THE HEAVEN AND THE HELL

THE HEAVEN AND THE HELL
TTA Razak
(Translation of Haris bin Saleem's above titled booklet)


Constraint of time
When people are advised to be more vigilant on matters of religion one of the common responses is that “I do not get sufficient time to … “ Why do we feel that we are more occupied in the worldly routine so that we have not much time left for religion and spirituality? There is no denying the fact that we do have our own problems and preoccupations; like pulling on with what life has offered to us, finding ways to make life more comfortable and food and drinks more plentiful. At least these are our prime concerns, fulfillment of which requires us to engage in various vigorous activities as well as activities of entertainment like food carnivals, tour programs, festivals, celebrations etc.. etc. While doing so we are not worried about likely lapses on our part that may eventually cause our life to end up in the eternal hellfire! Those who are in control of themselves and make haste to do righteous deeds will end up in the paradise of eternity!

*Certainly allah will admit those who believe and do righteous good deeds to gardens under which rivers flow (paradise) while those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as cattle eat; and the fire will be their abode (Holy Quran:47:12)
Hazards in waiting
It is pretty natural that we human beings do make mistakes, slips and lapses. But we have enough number of excuses for every thing, excuses mostly whispered in to our ears by the devil, our constant companion. Such people will pay no heed to advice and admonition, instead they will, knowingly or otherwise, defend themselves and befriend the devil.

*And recite to them the story of him to whom we gave our ayath (proof), but he threw them away; so SHAITAN (satan) followed him up, and he became one of those who went astray (Holy Quran: 7:175 )

Those who struggle out of the right guidance will be escorted to the hellfire in the Day of Judgment, for the devil always leads men to the worst end.

* Surely SHAITAN is an enemy to you. So treat him as an enemy. He only invites his followers that they become the dwellers of the blazing fire (Holy Quran- 35:6 )
We harm ourselves.
A devout life will always strengthen us in our social and personal life. Those who ignore the religious code of ethics will be the unfortunate losers in this world as well as the world hereafter. Beware; the loss will be irrevocable and permanent.

*Evil is the parable of the people who rejected our AYATH (proof) and used to wrong their own selves (Holy Quran: 7:177 )

What shall we do ?
We will one day breathe out our life as if we are falling into a sleep, and a day will come when life will again be breathed into us as if we are just out from a deep slumber. It is a fact and believers have no doubt on this. Allah has created the earth for mankind and filled it with the resources required for life and sustenance.
*And the Earth; he has put down for the creatures. Therein are fruits, date -palms producing sheathed fruits-stalks. And also corn, with its leaves stalk for fodder and sweet plants (Holy Quran: 55:10,12 )

As we all know, one day in a catastrophic event the earth and the heaven will all collapse on the heavenly orders.
*On the day when the earth will be changed to another earth and so will be the heavens, they (all creatures) will all appear before Allah, the one, the irresistible
And then comes the Day of Judgment. Those who have lived here with the right vision and understanding of life and its true objectives, along with the judicious use of their wisdom and powers will be rewarded with the choicest blessings of God.
*Verily the Abrar (the pious and righteous) shall drink of a cup (of wine) mixed with kafu'r (water from spring of paradise) (Holy Quran: 76:5 )
On the other hand, those who have lived a life ungrateful and immoral will also be rewarded in the right measure.

* Verily we have prepared for the disbelievers iron chains, iron collars and a blazing fire (Holy Quran: 76:4 )
The hell - God’s justice
The God almighty with his immeasurable love and compassion towards his creatures has also permitted what is truly good for us and forbidden what is truly bad for us. An eternal fortune, the paradise, is the gift from God for the devout and virtuous while the hell fire is his answer to the thankless sinners.

* And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve (at death); they smite their faces and their backs ;(saying)” taste the punishment of blazing fire”. “This is because of that which your hands had forwarded, and verily Allah is not unjust to his slaves”
(Holy Quran: 8:50,51 )

We cannot relate the good and the evil, they are simply incomparable.

*Is then a believer like one who is a fasique (disbeliever and disobedient to God). Not equal are they? (Holy Quran: 32:18)

Beware of the hell

In our worldly life we often meet with great hardship and suffering. On many such occasion relief is found to be closer or not very far off. But that is not going to be the case with the hell fire which is a cul-de-sac from where there could be no escape!

