As for those people who lead their lives on Earth without fearful
awareness of Allah, we will examine below, in the light of the Qur'an,
the inexplicable fears they experience and the awesome severity of
Allah's majesty. Those, on the other hand, who fear Allah and are
cautious, will, in direct contrast, attain in the Hereafter total
security from all types of fear and lead their lives under Allah's
protection and grace. Those truebelievers who throughout their lives
have felt a deep foreboding at the prospect of the Fire when the Day
of Judgment arrives, willbe kept far away from every kindof fear and
will be absolutely safe. Whilst Allah gives these glad tidings in the
Qur'an, on theLast Day He will address His servants and announce many
more glad tidings:
"My servants, you will feel no fear today; you will know no sorrow."
As for 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 andthey will
have there all that theirhearts desire and their eyes find delight in.
You will remain in it timelessly, for ever.
"That is the Garden you will inherit for what you did."
"There will be many fruits in it for you to eat." (Surat az-Zuhkruf: 68-73)
In other Qur'anic verses, Allah will give these glad tidings through
the mediation of his angels, which will be without a doubt an
incredible joy for believers who so intensely hope for the Garden:
The angels descend on those who say, "Our Lord is Allah," andthen go
straight: "Do not fear and do not grieve but rejoice in the Garden you
have been promised. We are your protectors in the life of this world
and the Hereafter. You will have there all that your selves could wish
for. You will have there everything you demand. Hospitality from One
who is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Surah Fussilat: 30-32)
The Qur'an stresses that these glad tidings, which last for eternity
and are full of goodness, will be attained by those who truly believed
during their lives on Earth.
A beautiful life
The lives of those who do not believe in Allah, who do not fear him
and who do not behave cautiously will, in keeping with the punishment
they deserve, bedeprived of the abundance and blessings reserved for
believers:
If only the people of the cities had believed and guarded against
evil, We would have opened up to them blessings from heaven and Earth.
But theydenied the truth soWe seized them for what they earned. (Surat
al-A'raf: 96)
However, those who believe in Allah with fearful awareness, and have
shown good character in their conduct, will be given glad tidings in
the life Hereafter of Heaven, and in this world will benefit in the
best possible manner from Allah's kindness and abundance:
Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will
give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the
best of what they did. (Surat an-Nahl: 97)
Similar to the way in which the infinite punishment of the
disbelievers begins whilst on Earth, for cautious, true believers, the
promised infinite goodness will also begin to manifest. As a result of
abundance and beauty being amongst the foremost features of the
Garden, Allah will provide His beloved, fearful servants with a taste
of these blessings during their lives on Earth in order to increase
their longing and desires for the Garden.
By the same token, Allah will protect the believers from every form of
anxiety and distress during their lives because of their adherence to
His commands and prohibitions, because of their living according to
His religion and, most importantly, because of their constant reliance
on Him, their patience, and their longing for the Hereafter. Instead
of distress, Allah causes to descendupon their hearts a feeling of
peace and security. In every act of worship or good conduct, big or
small, they are aware that Allah is watching them and, thatthe
recording angels record it allin the book of their deeds, hence, they
experience a tranquillity that is brought about by the knowledge that
in the Hereafter they will be rewarded for it all.
On the other hand, however, there is another point that should not be
forgotten: the world is a place of trial. Most certainly, a true
believer could be confronted with various hardships and crises.
However, whatever the situation, for a believer who fears Allah these
difficulties turn out to be a mercy and a reward. A good example of
this is the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (as) who, having been accused of
lying andin spite of being on the point of being thrown into the fire
by hispeople, he did not make even the slightest compromise in his
beliefs or waver in his submission or in his trust in Allah.
Without doubt being burnt alive is a terrible punishment but in the
case of Prophet Ibrahim (as) Allah had ordered the fire to be
"coolness and peace" for him and it did not cause him any pain or
suffering. Distress, harm and misfortune are a punishment or warning
which occur only as a result of a person's own incorrect manner and
bad behavior:"Any disaster that strikes you is through what your own
hands have earned…" (Surat ash-Shura: 30).
Otherwise, for a sincere believer who fears Allah to the best of his
ability and who is constantly mindful of Allah's approval in
hisconduct, punishment is not an issue.
