CONCEPTION OF HEAVEN AND HELL AS RELATED DIRECTLY TO THE MORAL IDEAL

 

 Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society

CONCEPTION OF HEAVEN AND HELL AS RELATED DIRECTLY TO THE MORAL IDEAL:

Having discussed ‘the Man’ and ‘the World’ in their different relevant dimensions, we are now confronted with the question: What is the Qur’anic conception of Heaven and Hell.

In that connection, we may consider the disparity that exists, in the earthly life of Man, between the Actual and the Ideal,—and exists as an irresolvable difficulty and an unsolvable problem, while the human heart is in dead earnest for the way out.

 

To elaborate:

1. Nature of Physical Happiness: ·         Only ‘pleasure mixed with pain’ possible.	1. Ideal of Physical Happiness: ·         Possession of healthy and abiding pleasure along with total absence of pain.
2. Nature of Moral Life: Performance of Duty under the stress of a two-fold limitation: ·         want of absolute purity of the will; ·         moral effort constantly frustrated by others.	2. Ideal of Morality: ·         Posession of absolute purity of the Will. ·         Realisation of the perfect Moral Order.
3. Nature of the Pursuit of Art:     ·         Beautification of a very minute portion of Reality, and that too in imperfect manner and measure, alone possible.	3. Ideal of Art: ·         Comprehensive beautification of the Self and the Environment
4. Nature of the Pursuit of Knowledge: ·         Knowledge of only an infinitesimally small portion. of Reality, alone possible.	4. Ideal of Knowledge: : ·         Possession of complete and direct knowledge of Reality
5. Nature of the Pursuit of Religion: ·         Indirect faith in religious verities on the testimony of the Prophet, or  at best imperfect experience of those verities and communion with God from behind the veil: alone possible. ·         Holiness acquirable only in limited measure because of the continuous existence of devilish forces in the environment.	5. Ideal of Religion: ·     Acquiring direct and intimate experience of religious verities, including the Vision of God, the Really Real and the Source of all Grace. ·     Acquiring perfect holiness in accordance with human status.

 

Now:

Heaven is the realisation of the above ideals; while: Hell bears reference to Evil Will, Ugliness, Deprivation of Communion with God, and Torture of different types, in consequence of the denial of the Source of Grace and of the conditions necessary for the realisation of the above-mentioned ideals.

 

The following verses ^[1] of the Holy Qur’an concerning Heaven and Hell bear out the above statement:

THE HEAVEN:

a.     Heaven as the reward of righteous life; Peace, Security, Eternal Life—nay, the realisation of all Positive human yearnings and ideals (mentioned above)—and even more:

“And the Garden will be brought nigh to the righteous,—no more a thing distant. (And they will be told:) ‘This is what was promised for you,—for everyone who turned (to Allah) in sincere repentance, who kept (His Law), who feared (the Displeasure of Allah) Most Gracious unseen, and brought a heart turned in devotion (to Him)—: Enter you therein in Peace and Security. This is the Day of Eternal Life!’ There will be for them therein all that they yearn,^[2]—and more besides in Our Presence.” (50:31-35). 

 

b.    Abode of Peace:

“But Allah invites (humanity through the Holy Qur’an) to the Abode of Peace (in which there shall be no fear, frustration or sorrow, but only perfect security from evil of all types).” (10:25).

“For them (i.e., the god-fearing righteous) there will be an Abode of Peace in the Presence of their Lord: He will be their Patron and Friend, because they practised (righteousness).” (6:127).

“Their salutation on the Day they meet Him will be ‘Peace !’; and He has prepared for them a generous reward.” (33:44). 

 

c.     Absolute Purity of Will—Social Harmony and Love:

The spirit of rancour and jealousy will be totally obliterated from the hearts of the righteous, giving place to absolute purity of will, on the one hand, and to love and harmony, on the other, and establishing genuine fraternal relations wherein each member of the fraternity of the righteous will enjoy his or her own dignity and will deal with others with joy and confidence. Also, the delights of Heaven will be perfect, for there will be absolute freedom from fear, frustration and sorrow and from toil and fatigue:

“The righteous (will be) amidst Gardens and springs. (And the greeting to them of the angels will be:) ‘Enter you here in peace and security’. And We shall have removed whatsoever of rancour and jealousy and sense of injury may be in their hearts. (They will be) in fraternal relationship, (joyfully) facing each other on thrones (of dignity). There no sense of toil and fatigue shall touch them, nor shall they (ever) be asked to leave.” (15:45-48).

