Introduction

In the life of this world, human beings are responsible for overcoming the impulses and appetites of their nafs (selves) and living their lives to please Allah. To do this we have been given a very short lifespan of sixty or seventy years on average. After the life of this world is over, Allah has created an endless and perfect life for His slaves who have won His favour. In comparison to that timeless existence, life in this world lasts only as long as the blink of an eye. The faithful slaves are those who have shown steadfastness and determination in living according to the genuine knowledge of the unity of Allah without association of partners to Him and in obedience to Allah and His Messenger. They will obtain a great reward in the world to come: the eternal life of the Garden. Doubtless the favour, mercy and love of our Lord for His slaves are a great joy for them.

Race each other to forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden as wide the heavens and the earth, prepared for the people who have taqwa. (Surah Al'Imran: 133)

Allah has created each person with a spirit that takes pleasure in and yearns for the best and finest things in life, because those beautiful things reflect the wonders of the Garden in the Unseen. From the first moment that someone has begun to understand the meaning of life, a person feels a constant desire to attain perfection. He is always in search of the blessings that this life has to offer. But no matter how strong his desire and no matter how hard he works to attain these good things, he will never find the perfection he is looking for in the world. This is because Allah has created the life of this world imperfect and unfulfilling.

There are many reasons why Allah has created the world in this way. As Allah tells us in the Qur’an, His creation is flawless. “He is Allah – the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Everything in the heavens and earth glorifies Him. He is the Almighty, the All- Wise.” (Surat al-Hashr: 24) Our Lord’s power is infinite and He can create what He wants. Therefore, there is a purpose in the defects of the world: Allah wants people to know that the Garden exists and to work towards it with eagerness and sincerity.

Their recompense is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing under them... (Surah Al'Imran: 136)

Allah has created human character such that we can only be at ease in the Garden and the desires of the heart can only be fulfilled there. Many verses of the Qur’an make this clear. Allah says in it that the real life is the life of the Garden and, therefore, every effort should be expended to attain this abode of endless good and beauty. Some verses of the Qur‘an on this subject are as follows:

The life of this world is nothing but a game and a diversion. The abode of the akhira – that is truly Life if they only knew. (Surat al-‘Ankabut: 64)

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! (Surat al- Mutaffifin: 22-26)

Allah expands provision to anyone He wills and restricts it. They rejoice in the life of this world. Yet the life of this world, compared to the akhira, is only fleeting enjoyment. (Surat ar-Ra’d: 26)

They will have there everything they want and with Us there is still more. (Surah Qaf: 35)

In one hadith, our Prophet gives an example to show what a great blessing the Garden is for human beings compared to the life of this world:

A space in the Garden equal to the distance between the middle and the end of a bow will be better than all that upon which the sun rises and sets. (Sahih al- Bukhari; Sahih Muslim)

Even if a person has no knowledge of this, he can easily understand it when he thinks of the imperfection of this world and the yearning he feels within himself for good things. Allah has created many proofs to show people that the life of this world is not the true life. Starting with the body itself, one is confronted almost every day with the imperfections of this world. You may come face to face with sickness, injury or even death because of the slightest accident. A great part of life must be spent compensating for the weakness of the body. But in spite of all these efforts, the body wastes away as the years pass. Beautiful flowers, like the human body, also fade with time; the most colourful and pleasing roses, tulips and violets wither and die. The tastiest and freshest looking fruit and vegetables become stale and inedible in a very short time. The most magnificent houses, and the finest automobiles and other material possessions grow old, break down and become useless with time.

These things are just a few of the imperfections that a person has to deal with in this world and are enough to make a person understand that this world is not the place he longs for.

In the face of all this imperfection, a person, in his heart of hearts, wants to live in a world where perfection is never-ending. He longs for a world where there is no illness, death, war, conflict, evil, anxiety or imperfection. With this in mind, he looks for ways to establish a life within the parameters of this world that is happy and carefree. However, Allah tells us in the Qur’an that this kind of life can only be had in the Garden. What human beings must do to attain the Garden is very simple: live in a way that is pleasing to Allah. Then, if Allah wills, they will find a perfect and endless life happy beyond all that they could desire or imagine.

Allah says much in the Qur’an about the blessings of the Garden because He wants people to understand that everything they are looking for, longing for and everything they love is in the Garden. In the following chapters of this book we will look at verses of the Qur’an and hadith of our Prophet to see the perfect blessings that our Lord has prepared for us.

