it not been for the guidance of Allah. indeed it was the truth, that the apostles of our Lord brought unto us." And they shall hear the cry: ‘Behold! the garden before you! Ye have been made its inheritors, for your deeds (of righteousness)’." (al-A'raf, 7/42-43)

“Allah will say, ‘My devotees! no fear shall be on you that Day, nor shall ye grieve.’ (Being) those who have believed in Our Signs and bowed (their wills to Ours) in Islam. Enter ye the Garden, ye and your wives, in (beauty and) rejoicing. To them will be passed round, dishes and goblets of gold: there will be there all that the souls could desire, all that their ayes could delight in: and ye shall abide therein (for eye).” (az-Zukhruf, 43/68-71)

24-) Detailed Description of Hoor ul Ain? What is the meaning of "And full-breasted [companions] of equal age" (78:33) Can we get more Hoors by good deeds?

ANSWER 1

In the verse, the “puberty age of girls” is pointed out not “full breasts”. This meaning is more appropriate in terms of the rhetoric, literature and ethics of the Quran.

Allah gives an example to His slaves regarding the material-bodily delights that they most need, desire and love in the world based on their power of understanding as He does in many verses in order to make His slaves have some ideas about the otherworldly bounties and to make them desire those bounties.

It can be said that the expectations of the first addressees of the Quran are taken into consideration in this description; it is also possible to deduce that any person who deserves to enter Paradise in the hereafter will be given whatever he wants and expects in accordance with his deeds in the world, his mental and spiritual perfection, his understanding of happiness and expectations. This description describes the spouses prepared for believers in Paradise. They are usually divided into two: The first ones are virgin spouses of the same age whose nature and qualities are not known by us and who were created when Paradise was created; they are called “houris” The others are righteous spouses in the world; when they enter Paradise, they become the same age as the houris and appear like young girls.

ANSWER 2

Various numbers are mentioned in the hadiths about the number of houris. This shows that the number of houris change according to the degree of a person in the paradise.

"The least of the people of Paradise in position is the one with eighty thousand servants and seventy-two wives. He shall have a tent of pearl, peridot, and corundum set up for him,(the size of which is) like that which is between Al-Jabiyyah and Sana'a." (Tirmidhi, Paradise)

Houris are girls whose eyes are large and their eyes’ iris is extremely black and it is quite white around iris. The word “hur” in Arabic is the plural form of “havra”. It is used as “houri” by adding the relative suffix “i” to it.

The word “iyn” which is used in Quran to express “houris” is derived from the word “ayn (eye)” and it refers to women with large eyes.

In technical term, “houri” refers to each of the beautiful girls Allah promised to the ones who deserve to enter Heaven.

We learn about Houris’ body structure, beauty, and moral values from Quran verses and hadiths.

“We have created (their Companions) of special creation and made them virgin - pure (and undefiled), beloved (by nature), equal in age, for the Companions of the Right Hand.” (al-Wa’iah).

What is meant by the expression of “equal in age” in verses above can be both that all of these women are at the same age and they are at the same age with their husbands.

“In them will be fair (Companions), good, beautiful” (ar-Rahman, 55/70).

“In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched” (ar-Rahman, 55/56).

“And (there will be) Companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes like pearls well-guarded.” (al-Waq’iah, 56/22-23).

The most important trait of a woman is her modesty and purity. For this reason, Allah the Glorious, while declaring the boons of Heaven, firstly mentioned their modesty and purity before their purity.

It can be deduced from the second verse above that there will be righteous women for righteous men from jinns in the Heaven.

These women will be wives for men of jinn, like righteous women of humankind will be for men of humankind. Neither these righteous women of jinn nor the righteous women of humankind will be touched by men.

The Prophet (pbuh) describes the inhabitants of Heaven as follows:

25-) Does my husband have to be given houris in Paradise?

- First of all, a believer has to surrender to the deeds and decrees of Allah and he must not object. This surrendering is a necessity of belief.

“It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.” (al-Ahzab, 33/36)

That fact is underlined in the verse above.

- Allah allowed men to marry more than one woman in this world, based on some conditions. Allah definitely knew that women did not like co-wives very much when He gave that permission.

It means it is a means of testing for women -in the world. It is an important test as to whether women will show sincere submission to Allah or not.

- The feeling of jealousy is both a relatively good and habit. The general principle is this: Jealousy that prevents a person from violating Allah’s prohibitions is good. Jealousy that leads to resistance to Allah’s commands is bad.

Regarding as good what Allah regards as good and regarding as bad what He regards as bad is a virtue that must accompany the consciousness of believe.

- As for the most important point in the question;

Giving more than one houris to a man in Paradise is a grace of Allah. The jealousy of his wife from the world in Paradise is a side effect of it. It is necessary to look at the profit-loss section while making a choice about it.

a) If the man is deprived of houris because of the jealousy of the woman, it is an important loss for him.

b) If the man is given houris, it is a source of uneasiness for the woman.

c) In that case, the most reasonable and just decree is to save the woman from uneasiness and the man from loss. There is only one solution for it: to treat and eliminate the jealousy of the woman, and not to deprive the man of the treat.

That is how Allah’s just decision manifested itself.

d) Another thing is whether women want male houris or not.

The answer to the question exists on our website. The summary of it is as follows:

No woman in the world officially wants to live with two or more husbands. Even a woman who has illegitimate relationships is disturbed by being the wife of two husbands legitimately and officially.

That nature of the woman is valid in Paradise too. Women do not want to marry more than one man. It is a very strong emotion that cannot be compared to the feeling of jealousy.

Allah, who does everything based on wisdom, does “positive discrimination” in favor of women, who are gentle, delicate and easily hurt, in Paradise as in this world, and does not make a woman face off two men...

26-) What are the hadith narrations about houris?

Answer 1:

Some hadith narrations about houris are as follows:

1. ”Verily, a person will marry a thousand houris in a month (in Paradise), that is, in the amount of a month, and live a love life with each of them as much as his life on earth.” (Imam Sha’rani, Ölüm-Kıyâmet-Ahiret, p. 355, Hadith No: 645)

2. ”A step taken in the way of Allah (in service and jihad) in the morning or evening is better than the world and what is in it. A place in Paradise as much as the place that the bow or arrow of one of you occupies in the world is better than the world and what is in it. If one of the women of the people of Paradise were to appear in the world, she would illuminate the earth and everything in it with her light. The cover on her head is better than the world and what is in it.” (Tirmidhi, Fadailul-Jihad, 17; Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Musnad, 3/141, 264; Baghawi, Sharhus-Sunnah, nr. 2616; Abu Ya’la, al-Musnad, nr. 3775; Bayhaqi, al-Ba’th wan-Nushur, nr. 372)

3. The Prophet (pbuh) states the following related to the interpretation of the verse “Like unto Rubies and coral.” (ar-Rahman, 55/58):

“When the owner of the houris lifts the veil of one of them, he will see that her face is brighter than a mirror. The smallest pearl on her is beautiful enough to illuminate the space between east and west. She has seventy layers of dresses on her. However, when she is viewed from behind those dresses, even the marrow of their calves will be visible (because of transparency). (Suyuti, ad-Durrul-Mansur, 7/712; Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 2/475; Bayhaqi, al-Ba’th wan-Nushur, nr. 375. See also Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Musnad, 3/75; Ibn Hibban, as-Sahih, nr. 2631)

4. At the night I was taken to Miraj, I went to a place in Paradise called Baydah (the name of a river in Paradise). There were tents made of red rubies, green jewels, and pearls there. I heard voices from there: ‘O Prophet of Allah! Welcome!’ I asked, ‘O Jibril! Who is speaking?’. Jibril said, ‘They are houris in tents reserved for their owners. They asked their Lord for permission to greet you, and He gave them permission.’

