Fifth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1445 A.H.

Ramadan Lecture Series 1445 A.H.

Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi

Lecture Five

Saturday, 6 Ramadan 1445 A.H. (16 March 2024 A.D.)

The Believers and Their Great Destiny in the Gardens of Bliss!

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the outcast.

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.

O Allah! Confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad's good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.

O Allah! Guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the Hearing, the Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.

Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

We continue the talk in light of some blessed Quranic verses that illustrate the importance of piety and what it means for us in both worldly life and the Hereafter. In the previous lectures, we shed light on the significance of piety in attaining what Allah has promised in this life. We also discussed the tremendous dangers of neglecting piety and the severe consequences of Allah's punishment on the Day of Resurrection. There are punishments in this worldly life, and there is the immense punishment and great eternal loss in the Hereafter.

In this lecture, we will discuss the great gains people can get in the Hereafter through piety.

Interrelation between worldly life and the Hereafter

Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {‘Not equal are the people of the Fire and the people of Jannah. It is the people of Jannah who are the successful’}. Human beings have two lives: a life in this world and a life in the Hereafter. Indeed, there is a connection between worldly life and the Hereafter in determining the person’s future destiny: What a person does in their first life determines his fate in the second life and his inevitable destiny in the realm of the Hereafter. What separates us from that realm is death, the end of this life, which people will sense on the Day of Resurrection to be a very short period. Some will imagine it to be as short as an hour, while others will imagine it as a part of a day. The longest estimated period will be ten days or nights. This matter is thought to be distant in time, but this becomes different after death, as one will think of it as so limited in time. The inevitable destiny for humans is either to enter Jannah and attain the pleasure of Allah (Glory be to Him) or to enter the Fire.

There is no way that one can have another destination that he is not going to Jannah or the Fire. It is either towards Jannah or, if not, definitely towards the Fire (We seek refuge in Allah). This matter depends on one's deeds in this life, and the path is clear. Allah has clarified and revealed to you the deeds and the path that lead to Jahannam while you are still in this life. Allah (Glory be to Him) has also clarified the path and deeds that lead to Jannah through His scriptures and messengers. It is up to you, so what is your decision? What is the path you choose? What will you choose for yourself? That is because this significant and eternal destiny is connected to the path you follow, your deeds, and your decision. So make your decision and consider the true benefit for yourself.

The path to Jannah is made easy, and when a person follows that path while sincere with Allah (Glory be to Him), then Allah gives him more guidance and insight and fills his heart with more reassurance. This makes him walk on this path with a zealous soul that finds comfort and delight in doing good deeds and shows harmony with such deeds and dislike for evil deeds. This is what Allah has promised in the Holy Quran in many verses: {'And as for those who are guided, He increases them in guidance and gives them their piety'}, {‘Whoever Allah wills to guide, He opens their heart to Islam’}, {‘And He has made disbelief, rebelliousness, and disobedience detestable to you’}.

The deeds that lead to Jannah themselves are not of a rare kind. In other words, they are not beyond one's effort and power. They fall within the scope of deeds that a person can perform, within his ability and power, as Allah (Glory be to Him) has made this easy for humans. However, a person needs to be serious and to keep away from anything that deviates him from the path to Jannah, the great success, and the pleasure of Allah, the Almighty. A person needs to instil within himself the fear of the dire consequences of his actions, the fear of the severe divine punishment, and the fear of the grave outcomes and serious consequences of evil deeds in both this world and the Hereafter, where they are much worse. This helps a person to lead a life of righteousness in this world with the hope of attaining a good life in the Hereafter. As a result, his focus on attaining a good life in the Hereafter becomes a factor in leading a life of righteousness here in this world. Therefore, there is a connection between the two lives.

Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘But when there comes the Supreme Calamity, the day when man will remember that for which he strove, and Hellfire will be exposed for those who see. Then as for those who transgressed and preferred the life of this world’}—{‘transgressed’} means transgressing right, exceeding the limit, deviating from the path of Allah (the Almighty), and not remaining steadfast on His path. {‘And preferred the life of this world’} means that they preferred it to the Hereafter so that they have sacrificed the Hereafter in order to obtain what their souls desire in this worldly life even by forbidden, evil, unjust, and false means.

{‘Hellfire will certainly be their home’}: This is a clear path with a clear end. {‘Hellfire will certainly be their home.’} In other words, if your concerns in this life are all about fulfilling your desires and inclinations at the expanse of your future in the Hereafter, then this outcome is inevitable.

{‘And as for those who feared of standing before their Lord and restrained themselves from desires, Jannah will certainly be their home’}. A person needs to fear when his time comes to stand before Allah on the Day of Resurrection for questioning and accountability for his actions in the coming life. Having this kind of fear helps the person restrain himself in the face of the inclinations of the soul in times of temptation and cravings, allowing him to avoid slipping into forbidden and corrupting matters. Indeed, this fear serves as an important restraining factor for him—{‘and as for those who feared of standing before their Lord’}. Moreover, this frees one from the fears that affect many people, either by making them shirk important responsibilities of the most righteous deeds that are essential for their salvation in the Hereafter and for their dignity and honour in this worldly life or by forcing them into committing disobedience to Allah (Glory be to Him) and exceeding His limits. One can be influenced by fears and temptations. Thus, this fear of one's standing before Allah on the Day of Resurrection helps the persons bring this state under control.

Allah (the Almighty) says, {‘Guard yourselves against the day when you will be returned to Allah'}—this is the inevitable return that no one can repel! {'Then every soul will be paid in full for what it has done, and none will be wronged’}. One needs to guard himself while in this life through those deeds that grant him salvation and protect him from the torment of Allah (the Almighty), shame, and eternal misery.

One of the greatest fruits of piety: Safety on the day of the greatest terror!

The tremendously great fruits of piety in the Hereafter will begin to appear as early as the beginning of resurrection, as it will yield reassurance on the day of the greatest terror. The terrors of the Day of Resurrection are extremely terrifying. The state in which humans are resurrected will not be a normal state, to see all the geographic features of the earth have changed with no mountains, trees, plants, or any trace of its previous state remaining, to see themselves among billions of people from all previous and later generations on the entirely-leveled ground of gathering, to realise they have been resurrected on the Day of Resurrection, and to feel that moment is the beginning of resurrection and reckoning. They are resurrected in an extremely terrifying state. However, thanks to piety, they enjoy reassurance and glad tidings even from that moment: {'The angels descend upon them, “Do not fear, nor grieve. Rather, rejoice in the good news of Jannah, which you have been promised”'}. Glad tidings come right from the first moment of their resurrection; they can see the angels, who address them and reassure them: {'Do not fear, nor grieve.'} They even give them the good news of Jannah, telling them that they are about to enter Jannah.

Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'Whoever comes with a good deed will have better than it, and they will be safe from the terror of that day'}. Although it is immensely dreadful terror and cannot be taken as an easy matter whatsoever, they experience a state of peace and reassurance, being reassured by the angels, and Allah (Glory be to Him) fills their hearts with tranquillity: {'And they will be safe from the terror of that day.'}

Additionally, Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'They will not be grieved by the greatest terror, and the angels will meet them, , "This is your day which you have been promised"'}. The angels receive and reassure them, and this is of great importance for them to be in a state of complete reassurance at a time when others experience a state of extreme terror, turmoil, and severe fear. The Holy Quran visualises for us that state of others: {'when the hearts will jump into the throats'}. While the others' hearts jump into their throats out of extreme fear, sheer panic, and absolute horror, they enjoy that reassurance from Allah's angels.

During the stage of reckoning, good news keeps coming, as we have read in the blessed verse, {'Then as for him who is given his record in his right hand'}. Receiving their records and books of deeds in their right hands, right before their eyes, is considered one of the glad news that reassures them; from the moment of receiving their books, if they receive their books in that manner, this in itself reassures them and is a glad news for them.