Their Lord gives them the good news of His mercy and good pleasure and Gardens where they will enjoy everlasting delight. (Surat at-Tawba: 21)

One of the purposes of this book is to remind people that the real life is not in this world, but in the Garden, and what our hearts desire is not here but there. Even if you have never considered it before, this book will help you to understand that the longing you feel for perfection can only be fulfilled in the life of the Garden.

Another purpose of this book is to move our readers to consider the incomparable beauty of the Garden and the never-ending pleasure that will be the believers’. The verses of the Qur’an and the hadith of our Prophet tell us about blessings of the Garden that many people have perhaps never thought about before. An understanding of the splendour of the Garden, its limitless blessings and the good life that will be lived there will increase people’s longing for the Garden and make us strive harder to attain it. This book may be a means to help people take pleasure in their resolve to do such good works that they may be worthy of Allah’s endless mercy and His incomparable blessings.

They will have there everything they want and with Us there is still more. (Surah Qaf: 35)

Of course, our capacity to grasp the descriptions of the Garden throughout this book are limited by the limitations of the human mind. Indeed, the perfection and beauty announced by Allah in the Qur’an and described in the hadith of our Prophet are too great for a human being to conceive of with his intellect. One can only begin to understand the beauty of the Garden by comparing it with blessings one knows in this life. The beauty of the blessings that our Lord has prepared there for His faithful slaves will truly be understood only in the Hereafter (akhira). The pleasure they will give to the human spirit can only be tasted there. The reason for this is that Allah has vouchsafed these blessings and good things only to His slaves who have faith. He has withheld the blessings of the Garden from those who reject Him. In the Qur’an we are told that those who do not enter the Garden will experience a deep longing for it in the Hereafter and that their lives there will be full of sorrow. They will long for the Garden and will wish in eternal sorrow that they had entered it. Of course, they were aware in this life of the existence of the Garden and its beauty, but they ignored it. They focused all their attention on this world thinking they could satisfy the longing of their hearts in this life.

It is hoped that what is written in this book will be a means whereby people caught up in serious error may understand that real life will be lived only in the Hereafter, and thus they will spend their lives striving to win the favour of the Lord. It will, we hope, increase the pleasure and determination of people with faith as well as their longing to attain the Garden; it will lead them to strive to do good works so that they may be slaves beloved by Allah.

The Blessings Allah has Prepared
for the People of the Garden

Sometimes films have been made and novels written about things people wish for but which are impossible to obtain because of the way the world is. These things are thought to be fantastic or utopian and beyond the realm of reality. Many people long for these imaginary perfections and want them to be real. But knowing that these wonderful things cannot happen in the real world and that they exist only in the imagination, people do not form a deep longing for them in their spirits. On the contrary, they become even more aware of the imperfections that surround them; they see the world’s real face, which makes them “feel depressed.” Of course, only people without faith get caught up in this state.

Those who believe with certainty in the existence of the Hereafter know that all possibilities that stretch the boundaries of the imagination can come to be by Allah’s command and that they will attain the blessing of the Garden in the Hereafter. This being the case, a person may hope to attain in the Garden all the blessings he would like to have had on Earth. With this hope, a person will exert himself seriously to be worthy of the Garden where he will be granted everything he desires.

Our Prophet is reported to have said that in the Hereafter for Allah’s faithful slaves, “there will be that which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and has never occurred to a human heart.” (Sahih Muslim)

In the verses in which He describes the Garden, Allah opens a horizon to blessings that cannot be compared with anything in this world. In verse 35 of Surah Qaf, He reveals the expanse of these blessings: “They will have there everything they want and with Us there is still more.” In another verse, Allah reveals: No self knows the delight that is hidden away for it in recompense for what it used to do. (Surat as- Sajda: 17)

Allah will reward them for what they say with Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. That is the recompense of the good-doer. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 85)

When considering the blessings that Allah will grant in the Garden, it must not be forgotten that the human mind is very limited. For this reason, people really cannot imagine the abundance, variety and incomparable beauty of the blessings promised. Any description of the blessings of the Garden, if it is to be enlightening for people, must be done by way of comparison with the beautiful things of this world. But the blessings of the Garden will be absolute in their perfection. In His infinite intelligence, Allah has created the Garden as a magnificent place free from all imperfection.