In the perfect felicity of the righteous all lurking memories of disappointments in earthly life shall be blotted out:

“And those who believe and work righteousness,—no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear,—they will be companions of the Garden, therein to dwell (for ever).

“And We shall remove from their hearts whatsoever lurking sense of disappointment and injury there may have been, rivers flowing beneath them; and they will say: ‘all praise unto Allah Who has guided us to this (felicity) …” (7:42-43). 

 

d.    Company of the Blessed Servants of God:

      “And    whosoever    obeys    Allah   and    the    Messenger (Muhammad), then those shall be in the company of those whom Allah has blessed,—of the Prophets (who teach the Truth), the Sincere (who are lovers of Truth), the Witnesses (who testify to Truth through martyrdom), and the Righteous (who do good normally). Ah! what an Excellent (and Exalted) Fellowship! That is the Grace from Allah, and Allah suffices as Knower.” (4:69-70).^[3]

 

e.     Light will run before the inmates of Heaven and by their right hands:

“(Mention the) Day whereon you (O Prophet!) shall see the believing men and the believing women, their Light running before them and by their right hand …” (57:12).

 

f.     Light of Beauty and Blissful Joy:

“But Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will shed over them a Light of Beauty and a (Blissful) Joy.” (76:11).

 

g.    Assembly of Truth in the Presence of God:

“As to the god-fearing righteous, they will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers, in an Assembly of Truth, in the Presence of the Sovereign Omnipotent.” (54:54-55).

 

h.    Direct Knowledge of the Cosmos:

“Truly the Pious will be in Bliss: on thrones (of Dignity) will  they command a sight (of all things): You will recognise in their faces the brightness of Bliss (as a result of the attainment of complete satisfaction at the realisation, among other ideals, of the ideal of Knowledge).” (88:22-24).

 

i.      Stabilisation in the state of Absolute Purity of the Will; Acquisition of Holiness; Attainment of complete peace and satisfaction; well-pleased with and well-pleasing to God; company of the righteous servants of the Lord;^[4] entry into God’s ‘own’ Heaven—the highest stage of Bliss:

“(God will address the righteous thus:) O (you) soul that has attained complete peace and satisfaction! Come back you to your Lord,—well-pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing unto Him! Enter you, then, among My Devotees! Yes, enter you My Heaven!” (89:27-30).^[5]

“Allah will say: This is a Day whereon their truthfulness will benefit the truthful. Theirs are Gardens beneath which rivers flow; (they shall be) abiders therein for ever: Allah well-pleased with them and they well-pleased with Him: that is the achievement supreme.” (5:122).

 

j.      Angels’ salutation of Peace to the entrants; thanks-giving to God by the inmates; angels hymning praise of the Lord:

“And those who were careful of duty to their Lord will be led to the Garden in troops till, when they arrive there, and the portals thereof will be opened, the keepers thereof will say unto them: ‘peace be unto you! well have you done! enter you here to dwell therein for ever’.^[6] They will say: ‘Praise be unto Allah, Who has truly fulfilled His promise to us, and has given us (this) land in heritage for (eternity), so that we may dwell in the Garden wherever we will: how excellent a reward for those who work (righteousness)’. And you (O Prophet!) will see the angels surrounding the Throne (Divine) on all sides, singing Glory and Praise to their Lord. The Decision between them (at Judgment) will be in (perfect) justice, and the cry (on all sides) will be: ‘Praise be to Allah, Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds’.” (39:73-75).

 

k.    Realisation of the highest Ideal in obtaining the Supreme Blessing of the Vision of God:

“Faces (of the Righteous Servants of God) will, on that Day, beam (in brightness and beauty),—looking towards their Lord.” (75:22-23).