When one examines his book and sees his deeds that he has performed in this worldly life with the help of Allah, the righteous deeds that please Allah (the Almighty), this makes him feel reassured, happy, and comfortable. He rejoices at these deeds, for it is on the Day of Resurrection that he truly realises the significance of deeds. In worldly life, one may be inclined to do righteous deeds, derived by faith and obedience to Allah, and he also feels that they are of great importance and value to his salvation, success, and goodness in this life and in the Hereafter. Nonetheless, he does not imagine or fully comprehend that they hold such a level of importance and that upon them lies that immense and great magnitude of reward and recompense. Then he feels extremely happy: {'He will say, "Here, take my record and read it"'}. Being in that state of extreme joy, he asks others to have a look at his deeds, what Allah has promised him, and the reward and recompense for such deeds. He also finds that none of his deeds or efforts has gone uncounted for him or been met with injustice. Rather, Allah rewards him for his deeds in full, as He (the Almighty) says, {'And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant'}.

The believers honoured while still on the gathering ground!

In the reckoning, particularly the collective reckoning, he will be gathered with the prophets and the righteous whom he followed in this life as a role model and walked in their path with loyalty to them—those righteous he walked with during worldly life in the path of piety, the straight path of Allah. So he will be gathered with them, which is a source of tremendously great reassurance: {'And the prophets and the witnesses will be brought, and it will be judged between them in truth, and they will not be wronged'}. This will also bring him comfort and reassurance on the Day of Resurrection. Just as is the case with the righteous, the guides from among the servants of Allah, His prophets, and the elite of His righteous and chosen servants, he will enjoy great comfort on the ground of gathering after the reckoning and before moving to the world of Jannah, such as drinks and food, as well as places to sit with honour. He will also see the terrible state of those who turned away from Allah's guidance in worldly life, hindered others from the path of Allah, and went in the opposite direction of guidance, truth, and Jannah.

Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure, seated on couches, gazing around'}—there will be couches even on the ground of gathering. {'You will recognise in their faces the radiance of pleasure. They will be given to drink wine  sealed. The last of it is musk'}. This means that there will be canned drinks in Jannah served to them to drink while they are on the gathering ground, in addition to what is mentioned in the Prophetic narrations about the basin, from which they will drink on the ground of gathering. {'The last of it is musk. So for this let the competitors compete. And its mixture is of Tasneem, a spring from which those near drink'}. {'The last of it is musk.’} Allah (Glory be to Him) made the covering on those canned drinks of musk with its extremely fragrant and aromatic scent.

Regarding those scenes where the believers witness the state of the enemies of Allah, Allah says, {'But on that day the believers will be laughing at the disbelievers, as they sit on couches, looking on. Have the disbelievers been rewarded for what they used to do?'}. On the ground of gathering itself and in that state where they enjoy the company of the righteous, they will have food and drink, and the others will ask them if it is possible to give them some of what they have—{'Pour upon us some water or from whatever Allah has provided you'}. However, the believers cannot give them anything from it; they will be waiting to move from the ground of gathering to Jannah.

The world of Jannah will be brought near—a world that is immense, great, and extremely vast, as Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran about Jannah, {'as wide as the heavens and earth'}. This is how wide it is. Its size is tremendous and very large as the size of the heavens and the earth. The world of Jannah will be brought near to the ground of gathering, as a prelude to the transferring process. Allah (the Almighty) says, {'And Jannah will be brought near to the pious, not far off'}. And they will witness from the ground of gathering itself the world of Jannah while it is approaching. {'And Jannah will be brought near to the pious.’} How important piety is! So they do not need to take a very long journey and a long time or endure hardships to get to the world of Jannah, for they will move to it in peace: {'Enter it in peace'}. After the reckoning, they will be transferred to Jannah in peace without facing any hardships and dangers. They will be gathered to it with utmost honour, peace, and reassurance.