The following example illustrates the limitations of human thought. If a human being had been created with the senses of taste, smell, hearing and touch but without the sense of sight, he would never have been able to conceive of visual beauty no matter how much it was described to him. He would never be able to understand when people spoke to him of colour, daylight, proportion, symmetry or visual splendours. By the same token, there may be other senses that we know nothing about at present, but which Allah will create in the Garden to give us a totally new outlook. Therefore, in this world where we are limited to five senses, we cannot imagine what kind of blessings there may be that may be beyond our ability to conceive.

With our limitations of sight, thought and imagination, we are like people in a windowless house who never come out. Such people are unaware of the beautiful things outside the house – mountains, rivers, trees, beautiful flowers, animals, clear skies, bright sun-lit days – and so cannot be aware that they live deprived of many blessings. In addition, the comparison we make is based on the good things of this world. The blessings of this world are extremely lacking when compared with the blessings of the Garden and a person of faith must avoid the error of interpreting even the limited things he knows about the Garden from a narrow viewpoint. Apart from the things our Lord has revealed about the Garden, a person has no idea of what surprises have been prepared for the people of the Garden. Here is one of the verses of the Qur’an that tells us about this: “They will have there everything they want and with Us there is still more.” (Surah Qaf: 35)

It is said that our Prophet described the blessings of the Garden in these words:

Isn’t there anybody hastening to the Garden? Because in the Garden there are unimaginable blessings. (Mukhtasar at-Tadhkirah, al-Qurtubi, pp. 306-307/499)

The Abundant Wealth of the Garden

In non-religious societies, wealth has always been the symbol of power and respect and it has been among the major goals that people strive for throughout their lives. One of the reasons for this is that people without faith believe that they will only be truly happy if they are wealthy. They think that they can only secure their possessions and achieve comfort, ease and the beautiful things they like in this way. For this reason, they spend their whole lives amassing property and possessions, saving money and making the right investments. They worry that their possessions will be used up and so they do not make use of them, they avoid spending money at all costs and do everything they can to preserve their wealth.

But in the life of this world, a person’s wealth will not bring him the pleasure he expects no matter how hard he works for it. It may give him comfort in some ways, but in this flawed and imperfect world wealth is also flawed and imperfect. The Arabic word dunya (world) is derived from the word dani which means “low, inferior, simple, worthless.”

A reason why Allah created the world flawed, and as a transitory place is to allow people to appreciate better the good things of the Garden. For example, if a person who has lived in poverty since childhood is invited to a home with magnificent furniture and priceless works of art, decorated with precious stones, and is offered rare foods to eat, he would be struck by the beauty of the place. Doubtless, this person’s delight would be much greater than that of someone who has lived in such an environment since childhood. Our position in this world is similar to that of a person brought up in poverty and want. But even the world’s wealthiest person is poor in comparison to the riches of the Garden. And, in this world, a person can never attain this true wealth. Even the richest person in the world will finally be wrapped in a few metres of cloth or put into a coffin and buried in the ground, leaving all his wealth behind. Allah tells us in the Qur’an that the blessings of the world are transitory:

"They will have Gardens of Eden with rivers flowing under them. They will be adorned in them with bracelets made of gold..." (Surat al-Kahf: 31)

The metaphor of the life of the world is that of water which We send down from the sky, and which then mingles with the plants of the earth to provide food for both people and animals. Then, when the earth is at its loveliest and takes on its fairest guise and its people think they have it under their control, Our command comes upon it by night or day and We reduce it to dried-out stubble, as though it had not been flourishing just the day before! In this way We make Our Signs clear for people who reflect. (Surah Yunus: 24)

The wealth of the Garden, unlike the wealth of this world, is an everlasting wealth that people will experience in their hearts and with their bodies and senses, without worrying that it will ever come to an end. This verse in the Qur’an tells us about the beautiful wealth of the Garden: “Seeing them, you see delight and a great kingdom.” (Surat al-Insan: 20)

The wealth of the Garden is a harmony containing the artistry of Allah’s endless bounty and dazzling splendour. All of this beauty is presented in such a way as to fulfil the believers’ passions and desires, because it is only when wealth is turned into beauty in this way that it can give meaning to the human spirit.

