Most of us are very familiar with the
physical descriptions of Heaven in the Quran.
“Gardens with flowing streams...” “Bracelets
of gold and pearls...” “Garments of silk...” “On
furnishings close to one another....With them will be wonderful
companions.” “Fragrant fruits, extended shade, abundant
water...”
The descriptions are lavish and very beautiful. We know they are
allegorical descriptions, yet God has used the things that He knows
please us in this world to help us understand minutely the Hereafter.
God tells us in verse 32:17
“You have no idea how much joy and happiness
are waiting for you as a reward for your (righteous) works.”
And to help us try to understand that joy and happiness, God goes
beyond describing Paradise in objective terms; He also gives us
subjective descriptions. Again, these are allegorical, but we are
familiar with the emotional roller coaster we are all on in this
world. And we can understand deep down inside ourselves what these
emotions are.
God makes Heaven very appealing simply with His promise in verse
35:34 that He will remove all our worries. Can you imagine going
through a whole week without worrying about something? Are the kids
okay? Can I make the mortgage payment? Will I get into college?
Did I remember to turn off the stove? Small or large, worries tend
to occupy a lot of our time. Even for Submitters who know that God
is in full control, our minds still get bogged down in day to day
concerns. Well, God is not just promising us a day or a week or
even a month without worries. For those who dwell in Paradise, it’s
eternity.
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“They will say, “Praise
God for removing all our worries. Our Lord Is Forgiving, Appreciative.”
[35:34]
And based on our day to day lives in this world, can you imagine
a week without having to listen to lies and nonsense? At work, people
gossip and backstab and lie to get ahead. Go to buy a car, and you're
assaulted by unscrupulous sales people who will say anything to
make the sale. On TV, it’s a constant barrage of blather and
foolishness. So think of the peace and quiet when God promises that
those in Paradise will never hear any nonsense or lies. [19:62,
78:35, 88:11] In Sura 56, God says: “Rewards for their works.
They never hear any nonsense therein, nor sinful utterances. Only
the utterance: ‘Peace, peace.’ ” [56:24-26]
One very strong human emotion that impacts negatively on our lives
with great regularity is jealousy. It's a tool that Satan frequently
uses in driving wedges between us. We are jealous of someone else’s
looks or wealth or success. We are jealous in our relationships—
husbands and wives, parents and children, even friends. We recognize
how horrible it is, but sometimes we seem powerless to stop those
jealous feelings. God tells us that He will stop them for those
who make it to Heaven.
“Enter therein, peaceful and secure. We remove
all jealousy from their hearts.” [15:46-7]
After it’s repeated in verse 7:43 that God will remove all
jealousy, the response of those who are in Paradise is:
“God be praised for guiding us. We could not
possibly be guided, if it were not that God has guided us.”
God makes Heaven sound pretty terrific—no nonsense, no lies,
no
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jealousy. In several places, the Quran
tells us that those in Paradise will relax. Sometimes in our busy
schedules, we can’t seem to find any time to just relax, and
it's very appealing. But too much relaxation can lead to boredom
and fatigue. God reassures us that
“The dwellers of Paradise will be, on that
day, happily busy.” [36:55]
We will never get bored or tired therein—this is God’s
promise. Heaven, then, is the perfect balance of not doing too much
and not doing too little—“happily busy.”
To help us understand how truly wonderful Heaven will be, God appeals
to our hearts. When we think of a garden with a gentle waterfall
and bright colored flowers and trees, this is generally a more positive
image than a description of metropolitan Los Angeles. Equally stirring
are the positive emotional descriptions God provides.
“Some faces on that day will be happy. Laughing
and joyful.” [80:38-9] “God...rewards them with joy
and contentment.” [76:11] “You recognize in their faces
the joy of bliss.” [83:24] “If he is one of those close
to Me, then joy, flowers, and gardens of bliss. And if he is one
of the right, peace is the lot of those on the right.” [56:88-91]
Contrast this with some of the emotional descriptions of Hell.
That the people of Hell will feud with one another for all eternity,
constantly blaming and arguing.
“Humiliation is their lot.” [10:27]
They neither die, nor stay alive. Though they will beg to be permitted
to die,
“they are never finished by death....”
[35:36]
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