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The
three cornerstones of the Prophets' messages,
as mentioned by Imam Ibn Abi Al-`Iz
Al-Dimishqi in his book Sharh At-Tahawiyya,
are: teaching people about Allah and His
attributes, directing them how to follow the
path that Almighty Allah has established for
human-beings to follow, and informing them
about the reward they will receive when they
follow the path of Almighty Allah.
If
we take a look at the message of Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him),
which is the Qur'an and Sunnah, we will find
that it has covered these three cornerstones.
We will also find that not only are the
commands and prohibitions mentioned in a
detailed manner, but also the reward that the
believers will receive, which is Paradise, is
also described thoroughly, so their hearts
become attached to it and it becomes a
competition between the believers:
Who
will receive this great reward? Who will be
able to defeat his evil desires more than
anyone else? Who will be able to perfect his
acts of worship like praying and fasting in
order to receive this immense reward?
Paradise
is the tremendous reward which Allah the
All-Powerful has prepared for His beloved and
those who obey Him. It is perfect joy and
pleasure, where there is nothing lacking and
nothing can disturb its purity. What Allah the
Almighty and His Messenger (peace and
blessings be upon him) have told us about it
makes us mystified with indescribable joy
because our minds are incapable of
comprehending the greatness of such blessings.
Amongst
the details of the description of Paradise
that is mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah, is
that it has gates through which believers will
enter, as the angels enter therein:
[`Adn
[Eden] of Paradise, whose doors will be
opened for them.]
(Saad, 38: 50)
[…
And angels shall enter unto them from
every gate [with the salutation]: 'Peace
be unto you for that you persevered in
patience! How excellent is the final home!]
(Ar-Ra`d, 13: 23-24)
Allah
the Almighty has told us that these gates will
be opened when the believers reach them, and
that they will be welcomed by the angels with
greetings of peace:
[And
those who kept their duty to their Lord
will be led to Paradise in groups, till,
when they reach it, its gates will be
opened (before their arrival for their
reception) and its keepers will say:
Salamun `Alaikum (peace be upon you)! You
have done well, so enter here to abide
therein.]
(Az-Zumar, 39: 73)
Imam
Ibn Kathir says in his tafseer:
"Allah tells us about the blessed
believers, who will be taken to Paradise in
groups, one group after another, starting with
the best of them: those who are closest to
Allah, then the most righteous, then the next
best and the next best. Each group will be
with others like them, prophets with prophets,
the true believers with their peers, the
martyrs with their counterparts, the scholars
with their colleagues; every group composed of
people of the same kind."
There
are eight gates in Paradise; one of them is
called Ar-Rayyan, which is exclusively
for those who fast. Al-Bukhari and Muslim
report from Sahl ibn Sa`d As-Sa`idi that the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be
upon him) said:
"In
Paradise there are eight gates. There is
one gate called Ar-Rayyan. No-one will
enter it except those who fast, and after
they enter it, it will be locked behind
them, and no-one else will enter through
it."
There
are also gates for those who pray much, those
who give in charity and those who fight in
jihad, as well as the gate called Ar-Rayyan
for those who fast. In a hadith reported by
both Al-Bukhari and Muslim, Abu Hurairah
narrated that Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings be upon him):
"Whoever
spends a pair (of anything) from his
wealth for the sake of Allah, will be
called from the gates of Paradise, and
Paradise has eight gates. Whoever will be
from the people of salah (i.e. praying
regularly, properly, obligatory and
supererogatory), will be called from the
gate of prayer; whoever will be from among
the people of sadaqah (optional charity)
will be called from the gate of charity;
whoever will be from among the people of
jihad will be called from the gate of
jihad, and whoever will be from among the
people of fasting (fasting obligatory and
optional) will be called from the gate of
fasting."
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)
said: "By Allah, it would not matter
if a person was called from any of them,
but will anyone be there to be called from
all of them, O' Messenger of Allah?"
He (peace and blessings be upon him), "Yes,
and I hope that you will be one of
them."
Abu
Bakr's question refers to a person who has all
these good qualities: prayer, fasting,
charity, jihad, and so on, so that he will be
called from all the gates. The Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) said:
"Whoever
spends a pair (of anything) for the sake
of Allah will be called from all the eight
gates of Paradise. He also spoke of the
person who performs wudu’ and does it
properly, then lifts his gaze to the sky
and says: 'Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah
wahdahu la shareeka lah, wa ashadu anna
Muhammadan `abduhu wa rasooluhu' (I bear
witness that there is no god except Allah,
and I bear witness that Muhammad is his
servant and Messenger), the eight gates of
Paradise will be opened to him, and he
will enter it through any gate he
wishes."
The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told
us that there is a gate, which is specific for
those who will not be called to account: this
is the right-hand gate of Paradise. The rest
of them will enter Paradise with all the other
nations through other gates. In a hadith about
As-Shafa`ah (intercession) reported by
Al-Bukhari and Muslim, Abu Hurairah (peace and
blessings be upon him) narrated that the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
said:
"Allah
will say: 'O Muhammad, admit those of your
Ummah (nation) who do not need to be
brought to account through the right-hand
gate; and the others will enter through
other gates like the rest of the
people.'"
In
the same hadith, the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) described the width of
the gates of Paradise, stating that the width
between the two sides of the gate is like the
distance between Makkah and Hajar, or between
Makkah and Basra. The Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) said:
"By
the One in Whose hand is the soul of
Muhammad, the distance between two panels
of the gates of Paradise, or between the
two gateposts, is like the distance
between Makkah and Hajar (a village in
Bahrain), or between Makkah and Basra
(city in Iraq)."
The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has
told us that the gates of Paradise are opened
during Ramadan. Bukhari, Muslim, and Ahmad
report from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of
Allan (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"When the month of Ramadan comes, the
gates of heaven are opened." According to
another report: "… The gates of
Paradise are opened, and the gates of Hell are
closed."
In
some reports it is stated the distance between
the two gate-panels, when they are open, is
that of a forty-year journey. Ahmad reported
in Al-Musnad, that the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"The
distance between the two gate-panels of
one of the gates of Paradise is the
distance of forty-year's walking, but a
time will come when it would be very
crowded."
Describing
how crowded it would be, the companion,
`Abdullah ibn Salam says, as narrated by
At-Tabarani in Al-Mu`jam Al-Kabir:
"The distance between the two gate-panels
of one of the gates of Paradise is like the
distance of forty-year's walking, and it will
be become as crowded as a drinking trough
surrounded by thirsty camels."
Finally,
can you see how detailed the description of
the gates of Paradise is? Can you see how
beautiful and welcoming it is? So, what about
Paradise itself? Isn't it worthwhile for you
to strive for it? The distance between the two
gate-panels of one of the gates of Paradise is
the distance of forty-year's walking, so we
know that there are so many people who will be
entering. We have no excuse to be apathetic.
Each and every one of us has the right to
strive for his place in Paradise and to be
amongst those who crowd around its gates. So,
let's compete for it and in sha’ Allah
we'll walk through its gates.
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