“And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit therefrom, they will say, “This is what we were provided with before.” And it is given to them in likeness. And they will have therein purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally.”
This verse balances out the previous verses which threaten the arrogant and disobedient with punishment. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verses 23-24:
“And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down [the Quran] upon Our Servant then produce a sūrah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses [supporters] other than Allāh, if you should be truthful. But if you do not – and you will never be able to – then fear the Fire, whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.”
It is important for muslims to strike a balance between fear of punishment, which aids one to avoid sins, and the hope for divine mercy, which encourages one towards performing righteous deeds. Being too extreme on either side can lead to misguidance. The one who fears excessively, which in this day and age is very rare, can lead one to giving up in the mercy of Allah, the Exalted. The one who hopes in the mercy and forgiveness Allah, the Exalted, in an unbalanced way will adopt wishful thinking. This involves persisting in His disobedience while believing one will be forgiven. As warned in a Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 2459, wishful thinking has no value in Islam. One must strike a balance between the two so that they remain on the straight rightly guided path.
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 25:
“And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds…”
The next thing to note is that good tidings are only useful to those who act on them, just like warnings are only useful to those who act on them, such as road hazard signs. Actualizing these good tidings is then mentioned in the main verses, which involves adopting true belief that is proven practically, through the sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted. This involves using the blessings one has been granted in ways pleasing to Him, as outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
This verse, like countless others, makes it clear that internal faith is not good enough to lead one to peace of mind and success in both worlds until it is supported by physical actions, in the form of the sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted. Chapter 16 An Nahl, verse 97:
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”
Separating belief from actions is one of the greatest tricks of the Devil. He convinces muslims that simply believing in Islam is enough for salvation in both worlds. Behaving in this manner is one of the greatest reasons why muslims fail to obtain peace of mind, even though they believe in the truth. Chapter 20 Taha, verse 124:
“And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed [i.e., difficult] life, and We will gather [i.e., raise] him on the Day of Resurrection blind.”
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 25:
“And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit therefrom, they will say, “This is what we were provided with before.” And it is given to them in likeness…”
The before could be referring to the fruits they ate during their lives on Earth. Fruits from Paradise may look similar to the fruits of this world yet their good taste will be much greater. The before could also be referring to being provided the same fruit in Paradise. It is part of human nature to get bored or fed up with things when they are done repeatedly. But this will not occur in Paradise. Repeated experiences within Paradise will always have a new and different shade of enjoyment which will continue to occur forever. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 25:
“…and they will abide therein eternally.”
Understanding this reality should encourage a muslim to aim for Paradise. As indicated by the start of the main verse, this is only achieved through the sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted, which involves using the blessings one has been granted in ways pleasing to Him, as outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
Even though the true perception of Paradise is beyond the comprehension of people, Allah, the Exalted, mentions certain things of Paradise, such as fruits, which people can, to a limited extent, understand in order to increase their efforts for obtaining Paradise. It would be difficult for many muslims to strive for something they cannot comprehend at all. In addition, the Holy Quran purposely mentions things which can easily be comprehended by all people, irrespective of the differences between them, such as their social class. This is one of the profound wisdoms of the Holy Quran as it always discusses things according to the level and comprehension of the universal listener.
Finally, the fact that the hereafter is eternal, reminds muslims that this world is temporary. A wise person must not sacrifice eternity for the sake of a fleeting and temporary enjoyment. This does not mean they should abandon this world. Instead, they must aim to obtain peace of mind in the moment they spend in this world and in the eternal hereafter as well, by sincerely obeying Allah, the Exalted. Chapter 10 Yunus, verse 45:
“And on the Day when He will gather them, [it will be] as if they had not remained [in the world] but an hour of the day…”
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 25:
“…And they will have therein purified spouses…”
Allah, the Exalted, will grant purified spouses to the people of Paradise so that they find comfort and peace with them. The one who desires this particular blessing should aim to find a spouse in this world who directs them to the sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted. This is the reason why the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, warned muslims to marry someone for the sake of piety, meaning, how much they sincerely obey Allah, the Exalted, and not solely and primarily for worldly reasons such as wealth, lineage or beauty, otherwise they will find nothing but loss. This has been discussed in a Hadith found in Sahih Bukhari, number 5090. Put simply, a righteous spouse in this world will encourage one to gain the purified spouse in the hereafter.
In addition, a purified spouse will only be granted to the one who is purified. This indicates that one must strive hard to purify all aspects of their character. They must purify their intention so that they only act in order to please Allah, the Exalted, and therefore, do not desire nor hope for any type of gratitude from people. They must purify their speech so that they speak what is good or remain silent. They must purify their actions by using the blessings they have been granted in ways pleasing to Allah, the Exalted, as outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And they must purify their character by replacing their negative traits with the positive ones discussed in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. The one who strives to purify themself in this manner will obtain a purified spiritual heart. This leads to safety and peace of mind in both worlds. Chapter 16 An Nahl, verse 97:
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”
And chapter 26 Ash Shu’ara, verses 88-89:
“The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children. But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.”
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, Verses 1-179 Free eBook & Backup Link: READ & READ
Al Fatihah – The Quran Summarized Complete Free eBook & Backup Link: READ & READ
PodQuran Series Free eBooks: READ
500+ English Books / اردو کتب / كتب عربية / Buku Melayu / বাংলা বই / Libros En Español / Livres En Français / Libri Italiani / Deutsche Bücher / Livros Portugueses:
https://shaykhpod.com/books/
Backup Sites for eBooks: https://shaykhpodbooks.wordpress.com/books/
https://shaykhpodbooks.wixsite.com/books
https://archive.org/details/@shaykhpod
https://www.youtube.com/@ShaykhPod/playlists
AudioBooks, Blogs, Infographics & Podcasts: https://shaykhpod.com/
Anonymously Follow WhatsApp Channel for Daily Blogs, eBooks, Pics and Podcasts: FOLLOW
Subscribe to Receive Daily Blogs & Updates Via Email: https://shaykhpod.com/subscribe
#Allah #ShaykhPod #Islam #Quran #Hadith #Charity #ProphetMuhammad #Sunnah #Piety #Taqwa #Tafseer
ShaykhPod 