Then, the houris of Paradise started to say: “We are pleased (with those we are preparing for) and we will not be angry forever. We are here forever; we will never leave.”

Then, the Prophet recited the verse “Companions restrained (as to their glances), in (goodly) pavilions.” (Bayhaqi, al-Ba’th wan-Nushur, nr. 376; Suyuti, ad-Durrul-Mansur, 7/718; Zabidi, Ithaf, 14/602)

5. “Every man from the people of Paradise will marry five hundred houris, four thousand virgins, and eight thousand widows. He will stay with each of them for as long as his life on earth.” (Bayhaqi, al-Ba’th wan-Nushur, nr. 414; Mundhiri, at-Targhib wat-Tarhib, nr. 5523)

6. “There is a bazaar (assembly place) in Paradise. There is no shopping there; there are only male and female images. When a man’s heart desires an image, he enters into it. When he enters, he sees the houris gathered in front of him. They state the following in their wonderful voices: ‘We are eternal; we never get old. We are the blessings of Paradise; we never have trouble. We are pleased with you and we never get angry. Glad tidings to us and to those to whom we belong!’” (Bayhaqi, al-Ba’th wan-Nushur, nr. 420; Tabarani, al-Mu’jamul-Awsat, nr. 6493; Mundhiri, at-Targhib wat-Tarhib, nr. 5540; Haythami, Majmauz-Zawaid, nr. 18761)

7. “Two houris sit at the head and foot of every person who enters Paradise and sing the most beautiful songs that human beings and jinn have ever heard. However, they do it not with the instruments of Satan, but by praising and sanctifying Allah.” [Ibn Asakir, Tarikhu Madinati Dimashq, 16/295; Haythami, Majmauz-Zawaid, 10/419 (nr. 18759); Tabarani, al-Mu’jamul-Kabir, nr. 7478; Bayhaqi, al-Ba’th wan-Nushur, nr. 421]

Zabidi states that the songs that the people of Paradise will listen to will sometimes come from houris, sometimes from rivers, sometimes from trees and sometimes from the voice of the Prophet Dawud (David). (see Zabidi, Ithaf, 14/609)

Answer 2:

Evaluation of the hadiths about houris

Various narrations most of which do not reach the Messenger of Allah about houris are included in Kutub as-Sitta, mostly in Tirmidhi’s as-Sunan, and other hadith collections when the states of the hereafter and the blessings of Paradise are narrated.

The narrations about houris were brought together in works such as Abu Nuaym al-Isfahani’s Sifatul-Jannah, Bayhaqi’s al-Ba’th wan-Nushur, Qurtubi’s at-Tadhkira, Ibn Qayyim’s Hadil-Arwah and Ibn Kathir’s an-Nihaya; and the issue of houris is shown as one of the realities of the hereafter; it is also used as a pedagogical factor to enable people to be virtuous within the framework of individual and social life in the world, not to exceed the legitimate limits in their worldly wishes and activities, and to act piously in terms of Islamic criteria.

Eating and drinking, housing and sexual satisfaction are among the issues that are attached great importance in the world. However, the number of people who can meet those needs fully is very few. Sexual satisfaction is the most difficult one to meet among these needs, and it is not possible to share it. Therefore, the religion of Islam, which informs us that the real existence of human beings does not end with death, and that the real life will continue forever in the hereafter (al-Ankabut, 29/64), emphasizes that the pleasures that are generally thought to be very difficult to get enough of in the mortal world, and the pleasures that are more desirable, especially sexual pleasures, will be provided ideally in eternal life.

It should not be forgotten that the descriptions of Paradise in verses of the Quran and hadiths and especially the explanations about the houris have a pedagogical purpose that encourages religious and ethical life, which is generally summarized with the concept of taqwa. For example, it is clear that the following hadiths describing the virtue of participating in jihad aims to encourage people to make jihad:

“The place occupied by the whip, which one of you will use to activate his war horse, in Paradise is more valuable than the earth and everything on earth.” (Bukhari, Badul-Khalq, 8)

“And if a woman from Paradise appeared to the people of the earth, she would fill everywhere with light and pleasant scent and her head cover is better than the world and whatever is in it.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 6)

None of the narrations stating that the houris of Paradise were created from saffron was considered reliable and it was concluded that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did not say anything about it. (Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, pp. 335-336)

However, it is stated that the skin of houris is extremely delicate and clear in a sound hadith narrated by Bukhari, Muslim and some other hadith scholars. (Musnad, II, 230, 247, 316, 420, 422; Bukhari, Badul-Khalq, 8; Muslim, Jannah, 14, 17)

There is no information about the number of houris in the Quran. Although the verses that mention houris refer to both them and the men who will have them, it is not possible to deduce a number from them.

According to the narrations reported in many hadith collections, especially in those of Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (pbuh) stated that there would be two houris for each man, and this number was repeated on various occasions. (For example, see Musnad, II, 232, 345, 507; III, 27; Darimi, Riqaq, 108; Bukhari, Badul-Khalq, 8; Muslim, Iman, 311, Jannah, 14; Ibn Majah, Jihad, 16, Zuhd, 39)

When the Messenger of Allah used a singular expression, “and a very beautiful wife” (Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 39) while describing Paradise, he must have referred to the type, not the number. There are various criticisms about the narrators of the hadiths stating that the men at the lowest level of Paradise will have seventy-two houris in addition to the women of the world narrated by Ahmad b. Hanbal and some other hadith scholars (Musnad, II, 537; IV, 131; Tirmidhi, Sifatul-Jannah, 23).

According to Ibn Qayyim, who collected the criticisms of hadith scholars such as Nasai, Abu Hatim and Daraqutni along with Ahmad b. Hanbal, the sound hadiths regarding the issue state that two wives will be given to every man in Paradise; if there are credible narrations that there will be more of them, those who are in the status of servants are meant by them or such expressions aim to explain the sexual power in men. (Hadil-Arwah, pp. 222-223, 330-334)

However, Ibn Qayyim also states that there should be no doubt that every believer will have more than two houris in Paradise because the Prophet (pbuh) states that there will be individuals who will not see one another in the wide places to be given to every believer. (Bukhari, Tafsir, 55/2; Muslim, Jannah, 23)

It seems that Ibn Qayyim accepted the content of the word “ahl” (family members) in the hadith to consist of wives only. However, as it is stated in the Quran, there will be believing family members of the person in the world as well as servants (ghilman, wildan) in addition to houris in Paradise. Therefore, this hadith is not definite evidence that a believer will be given many houris.

One of the narrations about the number of houris, which is narrated as a hadith but is criticized by scholars, is included in Ibn Majah’s as-Sunan (Jihad, 11)

According to this narration attributed to the Prophet (pbuh) through Anas b. Malik, the mansion to be given to the person who participated in the conquest of the city of Qazwin and persevered for forty days will have 70,000 doors in Paradise, and next to each door, there will be a houri waiting for the owner of the mansion. After stating that this narration is fabricated, Ibn al-Jawzi expresses his astonishment at the fact that a hadith scholar like Ibn Majah included such a hadith in his book without criticizing it. (Ibn Majah, ibid; Nasiruddin al-Albani, I, 371)

The hadith narrated by Abu Nuaym al-Isfahani stating that everyone who enters Paradise will be given 4,000 virgins, 8,000 widows and also 100 houris was found to be weak in terms of chain of narrators, and it was stated that there were liars among its narrators. (Sifatul-Jannah, III, 219-220, 279-280; Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, pp. 360-361)

While interpreting the verse “Then those who have believed and worked righteous deeds, shall be made happy in a Mead of Delight” (ar-Rum 30/15), Tabari states that the people of Paradise will listen to songs and have fun (Jamiul-Bayan, XXI, 19-20). Tirmidhi (Sifatul-Jannah, 24) and Bayhaqi (al-Ba’th wan-Nushur, p. 210) reported hadiths stating that houris of Paradise would perform music in chorus.