 

l.      Peace with God, Peace with Fellow-beings, Peace with the rest of God’s Creation, will be attained in the highest degree:

“Those who believe and work righteousness,—their Lord will guide them because of their Faith: beneath them will flow rivers in Gardens of Bliss. Their cry (of adoration to God, i.e., their loud chanting of hymn of prayer) therein will be ‘Glory to You, O Allah!’ and ‘Peace’ will be their greeting therein! and the close of their cry will be: ‘Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds’.”  (10:9-10).

 

m.  Garden in nearness to God; eternal home; companions pure and holy; cool shades; highest satisfaction of the sentient aspect of the self in its transcendental transformation:

“For the righteous are Gardens in nearness to their Lord …” (3:15).

“But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Everytime they are fed with fruits therefrom, they say: ‘Why, this is what we were fed with before’. For they are given things in similitude: and they have therein companions pure (and holy)^[7] and they abide therein (for ever).” (2:25).

 

n.    Happily employed, with the highest enjoyment suited to the heavenly life of the righteous; Greeting of ‘Peace’ from God:

“Verily the Companions of the Garden shall that Day be happily employed. They and their spouses will be in groves of (cool) shade, reclining on thrones (of dignity); every fruit* (i.e., highest enjoyment) will be there for them; and they shall have whatever they call for;^[8] ‘Peace’—a Word (of greeting) from the Lord Merciful.”^[9] (36:55-58).

 ^* As to the word fakihatun, employed in the Arabic original of the Qur’anic text for the word ‘fruit’, it refers actually to an inner quality of heavenly life, because its root-word stands for: ‘to rejoice greatly’, ‘to be full of merriment’. Thus, what it actually emphasises is the notion of the ‘highest enjoyment’. Even in its literal sense, it should be taken to mean ‘fruit’ as possessing not earthly but transcendental nature.  

 

o.    Enduring delights:

“Their Lord gives them glad tidings of Mercy from Himself, of His Good Pleasure, and of Gardens for them, wherein are Delights that endure: they will dwell therein forever. Verily in Allah’s Presence is a reward, the greatest (of all).” (4:21-22).

 

p.    Beautiful Mansions in Gardens:

“Allah has promised to the Believers, men and women, Gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions ^[10] in Gardens of everlasting bliss. But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the achievement supreme.”^[11] (4:72).

 

q.    Costly adornments:

“As to those who believe and work righteousness, verily We shall not suffer to perish the reward of any who do a (single) righteous deed.

“For them will be Gardens of Eternity,^[12] beneath which rivers flow: they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold ^[13] and they will wear green garments of fine silk ^[14] and heavy brocade: they will recline therein on raised thrones.¹³⁰ How good the recompense! How beautiful a couch to recline on!”

(18:30-31).^[15]

 

r.     Hospitable homes:

“For those who believe and work righteousness, are Gardens as hospitable homes (where they will be entertained as honourable guests), for their (good) deeds.” (32:19).

 

s.     No sorrow, no dull happiness:

“Gardens of Eternity will they enter: therein will they be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments there will be of silk. And they will say: ‘Praise to Allah, Who has removed us from (all) sorrow: for our Lord is indeed Oft-forgiving, ready to appreciate (service): Who has, out of His Bounty, settled us in the abode of permanence: no toil nor sense of monotony and weariness (in the enjoyment of perpetual happiness) shall touch us in it’.” (35:33-35).

 

t.      Enjoyment of honour and dignity; passing round of the social cup; company of chaste women:

“But the sincere servants of Allah,—for them is a sustenance determined, fruits (or Delights); and they (shall enjoy) honour and dignity, in Gardens of Felicity, facing each other on thrones (of dignity); around will be passed to them a Cup ^[16] from a clear-flowing fountain, crystal-white, of a taste delicious to those who drink (thereof), free from headiness, nor will they suffer intoxication therefrom.^[17] And besides them shall be chaste women, restraining their glances,^[18] with large eyes (having grace and beauty) as though they were delicate eggs closely guarded.”^[19] (37:40-49). [Cf. 37:49-54; 6:46-77; 56:10-12, 22-24, 32-40; 88:12-16]

 

u.    Complete happiness and perfect realisation of spiritual and aesthetic ideals:

“It will be said unto the righteous:) ‘Enter you the Garden, and your spouses, in (beauty and) rejoicing. To them will be passed round dishes and goblets of gold:* and therein will be whatsoever souls desire and eyes delight in; and you will be therein abiders. Such will be the Garden of which you are made heirs for your (good) deeds (in earthly life). you shall have therein abundance of fruit, from which you shall have satisfaction.” (43:70-73).

