“Imam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya:
Descriptions of Paradise – sifat al-janna”
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Imam al-Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya Describes Paradise (janna) as in Hadi al-Arwahfollows:
فإن سألت عن أرضها و تربتها فهي المسك و الزعفران
و ان سألت عن سقفها فهو عرش الرحمن
و ان سألت عن حصبائها فهو اللؤلؤ و الجوهر
و ان سألت عن بنائها فلبنة من فضة و لبنة من ذهب
و ان سألت عن اشجارها فما فيها شجرة إلا وساقها من ذهب و فضة لا من الحطب و الخشب
و ان سألت عن ثمرها فأمثال القلال ألين من الزبد واحلى من العسل
و ان سألت عن ورقها فاحسن ما يكون من رقائق الحلل
و ان سألت عن انهارها فانهار من لبن لم يتغير طعمه و انهار من خمر لذة للشاربين و انهار من عسل مصفى
و ان سألت عن طعامهم ففاكهة مما يتخيرون و لحم طير مما يشتهون […]
و ان سألت عن سعتها فادنى أهلها يسير في ملكه و سرره و قصوره و بساتينه مسيرة الفي عام […]
و ان سألت عن ارتفاعها فانظر إلى الكوكب الطالع أو الغارب في الأفق الذي لا تكاد تناله الأبصار […]
و ان سألت عن وجوه أهلها و حسنهم فعلى صورة القمر
وان سألت عن اسنانهم فابناء ثلاث و ثلاثين على صورة آدم عليه السلام أبي البشر
و ان سألت عن سماعهم فغناء ازواجهم من الحور العين و اعلى منه سماع اصوات الملائكة و النبيين و اعلى منهما خطاب رب العالمين […]
و ان سألت عن عرائسهم و ازواجهم فهن الكواعب الاتراب اللاتي جرى في اعضائهن ماء الشباب […] تجري الشمس من محاسن وجهها إذا برزت و يضيء البرق من بين ثناياها إذا ابتسمت إذا قابلت حبها فقل ما تشاء في تقابل النيرين […]يرى وجهه في صحن خدها كما يرى في المرآة التي جلاها صيقلها […]
لو اطلعت على الدنيا لملأت ما بين الأرض والسماء ريحا و لاستنطقت افواه الخلائق تهليلا و تكبيرا و تسبيحا و لتزخرف لها ما بين الخافقين و لا غمضت عن غيرها كل عين و لطمست ضوء الشمس كما تطمس الشمس ضوء النجوم و لامن من على ظهرها بالله الحي القيوم
و نصيفها على رأسها خير من الدينا و ما فيها […] لا تزداد على طول الاحقاب إلا حسنا و جمالا […] مبرأة من الحبل و الولادة و الحيض و النفاس مطهرة من المخاط و البصاق و البول و الغائط و سائر الادناس
لا يفنى شبابها و لا تبلى ثيابها و لا يخلق ثوب جمالها و لا يمل طيب وصالها قد قصرت طرفها على زوجها فلا تطمح لاحد سواه و قصر طرفه عليها فهي غاية امنيته و هواه ان نظر اليها سرته و ان امرها بطاعته اطاعته و ان غاب عنها حفظته فهو معها في غاية الأماني و الأمان هذا و لم يطمثها قبله انس و لا جان […]
ولا يبقى في ذلك المجلس أحد إلا حاضره ربه تعالى محاضرة حتى أنه ليقول يا فلان أتذكر يوم فعلت كذا و كذا يذكره ببعض غدراته في الدنيا فيقول يا رب ألم تغفر لي فيقول بلى بمغفرتي بلغت منزلتك هذه فيا
Translation:
[...] And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.
And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of Allah the Most Merciful
[...]
And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.
And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks (labina) of gold and silver.
And if you ask about its trees, then there is not a single tree except that its trunk is made of complete gold and silver and not wood or bark.
And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter (al-zubd) and sweeter than honey.
And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest and most delicate cloth.
And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who’s taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.
And if you ask about their food, then it is whatever fruits they want and the meat of whatever animal or bird they desire
[...]
And if you ask about its size, then the lowest of its people [in Paradise] would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens (basatin) the distance that would be travelled in a thousand years
[...]
And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the sky that the eyesight cannot possibly reach
[...]
And if you ask about the faces of the people who live there and their beauty, then they are like the image of the beautiful and full Moon.
And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), the father of human beings.
And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among the women of Paradise (hur al-`ayn), and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets and better than both of them is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds (Allah)
[...]
And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and matured and have had the liquid of youth flow through their body [...] the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it (idha burrizat), sparkling light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights [...] when he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek it is as if he is looking into a polished mirror
[...]
If she were to be sent to this world, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind and fragrance, and the mouths of everything in creation would glorify, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be made beautiful, and every eye would be shut from everything but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.
And the covering on her head is better than the world and all that is in it [...] and she does not increase with age except in beauty [...] free from an umbilical cord, giving birth, periods, bleeding, pure from saliva, urine and other filthy things.
Her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out; no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored of her; her attention is restricted to her husband only, so she desires only him, just as his attention and look is restricted to her so she is the only object of his desire; if he commands her to do something, she does it [...] and he is with her in utmost safety and security, and she will be someone no-one has touched her before whether of humans or Jinn
[...]
And there will not remain a single person in this gathering of Paradise except that his Lord – the Most High – will speak to him and say: ‘Do you remember the day that you did this and that good thing?’ Allah will then remind him of some of the bad things he did in this worldly life, so he will say to Allah: ‘O Lord! Will you not forgive me?’ So, Allah will say: ‘Of course! You have not reached this position of yours in Paradise except by my forgiveness’…”[1]
Notes:
- Paradise is unimaginably vast.
- Paradise is beautiful.
- Paradise is desirable.
- All manners of delight will be present in Paradise.
- People will enter Paradise youthful and free of physical imperfection.
- There will be paradisal beauties reserved for the righteous.
- Allah’s contingent act of mercy will enable us to enter Paradise.
- Descriptions of Paradise help make one yearn for it.
- The believer should seek Paradise through the performance of good deeds.
We ask Allah to be of those who attain it. Amin.
s.z.c.
Comments
Amin