In the following pages several hadith are included illustrating how beautiful it is to dwell in the Garden and we will describe its wealth at the same time. The beauty of these places, apart from their aesthetic qualities, comes from the value of the materials used to decorate them. In a hadith, our Prophet replied to someone who asked about what materials the Garden is built from:

One brick of gold and one brick of silver, its mortar is of strongly scented musk, its stones are pearls and emeralds, and its soil is of saffron … (Narrated by Abu Hurayra, at-Tirmidhi)

The wealth promised to the people of the Garden is limitless; it is in abundance, and there is no worry that it will ever be used up.

That is the Garden you will inherit for what you did. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 72)

The Treasures of the Garden:

These treasures mentioned earlier in the hadith emphasise the splendour of the Garden. When thinking about this, we should remember that it is a creation of Allah Whose possessions are limitless and He gives them to those of His slaves whom He wills. And in case we think of those treasures in entirely material terms, our Prophet reminds us in these words:

“Shall I not guide you to one of the treasures of the Garden?” I said: “Yes, Messenger of Allah!” Thereupon he said, “La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah – There is no change of a condition nor power except by Allah.” (Narrated by Abu Musa (r.a.), Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim)

Here he tells us of a treasure of an entirely different nature, the tremendous remembrance of Allah.

Worldly wealth, like all other things that human beings possess, is transitory and will come to an end. No matter how rich a person is, their existence is limited to a few decades. Human life cannot go beyond this limitation. In their pursuit of wealth, which constitutes one of the major goals of people without faith in this world, they get caught up in shortlived worldly ambitions.

As for those who believe and do right actions - We impose on no self any more than it can bear - they are the Companions of the Garden, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Surat al-A'raf: 42)

However great wealth is, it can be evaluated if that is required and expressed in numerical terms. However, the beautiful things of the Garden are beyond any price and Allah offers them free of charge to those of His slaves with whom He is pleased. In the Qur’an, Allah reveals the blessings of the Garden in this verse; “This is Our provision which will never run out.” (Surah Sad: 54) And in the verse “[fruits] never failing, unrestricted,” (Surat al-Waqi‘a: 33) He reveals that the food in the Garden has the same quality. As Allah has said, the blessings of the Garden cannot be used up or diminished; they are given continually to its people. The treasures of the Garden are certainly among the blessings that Allah will offer to His slaves. Allah, Who possesses all things, will offer these treasures in the Garden without charge for all eternity to His chosen slaves.

"Enter the Garden, you and your wives, delighting in your joy." (Surat az-Zukhruf: 70)

The Abundance of Possessions in the Garden:

In the Garden, wealth and possessions are abundant and free. Our Prophet says the following about the abundance of the Garden:

The one with the lowest rank from among the inhabitants of the Garden will be that person who will be able to see his gardens, wives, luxuries, servants and things of enjoyment to the distance of one thousand years… (Narrated by Ibn Umar, at-Tirmidhi)

If as much of what is in the Garden as could be carried by a fingernail were to appear, the space between the cardinal points of the heavens and the earth would be adorned on account of it. If a man of the inhabitants of the Garden were to look down and his bracelets were to appear, his light would obliterate the light of the sun just as the sun obliterates the light of the stars. (Narrated by Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, at- Tirmidhi)

As these hadith point out, even a small portion of the blessings of the Garden is enormous when measured according to worldly standards. This abundance is emphasised in one of the above hadith when he says that the bracelets are more brilliant than the sun.

Precious Stones and Metals

In the Qur’an, Allah reveals that there are luxurious items, various jewels and precious stones in the Garden. “[They are] on sumptuous woven couches” (Surat al-Wa‘qia: 15) ve “They will enter Gardens of Eden where they will be adorned with gold bracelets and pearls.” (Surah Fatir: 33) These jewels that are mentioned in the Qur’an and in the hadith in relation to the Garden have been expressions throughout human history of wealth and splendour. Everyone appreciates these adornments of diamonds, pearls, rubies, gold and silver, and takes pleasure in seeing things decorated with them.