^* A very important fact is worthy of notice here. The Islamic view of righteousness is built up on the concept of simplicity—nay, even austerity, in life. Thus, self-control and self-sacrifice are its watch words, and the Path of Righteousness cannot be travelled, according to the Holy Quran, without avoiding indulgence in luxuries (79:40-41). This fact is thoroughly exemplified in the personality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and of every other Prophet of God—Jesus, Moses, Abraham, etc., and in the personalities of all the exemplary followers of Islam, like the Righteous Caliphs, the illustrious Imams, and the great Sufis.

Now, the heavenly ideal consists in the attainment of perfection adequate to human personality in respect of the rational, moral and spiritual values. The luxuries denied to themselves by the righteous in the earthly life will, however, be compensated in a transcendental and hallowed form, in keeping with the holiness of Heaven, as a further reward implying the perfection also of the sentient dimension of human personality which it lived in its earthly life.

v.    No further death:

“As to the Righteous (they will be) in a position of Security, among Gardens and Springs; dressed in fine silk and in rich brocade,^[20] they will face each other. Thus it shall be; and We shall join them to Companions with beautiful and lustrous eyes (Hur ^[21] ‘Iin). They will call therein for every kind of fruit in peace and security;* and they will not taste Death therein, except the first death (which removed them from their earthly life); and He will preserve them from the torments of the Flaming Fire,—as Bounty of Grace from your Lord! That (Bounty of Grace) will be the Supreme Achievement!” (44:51-57).

 *Cf. 69:21-24

 

w.   Delicious drinks; Grace from the Lord; no vain discourse; Salutations of Peace; Sustenance:

“(Here is) a Parable ^[22] of the Garden which the (god-fearing) righteous are promised: in it are rivers of water incorruptible; rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink; and rivers of honey pure and clear. In it there are for them all kinds of fruits; and Grace from their Lord.”^[23] (47:15).

“Gardens of Eternity, those which the Most Gracious (Allah) has promised to His servants in the Unseen; for His promise must (necessarily) come to pass.”

“They will not hear any vain discourse therein,^[24] but only salutations of Peace* and therein they will have their sustenance,^[25] morning and evening (i.e., always).^[26] Such is the Garden which We will give as an inheritance to those of Our servants who guard against evil.”^[27] (19:61-62).^[28]        

 *“Salam, translated ‘Peace’, has a much wider signification. It includes: (1) a sense of security and permanence, which is unknown in this life; (2) soundness, freedom from defects, perfection, as in the word salim; (3) preservation, salvation, deliverance, as in the word sallama; (4) salutation. accorded with those around us; (5) resignation, in the sense that we are satisfied and not discontented; beside (6) the ordinary meaning of Peace, i.e., freedom from any jarring element. All these shades of meaning are implied in the word Islam. Heaven therefore is the perfection of Islam.” (A.Yusuf Ali, op. cit., p.780. n. 2512). 

 

x. Social bliss; Family re-union; Fruits and meat; No frivolity, nor taint of ill; Service:

“As to the god-fearing righteous, they will be in Gardens and in Happiness,—enjoying the (Bliss) which their Lord has bestowed on them, and their Lord shall deliver them from the torment of the Fire. (To them will be said:) ‘Eat and drink with profit and health, because of your good deeds’. They will recline (in comfort) on thrones (of dignity) arranged in ranks, and We shall join them to Companions with beautiful, big and lustrous eyes. And those who believe and whose families follow them in Faith,—to them We shall join their families: nor shall We deprive them (of the fruit) of anything of their works: (yet) is each individual in pledge for his deeds. And We shall bestow on them of fruit and meat—anything they shall desire. They shall there exchange, one with another, a (loving) cup ^[29] free of frivolity, free of all taint of ill. Round about will serve, (devoted) to them, youths (handsome) as pearls well-guarded (i.e., of exquisite beauty).”^[30] (52:17-24).