The processions of light beginning their journey to the abode of honour and peace!

Therefore, Allah (Glory be to Him) describes the transference of the believers to Heaven, saying, {'On the day We will gather the pious to the Merciful as a delegation'}. This is because they are moving to the hospitality of Allah, to the abode of His mercy, to the dwelling of His honour, to the abode of peace. They move as a delegation in a way that reflects utmost honour, just like a delegation that is received with honour, respect, and appreciation and enjoys peace and tranquillity.

In contrast, criminals and those who deviated from the path of Allah will be in a terrifying state, as Allah says about them, {'And We will drive the criminals to Jahannam as to the watering hole'}. They will be driven like animals by beating, pushing, and using other forms of force. They will be in a state of thirst and an extremely dreadful condition, resembling the state of animals when they are driven (We seek refuge in Allah).

As for the state of those who attained piety, they will be treated with the utmost respect. Allah says about them, {'But those who feared their Lord will be driven to Jannah in groups'}. They will march in groups, moving in processions of light, as mentioned in the blessed verse, {'with their light shining ahead of them and on their right'}. Allah knows best what means of transport will carry them from the gathering ground until they reach the realm of Jannah! However, it is certain that they will be transported in peace and tranquillity, as clearly stated in the Holy Quran.

When they reach the outskirts and gates of Jannah, Allah describes that moment. It is a moment of immense joy and delight for them, in contrast to the state of those people destined for the Fire. The difference between the two states is highly significant. As the people of Jannah (the pious and the righteous) approach and reach the thresholds of Jannah, their joy, happiness, tranquillity, and longing increase because they know where they are heading. They have heard about Jannah in the Holy Quran and have learned what Allah has mentioned about it. However, to see and witness that firsthand is greatly different—when a person glimpses the world of Jannah from a distance, then gets closer and closer, and finally arrives at the thresholds of that magnificent and grand world.

{'When they arrive there’}—this is an extremely significant moment. One cannot imagine the joy and happiness they will feel upon arrival. They have reached the eternal abode of peace, tranquillity, and assured salvation from the punishment of Allah. They have reached the highest level of bliss, the abode of Allah's mercy, and the dwelling of divine honour. That is where they enjoy all manifestations of divine honour and what perfectly shows Allah's pleasure with them. It is the dwelling where they feel a profound sense of being close to Allah within themselves and in their reality.

{'When they arrive there,}—what a great moment it is!—{its gates will be opened and its keepers say, "Peace be upon you; you have been good, so enter it to abide eternally therein"'}: They are warmly received with greetings, honour, respect, and appreciation by the keepers of Jannah, the angels who are entrusted with its affairs and management. This is a great honour for them to be received by the angels of Allah with greetings and congratulations. It is a tremendous blessing and a great triumph in every sense of the word.

{‘Enter it}—please, welcome in—{to abide eternally therein.'} There is a stark contrast between the state of those who enter the realm of Jannah willingly and joyfully and the state of the people of the Fire, who are forcibly cast into it (We seek refuge in Allah). When they enter Jannah, according to some narrations of the Prophet (PBUH&F), they will experience overwhelming delight and happiness due to what they see in Jannah, what they have reached, and the great blessings they realise to be theirs. It is said that if death were to remain, they would die because of that. However, death is something of the past there. It means that we cannot imagine the extent of delight, happiness, tranquillity, harmony, and sublime feelings they experience at the moment of entering Jannah.

They praise Allah for this great blessing they have attained: {'And they will say, "Praise to Allah"'}. They praise Allah and recognise the immense blessing and great success they have attained. {'And they will say, "Praise to Allah, Who has fulfilled for us His promise and made us inherit the earth we can dwel in Jannah wherever we will. And excellent is the reward of workers"'}. They realise that it is a tremendously great blessing. {'And excellent is the reward of workers'}: Working and adhering to the guidance of Allah, His instructions, and piety is a must. So they praise Allah and rejoice.

