rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, forever, and
fine dwellings in the Gardens of Eden. And Allah's good pleasure is
even greater. That is the great victory. (Surat at-Tawba, 72)
Earlier, we looked at the dazzling blessings found in Paradise. The
picture that emerges is one of letting people experience the greatest
pleasures and delights of the five senses.
But the biggest blessing of all is Allah's good pleasure, and the joy
and happiness a believer feels when he or she wins it. Asone hadith
also relates:"Allah would say to the inmates of Paradise: 'I shall
cause My pleasure toalight upon you' " (Muslim). Moreover, being
content with everything that Allah has given and offering Him
continual thanksgiving brings a noble contentment. The Qur'an draws
our attention to this, as follows:
Allah is pleased with themand they are pleased withHim. That is the
Great Victory. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 119)
The most striking expression of what believers feel when they win
Allah's good pleasure is that He will manifest Himself to them in a
way that they can see Him. This is impossible in the world because, as
the Qur'an says: "Eyesight cannot perceive Him" (Surat al-An'am, 10)
But according to the Qur'an, inthe next life and in a certain way
Allah will manifest Himself to His believing servants. Only Allah
knows how this will happen. But we are informed in the Qur'an that the
believers' "faces that Day will be radiant, gazing at their Lord"
(Surat al-Qiyama, 22-23) and "'Peace!' A word froma Merciful Lord"
(Surah Ya sin, 58) will be heard. Believers will be "on seatsof honor
in the presence of an All-Powerful King" (Surat al-Qamar, 55).
In other words, the greatest possible blessing that believers can have
is the deep sense of Allah's mercy and will. By winning His good
pleasure, they experience a joy and a happiness thatcannot be compared
with any material blessing.
Actually, it is Allah's will that gives value to Paradise's other
blessings.The same blessings may exist on Earth to a certain extent,
but they have no meaning for believers as long as they surpass the
limits Allah established.
Believers should think carefully about this extremely important point.
The real thing that gives a blessing its value is something far beyond
its intrinsic pleasure and delight, for its real value lies in the
fact that Allah"granted" it. Believers who use the blessing and thank
Allah for it feel that they have received Allah's gift; that the Lord
loves, protects, and looks after them; and gives them a taste of His
mercy. They take real joy from this.
A blessing is not an end; rather, it is a means to an end. As its
purpose is to encourage men and women to offer greater thanksgiving to
Allah, all of Paradise's blessings have only one goal: To lead
believers to offer eternal thanksgiving to Allah. This is what gives
them their value. In short,the blessings of Paradise are no more than
a meanswhereby believers can approach Allah and attain the
indescribable joy of winning His eternal friendship, love, and
approval. This is why Allah's good pleasure is the greatest blessing
of Paradise and far above all other material pleasures.
Let us consider one of Paradise's most striking blessings, one that is
frequently mentioned in the Qur'an: beautiful women, who represent the
height of the aestheticidea. Just to be with themis a great blessing.
The Qur'an describes the beauty of their faces, theirskin, and even
their bosoms. With these magnificent women, one of Allah's greatest
material blessings - sexuality - can be experienced eternally in the
most wonderful way. In the same manner, unmarried women will bemarried
to young palace servants. This also is a freegift to them from Allah.
However, what makes these women so valuable is not merely their
beauty,but the fact that they are known to be a gift from Allah.
Indeed, the greatestpleasure that can be had is that which comes from
receiving the love, closeness, grace, and benevolence of the Giver. No
matter how valuable agift may be, Allah's gift is more valuable for
the pleasure it gives in being deemed worthy to be of the gifts of
Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and in receiving it.
Accordingly, if they were not Allah's gifts, all blessings would lose
theirmeaning for a believer. Prophet Yusuf's (as) great nobility
orients a believer's moral sense in that direction. The Qur'an tells
how the wife of an Egyptian governor, desired Yusuf (as) and even
forced herself on him. We are told that Yusuf (as) found her
attractive, but avoided this forbidden relationship due to Allah'ssign
to him.
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