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The Heaven of This
World*
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By
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim
Al-Jawziyyah**
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January
25, 2006
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I
heard the Sheikh of Islam Ibn Taymiyah say,
Truly,
there is a Heaven in this world, [and] whoever does not
enter it, will not enter the Heaven of the next world.
And
once he said to me,
What
can my enemies do to me?
I have in my breast both my Heaven and my Garden.
If I travel they are with me, and they never leave me.
Imprisonment for me is a religious retreat.
To be slain for me is martyrdom.
And
to be exiled from my land is a spiritual journey.
During
his imprisonment in the fortress, he would say, "I
could not be more grateful for this blessing were I to have
this entire fortress in gold" or "I could never
repay them for the good that has come to me [in this
prison]."
And
in prostration he would say, while in a state of
imprisonment, "O Allah, help me in my remembrance of
You, gratitude to You, and the most comely worship of
You."
Once
he said to me, "The real prisoner is someone whose
heart is imprisoned from his Lord; the true captive is
someone captured by his passions." And when he entered
the fortress (where he was imprisoned) and was inside its
walls, he gazed upon them and quoted the verse [Then
a fence will separate them, having a gate, in the inward
whereof is mercy, and facing the outward thereof the torment]
(Al-Hadid 57:13).
Allah
knows, I have never seen anyone who had a better life than
his. Despite the difficulties and all that expunges comfort
and luxury; despite intimidation and oppression, Ibn
Taymiyah had a happier life than anyone could. He was the
most generous, the strongest of heart and the most joyful of
soul, with the radiance of bliss on his face. When we were
seized with fear and our thoughts (about Allah's decree)
turned negative, and the earth grew narrow for us, we would
go to him. No sooner did we look at him and hear his words
than all these feelings would leave us, to be replaced by
relief, strength, certainty, and tranquility.
So
glory be to the One Who lets His servants witness His Heaven
well before they meet Him, Who opens its doors to them in
this world, and Who gives them something of its refreshment,
its breeze, and its perfume — that they might seek it and
hasten towards it with all their strength.
*
Translated
from Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim’s book Al-Wabil
As-Sayib, here cited, with kind permission, from http://www.khutbahbank.org.uk.
**
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah was born in AH 691 (1292 CE)
near Damascus. A student of Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Al-Qayyim
wrote more than 60 books in various areas of Islam. He died
in 751 AH (1350 CE).
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