*And those who believe in the day of recompense. And those who fear the torment of their lord .Verily the torment of their lord is that before which none can feel secure (Holy Quran-70:26-28)

Look before you leap
Remember, this is the last chance towards the road to a huge success. Those who submit to material indulgence in disregard to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and its warnings will never again be given a chance to redeem their evil past.
*Therein they will cry;” our lord bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not (evil deeds) that we used to do”. (Allah will reply )''Did we not give you lives long enough so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive It (act accordingly) ? And the warner came to you. So taste you (the evil of your deeds). for the wrong doers there is no helper (Holy Quran 35:37).

People in pursuit of the hell
We often stand witness to various ills and ailments in our social neighborhood. We come across people who were delinquent and neglectful of their studies earlier in their life finding it difficult to make both ends meet, people turning alcoholic and narco-addicts and finally ending up in miserable condition, habitual smokers simply wasting off money and time exposing themselves to risks of cancer … and what not! All are results of our actions and same is the case with the hellfire. As we sow so we reap

* This day (day of resurrection), none will be wronged in anything nor will you be requited anything except that which you used to do (result of your action) Holy Quran 36:54).

Disobedience to the God almighty will bring in pain and suffering in this world as well as the world hereafter.

*for them there is disgrace in this world, and there will be great torment in the hereafter (Holy Quran 2:114).
*As to those who disbelieve I will punish them with a severe torment in this world and in the hereafter and they will have no helpers (Holy Quran 3:56).

Punishment in the right measure
Those who transgress the boundaries of God’s decree in pursuit of transitory material pleasure do deserve a life in the hell, for they have ignored HIS promise of eternal bliss.

*Then for him who transgressed all bounds, And preferred the life of this world Verily his abode will be hell fire (Holy Quran 79:37-39).

The God who created us sees us all the time, neither sleep nor slumber overtakes him. He has assured us that our sincere supplication will be answered and also provided us everything that our existence on earth demands. So it is for us to be thankful to him. He needs no provision from us, but he has asked to worship him; worship him alone and ascribe no partners to him. Those who turn away from this message, which is very central to Islam, make themselves deserving to be thrown in to the hell fire in the world hereafter.
*(Allah will tell the angels) Both of you throw in to the hell every stubborn disbeliever, hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter, everyone who setup another God with Allah. Then both of you cast him in the severe torment. (Holy Quran 50:24,25,26).

* And your Lord said “Invoke me, I will respond to you. Those who scorn my worship in arrogance will enter Hell in humiliation.

Adultery
The God who created us knows our strength and weaknesses as he knows our needs and interests. He has provided us food and drinks and, in the same manner, a lawful outlet for our sexual urge. He has created sexual mates to ease off each other’s desire and at the same time made marriage mandatory condition before any sexual contact or cohabitation. Such a lawful ventilation being provided, Islam makes no room for sexual promiscuity in life. Severe punishment awaits the deviants in this case in the world hereafter.

*And those who do not invoke any other God along Allah, nor kill such person as Allah has forbidden except for just cause nor commit illegual sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment. The torment will be doubled to him on the day of Resurrection ,and he will abide therein in disagrace (Holy Quran:25:68-69)

The mandatory prayer (Salath)
People sweat it out to see that their dreams come true, but many are not prepared to see that a little effort is put in so that God satisfies about him. Salath is human expression of gratitude towards God the creator and the Sustainer of the universe.

*So he neither believed nor prayed .But on the contrary belied and turned away. Then he walked in conceit (full pride) to his family admiring himself. Woe to you, woe to you. Again woe to you (Holy Quran:75:31-35)

Helping people in distress

Extend a helping hand towards the people facing poverty, illness and other afflictions. If we choose to ignore them in this world, beware, we face the danger of being ignored in the world hereafter. On the Day of Judgment their agony will engulf us in the form of excruciating flames and we will find ourselves in the shackles of hellish torment.

* ( It will be ordered)”Seize him and fetter him. Then throw him to the blazing fire. ”Then fasten him with a chain whereof the length seventy cubits”. Verily , he used not to believe in Allah ,the greatest. And urged not on the feeding of Al-miskin (the poor). So no friend has he this day. Nor any food except filth from the washing of wounds. None will eat it except the Sinners (Holy Quran:69:30,37)

Hell the cul-de-sac
Even in the face of immense tragedies in nature we find rays of hope at the far end of the worldly tunnel. But once inside, no one will ever find a way out of the hellish pandemonium.

* They will not move away from it(Holy Quran:82:16)


Mighty guards.

We make all out efforts to protect ourselves and the members of our family from all kinds of perilous situation lurking around. If this be the case here, just imagine the extreme hazards in waiting in the afterworld. Is it prudent to leave ourselves and our loved ones exposed and defenseless in the face of the worst extremities of afterlife?