The world of Jannah is extremely vast: {'as wide as the heavens and earth'}. Unfortunately, its inhabitants are a few. On the Day of Resurrection, billions of humans will head towards Jahannam, while only a few will head towards Jannah: Allah says about the foremost, {'A throng of the ancients and a small band from the latecomers'}. About the people of the right, He says, {'A throng of the ancients and a throng from the latecomers'}. In contrast, those heading to Jahannam are not just a throng, but rather massive crowds (We seek refuge in Allah). This is unfortunate!

Allah says, {'There they will call for every fruit in serenity'}. {'For every fruit}—there are all kinds of fruit, which are available in abundance, extremely diverse, and of the highest quality. They are free from any flaws, harm, defects, blights, or anything of that sort. They are in good condition and exceptionally excellent in their taste, fragrant aroma, and nutritional value. {'There they will call for every fruit in serenity'}—so fruit there is not contaminated, nor do they contain any specific pests or cause any diseases to those who consume them. There are no certain kinds of fruit there that can cause health issues, as is the case in worldly life, where some people may be wealthy but are forbidden to eat many kinds of fruit. Allah (the Almighty) says, {'And We will provide them with fruit and meat from whatever they desire'}: Allah provides them with that. Everything that they desire and want is abundantly available.

The food of Jannah and provision therein is given to them with respect. It is given to them by the servants of Jannah on plates and trays of the utensils of Jannah, all of which are golden, made of the gold of Jannah. {'Golden trays and cups will be passed around to them'}.

In addition, there are beautiful-eyed women. Allah (Glory be to Him) creates the believing women who enter Jannah in the utmost beauty, as Allah has described the beautiful-eyed women. So they become beautiful-eyed women in Jannah. The believing woman in Jannah becomes one of the beautiful-eyed women of Jannah. Allah says, {'And with them will be women with limited glances and large eyes, as if they were well-protected eggs'}. This is not to mention the other attributes that describe the beautiful-eyed women in many verses of the Holy Quran.

In addition to all that bliss, believing families will be reunited in the bliss of Jannah. The believing person, his believing wife, and his pious believing children are a family reunited without any diminution in the reward of the deeds of any of them. This means that a person will not be dependent on the bliss of his father; rather, he will also have bliss as a reward for his own good deeds, without any diminution in the reward of any of them. That is why Allah says, {'And for those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith, We will join with them their descendants,}—to the level of the elegant bliss they are at—{and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds'}. None of them will lose any of the recompense and reward of his deeds. Rather, what the angels of Allah supplicated for will be realised, as they used to supplicate for the believers in this life, saying {'Our Lord, admit them to the gardens of perpetual residence which You have promised them and whoever was righteous among their forefathers, their spouses, and their offspring'}.

There is also another thing besides the material bliss, which is of the highest level, exceeding all imagination, and available in tremendously wide varieties. This is not to mention the dwellings and palaces of Jannah, which Allah has called good dwellings and are built beyond what we can imagine. It is mentioned in some narrations that the palaces of Jannah include those made of gold, those of emerald, those of silver, and other extremely exquisite, marvellous types. They are built in an amazing way and enjoy magnificent views of Jannah and its rivers. {'For them, there are chambers, with chambers built above them'}—they have multi-storey dwellings in Jannah.

Spiritual honour as the ultimate bliss in Jannah!

In addition to that, they will be honoured at the moral level. One of the greatest forms of this—in fact, it is the greatest honour: It is to be greeted by Allah (Glory be to Him) and to be told that He is pleased with them (what a great bliss!) and their constant feeling of being close to Him (the Almighty) and having His pleasure. {'Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him'}. This state of their being pleased with Allah, feeling Allah's pleasure with them, and feeling their nearness to Allah and the greeting that reaches them from Allah (Glory be to Him)—as stated in the Holy Quran, {'“Peace,” a word from a Merciful Lord'}—is the highest degree of honour, a tremendously great honour! When a person feels that he enjoys Allah's pleasure and has a high status with Allah and that Allah loves him, and then he sees that he enjoys all that material bliss in such an atmosphere of honour and in a way that manifests that he attains Allah's pleasure, mercy, and love (all that is presented to them with reverence, honour, and appreciation, as Allah considers them the guests of His eternal hospitality), this in itself is a great bliss and an unparallel honour.

