Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society
Chapter 2.
DUTIES TO THE HOLY PROPHET*
*According to the Holy Qur’an, the status of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him) is that of nabi and rasul. Unfortunately, there is no English word capable of conveying the connotation of these terms properly. As regards the word “Prophet”, it means, according to English lexicon, “a spokesman of the deity, one who proclaims a divine message, a preacher, a foreteller whether claiming to be inspired or not.” Thus it can be adopted as an Islamic term only in a qualified manner— signifying there: “a spokesman of the One True God, who receives the Message from Him through Revelation, and proclaims and preaches it as a divinely-appointed Teacher and as the possessor of a flawless, sublime and extraordinary spiritual and moral personality”
1.Duties of Respect;
2.Duties of Love.
ENDS:
(a)Objective
Maintenance of the
attitude of obedience and loyalty through the constant cultivation of respect
and love for the Teacher and Exemplar of Qur’anic morals, in order to be able
to act enthusiastically on the Qur’anic Moral Code.
(b)Subjective
Maintenance of
assurance, through the remembrance of the Example of the Holy Prophet (Peace be
on him), in respect of his personal conduct and his achievements in the moral
domain, so that the moral ideal set forth by the Holy Qur’an is realizable.
We have seen in the
foregoing that Love for God is a Muslim’s highest pursuit and the highest duty.
In that connection, the Holy Qur’an states further that this love should
manifest itself in loyally following and imitating the communicator and
exemplar of God’s Guidance for mankind, namely, the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be on him). It says:
“Say (O Muhammad)! If you do love
Allah, follow me (and build up your moral and spiritual life on my model):
Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful.” (3:31).
Following and imitating
the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) is not possible, however, without
maintaining the attitudes of respect and love towards him,—these, in their
turn, giving rise respectively to obedience and absolute loyalty. Thus we
arrive at four duties relating to our relation with the Holy Prophet (Peace be
on him), namely:
1)to respect him above all created beings;
2)to love him above all created beings;
3)to obey him without demur;
4)to be absolutely loyal to him.
Starting from the side
of man, these four duties form the essential condition of the moral agent’s
Moral Perfection and of the Moral Perfection and Happiness of others—humanity
at large, because true Guidance in that connection is available only through the
Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) and that Guidance cannot be truly accepted and
enthusiastically followed without maintaining the attitude implied in those
duties.
We may now state the duties in the
language of the Qur’an:
(1)
DUTIES OF RESPECT
(a)
Subjective :
To regard the Holy Prophet with respect;
(1)Duty
of Commission:
Maintaining the attitude of positive
respect enjoined:
“… So it is those who believe in him
(i.e., Muhammad), and honor him, and help him, and follow the Light which is
sent down with him,—it is they who will prosper.” (7:157).
(2)Duty
of Omission:
Directly or indirectly insulting the Holy
Prophet prohibited:
“And it is not right for you to insult Allah’s Messenger (Muhammad) …” (33:53).
Worthy of note in this
respect is the following stern command of God given to the Muslims of the Holy
Prophet’s time:
“O you who believe! Put not
yourselves forward before Allah and His Messenger; and fear
Allah: for Allah hears and knows all things.
“O you who believe! raise not your voice
above the voice of the Prophet (Muhammad), nor speak aloud to him in talk as
you may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds (of righteousness) be
rendered vain (thereby) and you perceive not (the loss).
“Verily those who lower their voice
in the presence of Allah’s Messenger—these are they whose hearts Allah has
disposed unto piety: For them is Forgiveness and a great Reward.” (49:1-3).
Also: the following
guidance to the socially uncouth people of those days:
“Verily those who shout out to you
(O Muhammad) from outside the inner apartments—most of them lack a path proper
sense. If only they had patience until you could come out to them, it would be
best for them: but Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (49:4-5).
(b)
Objective:
To obey the Holy Prophet without demur.
(1)Duty
of Commission:
Practicing
positive obedience enjoined:
“… and obey the Messenger (Muhammad)… ”
(4:59).
“The answer of the Believers, when
summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them,
is no other than this: they say, ‘we hear and we obey’: It is such as these
that will attain felicity.” (24:51).
(2)Duty
of Omission:
Disobedience in any manner whatsoever,
prohibited:
“… and whosoever disobeys Allah and His
Messenger, he verily goes astray in error manifest.” (33:36).
“And whosoever opposes the Messenger
even after Guidance has been plainly conveyed unto him, and follows a path
other than that of the men of Faith, We shall leave him in the path he has
chosen, and land him in Hell,—what an evil refuge!” (4:115).
(2)
DUTIES OF LOVE
(a)
Subjective:
To regard the Holy Prophet with love.
(1)
Duty of Commission:
Maintaining the attitude
of positive love—a love which transcends the love for any other created being,
emphasized; hence it is duty:
“The Prophet is closer to the
Believers than their own selves (—this spiritual relationship entitling him to
more love and respect from the Believers than for any created being related in
any way).” (33:6).
“None of you can have Faith unless I become to him dearer than his parents, his off-springs and (in fact) all human beings.” (Bukhari)
This personal spiritual
love for the Holy Prophet (on whom be Peace and the Blessings of Allah) is to
be cultivated, besides obeying him in all things with overflowing love, through
forming spiritual contact with him by reciting salat and salam, as commanded by
God in the following verse:
“Lo! Allah and His Angels shower
blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! send your benedictions on him
(i.e., ask Allah for His blessings on him) and salute him with a worthy
salutation (i.e., with respect and love).” (33:56).
The shortest formula in this connection is:
“Allah has bestowed on him His Blessings and Peace”.
This formula has been further condensed in the form:
“Peace is with him”, and is employed in the form of prayer: “Peace be on him.”
(a)
Objective:
To
foster absolute loyalty to the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him).
(1)
Duty of Commission:
To be positively loyal to
him emphasized as a condition of Faith; hence it is duty:
“But nay, by your Lord, they can
have no (real) Faith, until they make you judge in all disputes between them,
and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them
with the fullest submission.” (4:65).
“And it is unbecoming of a believing
man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided an affair
(for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair;…”
(33:36).
(2)
Duty of Omission:
Being disloyal to him in any manner,
prohibited:
“O you who believe! be not disloyal to
Allah and His Messenger…” (8:27).
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!”
“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.
[1] Only representative verses, which depict
different aspects, have been quoted.
[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’).
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.
[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).
[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.
[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.
[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.
[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).