It is also stated that the houris will express their feelings as follows: “We are the fresh ones who will live forever and will not wither; we are the lovers who do not get offended. We are very happy; our spouses are very happy too.” It is also stated that houris will sing around their spouses by glorifying and praising Allah. (Musnad, I, 156; Bayhaqi, p. 212; Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, pp. 358-360)

The belief in the existence of the second life in which Almighty God, whom the people who cannot attain worldly pleasures enough, who cannot be as happy as they expect and who are exposed to various agonies and losses do not doubt to be just, will grant them the happiness they cannot attain in the world, will cause them to be in optimistic mood and such a belief in the hereafter will help people to lead a healthier religious life.

Therefore, some narrations attributed to the Prophet (pbuh) about the structure, physiological superiority, sexual strength and number of houris started to appear in hadith books from the early periods.

Ibn Qayyim brought together those narrations, which are partly included in Tirmidhi’s as-Sunan and mostly in the works of Ibn Abud-Dunya, Tabarani, Abu Nuaym, Khatib al-Baghdadi, Mundhiri and Qurtubi, in his book named Hadil-Arwah and partly criticized them. Yusuf Ali Budaywi, who published the work based on scientific rules, criticized the narrations in question and said that most of them were unreliable. (Hadil-Arwah, pp. 337-346)

Happiness in the hereafter is described within both material and spiritual framework in the Quran. A similar approach is also seen in hadith texts. Some scholars who aimed to examine, understand and convey those descriptions to people made different and sometimes exaggerated conclusions from them in line with their own abilities and inclinations.

Although it is stated that the conditions of the hereafter are different from the conditions of the world and since the issues described about that life appeal to people living in the reality of the world, it is clear that they must be in harmony with the mind and expectations of people to be effective. As a matter of fact, it is seen that when the life in Paradise is described in the Quran, it is narrated in connection with the happiness in the world, but it is stated that the life in the hereafter will be much purer, deeper and happier. (For example, see al-Baqara 2/25; as-Saaffat 37/45-47; Muhammad 47/15; see TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, Huri item)

27-) Have I been subjected to the test of envying houris?

It’s perfectly normal for a woman to be jealous of her husband, and she should do so.

However, life in Paradise is not like life on earth. Since we do not fully understand Paradise, some questions may come to our minds.

However, in Paradise:

1. A person can be in many places at the same time.

2. Every person will be given a place as wide as the world, full of vineyards and palaces.

3. Everything that a person wants will take place, and nothing that he does not want will take place.

4. It is difficult to decide right now. It is not possible for the child in the mother’s womb to understand the world when we describe it; this world is like the mother’s womb compared to Paradise. We cannot understand it.

Therefore, a person who is fed only through the umbilical cord in the womb benefits from many organs such as eyes, ears, mouth and tongue in the world. Similarly, a person who only wants his wife here can also ask for houris as he can be in many places at the same time.

5. Man’s consciousness will be at its peak there. He will want everything consciously.

6. The Quran states that houris will be given to believers in Paradise. If man did not have a feeling of desire, such a blessing would not be given. It means that man will have a will, and Allah will give it.

7. However, we do not know if there will be anyone who does not want houris. It is clear how a child who has no desire to see in the womb wants it in the world.

That may be the answer to your question as well.

We can think like that here. However, it can be understood how unfounded that thought is.

8. Abdullah ibn Abbas states the following: “There is no relationship between the things that exist in the world and the things that exist in Paradise except for the similarity of their names.”

Accordingly, just as the apples in Paradise and the apples in the world are similar only in terms of their names so too will the spouses in Paradise be similar to the spouses in the world only in terms of their names.

An orange made of nylon and a real orange have the same name; likewise, even if the names of the blessings of the world and the blessings of Paradise are the same, they are different in all aspects.

9. The degree of pleasures in an eternal life and in a land of happiness prepared only for friends is above and beyond any description.

The beauties there are expressed as follows in a hadith:

“Things which have never been seen by an eye, or heard by an ear, or imagined by a human being.” (see Bukhari, Bad’ul -Khalq 8; Muslim, Jannah 2)

28-) Is Paradise eternal?

Allah states in the Quran that both Paradise and Hell are eternal with their inhabitants. Eternal life is in Paradise for believers:

"... And they abide therein (for ever)." (al-Baqara, 2/25)

"The Day that He assembles you (all) for a Day of Assembly,- that will be a Day of mutual loss and gain (among you), and those who believe in Allah and work righteousness,- He will remove from them their ills, and He will admit them to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: that will be the Supreme Achievement." (at-Tagahbun, 64/9)

"A Messenger, who rehearses to you the Signs of Allah containing clear explanations, that he may lead forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the depths of Darkness into Light. And those who believe in Allah and work righteousness, He will admit to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: Allah has indeed granted for them a most excellent Provision." (at-Talaq, 65/11)

"So enter the gates of Hell, to dwell therein. Thus evil indeed is the abode of the arrogant." (an-Nahl, 16/29)

"But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide." (al-Mu'minun, 23/103)

"(To them) will be said: "Enter ye the gates of Hell, to dwell therein: and evil is (this) Abode of the Arrogant." (az-Zumar, 39/72)

"Enter ye the gates of Hell, to dwell therein: and evil is (this) abode of the arrogant." (al-Mu'min, 40/76)

The verses above and similar ones are enough as evidence for a person who believes in Allah. Only a person who does not believe in Allah will deny it despite Allah’s promise. Allah states the following for those who deny His verses:

"To those who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance, no opening will there be of the gates of heaven, nor will they enter the garden, until the camel can pass through the eye of the needle: Such is Our reward for those in sin." (al-A'raf, 7/40)

29-) Will people belong to races in Paradise?

All negative things will be eliminated in Paradise. Nobody will be a racist. The utopia of race will not be able to pass through the gate of Paradise.

However, there is no drawback for people to remember that they belonged to such and such races in the world.

“Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more relationships between them that Day, nor will one ask after another.” (al-Muminun, 23/101)

It is indicated in the verse above that no relationship including race – except the relationship with Allah – will be in question in the hereafter

“The righteous (will be) amid gardens and fountains (of clear-flowing water). (Their greeting will be): ‘Enter ye here in peace and security.’ And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury: (they will be) brothers (joyfully) facing each other on thrones (of dignity).” (al-Hijr, 15/45-47)

It is emphasized in the verses above that no negative thought will be present among the people of Paradise and that they all will be brothers.

On the other hand, no matter to what race people belong, they will be called to account for their deeds, not for their races. There is no criterion like "those belonging to this race to Paradise and those belonging to that race to Hell". However, the following criteria will exist: "Believers to Paradise and unbelievers to Hell". Being a believer or an unbeliever is not peculiar to a single race. There are believers and unbelievers in almost all races.

The Prophet (pbuh) states the following regarding the issue:

"Allah will not ask you about your lineage and descendants. The best one among you in the eye of Allah is the one that avoids bad deeds the most." (Muslim, Birr, 33)

The Prophet (pbuh) states the following in another hadith:

"Allah does not look at your wealth and shapes but at your hearts and deeds." (Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 9)

30-) Do I have to share my husband with someone else in Paradise? Is it not unfair?