They will have Gardens of Eden with rivers flowing under them. They will be adorned in them with bracelets made of gold and wear green garments made of the finest silk and rich brocade, reclining there on couches under canopies. What an excellent reward! What a wonderful repose! (Surat al-Kahf: 31)

There are some hadith, such as those below that mention pearls as a blessing of the Garden:

Those who dwell in the Garden of Eternity will wear crowns encrusted with pearls, the radiance of the smallest of which will illuminate the space separating the east from the west! (At-Tirmidhi)

‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah saying that the [Yemeni] Corner and the Station [of Ibrahim] are two of the precious stones of the Garden, whose light has been extinguished by Allah. If He had not extinguished their light, it would illuminate everything between the east and the west.” (At-Tirmidhi, 804)

Pearls are a good example of the rare value of the blessings of the Garden. Divers must go down several times into the dangerous depths of the sea to bring them up, and this adornment is found in only a few of the many oysters that are collected. Besides its beauty, what gives value to this little object is, as we said above, the effort required to obtain it and its great rarity.

"Are these the people you swore that Allah's mercy would never reach?" "Enter the Garden. You will feel no fear and know no sorrow. (Surat al-A'raf: 49)

Much time, effort and expense is required in this world to obtain the pearl, but they are abundant in the world to come. The fact that such a rare and valuable object of beauty is plentiful will doubtless produce a particular excitement in the human spirit. Moreover, the blessings of the Garden revealed in the Qur’an will have a beauty that is beyond our capacity to imagine. The hadith mention a pearl that illuminates everything between East and West, but we cannot completely picture the brilliance and splendour of such a pearl in our minds.

The Beauty of the Dwellings of the Garden

Palaces and mansions are among the most beautiful residences in the world. When people describe the beauty of these residences, they always mention, for example, their views, valuable furnishings, beautiful décor, columns, and gilded woodwork.

In the verses of the Qur’an that speak of the Garden, Allah often mentions such dwellings that are pleasing to human beings: mansions, palaces and pavilions. These dwellings are rare in this world, but they are numerous and in perfect and splendid condition in the Garden and Allah’s beloved slaves will live in them.

Gardens of Eden with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. That is the reward of those who purify themselves. (Surah Ta Ha: 76)

Some of the hadith in which the wealth and abundance of these dwellings are described are as follows:

We asked: “What is the Garden made of?” The Prophet said: “A brick of gold and a brick of silver, its mortar is of strongly scented musk, its stones are pearls and emeralds, and its soil is of saffron. Those who enter it will be in affluent circumstances and will not be destitute, they will live for ever and not die, their garments will not wear out, and their youth will not pass away.” (Narrated by Abu Hurayra, at-Tirmidhi)

The walls of the Garden are built of bricks of gold and silver, its dust of saffron… (Imam Ghazzali, Ihya Ulum ad- Din, vol. 4)

The hadith point out that the dwellings of the Garden are made from the most valuable materials, and, instead of common gravel and pebbles, there will be pearls and rubies.

The Mansions of the Garden:

No matter how beautiful the things of this world may be, inevitably they have many imperfections. The most beautiful mansion in this world cannot compare in beauty to a mansion in the Garden. Above all, time has a destructive effect on all worldly beauty. For example, if a mansion is unused and is abandoned, it will fall into decay. Its furnishings will age and become mouldy from moisture and damp and begin to rot. The resilience of their fabrics will decrease over time and their colours will fade. The furnishings will become covered with layers of dust and there will be spiders’ webs everywhere. In the course of time, such a beautiful dwelling will become unliveable. But the dwellings of the Garden are not subject to all these imperfections or to the destructive ravages of time. When the Qur’an describes these mansions of the Garden, it says that rivers flow beneath them and that they are built on high and secure places:

As for those who have iman and do right actions, We will lodge them in lofty chambers in the Garden, with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. How excellent is the reward of those who act. (Surat al-‘Ankabut: 58)

It is not your wealth or your children that will bring you near to Us – only in the case of people who have iman and act rightly; such people will have a double recompense for what they did. They will be safe from all harm in the High Halls of the Garden. (Surah Saba’: 37)

But Allah will admit those who have iman and do right actions into Gardens with rivers flowing under them where they will be adorned with gold bracelets and pearls, and where their clothing will be of silk. (Surat al-Hajj: 23)

Every detail in the description of the Garden speaks to every period of time and appeals to everyone. Rubies, emeralds, pearls and other precious stones are rare and valuable and everyone appreciates them. For this reason, that the mansions are made of these stones is an important indication of their priceless value.