 

y.    Fragrance for the ‘Nearest-to-God’ and mutual greetings of Peace among the Companions of the Right Hand: 

“Thus, then, if he be of the ‘Nearest-to-God’ (muqarrabun), (there is for him) comfort and fragrance and a Garden of Delights. And if he be of the Companions of the Right Hand, (for him is the salutation:) ‘Peace be unto you’, from the Companions of the Right Hand.” (56:88-91).

 

z.     Realm magnificent:

“And when you look (at the Heaven), it is there you will see a Bliss and a Realm Magnificent.” (76:20).

 

Two Important Points :

There are two important points which must be kept in view while considering the Qur’anic conception of Heaven and trying to understand the real implication of the verses relating thereto. The points are:

1. Before the Day of Judgment, the world will be destroyed and  re-created in a new form:

“One day the earth will be changed into a different earth, and so will be the heavens …” (14:48).

As for the human beings, they also will be re-created in a new form:

“We have decreed death to be your common lot, and We are not to be frustrated from changing your forms and creating you (again) in (forms) that you know not. And you certainly know already the first form of (your) creation. Why then you heed not?” (56:60-62).

Thus the conditions of life and nature of experience, in the next world will be so different from what we know and experience now in the phenomenal world that presently we can only imagine it and must find it impossible to comprehend it truly:

“Now no person knows what delights of the eyes ^[31] are, kept hidden (in reserve) for them (in Heaven)—as a reward for their (good) Deeds.” (32:17).

 

2. Now life and experience in Heaven (as also in Hell) being on a different plane, it can be described to us here only by symbols and metaphors. And this is what the Holy Qur’an has plainly affirmed; as, for instance, when it gives the description of delicious drinks in Heaven, it starts that  description with the words:

“(Here is) a parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised.” (47:15).

 

Thus the entire Qur’anic description of Heaven and Hell is symbolical, and it would be the greatest intellectual dishonesty on the part of anyone to try to understand it in the literal sense.

 

The critics of Islam have stumbled especially in connection with the description of the delights of Heaven. But, as explained, the description there has been given through the medium of symbols and metaphors which actually have very profound and rich spiritual connotation.

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[1] Only representative verses, which depict different aspects, have been quoted.

[2] Cf. 42:22.

[3] This verse refers to spiritual fellowship with members of the Righteous Hierarchy of four types of the Blessed Servants of God in the earthly life also. That fellowship will assume concrete shape in the Life Hereafter as Grace from God, (Hierarchy = a body classified in successively subordinate grades. Ref: Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary, section ‘H’).

[4] Cf. 4:69-70.

[5] Cf. 98:7-8.

Mark that this verse states the stabilisation of harmony between the human will and the perfectly Holy Will, i.e., the Will of God. It is this harmony whereby alone Man attains absolute and abiding purity of the will and genuine human holiness. This state of blessed life is fed perennially through constant communion with God and is stabilised through direct Vision of Him.

That has been mentioned in the verses that follow.

[6] Cf. 16:32.

[7] The participants in this ‘companionship’ will be men as well as women, and, as emphasised in this verse, this companionship will be based on purity and holiness and without any earthly grossness. Also, all objects of beauty and enjoyment, which have been mentioned symbolically in connection with the heavenly life, here and at different other places in the Qur’an, will belong equally to men and women: both. (33:35).

[8] According to A. Yusuf Ali, “using the language of this life, the musician’s heaven will be full of music; the mathematician’s will be full of mathematical symmetry and perfection; the artist’s will be full of beauty of form, and so on.” (op. cit., p. 1183, n. 4003). The fact that heavenly life will not be a static life—a life of idle duration, but a dynamic life—a life full of activity and achievement, as the statement in the verse under comment about being “happily employed” affirms, should be given due importance in this connection. (It will be a ‘life of achievement’ with reference to itself, and a ‘life of reward’ with reference to the earthly life lived previously).

[9] Cf. LXXVI : 14.

[10] Cf. “lofty mansions one above another”, in description of Heaven in 39:20.