On top of that, they are visited by the angels, which is also meant to be a way of honouring them and showing Allah's pleasure with them. According to some Prophetic narrations, one of the first things they will do right after entering Jannah is to bathe in a very great river of Jannah. They bathe in that river and then wear the garments of Jannah, and the angels then escort them to their personal gardens and palaces and let them get to know those gardens and palaces. The angels take everyone to his palace, gardens, and orchards, touring him through and escorting him into his new abode in the world of Jannah. {'And the angels will enter upon them from every gate, saying, "Peace be upon you”'}: As they tour them through their palaces and visit them in their dwellings, they congratulate and greet them. This is part of the great honour they will receive. {‘Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured’}. This reflects a great honour that the angels ask them to look at the outcome and result of their patience, which resulted in reaching the abode of Jannah, the palaces of Jannah, the dwellings of Jannah, and the bliss of Jannah. {'Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is the final home'}.

Part of the moral honour and great happiness in the world of Jannah is neighbouring the prophets and devotees of Allah. You are in the world of the prophets, messengers, Allah's Aulya, and the righteous and virtuous from among His servants. And this is a great bliss because in Jannah, they meet Allah's prophets and Allah's messengers, and they can visit them in their palaces and gardens or meet them in the places that have been prepared for the gatherings of believers and Allah's Aulya. Indeed, this is a great bliss. {'Those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favour: the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions'}. When you are in their company, among their group, and in their world, there is happiness, honour, tranquillity, and the true bliss.

One of the manifestations of honour is that they are served in Jannah and therefore do not need to tire themselves or suffer in order to get anything they need. Indeed, they do not need to exhaust themselves as in this worldly life, where for any need (providing food or life requirements) a person has to work hard, move around, endure hardship, and make an effort. There, all the believing men and women are in happiness. Believing women there do not need to go cook, prepare food, or provide other necessities. Men who attained faith and feared Allah do not need to go and exert all effort as farmers in Jannah working hard in the world of Jannah in order to provide the needs and requirements of their families. There is no more toil or hardship. There are servants to provide them with whatever they want. This is why Allah says about them, {'There will circulate among them boys for them}—meaning that they are specialised to attend to them, care for them, and provide their needs and requirements available in the world of Jannah—{as if they were well-protected pearls'}: in the utmost cleanliness. In fact, the bliss there is provided without any toil, trouble, or hardship.

One of the manifestations of moral honour is immense respect. Every fearing-Allah person, who attained this great triumph of entering Jannah, lives there in dignity, honoured and respected. Everyone respects and appreciates him, and no one is going to harm him, mock him, disturb him, dispute with him, argue with him, or quarrel with him. In this world, hardly anyone is spared from having someone disturb him, harm him, try to preoccupy him, or cause him problems. If one possesses something of this world, he may face many problems over it: If he has a piece of land, he may face disputes, fights, feuds, many problems, or the like of things. In contrast, the people of Jannah enjoy complete reassurance, true peace, respect, esteem, and honour. They live in it with all bliss and tranquillity. Allah says about them, {'And We will remove whatever is in their breasts of resentment, brothers, on beds facing each other'}. In fact, the brotherhood, love, affection, and fraternity between them are part of their bliss and comfort. They rejoice in one another when they meet in their gatherings, which are very distinguished, elegant gatherings.

Allah says about them, {'They were guided to good speech'}. In their words, there is nothing that bothers or does harm to each other or anything of the sort: {'They will not hear therein any ill speech, only peace'}.