Among these stones, the reddish transparent ruby is the rarest precious stone in the world. The shiny, smooth, round pearl has an extraordinary aesthetic beauty. Its formation is very special. Over time, a little grain of sand inside an oyster irritates the soft inward of the oyster which covers it with calcium carbonate until it eventually becomes a thing of striking beauty. Of course, these descriptions and comparisons with regard to the Garden are examples taken from the conditions pertaining in this world. These comparisons are necessary as a means to broaden our horizons and for us to think about the Garden. But the beautiful things of the Garden will be much more magnificent than the jewels of this world.

... who will inherit Firdaws, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Surat al-Muminun: 11)

Everything in the Garden has been created to be as pleasant as possible. The Prophet says the following about the mansions in the Garden:

In the garden there is a tent of pearls, whose width is sixty miles, in each corner of which the believer will have a wife whom the others will not see. (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Another thing that adds to the beauty of these mansions is the splendid setting in which they are located. For example, as we see in many descriptions, some mansions are surrounded by greenery and stand over or near water.

He will have a very pleasant life in an elevated Garden. (Surat al-Haqqa: 21-22)

In addition, there is another characteristic of these mansions in the Garden:

There are mansions made of emeralds and jewels. (Imam Ghazzali, Ihya Ulum ad-Din [The Revival of the Sciences of the Deen]

Everything has been created in the Garden according to what people desire and nothing they wish to see is withheld from their eyes. Allah reveals this in the Qur’an:

… They will have there all that their hearts desire and their eyes find delight in… (Surat az-Zukhruf: 71)

On the Day you see the men and women of the believers, with their light streaming out in front of them, and to their right: "Good news for you today of Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. That is the Great Victory." (Surat al-Hadid: 12)

Cities in the Garden:

There is a river known as “Rayyan” in the Garden. A city of coral has been built upon it. It has seventy thousand gates of gold and silver. (Ahmad Diya ad-Din al-Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, vol. 2, p. 326/4)

In the above hadith, our Prophet tells of gold and silver, the symbols of splendid wealth and art. Because both these metals are brilliant, resilient, easy to shape and difficult to find they have held an important place throughout history. There is only as much as 0.004 grams of gold in a ton of earth; the amount per ton obtained in gold mines, however, varies between 6 and 12 grams. Therefore, to obtain a gold plate, tons of rocks must be refined. The fact that gold is hard to obtain and is rarer than other metals in the world increases its value greatly. And this shiny, resilient and easy to shape metal has also a strong aesthetic appeal to people.

There is solace and sweetness and a Garden of Delight. (Surat al-Waqi'a: 89)

The aesthetic and artistic value of gold makes it the metal of choice in the production of fine works of art. Many of the things we find rich and extravagant are either made of gold or decorated with it. In the adornment of objects, in bookbinding, calligraphy, miniatures and illumination, gold is indispensable. The lavish use of gold in the dwellings described in the hadith is a blessing that people find pleasing. In this world, people see gold often in the form of ingots; once in a while they come across a few gold-plated objects and accessories and perhaps even palaces with excessive use of gold such as in gilt columns. All these things are amazing to those of us who are accustomed to seeing only a few pieces of jewellery made of gold. This being the case, we cannot easily imagine a skyscraper or a mansion, a villa or a summer house made purely of gold. Just the idea that there may be such things gives pleasure and excitement to the human spirit. The hadith we have quoted previously tells us that the buildings in the Garden are made of gold and silver bricks. This increases the beauty of the already splendid houses in the Garden and makes them even more magnificent.

[It is built of] one brick of gold and one brick of silver, its mortar is of strongly scented musk, its stones are pearls and emeralds, and its soil is of saffron… (Narrated by Abu Hurayra, at-Tirmidhi)

In the hadith below, another aspect of the splendour of the Garden is emphasised by reference to a gold pillar:

In the Garden there is a gold pillar with cities of beryl [a bright, green precious stone resembling emerald] on it, and these shine like stars in the Garden… (Ahmad Diya ad-Din al-Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, vol. 1, p. 125/6)

Another interesting aspect of the above hadith is the high elevation of the cities. Certainly in this world a highly elevated city is to be preferred because of the view and refreshing climate. When we consider that these cities are in the splendid setting of the Garden, we can better understand to what extent these dwellings will be pleasing to the human spirit. These dwellings spoken of in the hadith – cities on pillars – have a parallel in the verses of the Qur’an that tell us about high-ceilinged halls built one above the other:

