Riyad as-Salihin - On what Allah has promised the believers in the Garden Hadith

Riyad as-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous)

 

by Imam Nawawi

 

372. Chapter: On what Allah has promised the believers in the Garden

Allah Almighty says, "The Godfearing will be amid Gardens and Springs: 'Enter them in peace, in complete security!' We will strip away any rancour in their breasts as brothers resting on couches face-to-face. They will not be touched in them by any tiredness and they will never be made to leave." (15:45-48)

The Almighty says, "'O My slaves! You will feel no fear today; you will know no sorrow.' Those who believed in Our Signs and became Muslims: 'Enter the Garden, you and your wives, delighting in your joy.' Platters and cups of gold will passed around among them and they will have there all that their hearts desire and their eyes find delight in. You will remain in it timelessly forever. That is the Garden you will inherit for what you did. There will be many fruits in it for you to eat." (43:68-73)

The Almighty says, "The godfearing will be in a safe place. Amid gardens and fountains. Wearing fine silk and rich brocade, face to face with one another. So it will be. We will marry them to dark-eyed maidens. They will call there for fruit of every kind, in complete security. They will not taste any death there – except for the first one. He will safeguard them from the punishment of the Blazing Fire. A favour from your Lord. That is the Great Victory." (W44:48-54; H44:51-57)

The Almighty says, "The truly good will be in perfect Bliss on couches gazing in wonder. You will recognise in their faces the radiance of delight. They are given the choicest sealed wine to drink, whose seal is musk – let people with aspiration aspire to that! – mixed with Tasnim: a fountain at which those brought near will drink." (83: 22-28)

1880. Jabir stated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The people of the Garden will eat and drink in it and will not defecate nor have runny noses nor urinate. Rather that food of theirs will evacuate itself as perspiration like the secretion of musk. Glorification and takbir are as natural to them as the taking of breath." [Muslim]

1881. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah Almighty said, 'I have prepared for My righteous slaves something that the eye has not seen nor the ear heard and that has not occurred to the heart of man. Recite if you wish, 'No self knows the delight that is hidden away for it in recompense for what it used to do.' (W32:17; H32:18) [Agreed upon]

1882. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The first group to enter the Garden will be like the moon on the night of the full moon, then those who follow them will be like a bright planet in the sky. They will not need to urinate nor defecate nor spit nor blow their noses. Their combs will be golden and their perspiration will be like musk. Their braziers will burn fragrant aloes-wood. Their wives will be wide-eyed houris. Each man will take the form of their father Adam, stretching sixty cubits into heaven." [Agreed upon]

In a variant of al-Bukhari and Muslim, "Their dishes will be made of gold and their perspiration will be musk. Each of them will have two wives, so beautiful that the marrow of their thighs will be able to be seen through the flesh, and there will be no disagreement between them nor any ill will. Their hearts will be one, glorifying Allah morning and evening."

1883. Al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Musa asked his Lord, 'Who will have the lowest degree of the people of the Garden?' He said, 'It will be a man who comes after all the people of the Garden have entered the Garden and is told, "Enter the Garden." He will say, "O Lord, how can I when the people have already taken their places and taken what they have taken?" It will be said to him, "Are you content to have the like of the kingdom of one of the kings of this world?" He will say, "I will be content, O Lord." He will say, "You have that, and the same again and the same again and the same again and the same again." He will say the fifth time, "I am content, O Lord." He will say, "You will have this and ten times like it and you will have what your self desires and delights your eye." He will say, "I am content, O Lord."

"He said, 'O Lord, who is the highest of them in position?' He said, 'In the case of those whom I desire for Myself, I have made ready their honour with My own hand and I have sealed it for them and it is what no eye has seen nor ear has heard nor has it occurred to the heart of man.'" [Muslim]