In their elegant gatherings, where they come together to converse with each other and meet each other, they drink from the finest drinks of Jannah, as Allah said about it, {'There they pass a cup from hand to hand, in which there is neither vanity nor cause of sin'}. They drink collectively from exquisite, refreshing drinks that fill them with joy and complete tranquillity, although they are already in tranquillity. They will be inquiring about worldly life (their first life) and about their memories in it and how Allah has granted and bestowed upon them a great triumph. {'And they approached one another, inquiring'}: They are inquiring how they have attained this bliss, overcome all those dangerous obstacles in worldly life that affected many people and diverted them from the path of Allah and His guidance. {'They said, “When we were still with our families, we used to live in fear”'}. They used to be cautious, afraid, and vigilant. They feared the punishment of Allah and the consequences of evil deeds, so they were cautious. This fear and caution drive a person to repent if he stumbles, to remain steadfast, to seek good deeds, and to resist temptations that divert him from the path of Allah and fears that hinder him from the way of Allah. {'So Allah has graced us and protected us from the torment of scorching heat. Indeed, we used to pray to Him before. He is truly the Kind, the Merciful'}.

Sublime eternal bliss that knows no disturbances and immortality that knows no end!

Their eternal bliss will keep increasing. They will have new things from time to time, including surprises of honour and amazing blessings. It is not a stagnant state that they grow tired of. That is why Allah says, {'So no one knows the delight of eyes that has been reserved for them in secret'}. Allah bestows upon them what brings them delight; the magnitude and greatness of bliss and the honour that comes with it grant them a good and blissful life. There is no illness or ageing to disturb them in their bliss; there is no death to put an end to that bliss: {'There they will remain forever'}; {'in the gardens of perpetual residence'}—they remain in the bliss that cannot be disturbed or changed by anything. There will be no hardship, fatigue, suffering, or toil, nor will there be disturbances, illness, worry, or anguish.

{'Where they will live forever, and will not wish to move from there'}: They will never grow weary or get bored of that great bliss and astonishing world. {'And they will say, “Praise be to Allah Who has removed all sorrow from us. Surely our Lord is Most-Forgiving, Very-Appreciative, Who, out of His grace, has made us land at a home of eternal living where we are neither touched by weariness, nor are we touched by boredom”'}. A person there will never suffer any weariness or tiring work. Rather, everyone moves here and there around what he owns of the bliss and makes journeys in Jannah that increase his joy, comfort, and delight. Nothing in Jannah is tiring.

{'There they will call for every fruit in serenity. They will not taste death therein except the first death'}—that is, the one that took place in worldly life. {'And He will have protected them from the torment of the Blaze'}. {'And their Lord protected them from the torment of the Blaze'}: Allah protected them from the torment of the Blaze. This in itself is an extremely great blessing: to be saved from Allah's torment of fire and to attain Jannah, as well.

In the world of Jannah, they can observe the condition of the people of the Fire, or some specific individuals from the people of the Fire: {'And he will look and see him in the midst of the Blaze'}.

Allah invites His servants to this great, eternal bliss, which has no end and is extremely sublime and unparalleled. He invites His servants to this triumph and to this honour. He presents it to them and encourages them towards it, as it has been mentioned repeatedly in the Holy Quran.

This is not made attainable only for a specific group, for example, men but not women, the poor but not the wealthy, or the wealthy but not the poor. It is offered to everyone, including men and women, males and females, the poor and the wealthy; this bliss is offered to all of them. It is within the power of everyone to perform the deeds that lead to this bliss, and they are easier compared to other deeds. They are easier than the effort one exerts for his livelihood in this worldly life, the immediate life. Even they are indeed easier than the deeds that lead to the Fire! The Fire requires great effort: The people destined for the Fire bear difficulties and hardships to reach Jahannam. They toil, spend, lose, strive, and do everything—even more than the people destined for Jannah—to bring themselves to Jahannam!