[11] Mark that the blessing of “Beautiful Mansions in Gardens” has been contrasted in this verse with the “Good Pleasure of Allah”, emphasising about the latter that it is “the achievement supreme”. Thus, it is plain that not only is the Qur’anic ideal of heavenly life not anthropomorphic, as we shall discuss later, but even such enjoyments which bear affinity with the earthly enjoyments—of course, only nominally—do not constitute the real ideal but are only ancillary. In other words, holiness permeates the entire Qur’anic concept of Heaven.

[12] and not the gardens of this world.

[13] Cf. “bracelets of gold and pearls” in 22:23.

[14] Cf. 76:12. ¹³⁰ Cf. 76:13.

[15] All the blessings mentioned in verse 31 should be understood only in respect of their transcendental nature and form. The “Garden” as well as the adornments signify comfort, dignity and beauty. So also the things mentioned in the forthcoming verses.

[16] Cf. “vessels of silver and goblets of crystal” (76:15-16). Also: “a Cup (full to the brim)” (78:34)

[17] Mark that the evil accompaniments of earthly sensate pleasures have been negated here totally, although such pleasures have been mentioned here as types.

[18] Mark the emphasis on chastity and lack of boldness. These characteristics relate to moral purity. which is an integral part of holiness.

[19] The implication is of natural beauty, innocence and grace.

[20] Cf. 75:21.

[21] The word Hur implies the following ideas: “(1) purity; possibly the word hawariyyin, as applied to the first Disciples of Jesus, is connected with this root; (2) beauty, especially of eyes, where the intense white of the eye-balls stands out against the intense black of the pupil, thus giving the appearance of lustre, and intense feeling, as opposed to dullness or want of expression; and (3) truth and good will.” (A.Yusuf Ali, op.cit.,p.1352, n.4729 ).

[22] Note the word ‘parable’. The water, the milk, the wine, the honey, the fruits, as also all other things which bear reference to earthly life but have been mentioned in connection with the life in Heaven, are symbolisms, whose true nature is known to God alone, and the words used denote the heavenly blessings metaphorically only; and they are meant to convey to us the truth that the heavenly blessings are real and meaningful.

Thus, the four drinks mentioned in this verse refer to those heavenly blessings which will refresh the spirits, nourish the personalities, warm up the hearts and sweeten the lives of the righteous. 

[23] Mark the mention of bestowal of ‘Grace from the Lord’, which represents all spiritual delights, after the mention of such blessings as bear reference to earthly life—in this verse, as well as in other verses of the Holy Qur’an.

[24] Cf. “No vanity shall they hear therein, nor untruth.” (78:35). Also: 88:11.

[25] Namely, provision of all the requirements for the fulfilment of human destiny in the transcendental dimension of existence in Heaven.

[26] According to Abdul Majid Daryabadi “… ‘morning’ and ‘evening’ are only used in relative sense, so as to be comprehended by us, as there will be no actual sunset in the Paradise.” (op.cit., p. 500). But, in the view of the present writer, there is a possibility of some phenomena of transcendental or metaphysical nature in Heaven akin in some sense to morning and evening in our present dimension of existence.

[27] Note the emphasis on all such occasions on moral merit, which should, of course, be combined with true relationship with God.

[28] Cf. 56:25-33.

[29] Cf. “As to the abrar (i.e., those perfect in Piety), they shall drink of a cup whereof the admixture (or, odour) is (like unto) camphor.” (76:5).

Also: “And they will be given therein to drink of a cup the admixture (or, odour) whereof is (like unto) ginger,—from a fountain therein named salsabil” (76:17-18).  

Also: “Their thirst will be slaked with Pure Wine sealed: the seal thereof will be Musk: and for this (i.e., the blessings of heaven described in verses 22-24 and in this verse) let those aspire, who have aspiration (for eternal happiness): with it will be given a mixture of Tasnim: a spring from (the waters) whereof drink those Nearest to God (muqarrabun).” (83:25-28).

[30] Cf. 76:19.

[31]  “delights of the eyes” is an idiom for that which gives the highest satisfaction. It should not be taken to mean sensuous pleasure.

 

Source

to be continued . . . . . 

Quranic Foundation & Structure Of Muslim Society In The End Times