1884. Ibn Mas'ud stated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I know who will be last of the people of the Fire to come out of it and the last of the people of the Garden to enter the Garden. A man will emerge from the Fire crawling and Allah Almighty will say to him, 'Go and enter the Garden.' He will come to it, imagine that it is full and return and say, 'My Lord, I found it full.' Allah Almighty will say to him, 'Go and enter the Garden.' He will come to it and imagine that it is full and return and say, 'My Lord, I found it full." Allah Almighty will say to him, 'Go and enter the Garden. You will have the same as this world and ten times more - or you will have the same as it ten times over.' He will say, 'Are You making fun of me - or laughing at me - when You are the King?'" Ibn Mas'ud said, "I saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, laugh until his molars showed. He was saying, 'That will be the position of the least of the people of the Garden.'" [Agreed upon]

1885. Abu Musa reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "In the Garden the believer will have a tent made out of a single hollow pearl which stretches up sixty miles into the sky. His family will be there with him and he will go round visiting them and they will unable to see one another." [Agreed upon]

1886. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "In the Garden there is a tree which the rider of a fast, well fed horse will not be able to ride across in a hundred years." [Agreed upon]

There is also a variant from Abu Hurayra in which he says, "A rider will not be able to ride across its shade in a hundred years."

1887. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The people of the Garden will look at the people in the rooms above them as you look at a bright star far on the horizon of the east or the west because of the great distance between them." They said, "O Messenger of Allah, are those the stations of the Prophets which only they attain?" He said, "Rather, by the One in whose hand my soul is, they are men who believed in Allah and confirmed the Messengers." [Agreed upon]

1888. Abu Hurayra stated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A bow's length of the Garden is better than everything on which the sun rises and sets." [Agreed upon]

1889. Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There is a market in the Garden to which the people go every week. The north wind blows and scatters (fragrance) in their faces and clothes. They are increased in beauty and handsomeness. They return to their families who have also increased in beauty and handsomeness. Their families will say to them, 'You have increased in beauty and handsomeness?' They will say, 'And, by Allah, you have increased in beauty and handsomeness since we left.'" [Muslim]

1890. Sahl ibn Sa'd reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The people of the Garden look at the rooms in the Garden as you look at the stars in the sky." [Agreed upon]

1891. Sahl ibn Sa'd said, "I was present with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in a gathering in which he described the Garden and at the end of what he said, he said, 'In it is what no eye has seen nor ear has heard nor has occurred to the heart of man.' Then he recited, 'Their sides eschew their beds' to His words, 'No self knows the delight that is hidden away for it.' (32:16-17)" [al-Bukhari]

1892. Abu Sa'id and Abu Hurayra stated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When the people of the Garden enter the Garden, a herald will call out, 'You will live and never die. You will be healthy and never ill. You will be young and never grow old. You will have blessing and never experience hardship.'" [Muslim]

1893. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah will say to the one among you with the lowest position in the Garden, 'Wish,' and he will wish and wish. He will then say to him, 'Did you wish?' He will say, 'Yes,' and He will say to him, 'You have what you wished for and the same again with it." [Muslim]

1894. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will say to the people of the Garden, 'O people of the Garden!' They will say, 'At your service and in obedience, O our Lord!' He will say, 'Are you content?' They will say, 'How could we not be content, our Lord, when You have given us what You have not given any of Your creation?!' He will say, 'Shall I give you even better than that?' They will say, 'What thing could be better than that?' He will say, 'That I send down My pleasure upon you and after it never more be angry with You.'" [Agreed upon]

1895. Jarir ibn 'Abdullah said, "We were with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he looked at the moon on the night of the full moon. He said, 'You will see your Lord directly as you see this moon and you will not be harmed by seeing Him." [Agreed upon]

1896. Suhayb reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When the people of the Garden enter the Garden, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted will say, 'Do you desire Me to add anything else to what you have?' They will say, 'Are not our faces shining white? Have not You admitted us to the Garden and saved us from the Fire?' Then He will lift the veil and they could not be given anything they love more than looking at their Lord." [Muslim]

Allah Almighty says, "But as for those who believe and do right actions, their Lord will guide them by their belief. Rivers will flow under them in Gardens of Delight. Their call there is: 'Glory be to You, O Allah!' Their greeting there is: 'Peace!' The end of their call is: 'Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds!'" (10:9-10)

"Praise be to Allah who has guided us to this! We would not have been guided, had Allah not guided us." (7:42) O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Grant blessing to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You granted blessing to Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.