* You believers! Ward off yourselves and your families against a fire whose fuel is men and stone, over which are angels stern and severe, who will never disobey the commands they receive from Allah, but do precisely that which they are commanded. (Holy Quran:66:6)




The eternal
People who are terminally ill and suffering from excruciating pain in this life might hope that death would relieve them of all pains. But nature of the hell is such that the harrowing experiences will neither end nor will one find any relief from it in the form of death. The whole process is recurrent and eternal.

*Who will enter the great fire. There he will neither die nor live (Holy Quran:87:12,13)

Drinks not for thirst
Rather than helping to quench one’s thirst the drinks supplied in the hell will only bring hardship upon hardship.

*And say “the truth is from your Lord” . Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills let him disbelieve. Verily, we have prepared for the wrong doers a Fire whose walls will surround them. And if they ask for help they will be granted water - like boiling oil that will scald their faces. Terrible is the drink and an evil resting place. (Holy Quran:18:29).

In front of him (every arrogant dictator) is hell, and he will be made to drink boiling, festering water. He will sip it unwillingly, and he will find it very difficult to swallow it down his throat; and death will come to him from every side, and yet he will not die, and in front of him will be great torment. (Holy Quran:14:16,17)

Food not for hunger
The food served in the hell will not help hunger nor will it nourish the body. It would only further complicate already tormented life in the abyss of hell.

*No food will there be for them but a poisonous thorny plant Which will neither nourish nor avail against hunger.
(Holy Quran:88:6,7)




Dress that are not fire safe.
Clothing given to the miserable occupants in the house of Jahannam (hell) will only help further aggravate their agony and torture.

*You will see the disbelievers bound together in fetters. Their garments will be of pitch (or black tar) and fire will cover their faces (Holy Quran14:49-50)

The house of torment.
The hell, home to the most unfortunate, is a house full of woes, pain and suffering as the holy Quran puts it

*The hell is a place of ambush. A dwelling place for those who transgress the limit set by God. They will abide therein for ages. Nothing cool shall they taste therein nor any drink except boiling water and dirty wound discharges. (Holy Quran:21-26).
The way out
It is extremely important for us that we spend a little time pondering over the main escape strategies sufficiently in advance . Every body's inner mind speaks to him that we should soon find a way out of the hell, but man’s nature is such that he procrastinates till it is too late. Just imagine a person who makes his way along a dangerous terrain full of thorny bushes, deep ravine and other impediments. Such a journey demands extreme care and attention. This is the essence of piety or THAQVA. Spiritually speaking, the pious are the only people who come out successful in this world and the world hereafter.

*Verily for the the pious and righteous there will be success (Holy Quran 78:31)
No sin can be taken as a less sin and no virtue a less virtue. You forbid the hell at least with a piece of date fruit said the prophet (peace be upon him).
Hope for the sinners.
Holy Quran offers various opportunities of repentance for sinners. True prayers of penitence and virtuous deeds will erase small sins, provided we strive to avoid repetition of the same.

*And perform prayers (as-sulath) at the two end of the day and in some hours of the night verily the good deeds remove the evil deeds (Holy Quran 11:114)


Avoid the worst sins.
God the most compassionate and the most merciful also offers various ease and exemptions that help us save ourselves from the hellfire, provided we avoid the most hated sins in our life
*If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, we shall expiate from you your sins, and admit you to noble Entrance (Holy Quran 4:37)
The great success
To be out of the fathomless pit of hell is the biggest fortune one can ever dream of

*Everyone shall taste death. And only on the day of resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is kept away from fire and admitted to paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only enjoyment of deception. ((Holy Quran: 3: 185)


Allah does no harm to anyone

“Allah did not cause any harm to them, they themselves caused harm to them” (Holy Quran )
It is nothing but our actions that bounce back upon us to make or break our destiny. “It is your action that boomerangs on you” the holy prophet once said.



The paradise
People everywhere toil their way to comfort and safety even in the face of great mental agony and physical strain. Dreams galore; a good house to live in , sufficient wealth and convenience in support, daughters getting married on time and so on and so forth..... With these ends in view people engage in various activities, spread far and wide leaving behind their dear and near ones, make long voyages of livelihood, carry heavy burdens on their back, brave extreme conditions of weather and workplaces.... Hard works everywhere and dreams all the way! But how many of us live to see that our dreams are fulfilled? Look around us and watch the ills and ordeals close to our heels; People who have been overcome by despondency and fear, people facing 'untimely death' as we call it, people in the midst of conflict and conquest , the ailing and the destitute...... the woes that we face is endless. But let us not be frustrated by these adversities, for God the most merciful has his own plans for us. All the worldly woes are transient in nature, especially for the believers. What has been arranged in the heavenly abode is eternal peace and tranquility, and the path towards it is simpler too. The Paradise is God's promise revealed through his prophet. Some of the Quranic reference to the Paradise (Janna) is as follows.

