Five Emotional Rewards In Jannah
I: NO TROLLS
This abuse has always been a lived reality for believers throughout history:
Allah (swt) says, ".. .And you will surely hear from those who were given the
Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much
abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allah — indeed, that is of the matters
[worthy] of determination" (3:186)
As Muslims (especially visibly-practicing Muslim women) we often walk
through life knowing that false and cruel comments and insults are being
directed at us. And it can be exhausting to carry that burden as we try to
be active, productive human beings.
Allah (swt) promises us that there will be none of that in Jannah — only
"salaman salama." No more paranoia about someone saying something
behind our backs. No more potential of being hurt by those who seek to
do us harm. No more worry that people will capitalize on our insecurities
and manipulate us:
"They will not hear therein ill speech or commission of sin — Only a saying:
'Peace, peace"' (56:25-26).
As soon as you enter the gates of paradise, angels greet you, saying the
most beautiful words: "Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured.
And excellent is the final home" (13:24).
A generous reward from The Most Generous to help us endure the pain
inflicted on us by others in this world.
2: NO GRUDGES BETWEEN PEOPLE
Allah (swt) says He will remove whatever resentment and ill feelings we have
from our hearts once we enter paradise. Whatever grudges we've kept, whatever
pain we've held onto, whatever scars our hearts have had to bear will be gone.
"Indeed, the righteous will be within gardens and springs. [Having been
told], 'Enter it in peace, safe [and secure].' And We will remove whatever
is in their chests of resentment, [so they will be] brothers, on thrones facing
each other. No fatigue will touch them therein, nor from it will they [ever] be
removed" (15:4348).
Just by the mere fact that this is mentioned in the Quran means that Allah (swt)
knows that we hold onto resentments. We try not to. We smile in the faces of the
people who have hurt us again and again, and we tell ourselves that we've moved
on. But something lingers there in the forgotten cavities of the heart, in the distant
corners of memory, in wistful moments of looking through old photo albums.
Pain lingers. It's disguised as other things sometimes, buried under the rubble of
time and niceties — but it's there. Each one of us has experienced it.
Allah (swt) knows that in the imperfections of our human mind and body, there is
space for ill feelings between people — even believers. So He tells us that entering
Jannah will obliterate these feelings.
That profound ability to change hearts lies with Allah alone. There 's no place
for resentment and grudges between the inhabitants of paradise. That is true
freedom gifted to the believers by a Lord who knows us better than we could ever
endeavour to know ourselves.
3:NO SADNESS OVER TEE PAST, NOR FEAR OVER HE
FUTURE
Sadness over the past and fear of what the future may bring are two natural
emotions that do not necessarily contradict faith. They are built into us,
and should be kept in check by knowing that Allah (swt) does not burden
a soul more than it can bear, and trusting that Allah (swt) has a precise and
perfect plan for us.
But the emotions still exist. We are continuously journeymg towards
stations of happiness, but even when we arrive at these stations, there are
always memories of sadness or fears of future troubles quietly burning
within us. Our lives in this world will never be free from fear or sadness.
Allah (swt) describes Jannah as being a place where believers will not
fear nor grieve. From the start of the human existence, these "emotional"
rewards of paradise have been present. When Adam and Hawa were
expelled from paradise, Allah (swt) said: "Go down from it, all of you.
And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance
— there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve" (2:38).
Allah (swt) mentions the reward for the believers of "no grief and no
fear"over 50 times in the Quran...those who believe in the Quran, who
submit themselves wholly to Allah, who are firm on the path, who follow
the signs of the messengers He sends, who establish prayer and deeds of
righteousness, who spend publicly and privately from their wealth... "on
them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. "
That is the Majesty of Allah (swt) in that all His rewards, as beyond our
imaginations as they are, coincide with our every possible need and desire.
Many of us desire, more than anything else, to not have to grieve anymore,
to not have to fear anymore.
And when the believers enter paradise (may Allah make us from them),
they will say:
"Praise to Allah, who has removed from us [all] sorrow. Indeed, our Lord
is Forgiving and Appreciative — He who has settled us in the home of
duration out of His bounty. There touches us not in it any fatigue, and there
touches us not in it weariness [of mind] " (35:34-35).
4: THE COMPANY OF THOSE WE LOVE
A man asked Prophet Muhammad (saw) about the Hour (i.e. Day of
Judgment) saying, " NM hen will the Hour be?" The Prophet (saw)
said, ' 'YMhat have you prepared for it?" The man said, "Nothing,
except that I love Allah and His Apostle." The Prophet (saw) said,
"You will be with those whom you love."
This simple statement: "You will be with those whom you
love " caused great happiness among the companions. They were
overjoyed to know that even though their deeds would never be as
great and plentiful and sincere as the Prophet's deeds, they would
still be in his company in paradise. All due to their love for him.
(Their love, of course, necessitated following his teachings.)
May Allah (swt) grant us the company of our beloved prophet (g).
The love people have for one another in this world is not cut off once
they die. It's not some string of yarn that snaps when someone's
soul is taken from his or her body. It rests for a time — perhaps it is
even forgotten. But not by Allah (swt). That love between believers
continues to exist invisibly, uninterrupted, until Allah (swt) decrees
that it should resurrected once again.
Our hearts naturally attach themselves to the people that Allah (swt)
has placed in our lives. And so He promises the believers that they will
reunite with their loves once again:
" Gardens of perpetual residence; they will enter them with
whoever were righteous among their fathers, their spouses and their
descendants. And the angels will enter upon them from every gate,
[saying], 'Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And
excellent is the final home"' (13 : 2324).
Allah (swt) soothes the pain of separation by telling us, this world is not
all you get. May He reunite us with our loved ones in a place with no
more separation.
5: ROWAN (APPROVAL) FROM ALLAH
We are in a constant struggle with our own selves to do what's
right and avoid what's wrong. There are so many times we fail at
upholding our values or following what we know to be true. We
fall, again and again, scraping our hearts and injuring the hold we
have on our faith. We get up and dust ourselves off, though, asking
for forgiveness and hoping that He will grant it.
And even if we are the strongest possible believers and spend our
entire lives and wealth and resources pursuing as many good deeds
as we can manage, we often question our own intentions. Are we
really doing this to gain closeness to God? Or are we doing this to
feed our own egos/ boast to others about our piety?
The truth is, we inhabit a world of simultaneous hope and fear — we
hope that He accepts our deeds, but we also fear that we just haven't
done enough.
This internal struggle will end once we reach our final destination in
Jannah. We will know then, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Allah
(swt) is pleased with us, is proud of us, and is giving us an eternity of
bliss.
"Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens
beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant
dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah
is greater. It is that which is the great attainment" (9 :p).
This is the approval of the One who created us and who has been with
us always — through every stage of life, through our moments of joy
and heartache, through the moments of sturdiest faith and greatest
struggle. This approval from Him is better than any other reward
we can imagine in paradise. Our hearts will finally, finally be at ease
knowing that we have completed our task as believers.
All of this and more will be granted to the believers "as reward for
what they used to do" (56:24).
I ask Allah (swt) using the same beautiful dua that
Aasiya (ra) made to Him:
O my Lord, build for us near You a home in paradise.
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