- Comments like that are completely products of wrong thinking originating from lack of knowledge.

We cannot understand the life in Paradise based on the life of this world. Just as it is not possible for a baby in the womb to understand the world so too is it impossible for us, who are in the womb of this world, to understand the hereafter, which is the realm we will go one day, and the realms in it. In this respect, it is not appropriate to make a decision based on our conditions and characteristics in the world.

There may not be any jealousy that causes evil, that is annoying, disturbing, and that takes place within the framework of unnecessary sensitivity because there is no environment to cause such jealousy in Paradise. The most important reason underlying the jealousy in the world is the possibility of one’s lover’s inclination to someone else. However, there is no environment that will lead to such a possibility in Paradise because everyone’s feelings occur in the atmosphere of love in the legitimate circle. We do not have a desire to eat a stone in this world; similarly, there will never be any selfish and lustful desire for someone who is non-mahram in Paradise.

Besides, since it is possible to be in many places at the same time in the life of Paradise, if a man or woman wishes, he/she will not leave his/her spouse even for a moment in Paradise. In that case, it will not be in question to share your spouse with someone else.

Moreover, Allah, created such beautiful examples with His mercy that we see that there is no jealousy even in this world. For example, everybody has two eyes. However, one eye is not jealous of the other eye. We can consider our other organs in the same way and we can say that Allah will arrange the life of Paradise according to the conditions of the eternal land of bliss and He will arrange us according to the characteristics of Paradise.

On the other hand, a person who believes in Allah must also believe in His justice and wisdom. Otherwise, he will fall into the position of a delusional madman who goes beyond his limits, who wants to make Allah speak according to his own wishes and desires.

- Allah is the owner of the universe, all the beings in it and all property. The property owner has the right to use his property as he wishes. An ant does not have the right to ask, “Why did Allah not create me as an elephant?” Similarly, a man has no right to say, “Why did Allah not create me as a woman?” A woman has no right to say, “Why did Allah not create me as a man?” A man has no right to complain by saying, “Why am I not equipped with organs to bear a child?” Similarly, a woman does not have the right to say, “Why did I not become like a man?” A woman falls behind men in terms of physical strength and men are behind women in terms of emotional strength such as compassion and mercy.

- We should not forget that Allah gave women a feeling of jealousy in this world on the one hand, and He allowed men to marry more than one woman - when certain conditions occur - on the other hand. However, since there will be nothing that will upset people in Paradise, women will not have the feeling of jealousy.

- We should also not forget that those who object to Allah’s decrees will be deprived of His mercy. It is necessary to take refuge in Allah and surrender to Him and say like Ibrahim Hakkı says, “Let us see what the Lord does; whatever He does, He does well” so as not to fall into such traps of Satan. God forbid, even if a person denies all the decrees of Allah because he does not like it, Allah will not abandon His decree. There can be no unjustness in this world worse than the reckless rudeness of people toward Allah who turn into meek sheep in the presence of a gendarme or a policeman. The miserable state of those who do not know Allah properly in the world and who imagine Him only at the level of imagination when they appear before him is described in a very clear style in the Quran. We regard it useful to quote the translations of some of those verses:

“If only thou couldst see when the guilty ones will bend low their heads before their Lord, (saying:) ‘Our Lord! We have seen and we have heard: Now then send us back (to the world): we will work righteousness: for we do indeed (now) believe’.” (as-Sajda, 32/12)

“And he that will be given his Record in his left hand, will say: ‘Ah! Would that my Record had not been given to me! And that I had never realized how my account (stood)! Ah! Would that (Death) had made an end of me! Of no profit to me has been my wealth! My power has perished from me!’”

“(The stern command will say): ‘Seize ye him, and bind ye him, And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire. Further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits! This was he that would not believe in Allah Most High. And would not encourage the feeding of the indigent! So, no friend hath he here this Day.’” (al-Haaqqa, 69/25-35).

Although such troubled days await us, it does not befit a believer who believes in Allah and the Last Day to act in a spoiled way as if he has entered the grave with belief, answered the questions of the angels called Nakir-Munkar properly, has been acquitted in the court on the Day of Judgment, his book has been given from his right side, his good deeds have outweighed his bad ones, he has crossed the bridge and has started swimming in the rivers of Paradise.

“It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.” (al-Ahzab, 33/36)

The meaning of the verse above is clear.

O Lord! Do not leave us to ourselves; do not leave us to our own souls; do not leave us to the devils of humans and jinn; take us under Your protection! Protect and preserve us! Make us join the group of Muslims who are respectful to You and surrender to You with everything! Amin!

31-) Will men in Paradise be beardless?

There is a hadith narration that the people of Paradise are beardless, that their bodies are hairless, their hair is curly, their skin is white, and their age is 30/33. (1)

This hadith narration is sound. (2)

Tirmidhi states that it is hasan. (3)

This are many reasons for it. One of them could be as follows:

Beard is a sign of dignity, adornment, and majesty for men. Since the faces of women in the world are a place of istimta and taqbil (making love and kissing), divine wisdom did not create beards on their faces.

In Paradise, men, like women, are a place of satisfaction of lustful feelings. It is more suitable for men to be beardless and have fair skin, and their adornment and beauty to shine openly. (4)

References:

1) See Tabarani, Saghir, 1164; Abu Nuaym, Sifatul-Jannah, 226; Tirmidhi, 2545.
2) See Ibn Hibban, 5973.
3) See Tirmidhi, ibid
4) Cf. Ibn Qayyim, at-Tibyan fi Aqsamil-Quran, 317.

32-) Are houris, women of heaven or gardens?

Answer 1:

“Jannah” literally means vineyard, garden but it is the name of a known country in the Quran. There are only two countries / homelands in the land of the hereafter, which consists of Heaven (Paradise) and Hell. One is Paradise and the other is Hell.

There are dozens of verses and sound hadiths that explain the issue like that.

Therefore, the interpretation of the verse as “everything will be good and beautiful in the gardens...” is not correct.

In the verse, “In them will be fair (Companions), good, beautiful” (ar-Rahman, 55/70), fihinna = in them means “in heavens (jannahs)”.

Accordingly, there are houris/women in heavens who are worthy of the Supreme Creator’s compliment as “beautiful” in terms of both physique, moral courtesy and kindness. The word “Khayrat” used for houris means “the elite, the best, the best women” and “hisan” means “beautiful ones”.

Scholars have tried to find the nouns that are not mentioned after the adjectives in the concise expressions of the Quran.

There are narrations that the Prophet (pbuh) explained it as “khayratul-akhlaq = high ethics” and “hisanul-wujuh = beautiful faces”. (cf. Tabari, Hazin, the interpretation of the verse in question)

Accordingly, the meaning of the verse is “There are women with high ethics and beautiful faces in those heavens.” (ar-Rahman, 55/70)

Answer 2:

“Whom no man or Jinn before them has touched.”

As in the two previously mentioned heavens prepared for muqarrabs, the women with gazelle eyes and moon faces are the virgin women who are pure and chaste. No one has touched them except their spouses/husbands, who are in heaven.

The word “touching” emphasized here means sexual intercourse, deflowering, touching (in the sense of sexual intercourse). (See Tabari, Razi, Mawardi, Baghawi, Ibnul-Jawzi, Baydawi, Qurtubi, Ibn Ashur, Maraghi, the interpretation of ar-Rahman 55/56,74)

Answer 3:

According to Ibn Ashur, the word “Hur” is an adjective that shows two qualities together. That is, if the white part of an eye is large and quite white, and the black part is very dark, that eye is called “Hur”. (see Ibn Ashur, the interpretation of verse 55/72)

According to some scholars, humans do not have such an eye. The attribute “Hurul-uyun” used for women is intended to liken them to gazelles. (see as-Sihah, 2/639; Mukhtarus-Sihah, 1/84; Lisanul-Arab, 4/219)

33-) Will all the people of Paradise look the same?