Jannathul Khuld – The garden of eternity.
Jannathu Naeem - The garden of bliss.
Jannathul Adin – The garden of eternal peace.
Darul Khuld – The house of eternity.
Darussalam – The house of peace.
This way the true nature of Paradise has been epitomized in various verses of The Holy book. It is eternal, inexplicable and beyond the wildest of our imagination.

*No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do (Holy Quran 32:17)

Do virtuous deeds.
If we really wish to have a life of eternal bliss we have to struggle our way up to the terrain of good deeds. God has promised eternal happiness to everyone who , irrespective of worldly afflictions and affiliations , is prepared to believe and do righteous deeds.

* Whoever does righteous deeds - while the individual is a true believer- verily to him we will give a true life , and we shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do. (Holy Quran 16:97)

Discard fancied whims(Hava).
There are people who live with the conviction that the God is true and the life here after is a reality, but at the same time they are given to filthy habits of self indulgence. How do such people expect to get into the 'God's house for the chosen' while their behavior is no different from that of a non-believer?

* Is then he who is a believer like him who is a disbeliever and disobedient to Allah (fasique)(Holy Quran 32:18)

So one should be able to keep off what is forbidden by God even if it amounts to ignoring one’s whims and fancies.

*But as for him who feared standing before his lord and restrained himself from ( evil) desires and lusts .Verily paradise will be his adobe (Holy Quran 79:40,41)
The Paradise for the dedicated
We must be prepared to lose a little sleep or spend the right share from what is most dear to us. We must not falter while it comes to facing difficulties at the cost of personal preferences. This brings us closer to the serene gardens full of rivulets and coveted resources in the heavenly abode.

* Verily the pious will be in the midst of gardens and springs. Taking joy in the things which their Lord has given them. Verily they were virtuous people before. They used to sleep but little by night. (Invoking Allah and praying with fear) (Holy Quran 51:15-19)


Dinner at the place of bliss.
We were born frail and fragile. Empty handed as we came here Allah gave us everything our delicate life required. He prepared the earth and the heavens for us as though a guest being honored by his host

*And the earth; He has put down for creatures .Therein are fruits, date-palm producing sheathed fruits-stalks (enclosing dates). And also corn with its leaves and stalk for fodder and sweet-scented plants (Holy Quran 55:10-22)

He has made the earth most hospitable for us. Further more, his magnanimity towards the mankind is so great that he has built a palace of eternal bliss and allowed entry to it for every one who is prepared to shape his life on the basis of a few simple beautiful guidelines.

*But , for those who fear their lord , are gardens under which rivers flow . (in paradaise) Therein are they to dwell for ever - an entertainment from Allah and that which is with Allah is the best for the pious and the righteous.
(Holy Quran 3:198)

The paradise is a world beyond ours and beyond all our imagination, which provides us many things that are impossible in the material world.

No bitterness.
Just imagine a girl in the following situation .She has been married to a wealthy young man of a rich family where in she has got all the material comfort within her reach; still her life is full of turbulence as her mother in law finds fault with her all the time, other in laws keep taunting her for one reason or the other. How horrible would be life in this condition? But, look at what paradise offers for man kind

*No evil vain talk (Laghwa) will they hear therein nor any sinful speech .But only saying of Salam,Salam (greetings of peace)
(Holy Quran 56:25-26)

No weariness
When we find ourselves exhausted don’t we yearn for a little rest? We take rest from work, and some say I will not rest until I do this or that or until my children get to fend for themselves etc. etc. Given the nature of our life and routine in this world, we all need and do long for rest at some point in time. But life in the paradise is so different and unique
*No sense of fatigue shall touch them , nor shall they ever be asked to leave it (Holy Quran:15-48)

*Who, out of his grace, has lodged us in a home that will last forever, where toil will touch us not, nor weariness will (35;35)
(Holy Quran35:35)


No grief
We see so many people here in the best of comfort and company, but at some corner within them there are fragments of anguish and regret. In short, life without afflictions is a near impossibility on this planet, but that is not the way of life in paradise.