But those who have taqwa of their Lord will have high-ceilinged Halls, and more such Halls built one above the other, and rivers flowing under them. That is Allah’s promise. Allah does not break His promise. (Surat az-Zumar: 20)

When we think of life in a city, first of all, many problems come to mind. Traffic, health, communication, air pollution, infrastructure, water, electricity, telephones and security have become matters that people have to struggle with. Many professions have even come into existence to mitigate these problems and help people lead more untroubled and ordered lives. The reasons for such problems will be eradicated in the Garden and there is no possibility that such conditions could ever exist in the cities there.

He will forgive you your wrong actions and admit you into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, and gine dwellings in the Garden of Eden. That is the Great Victory. (Surat as-Saff: 12)

The Qur’an tells us that the climate of the Garden will be the most pleasant and comfortable for the human spirit: “…they will experience there neither burning sun nor bitter cold.”(Surat al-Insan: 13) For this reason, there will be no need for heating systems or air conditioning. As we will see in the following chapters, communication will be no problem in the Garden. Allah knows the truth.

When the buildings of the Garden are mentioned in the hadith, the Prophet says that their mortar will be a sweet-smelling material called musk. We can see that all the blessings that Allah has created in the Garden appeal to all our senses. A sweet aroma is a wonderful blessing for human beings. The scent of roses, carnations, lilies, hyacinths, lilacs, acacia and pine trees are all gifts of Allah to human beings. In addition, these wonderful smells have a pleasing effect on the human spirit. Nothing in this world will be able to compare with the aromas of the Garden and people will enjoy all their unexpected subtleties. The fact that the mortar of the buildings is composed of musk is one of the best examples of this. This is only one of the wonderful things that Allah has created for believers in the Garden.

... and make me one of the inheritors of the Garden of Delight; (Surat Ash-Shu'ara': 85)

The Palaces of the Garden:

In one hadith, the palaces of the Garden are mentioned:

In the Garden, there are palaces built of emeralds and jewels and in each building there will be 70 rooms of red colour and in each room 70 sub-rooms of green colour and in each sub-room there will be one throne… There will be 70 dining cloths in each room and 70 kinds of food on each dining cloth. There will be seven servants in each room… (Imam Ghazzali, Ihya Ulum ad-Din, vol. 4)

... and will reward them for their steadfastness with a Garden and with silk. (Surat al-Insan: 12)

We are told that the palaces of the Garden are made of the most precious stones, that they are decorated in the most beautiful and pleasing manner and that they are full of blessings. Believers who are not content with the life of this world and who are not deceived by the attractions of this transitory world will be blessed in the Hereafter with real gifts that are perfect and everlasting. Because they have had a pure iman, and have willingly made serious effort toward the attainment of the Garden, they will have true delight forever in its beautiful dwellings. As well as containing every luxury and splendid wealth, this environment will be a pure and noble place where the people of the Garden always remember Allah and give Him heartfelt thanks. In the Qur’an, Allah tells us that the people of the Garden live there in continual thankfulness and happiness:

They will say, “Praise be to Allah Who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us the inheritors of this land, letting us settle in the Garden wherever we want. How excellent is the wage of those who work!” (Surat az- Zumar: 74)

The Cool Pavilions of the Garden:

Many hadith describe the tents that are among the dwellings of the Garden. Some of these hadith are as follows:

A tent [in the Garden] is like a hollow pearl, thirty miles in height and in every corner of the tent, a believer will have a wife who cannot be seen by the others. (Narrated by Abu Musa al- Ash’ari; Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 4, hadith no: 466)

In the Garden the believer will have a tent made of a single hollow pearl, whose width will be sixty miles. The believer will have wives in it, and he will go to each of them with out any of them seeing each other. (Narrated by Abu Bakr ibn Abdullah ibn Qais, Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, hadith no: 2838)

The least of the people of the Garden in rank is the one who will have eighty thousand servants and seventy two wives, and for whom will be set up a dome of pearls, aquamarine and rubies similar in dimensions to the distance between Jabiyah and San’a. (Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, at-Tirmidhi)

Everything in the Garden has been created in the most perfect way and the pavilions are as comfortable as possible to give pleasure, comfort and relaxation to believers. The Messenger of Allah tells us that these pavilions are extraordinarily capacious and made of precious jewels. In the hadith we are told that those who belong to the people of the Garden live a wonderful life with their families and friends within broad and lofty pearl. Certainly this is a wonder from the incomparable creative power and artistry of our Lord. A person who lives within the countless deficiencies, imperfections and restrictions of this world is delighted just to imagine such beauty. This splendour together with the numbers of servants there will be in these tents of the Garden made of emeralds and rubies is an announcement of glad tidings for those who work in this world in the hope of pleasing Allah, obtaining His mercy and entering the Garden.