Many people in this world can resemble the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) and have a beauty close to his. It is not appropriate to claim that the faces of people who share similar beauties are too similar to distinguish.

Ugly faces of the same tone have no resemblance that can be confused; similarly, those who share beauties of the same tone do not show a resemblance that can be confused. Such a similarity is contrary to the names of Allah musawwir, muzayyin, mujammil and mufaddil, as well as the secret of ahadiyyah (oneness).

The Quran indicates that the difference in people’s faces, colors, even languages, voices and accents prove many attributes of Allah. (For example, see ar-Rum, 22)

It is contrary to divine wisdom to delete the symbols of Allah, which are the signs of these attributes, in an eternal place.

The following statement of our Prophet (pbuh) shows that the beauties in Paradise are also different and their tones change over time:

“In Paradise, there is a street to which the people of Paradise come every Friday. The north wind will blow and scatter fragrance on their faces and on their clothes and add to their beauty and loveliness. Then they will go back to their families after having an added luster to their beauty and loveliness. Their wives will say to them: ‘By Allah, you have been increased in beauty and loveliness after leaving us.’

The men will say: ‘By Allah, you have also increased in beauty and loveliness after us!’ (Muslim, Jannah 13)

34-) Why is there no sense of jealousy in Paradise?

Such interpretations are the products of wrong thinking originating from complete lack of information. We will present the truth about the issue in a few articles:

- There may not be any jealousy that causes evil, that is annoying, disturbing, and that takes place within the framework of unnecessary sensitivity in Paradise because there is no environment to cause such jealousy there. The most important reason underlying the jealousy in the world is the possibility of one’s lover’s inclination to someone else. However, there is no environment that will lead to such a possibility in Paradise because everyone’s feelings will occur in the atmosphere of love in the legitimate circle.

“In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched.” (ar-Rahman, 55/56)

Along with the existence of a great love in Paradise, the verse above indicates that there is no environment that triggers the feeling of jealousy in Paradise.

The members of the same family and spouses will definitely be at the forefront of the scene - free from all kinds of negative feelings including jealousy, and full of love - described in the verses below:

“(They will be) on Thrones encrusted (with gold and precious stones), Reclining on them, facing each other. Round about them will (serve) youths of perpetual (freshness), With goblets, (shining) beakers, and cups (filled) out of clear-flowing fountains: No after-ache will they receive therefrom, nor will they suffer intoxication:

And with fruits, any that they may select: And the flesh of fowls, any that they may desire. And (there will be) Companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes,- Like unto Pearls well-guarded. A Reward for the deeds of their past (life).

Not frivolity will they hear therein, nor any taint of ill,- Only the saying, ‘Peace! Peace’.” (al-Waqia, 56/15-26)

- The mutual love of the spouses is indicated in the verses below because the scenes depicted there make the flavor honey flow with love only.

“Gardens of perpetual bliss: they shall enter there, as well as the righteous among their fathers, their spouses, and their offspring: and angels shall enter unto them from every gate (with the salutation): ‘Peace unto you for that ye persevered in patience! Now how excellent is the final home!’” (ar-Rad, 13/23-24)

“Verily the Companions of the Garden shall that Day have joy in all that they do; They and their associates will be in groves of (cool) shade, reclining on Thrones (of dignity); (Every) fruit (enjoyment) will be there for them; they shall have whatever they call for…” (Yasin, 36/55-57)

- Love and scenes full of love between spouses are pointed out in the verses below because happiness occurs only with love.

“(Being) those who have believed in Our Signs and bowed (their wills to Ours) in Islam. Enter ye the Garden, ye and your wives, in (beauty and) rejoicing. To them will be passed round, dishes and goblets of gold: there will be there all that the souls could desire, all that their ayes could delight in: and ye shall abide therein (for eye). Such will be the Garden of which ye are made heirs for your (good) deeds (in life).” (az-Zukhruf, 43/69-72)

- It is possible to see information in hadiths that love and affection between spouses will increase day by day: For example, the following hadith is included in Muslim:

“In Paradise there is a street to which the people of Paradise come every Friday. The north wind will blow and scatter fragrance on their faces and on their clothes and add to their beauty and loveliness. Then they will go back to their family after having an added luster to their beauty and loveliness. Their wives will say to them: ‘By Allah, you have been increased in beauty and loveliness after leaving us.’ The men will say: ‘By Allah, you have also increased in beauty and loveliness after us.’” (Muslim, Jannah, 13)

Increase in beauty in the hadith means increase in mutual love and affection because love and affection stem from material-spiritual beauty. As beauty increases, love also increases. Reducing such expressions to mere sensual feelings and relationships is the product of thoughts in which animal aspect overweigh.

Expressions such as week-Friday in the hadith aim to express a time period known by the people in the world so that it will be easy to understand. (Nawawi, the explanation of the hadith in question)

35-) With the permission of Allah, can it be expected that someone who is in a lower rank in Paradise will rise in rank?

Allah might elevate the rank of a person in Paradise by giving him extra rewards for a good deed. However, Allah is al-Hakim (the All-Wise). He will give people bounties to the extent that they deserve.

The ranks in Paradise should not be considered as layers or floors of a building. All believers will be in the same Paradise. Everybody will make use of everything as much as they want. However, the pleasures and tastes they will take from those bounties will be different. This difference will not be known; everybody will think that they receive the best bounties.

Besides, man’s benefitting from Paradise will be based on his lifestyle in the world. The saying “A person who says alhamdulillah here will eat alhamdulillah there” expresses this fact. That is, none of the good deeds we do in this world will be lost; they will be given to us in the form of Paradise bounties there.

Allah is absolutely just. He will not lose the deeds of anybody; He will reward everybody based on their deeds. Therefore, when a person who does a lot of good deeds and a person who does fewer good deeds go to Paradise, they will benefit from Paradise differently.

When a person whose sense of taste is not very good and a person whose sense of taste is perfect eat the same fruit, the pleasure they take from the same fruit will not be the same. The situation in Paradise will be like that. Both of them will be in Paradise but the pleasure they take will be different.

A prophet and a student of a religious school will not take the same pleasure when they listen to the Quran even when they are in the same place. Being in the same place does not necessarily mean that they will take the same pleasure. Therefore, in the hereafter where material and spiritual bounties deserve to be in Paradise, two friends or two spouses will not take the same pleasure even if they are in the same place. Nothing can prevent them from being together.

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi explains the hadith we have just mentioned regarding the issue as follows:

“We shall allude to this elevated truth with a comparison. For example, a magnificent personage set up a vast banquet and finely-adorned spectacle in a splendid garden.

He prepared it in such a way that it included all the delicious foods that the sense of taste can experience, and all the fine things that please the sense of sight, and all the wonders that amuse the faculty of imagination, and so on; he included in it everything that would gratify and give pleasure to the external and inner senses.

Now, there were two friends and they went together to the banquet and sat down at a table in a pavilion. But the sense of taste of one of them was very limited, so he received only minor pleasure. His eyes could see only a little, he had no sense of smell, and he could not understand the wondrous arts nor comprehend the marvels. He could only benefit from and take pleasure in a thousandth or even a millionth of that beautiful place, to the extent of his capacity. The other man however had developed his outer and inner senses, his mind, heart, emotions, and subtle faculties so perfectly and to such a degree that although he was next to his friend, he could perceive and experience all the subtleties and beauties and marvels and fine things in the exhibition, and receive their different pleasures.