*Paradise will they enter, therein will they be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls and their garments therein will be of silks.” And they will say; all the praises and thanks are to Allah who has removed from us (all) grief. Verily our lord is indeed oft-forgiving most ready to appreciate (Holy Quran35:33,34)

Life Eternal
Life on earth can be described as a fleeting transience. Nothing on earth is eternal and the life here is nothing but a changing panorama of bliss and blues, health and illness and finally an unexpected rendezvous with the death the leveler!

*But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness ,we shall admit them to the gardens under which rivers flow (paradise) to dwell therein forever Allah's promise is the truth; and whose words can be truer than those of Allah's? (Holy Quran 4:122)



A splendid life
Here we find that not even kings and croissants are able to enjoy life to their satisfaction. But, enjoying an eternally glorious life to its full measure is what paradise is. Palaces of magnificence with all its freedom and luxury, relishing food and flavorsome drinks, entertaining virgins who feast your eyes and hearts, servants in readiness, lush gardens o f beauty, fountains, springs and rivulets ... .... are some of the princely resources eternally available in paradise. The holy Quran described it as 'the eternal empire'


Mates.
The prophet (SAW) warned us against the use and abuse of tongue and sex organs, two common areas where we human beings falter. If we set ourselves against such evils, Quran promises us satiation of our sexual urge with Hoories or 'virgins untouched by men or Jinn'' in the heaven.

*Wherein there will be chaste females restraining their glance with whom no man or jinn has had sexual contact (tamth) before them (Holy Quran 55:56)

*And young full-breasted (mature) maidens of equal age (78;33)
(Holy Quran78:33)

Food and Drinks
Regarding food and drinks, what is important in the worldly life is selection of permissible items- morally acceptable and physically good. A Muslim would rather starve than accepting forbidden items as food. It is reported that once the prophet declined to eat a date fruit found in his bedsheets for he feared that the food was part of Sadqa which was forbidden to the prophet.

We often find the food and drinks forbidden to us more relishing and even entertaining so that we try to get them at any cost. Such behavior would prove costlier for us in the heavenly beanery where the food served is the most appetizing.
*Give glad tiding to those who believe and do good deeds, that for them will be the gardens under which rivers flow (paradise). Everytime they will be provided with a fruit therefrom they will say; “this is what we were provided with before” and they will be given things in resemblance and they shall have therein purified mates (wives) and they will abide therein forever (Holy Quran 2:25)
Magnificent blessing
Seeing the God almighty in his true magnificence is the greatest blessings every believer longs for in the life hereafter. After the believers are admitted to the paradise the God asks them if they wish anything more . In reply to this they will express their extreme happiness over what has happened to them; “You have made our faces bright, saved us from the hellish agony and allowed us in to the paradise “ . At this instant, the screen between the God and the people of paradise will disappear and they will see God in his lordly magnificence. “Then , nothing given to them will be dearer to them than seeing God”. (hadith Muslim)

*Some faces that day shall be shining and radiant .Looking at their lord
(Holy Quran 75:22-23)

The House of Reunion.
Let us Imagine a few situations not so uncommon in everyday life ; a mother who gave birth to her child in the thick of pain and strain loses her 'honey' at a tender age, an age of inseparable love and affection ! Wives and hubbies losing their sweetheart at sudden twits and turns of destiny. Children bereft of the unique warmth of their parental care, becoming orphans at an early age..... All such people with broken hearts, who had their odds against them in the worldly life, get together in the heavenly paradise for an eternal reunion.

* And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in faith; to them shall we join their offspring, and we shall not decrease the reward for their deeds in anything. Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned.

We leave no stone unturned to see that our loved ones get the maximum benefits in this world. At the same time we hardly find time to see that our children make it to the paradise for an eternal reunion in the life hereafter. Should we fail in this the damage done will be irreparable and hence we must set examples before our children to enable them to prepare themselves sufficiently in advance for their most crucial journey to the final destination.
Befitting rewards.
Faith in the oneness of God and virtuous deeds are the two gateways to the paradise. It is the reward out of God's mercy for the people of obedience
It is therefore for us to worship HIM and HIM alone and direct our prayers towards HIM and towards HIM alone, without ascribing partners to him. He is all powerful, omniscient and has got no partners, and any attempt to associate partners to God is an unpardonable breach that will invite sever punishment in the world hereafter. It is faith, prayers and virtuous acts that help us succeed in this world and make ourselves deserving of the heavenly rewards , rewards in equal measure
* A reward from God, an ample calculated Gift (according to our good deeds)
(Holy Quran 78:36)

Translation
TTA Razak
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