All the hardships which true believers experience in this world are
confronted as tests which only enhance the respect and fearful
awareness they have towards Allah, as well as further increasing their
desire for the Garden. A true believer is aware that these hardships
are createdfor him as a trial and a learning experience, and as
opportunitiesfor displaying good conduct, exercising patience and as
long as he relies on Allah, as an opportunity for reward in the
Hereafter. The Qur'an mentions the particular quality of being able to
view all events as an opportunity, in connection with those who truly
believe and whoare fearfully aware of Allah:
When those who fear Allah are asked, "What has your Lord sentdown?"
their reply is, "Good!" There is good in this world for those who do
good, and the abode of the Hereafter is even better. How wonderful is
the abode of the righteous [who fear Allah]. (Surat an-Nahl: 30)
The death of a true believer whohas lived on Earth in righteousness
will be good and easy, his afterlife will commencewith the welcoming
of angels, and its continuation will be the comfort and ease that
awaits every true believer.
An everlasting life in the Garden
But those who fear their Lord will have Gardens with rivers flowing
under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever: hospitality from
Allah. What is with Allah is better for those who are truly good.
(Surah Al 'Imran: 198)
What is the Garden promised to the righteous [who fear Allah] like? It
has rivers flowing under it and its foodstuffs and cool shade never
fail. That is the finalfate of the righteous [who fear Allah]. But the
final fate of the disbelievers is the Fire. (Surat ar-Ra'd: 35)
Believers who fear an encounter with the infinite punishment of Hell,
and who are mindful of not rebelling against Allah, will gain the
reward of those who fear and act cautiously as Allah has promised, and
they will be sent to enter their eternal home:
And those who feared their Lordwill be driven to the Garden in
companies and when they arrivethere, finding its gates open, its
custodians will say to them, "Peace be upon you! You have done well so
enter it timelessly, for ever." They will say, "Praise be to Allah Who
has fulfilled His promise to us and made us the inheritors of this
land, letting ussettle in the Garden wherever we want. How excellent
is the wage of those who work!" (Surat az-Zumar: 73-74)
For the true believers who enter the Garden, the most joyful surprise
and the greatest sourceof happiness and excitement above all else,
will be a verbal salutation from Allah:
"Peace!" A word from a Merciful Lord. (Surah Ya Sin: 58)
Allah will address the true believers in the Garden as follows:
My devotees, you will feel no fear today; you will know no sorrow.
(Surat az-Zukhruf: 68)
Allah, Who created mankind, is more aware than we are of what we would
enjoy most as a reward for having believed in Him, and these very
things are what will await the believers in the Garden. Hence, the
immense blessings of the Garden and the wonders it contains lie far
beyond the scope of human imagination. Infinite blessings will be
offered to believers the likes of which no eyes have ever seen and no
ear has ever heard; for the rest of eternity everything they encounter
will meet with their every desire:
… They will have whatever they wish for with their Lord. That is the
great favor. (Surat ash-Shura: 22)
The Qur'an describes every aspect of everlasting life for the
believers in the Garden, such as their places of residence, their
clothing, their spouses, the beauty of the surroundings, the
foodstuffs and various other delights that await them.
In one Qur'anic verse the eternal lives led by those who fear Allah
and the terrifying end to be faced by those who do not fear Allah are
compared:
An image of the Garden which ispromised to the righteous [whofear
Allah]: in it there are rivers of water which will never spoil and
rivers of milk whose taste will never change and rivers of wine,
delightful to all who drinkit, and rivers of honey of undiluted
purity; in it they will have fruit of every kind and forgiveness from
their Lord. Is that like those who will be in the Fire timelessly, for
ever, withboiling water to drink which lacerates their bowels? (Surah
Muhammad: 15)
There is no doubt that someone who is conscious and aware needs only
to reflect on the scenario for a moment in order for both hope in and
fear of Allah to intensify.
The greatest reward: Allah's eternal satisfaction with them
Allah has promised the men andwomen of the believers Gardenswith
rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever, 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)
The greatest spiritual pleasure experienced by believers when they
enter the Garden is the reality that from that moment on Allah is
pleased with them, that He loves them, that He will never punish them,
and that they will be His friends for eternity. To have gained Allah's
approval will be the source of a joy and happiness infinitely superior
to any earthly comparison. Allah's pleasure is what brings the
ultimate sweetness to the blessings of the Garden. Although the
rewards of the Garden are wonderful in themselves, what is more
delightful still is the joy of being affirmed by The Lord of all the
Worlds as being worthy of receiving His kindness. The Qur'an states:
O self at rest and at peace, return to your Lord, well-pleasing and
well-pleased! Enter among My servants! Enter My Garden. (Surat
al-Fajr: 27-30)
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