Since this confused, sorrowful, and narrow world is thus, and although the greatest and the least are together, the difference between them is as great as from the ground to the Pleiades, surely in Paradise, the realm of bliss and eternity, while friend is together with friend, each will receive his share from the table of the Most Merciful and Compassionate One in accordance with his capacity and to the extent of his abilities.

Even if the Paradises in which they are found are different, it will not be an obstacle to their being together. For although the eight levels of Paradise are one above the other, the roof of all of them is the Sublime Throne.1 If there are walled circles round a conical mountain, one within the other and one above the other from its foot to the summit, the circles are one over the other and look to one another, but do not prevent each other seeing the sun. There are also various narrations of Hadiths indicating that the Paradises are in a manner close to this. (see Sözler, Yirmi Sekizinci Söz)

36-) Is paradise expanding?

As far as we can see, there is no verse or hadith regarding the issue. Therefore, it is not appropriate to express a definite opinion regarding issue. However, it is possible to say the following using the clues of different evidences:

a) The fact that the "Universe" is expanding mentioned in the Qur'an is not in question for Paradise because Paradise is in the Realm of Everlastingness; it cannot be compared to the position of the "Universe/this world".

b) “Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous.” (Aal-i Imran, 3/133) There is a description in the verse above that people can grasp mentally, but it is not appropriate to deduce from it that Paradise will expand in parallel with their expansion.

c) An allusive point in Risale-i Nur also indicates an answer to the question. That is, without the need for the realm of the hereafter to expand with the world, saplings, gardens, ranges are grown in the garden of system and order in which the Universe is located for the hereafter:

“If the universe is studied carefully, it will be seen that within it are two elements that have spread everywhere and become rooted; with their traces and fruits like good and evil, beauty and ugliness, benefit and harm, perfection and defect, light and darkness, guidance and misguidance, light and fire, belief and unbelief, obedience and rebellion, and fear and love, opposites clash with one another in the universe. They are constantly manifested through change and transformation. Their wheels turn like the workshop of the crops of some other world. Of a certainty, the branches and results, which are opposites, of those two elements will continue into eternity; they will become concentrated and separate from one another. Then they will be manifested in the form of Paradise and Hell. Since it is out of this transient world that the permanent world will be made, its fundamental elements will certainly go to eternity and permanence. Indeed, Paradise and Hell are the two fruits of the branch of the tree of creation, which stretches, inclines, and goes towards eternity; they are the two results of the chain of the universe; the two storehouses of this flood of Divine activity; the two pools of beings, which flow in waves towards eternity; and the place of manifestation, the one of Divine favor, the other of Divine wrath. When the hand of power shakes up the universe with a violent motion, those two pools will fill up with the appropriate matters.” (Sözler, 531-532)

37-) What is the greatest boon Allah will give to people of Paradise?

Allah will say to the people of Paradise, “O people of Paradise!” They will say, “O Lord! Labbayk!”

Allah will say, “Are you pleased (with the boons I have given you)?” They will say, “O Lord! Why should we not be pleased since You have given us what You have not given to anyone of Your creation?”

Allah will say, “'Do you want Me to give you something better than that?” They will say, “O Lord! What is better than the boons You have given us?” Allah will say, “'I will bestow My consent upon you so that I will never be angry with you forever.” (Bukhari, Riqaq, 51; Muslim, Jannah,9; Tirmidhi, Jannah, 18)

It is understood from this hadith that the best boon/blessing is to attain Allah’s consent.

We think it will not be wrong to list the levels of the boons to be given to the people of Paradise are as follows in the order from the lowest one to the highest one:

- The material boons that appeal to man’s bodily aspect.
- The spiritual boons like the spirit, mind and heart that appeal to his spiritual aspect.
- The boon of ruyatullah (seeing Allah) that that appeal to his both bodily and spiritual aspects.
- Allah’s consent and His guarantee that He will never be angry with them, which makes his both bodily and spiritual aspects overwhelmed with joy.

38-) Will I have the chance not to see people whom I do not want in Paradise?

Allah will give His servants who enter Paradise everything that they want. Therefore, a person of Paradise will never be disturbed, have no sadness or sorrow; and he will be in constant joy.

However, it is not appropriate and realistic to make a decision in this world about Paradise without knowing and seeing Paradise and without being equipped with the features suitable for Paradise and say, “I do not want this or that...”

It should not be forgotten that we must first try to be worthy of Paradise. Assuming Paradise as a guarantee and then saying “I do not want this and that” does not fit servitude and is not appropriate for the spirit of kinship.

If our relatives do not act in accordance with Allah’s consent, it is necessary to act in a way that will enable them to enter Paradise, pray for them and do all kinds of useful things that we can do instead of keeping away from them.

So, the main issue that we need to focus on is not the state after entering Paradise, but to look for ways to be able to go to Paradise with our relatives and focus on it in this world.

As for the verse in question:

The people mentioned in this verse are one’s father, grandfather, wife, children and similar relatives, who are close relatives of that person. When they join that person, his happiness will increase. In fact, if the degrees of the people he loves in Paradise are lower than him, they will be brought together in the higher place, not the lower place.

“And those who believe and whose families follow them in Faith,- to them shall We join their families: Nor shall We deprive them (of the fruit) of aught of their works: (Yet) is each individual in pledge for his deeds.” (at-Tur, 52/21)

That fact is underlined in the verse above. Those who want to come together will be brought together in the place of those who are at a higher rank. (see Razi, Ibn Kathir, the interpretation of the verse in question)

“But those who believe and work righteousness,- no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear,- they will be Companions of the Garden, therein to dwell (for ever). And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury;- beneath them will be rivers flowing;- and they shall say: “Praise be to Allah, who hath guided us to this (felicity): never could we have found guidance, had it not been for the guidance of Allah. indeed it was the truth, that the apostles of our Lord brought unto us.” And they shall hear the cry: ‘Behold! the garden before you! Ye have been made its inheritors, for your deeds (of righteousness)’.” (al-Araf, 7/42-43)

As it is stated in the verses above, the feelings of grudge, hatred, resentment, envy and jealousy of those who go to Paradise are completely removed from them and thrown away.

As it is understood from the explanations above, nothing unpleasant or distressing will happen to a person in Paradise.

39-) Can a person who is in a lower layer of Paradise want to go to an upper layer? If he wants to do so, will it be realized?

The people of Paradise will not be aware of being in a lower or upper layer of Paradise.

Everybody, people from all layers, will be there; they will sit at the same table and eat the same food. The difference will be in their ability to taste and take pleasure. A prophet and a person from the lowest level of Paradise will be at the same table but they will take different pleasures. However, those people will not be aware of it.

A person who is in the lowest level will not think that there will be anybody who will take more pleasures than him. People of every layer will think that they take the best pleasure.

Therefore, there will not be a wish like "I am in a low level; I want to move on to a high level."

40-) Is there any dust or fog in Heaven?

No, there is not dust or any kind of dirt in Heaven.

Here is an ayah and a hadith about the topic;

“Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.” (at-Tawbah,9/72)

Abu Hurayra (may Allah be please with him) reported that our Prophet (pbuh) described Heaven as follows:

“Building stones of Heaven are golden and silver. Mortar of the buildings is musk” (Tabarani, al-Awsat, Bazzar, Musnad)

This hadith is sound. (see Majmauz-Zawaid, hadith number:18637)

Razi gave this hadith as a proof of the beauty of the buildings in Heaven. (Razi, commentary of Tawbah, 72^nd ayah)

The word which is translated as “pleasant dwellings” is “masakin tayyibah”. Tayyib means “nice, beautiful, clean, likeable”. (Baydawi, Ibn Kathir, related part)

This meaning is opposite of dirt, dust and fog”. Yet, no one likes dust and fog.

