To those who will come into His Presence as believers, Allah gives the promise of Paradise, wherein they will remain forever. As there is no doubt that this promise will be fulfilled, those who believe with certainty will never doubt its truth. Moreover, if they have surrendered their souls to Him as believers, they know that their sins will be forgiven and that they will be accepted into Paradise. The following verse makes this clear:
"Gardens of Eden which the All-Merciful has promised to His servants in the Unseen. His promise is always kept". (Surah Maryam, 61)
The fact that Allah has promised Paradise to believers brings them an indescribable joy and enthusiasm. They know that Allah wills Paradise for His faithful servants, and that He has made them its heirs. Here is another verse that mentions this promise:
Is someone to whom We have promised good and who then obtains it like someone to whom We have given enjoyment in the life of the world and then, on the Day of Rising, is one of those brought to punishment? (Surat al-Qasas, 61)
If Allah has promised Paradise to any individuals, they will attain eternal blessings with Allah's permission. And when believers enter Paradise, they will certainly express their thanks to Allah in this way:
They will say: "Praise be to Allah Who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us the inheritors of this land, letting us settle in Paradise wherever we want. How excellent is the wage of those who work." (Surat az-Zumar, 74)
Believers who have been given the good news several times during their earthly lives, and to whom Allah has promised Paradise, will receive at the end of their lives that for which they hoped. Finally, that long-awaited moment will come. The place that they have contemplated throughout their lives, prayed to attain, and striven to be worthy of is Paradise - "the best place to be," and "the most beauteous of all goals." This perfect place was prepared for believers, and its doors are opened to them.
The following verse gives a unique view about their entrance into Paradise:
Gardens of Eden that they will enter, and all of their parents, wives, and children who have acted honorably. Angels will enter in to welcome them from every gate: "Peace be upon you because of your steadfastness! How wonderful is the Ultimate Abode!" (Surat ar-Ra'd, 23-24)
They will be welcomed into Paradise "with greetings and [words of] peace"(Surat al-Furqan, 75), and enter there "in peace, in complete security!"(Surat al-Hijr, 46). There is only one thing left to do: to discover the beauties of this eternal land prepared for believers and endowed with every kind of blessing.
Allah has promised believers great bounties in both this life and the Hereafter, and people may hope to obtain them according to the degree of their faith in and closeness to Allah, as well as their submission and sincerity. They see these bounties as a means to get closer to Allah, to be thankful to Him, and to witness the manifestation of His eternal attributes and beauties. And so for this reason, they hope for great bounty from Allah. Since He gives beauty to those who act beautifully, believers constantly hope that Allah will increase their favors, thereby enabling them to become closer to Him.
The conscience of those who have certain belief in Him and do what He asks is clear. They cherish great hope, for our Lord has promised to reward them with Paradise for their attachment to Him while living in this world. This hope manifests itself at all times, for such people are as happy, joyful, and excited as if they had already entered Paradise. They have befriended our Lord by struggling and trying to please Him, purifying their egos of all evil, and always pursuing good. And in the end, they will return to Him. Believers who carry this excitement are hopeful that, having pleased Him, they will meet our Lord in the hereafter.
Allah gives glad tidings of His support and Paradise to believers, and has proclaimed that He will reward all Muslims who serve in His path. Those Muslims who know that they will recompensed for each good deed, kindness, and good behavior that they do, and for their decision to adhere to the Qur'an, will experience the beauty of submission, trust, patience, and faith.
Therefore, believers who know these facts will constantly be in a positive state about our Lord, hoping for the most beautiful and the best blessings in both this world and the hereafter. In many verses, Allah promises believers a good reward, grace, favor, and mercy:
As for those who believe and do right actions, We will erase their bad actions and recompense them for the best of what they did. (Surat al-Ankabut, 7)
He responds to those who believe and do right actions, and gives them increase from His favor. But the unbelievers will have a harsh punishment. (Surat ash-Shura, 26)The tests placed upon Muslims may sometimes involve hardship and trouble, such as various types of oppression and plots, or being detained or imprisoned. Throughout history, many Muslims have been killed. However, Muslims who are subjected to oppression in order to frighten, dishearten, or make them swerve from Islam never despair when confronted with such difficulties. In fact, their zeal and enthusiasm never abate, contrary to the unbelievers' expectations. Recalling the verses that remind them that unbelievers will try to oppress believers, they feel a great excitement when experiencing the same, and thus feel grateful to Allah. While unbelievers assume that they frighten them, believers feel the joy of their faith and ponder upon Allah's promises.
In the Qur'an, Allah promises believers an absolute victory over unbelievers, as well as security and peace, provided that they do not ascribe partners to Him:
Allah has promised those of you who believe and do right actions that He will make them successors in the land, as He made those before them successors, and will firmly establish for them their religion with which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. Any who disbelieve after that, such people are deviators. (Surat an-Nur: 55)
When encountered with the unbelievers' oppression and plots, believers who have an unshakable faith in Allah and the Qur'an remember this promise and show patience with hope and joy. This attitude is indeed a great source of grief for unbelievers, for the believers' trust in Allah makes the unbelievers feel His wrath and the torment awaiting them in both this world and the next. They are seized by an indefinable fear and anxiety.
In the Qur'an, we see that Muslims are in a constant state of hopefulness. Sincere believers appreciate our Lord, as described in the Qur'an, and thus recognize His mercy and bounties upon them. Those who abide by the Qur'an's commands know that Allah is the believers' Friend and Helper, that He has infinite mercy and compassion for them, that He gives His sincere servants the good news of great rewards in both this world and the hereafter, and that His promise is certain. They further see that Allah always wills what is good for them, opens the gates of mercy and guidance to them, and gives them countless opportunities to earn His good pleasure.
The Muslims' zealous and hopeful attitude to our Lord, Who always gives the good news of bliss, is described as follows:
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Those who are with him are fierce to the unbelievers, merciful to one another. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking Allah's good favor and His pleasure. (Surat al-Fath, 29)
As the verse maintains, in return for Allah's promises the Muslims try to display throughout their lives those attitudes that please Allah: obeying the commands conveyed through His Messengers and books, and striving to display the morality that most pleases Him. Aware that He is pleased with servants who are compassionate, tolerant, just, patient, hopeful, modest, helpful, and self-sacrificing, they compete with one another to display moral excellence. They do so because Allah commands His servants to compete with each other in the hope of obtaining Paradise:
Race each other to forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden [i.e., Paradise] as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the people who guard against evil: those who give in times of both ease and hardship, who control their rage and pardon other people - Allah loves the good-doers - those who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their bad actions - and who can forgive bad actions except Allah? - and do not knowingly persist in what they were doing. Their recompense is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, forever. How excellent is the reward of those who act [righteously]! (Surah Al Imran, 133-136)
Race each other to forgiveness from your Lord and to a Garden, whose breadth is like that of heaven and earth combined, made ready for those who believe in Allah and His Messengers. That is Allah's favor, which He gives to those whom He wills. Allah's Favor is indeed immense. (Surat al- Hadid, 21)
Reference:
http://harunyahya.com
No comments :
Post a Comment