Allah offers us this bliss—Why would anyone reject it?!

Allah (Glory be to Him) calls upon us in the Holy Quran and presents many types of that bliss. Many are the verses in the Quran—these are just a few of them—that describe the bliss of Jannah. Why is that? Allah calls upon us with that, encourages us towards it, and presents that bliss to us. So why do people reject it?! Why do they ignore it?! Why do the most trivial matters or the most insignificant fears divert them from that great eternal bliss and that real and great triumph? {'But Allah invites to Jannah and to forgiveness, by His permission'}. {'Invites'}—it is Allah Who calls us, invites us, urges us, and encourages us. However, one cannot but wonder that there are those who still turn away from this great bliss in reality!

{'And Allah invites to the Home of Peace'}. Indeed, it is Allah (Glory be to Him) Who bestowed His unearned grace and favour on us. In numerous verses, He called and encouraged us to have this bliss, which He presented to us. It could have been possible for the reward of a person on the Day of Resurrection, after being saved from the punishment of Allah, to simply not enter Jahannam alongside those who enter it and then return to a state similar to that in worldly life. 'Take care of yourself, plan, work, and continue your life.' This would be considered as a great blessing: not to enter Jahannam. It could have been possible for Allah to say to you, 'Go, take care of yourself, plan your work, and strive as you did before.' No! In addition to being saved from the punishment of Allah in the fire of Jahannam, which is a great triumph and a very important matter, there is this great bliss that Allah presents to His servants.

Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'Hurry towards your Lord's forgiveness and a Jannah as wide as the heavens and earth prepared for the people of piety'}. So why does a person be slow in performing the deeds that will lead him to that blissful Jannah and great triumph?! The opportunity is open to both males and females. It is not like the matter in this worldly life: {'For the male, what is equal to the share of two females'}. The matter depends on one's deeds, so women can through their good deeds surpass many men in terms of their bliss and status in Jannah, as it is all based on one's deeds. Allah says, {'Never will I allow to be lost the work of worker among you, whether male or female'}. Unlike in this worldly life, where the poor may wish for good housing, fine food, and luxurious clothes but cannot attain them, the poor in the Hereafter can reach the highest levels of bliss in Jannah.

The bliss of Jannah is immense and tremendous, and it is of different degrees. But if all the pleasures and joys of this worldly life that have been divided among all the children of Adam were to be gathered together—all the bliss, wealth, and comfort that have been experienced by the first and last generations of humanity in this life—that would not even equal the level of bliss experienced by the most humble and lowly of the inhabitants of Jannah, the one who has the least status and bliss in Jannah. Reaching the world of Jannah is in itself is far greater than anything in this life; therefore, the bliss of this person with the least status in Jannah surpasses all pleasures, wealth, comfort, and happiness that have ever been attained by anyone in this worldly life. And it is beyond what we can even imagine.

The Messenger (PBUH&F) says about Jannah, ‘In it is what no eye has ever seen, nor an ear has ever heard, nor a human heart has conceived.' No matter how much we read the blessed verses about it, they only provide us with an approximate picture that we are incapable of fully comprehending. Therefore, the surprise is immense when a person reaches Jannah and sees it in a truly grand manner. And likewise, the state of the people of the Fire is extremely dreadful, and this matter is connected to piety. Allah says, {'Such is the Jannah which We shall give as an inheritance to those of Our slaves who have been pious'}. Attaining piety is possible; it is something within reach. The deeds that Allah has commanded us are within our ability and capacity: {'Allah does not charge a soul except its capacity'}. They are within the reach of people, and in fact, there is good for them in these deeds in the immediate life. {'He has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty'}. A person should keep to the right direction in this worldly life and refrain from indulging in forbidden actions and desires that incur the displeasure of Allah.

That is enough for today.

We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success in seeking what pleases Him. O Allah! Have mercy on our virtuous martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are the Hearer of Prayer!

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.