Additionally, it is wrong to compare the life of Heaven to life of the World. It is a wrong comment to think that just like the houses here get dirty so too do the houses there because as Ibn Abbas narrated;

“There is no similarity between the products and beings in Heaven and the World except for their names.” (Tabari, 1/135; Ibn Kathir 1/63; Qurtubi, 1/240)

It is possible to understand from the following ayah that getting dirty is not in question in Heaven;

“Circulated among them will be plates and vessels of gold. And therein is whatever the souls desire and [what] delights the eyes, and you will abide therein eternally.” (az-Zukhruf,43/71)

The fact that “whatever the souls desire and [what] delights the eyes” exist in Heaven is a sign which means there is no dust.

41-) Will two women of the world be given to every man in Paradise?

A narration regarding the issue is as follows:

“There is no one whom Allah will admit to Paradise but Allah will marry him to seventy-two wives, two from houris and seventy from his inheritance from the people of Hell.” (Ibn Majah, Zuhd 39)

Hisham bin Khalid, a hadith scholar, states the following while explaining the hadith: “Some men will remain in Hell forever. The men of Paradise will marry the wives of those who enter Hell. For example, Pharaoh’s wife.” (Ibn Majah, ibid)

- Since there are weak narrators in the chain of narrators of this narration, the hadith is regarded as weak. (see Suyuti, Sharhu Sunani Ibn Majah, 1/323; al-Albani, Daiful-Jami’, h. no: 5143).

- We could not find any information about every man being given two wives from the women of the world in Paradise. If the spouses enter Paradise together, their marriage will continue there too. The women of the world will be more beautiful than houris. (Majmauz-Zawaid, h. no: 11396)

- After the women of the world enter Paradise, they will be purified from evil deeds, jealousy and similar ugly habits, and the inside of their bodies will be as clear and clean as the outside of their bodies. They will surpass houris in beauty.

As a matter of fact, once, Umm Salama asked the Prophet (pbuh) “O Messenger of Allah! Are the women of the world or houris in Paradise superior?” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “The superiority of women of the world is like the superiority of the right side of the fabric over the lining.” Umm Salama asked, “Why?” He answered as follows: “Because the women in the world pray, fast and perform many deeds of worship.” (Tabarani, al-Mujamul-Kabir, 23/367-h. no.870)

The Prophet describes the women of Paradise as follows:

“The marrow of the bone in each of their calves is visible through their flesh due to the beauty and elegance of their bodies. There will be no conflict, enmity or jealousy among them. They will glorify Allah in the morning and evening.” (Bukhari, Bad’ul-Khalq, 59; Muslim, Jannah, 14-17)

42-) Will I be able to change my race in Paradise?

First of all, we should state that the spirit has no race; race is a characteristic of the body, and a new body that is suitable for Paradise will be created in Paradise.

Therefore, no one in Paradise will change their race, nor will they want to do so. There is no need to do so; one will not feel this need.

Besides, race is related to the lineage from which a person comes. Nobody can change their lineage.

On the other hand, all human beings are descended from our father Adam and mother Eve (Hawwa). In this respect, we all have the same race.

In that case, thinking in this way is a delusion showing that one is ashamed of one’s own race and desires to be of another race. However, one is not responsible for that, and it does not fit a servant to boast of it or to be ashamed of it; it is a sin.

However, it is possible to have any type of body you want in Paradise.

43-) Will the Prophet Adam not be sorry that most of his descendants will go to Hell?

It is unthinkable that the Prophet Adam will not be sad because of his children going to Hell.

As a matter of fact, the following is stated in the narration about the Miraj (Ascension) Incident: “Adam laughed when he looked to his right, and wept when he looked to his left. It was explained by Gabriel (Jibril) that he laughed because the people on the right were people of Paradise and he wept because the people on the left were people of Hell.” (see Bukhari, Salah, 1)

However, this sadness will not be in question in the Gathering Place and Paradise because there are clear verses of the Quran regarding the issue. As an example, the expressions of the following verses can be read:

“We send the apostles only to give good news and to warn: so those who believe and mend (their lives),- upon them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (al-Anam, 6/48)

It is stated in the verse above that there is fear or grief in the hereafter for those who believe and do righteous deeds.

“(In the conversation in Paradise) Then they will turn to one another and question one another. One of them will start the talk and say: ‘I had an intimate companion (on the earth), who used to say, ‘What! Art thou amongst those who bear witness to the Truth (of the Message)? When we die and become dust and bones, shall we indeed receive rewards and punishments?’ (A voice) said: ‘Would ye like to look down?’ He looked down and saw him in the midst of the Fire. He said: ‘By Allah. Thou wast little short of bringing me to perdition! Had it not been for the Grace of my Lord, I should certainly have been among those brought (there)! Is it (the case) that we shall not die, Except our first death, and that we shall not be punished?" Verily this is the supreme achievement! For the like of this let all strive, who wish to strive.’” (as-Saaffat, 37/50-61)

It is stated in the verses above that a person who is in Paradise will not be sad to see his friends in Hell.

44-) What kind of intention and prayer should we use when pray to Allah for Paradise?

First of all, we should know that all our deeds and naturally all our prayers should be sincere and include sincerity. As a matter of fact, our Prophet (pbuh) said, “Deeds are depended upon intentions.” (see Bukhari, Nikah, 5)

When we see someone doing something just for the sake of doing something, in a slapdash manner or to be liked by others, we do not like it? Similarly, our Lord expects us to be sincere and honest in all our deeds.

As for the second part of your question, our Lord tells us in verse 133 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran that we should strive for the blessings of Paradise and Paradise with sincerity:

“Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous.”

Apart from it, in many verses, Paradise and blessings of Paradise are shown to mankind as the eternal goal, and Hell is shown as the place to be avoided.

As a matter of fact, acting upon it, Nursi states the following: “The most momentous question facing mankind is to be saved from Hell.” (see Şualar, On Birinci Şua, Sekizinci Mesele).

In other words, our most important duty is to be saved from Hell and to attain eternal Paradise and its blessings. It should be the goal of all believers who have the basic belief.

As a believer’s knowledge increases and he knows Allah, his love for Allah also increases; so does his taqwa. As he progresses on this road with no borders, he does things only for the sake of Allah and to attain his love. As Allah’s consent and love are attained, as a natural consequence of it, hopefully, it will be followed by being saved from Hell, seeing Paradise and its blessings and the beauty of Lord in Paradise.

Therefore, instead of dealing with unnecessary things, we should always develop ourselves in the development of the realities of belief and Islamic sciences so that we can understand those realities with our abilities.

Immediately after belief will definitely come good deeds done with sincere intentions.

If we start every deed with “Bismillah”, if we abandon things that cannot be started with “Bismillah”, and if we ask ourselves by referring to the Quran, “I wonder if my Lord will be pleased with me doing this deed?” and by referring to the Sunnah, “I wonder if the Prophet (pbuh) would do it?”, we may realize that we change dimensions instead of pursuing temporary and deceptive pleasures of the world, just like the elevator of a high building suddenly going up 40-50 floors.