They will say, "Praise be to Allah Who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us the inheritors if this land, letting us settle in the Garden wherever we want. How excellent is the wage of those who work!" (Surat az-Zumar: 74)

The Markets of the Garden:

Markets are places where people are able to acquire the goods they need. In them there are all kinds of food and other articles. People go to these places looking forward to eating good food, trying different tastes, buying stylish clothes and appliances to make their work easier; they buy things they like which they think will make them comfortable. So, if people enjoy this blessing even a little in this world, Allah will make it perfect in the Garden. The markets in the Garden, with their countless variety of blessings and their sights that create a pleasing sense of abundance, appeal to the desires of the people of the Garden. In addition, in the Garden many kinds of inconveniences associated with worldly markets will disappear. For example, when people go through markets in this world, they quickly become weary even though they enjoy themselves. Most people do not have as much time as they would like to go around in them. Besides those few people who have enough money to buy what they want, most people cannot purchase everything they desire and there are many who cannot afford to buy even what they need. As long as they can pay the price they can select what they want from the abundance. But if they cannot afford it, they must be content only with browsing in these places. However, the Messenger of Allah tells us that people can have as much as they want of everything in the markets of the Garden. There, it will not be a matter of shopping; everyone will be able to have whatever he likes. There will be a variety of blessings in these markets that people have never seen or even imagined before. In His great kindness, Allah will give everyone what they desire and no one will want for anything.

As for those who believe and do right actions, We will lodge them in lofty chambers in the Garden, with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. How excellent is the reward of those who act. (Surat al-'Ankabut: 58)

This situation is described in the hadith:

So we will come to a market surrounded by angels in which there is that which eyes have never seen the like of, the ears have never heard and which has never occurred to human hearts. That which we desire will be carried to us, and nothing will be sold in it or bought. In that market the people of the Garden will meet each other, so that a man of high rank will come forward and meet those who are lesser than himself [and none of them will be low people] and the clothes he has on will amaze and delight him. Before he ceases speaking, an even finer raiment will appear upon him. That is because it is not fitting for anyone to sorrow in it. (Narrated by Abu Hurayra, Sunan Ibn Majah; at-Tirmidhi) There is in the Garden a market wherein there will be no buying and selling, but forms of men and women. So when a man wishes a form, he will enter into it. (Narrated by Ali, at-Tirmidhi)

Another blessing mentioned in the hadith is the physical features of men and women. To be able to change one’s style at will and to appear wearing different fashions is something that many people in this world dream about. Most people would like to have a beautiful, healthy and unblemished face and body. From birth, people have been given a certain hair colour, iris colour, facial features, skin tone, and height and body type. However, in the Garden there is no worldly sense of monotony from the existence of one kind of beauty; a person’s looks change when and however he may desire, as in this hadith containing the transformation of the man’s clothing in an instance. This is another blessing.

Platters and cups of gold will be 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, for ever. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 71)

In another hadith, we are told about the pleasant social life in the markets of the Garden where believers sit in beautiful, fragrant, comfortable places, and meet and converse with one another:

It is certain that there are such markets in the Garden in which no goods are exchanged. When the inmates of the Garden arrive there, they will recline on fresh and bright pearly earth of musk. They will meet with each other as they did in this world. They will talk of how they were in this world and how they worshipped our Lord, of how they enlivened the nights in prayer, of how they fasted during the day, of the wealth and poverty of the world, of death… and of how they are the people of the Garden. (Mukhtasar Tadhkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 326/565)

But those who have taqwa of their Lord will have high-ceilinged Halls, and more such Halls built one above the other, and rivers flowing under them. That is Allah's promise. Allah does not break His promise. (Surat az-Zumar: 20)