As a matter of fact, the Quran tells us in verse 10 of the chapter of Fatir that attaining the consent of our Lord and increasing our taqwa can only be achieved by doing good deeds after belief:

“If any do seek for glory and power, to Allah belong all glory and power. To Him mount up (all) Words of Purity: It is He Who exalts each Deed of Righteousness…”

It can be achieved only by clinging to Allah’s book, the Quran, and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah.

45-) What is the evidence showing that those who are deprived of some boons in the world will benefit more from those boons than others in Paradise?

This issue is indicated as follows: in a hadith:

Abdullah Ibn Masud climbed a tree to get something. His thin legs appeared. Some Companions started to laugh when they saw his legs. The Prophet (pbuh) did not like it and said,

“Why are you laughing? Abdullah’s legs will turn out to be heavier than Mount Uhud on the Day of Judgment.” (Tabaqat, 3: 155.)

As the hadith above indicates, if a person is deprived of a boon in this world, he will benefit from that boon more in Paradise.

There is a rule: Both penalty and reward are given in compliance with the type of the deed. Man will receive his reward and penalty in the hereafter based on the thing he was tested with.

Those who are blind in this world will have eyes that will see better in Paradise. He who does not have a very beautiful face in this world will have a more beautiful face in Paradise. The condition to have them is to show patience, to thank Allah for his state and not to rebel.

46-) Is there a hadith that stating that a light wind blows in Paradise, the trees shake, and such a melody is produced that if a person heard this sound in the world, he would die of joy?

Some hadith narrations regarding the issue are as follows:

“There is a tree in Paradise, its main branches are made of gold and its small branches are made of chrysolite and pearls; a wind blows for it and the trees begin to make sounds; those who hear them have never heard a more pleasant sound than that.” (Abu Nuaym, Sifatul-Jannah, 433; at-Targhib wat-Tarhib, 4/ 523)

It is said that Maslama b. Ulayy in the chain of narrators of the hadith is not trustworthy. (see Mizanul-I’tidal, 4/109)

“There is a tree in Paradise; its fruits are chrysolites, rubies and pearls; Allah sends a breeze; and the tree starts to resonate, rustle and sway; such sounds are heard that they have never been heard before.” (Ibn Qayyum al-Jawziyya, “Hadil-Arwah ila Bilad al-Afrah, Chapter Forty)

“There is a tree in Paradise standing on a trunk; a cavalryman can ride for a hundred years in its shade. People chat in its shade. Some people feel enthusiastic and remember the entertainment in the world. Thereupon, Allah sends a wind from Paradise and sways the tree; the tree produces all kinds of entertainment that were present in the world in the form of sounds and actions” (at-Targhib wat-Tarhib, 4/520; the narration is weak. see, Mizanul-I’tidal, 2/193)

“In Paradise, there is a market that people of Paradise go to every week. A north wind that emits scents of Paradise toward their faces and clothes blows; thus, their beauty increases. When they return to their spouses in a more beautiful and good-looking state, their spouses will say to them,

- I swear, your beauty has increased.

- And they will say: “I swear, you have become more beautiful since we left you.” (Muslim, Jannah 13)

“The scent of Paradise is smelled from a distance of one hundred years.” (Hakim, Mustadrak 2/126)

Said b. Sa’d al-Harithi says:

“According to what is told to me, there are forests of golden straws in Paradise; their fruits are figs; when the people of Paradise want to hear a nice sound, Allah will send a wind to those forests and the wind will produce the sounds that they wish.” (see an-Nihaya, 2/509-510)

That the wind bringing scents of Paradise is mentioned as the north wind originates from the fact that Arabs long for the north winds that bring rain. As a matter of fact, that wind is also called “muthira”, which means bringing action.

As it is seen, when the Prophet informed us about life in Paradise in various hadiths, he told us that it was a land of endless beauties; thus, he encouraged us to work in order to attain those matchless bounties of God Almighty.

When the wind blows, the trees hit each other producing such nice melodies; no ear has heard such sweet sounds before. It is stated that the people of Paradise will chat under those trees and recall their memoirs in the world and when they desire some entertainment, they will be beautified thanks to the wind Allah sends and the winds will produce all kinds of entertainment they were familiar with in the world by swaying.

It means Paradise is a land of beauties. The beauties of the people of Paradise, and the tastes, pleasures and qualities of the bounties given to them will constantly increase. (see Ibn Qayyum al-Jawziyya, “Hadil-Arwah ila Bilad al-Afrah, Chapter Forty; İbrahim Canan, Kutub-i Sitte Tercüme ve Şerhi, Akçağ Publications: 14/427-429)

47-) What is the wisdom behind Hz. Adam's being created in the world first, then his being sent to Paradise and then back to the world again?

The following can be said about “the wisdom behind Adam’s being created in the world, then taken to Paradise and then sent back to the world again”:

- Allah created Hz. Adam from soil. The soil is in the world. So, it must be certain that Adam was created in the world.

- As for Hz. Adam’s being taken to Paradise, it is a practical reality to show that he and his descendants were actually created for Paradise, that their real homeland is Paradise, and that people’s deprivation of their homeland is due to their rebellion based on their own will.

- However, it can be said that one of the important reasons why Adam was settled in Paradise, ate from the fruit of the tree, repented his sin, then was forgiven by Allah, and settled in the world after that and had children and was appointed as a prophet was to make him a living example for his children with his practical life.

Thus, man recognized his greatest enemy, Satan, and learned that the punishment of opposing Allah would be deprivation of Paradise (for a while for believers and forever for unbelievers), that it would be a grave mistake for man to be subject to the desires and wishes of his soul by opposing Allah, but that the door of repentance was open, that he would be forgiven by Allah by entering through that door, that his real homeland was Paradise and that it was a manifestation of eternal mercy and the result of endless grants and gifts.

After seeing Paradise, which is a place of reward, he virtually had an idea about both places of the hereafter by seeing this worldly life, which informed him about the troubles of Hell with its troubles.

Human beings, who accepted the Lordship of Allah in the "Bazm al-Alastu (the Primordial Covenant)", learned the practice of it from that experience of Hz. Adam, their ancestor.

48-) Why can we not feel Paradise when we are in the world?

We can feel the smell, or rather the samples of the smell, of Paradise, in flowers, roses, hyacinths, fruits and even our children if we can look and listen with the eye of the heart and smell with the nose of the heart with foresight.

The Quran and hadiths describe Paradise in the best way that we, people, can understand. The other details are beyond our understanding and are probably for our imagination; we will be able to understand it fully when we go there inshallah.

It is very difficult to tell a baby in the womb about the outer realm. Similarly, the world is like the womb for us compared to Paradise.

49-) Is the hadith about the people who will enter Paradise without being called to account sound?

- Tabarani narrated that hadith. (Tabarani, al-Awsat, 1/128/h. no: 404; al-Kabir, 22/304/h. no:771)

Haythami stated that the narrators in the chain of the narrators of the narration were reliable. (see Majmauz-Zawaid, h. no: 18709)

- First of all, we can say that expressions such as “seventy and seventy thousand” in the Arab culture can also be used figuratively to express multitude. Such a figurative expression may have been used in the hadith to give people hope.

- Secondly, the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is all the people who came to the world in about fifteen centuries. There are hundreds of thousands of people who have not heard the message of the religion of Islam - in each century. It is known that they will not be called to account - according to Ash'ari madhhab.

In addition, the number of people who die before the age of puberty, whether they are the children of Muslims or unbelievers, is hundreds of thousands in each century. They will not be called to account either.

Similarly, - in every century - there are hundreds of thousands of people who are not held responsible because they are not sane, which, according to Islam, cannot be called to account.

However, when we consider the number of the Muslims in general (in the fifteen centuries), we can see that the expression in the hadith is understandable.

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