Allah The Almighty has created Paradise for His believing slaves; He has created in it pleasures that no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard of, and no mind could ever comprehend. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), said: “Allah, the Exalted, has said: ‘I have prepared for my righteous slaves (in Paradise) what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and the mind of no man has conceived.’” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]There are many verses in the Qur’an that describe Paradise and some of what it contains; the following are a collection of some of them:• It is a wide space:{“And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden [i.e. Paradise] as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous.”} [Qur’an, 3: 133]• It is an eternal abode:{“Wherein they abide eternally. They will not desire from it any transfer.”} [Qur’an, 18: 108]• It contains gardens beneath which rivers flow:{“Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which the great attainment is.”} [Qur’an, 9: 72]• Its food and shade are everlasting:{“The example [i.e. description] of Paradise, which the righteous have been promised, is [that] beneath it rivers flow. Its fruit is lasting, and its shade. That is the consequence for the righteous...”} [Qur’an, 13: 35]• Its drinks and foods are delicious and varied:{“...the description of Paradise, which the righteous are promised, wherein are rivers of water unaltered, rivers of milk the taste of which never changes, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey, in which they will have from all [kinds of] fruits and forgiveness from their Lord...”} [Qur’an, 47: 15]• Its inhabitants are adorned with gold and pearl jewellery:{“[For them are] gardens of perpetual residence, which they will enter. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls...”} [Qur’an, 35: 33]• Its furniture is extremely beautiful from the exterior, and it is lined with silk that is decorated with gold:{ “[They are] reclining on beds whose linings are of silk brocade and the fruit of the two gardens is hanging low.”} [Qur’an, 55: 54]• In Paradise, men are given Hoor, the special women of Paradise, in addition to the wives to whom they were married in this life:{“And with them will be women limiting [their] glances, with large, [beautiful] eyes, As if they were [delicate] eggs, well protected.”} [Qur’an, 37: 48-49]• The people of Paradise will be served by beautiful youths who will never die:{“There will circulate among them young boys made eternal. When you see them, you would think them [as beautiful as] scattered pearls.”} [Qur’an, 76: 19]• Its utensils are made of gold and silver:{“‘Enter Paradise, you and your kinds, delighted.’ Circulated among them will be plates and vessels of gold. And therein is whatever the souls desire and [what] delights the eyes, and you will abide therein eternally.”} [Qur’an, 43: 70-71]• The climate in Paradise is both moderate and pleasant:{“[They will be] reclining therein on adorned couches. They will not see therein any [burning] sun or [freezing] cold.”} [Qur’an, 76: 13]• The children of the dwellers of Paradise will be raised to their rank, even if they were to fall short of it. This is so that the joy of the dwellers of Paradise will be completed by the presence of their children:{“And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith — We will join with them their descendants, and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds. Every person, for what he earned, is retained.”} [Qur’an, 52: 21]Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “The first group (of people) to enter Paradise will be shining like the moon on a full-mooned night. Then will come those who follow them, who will be (shining) like the brightest planet in the sky. They (i.e., all the people of Paradise) will not stand in need of urinating, defecating, spitting, or blowing their noses. Their combs will be of gold and their sweat will smell of musk. Their wives will be large-eyed maidens. All the men (in Paradise) will be alike and in the form of their father Aadam - sixty cubits tall.”” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]The greatest pleasure of the dwellers of Paradise will be the sight of their Lord. When the dwellers of Paradise see Him, they will forget everything, including all the types of pleasure that they had previously enjoyed.The bounty of seeing Allah in Paradise is one of its distinct features, and is a means of Allah The Almighty honoring its dwellers:{“[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant, Looking at their Lord.”} [Qur’an, 75: 22-23]Meaning that the faces of the believers will be beautified and joyful as a result of their looking at the Face of their Lord, as was stated by Imam Al-Hasan, may Allah have mercy upon him.Allah The Almighty also Says: {“For them who have done good is the best [reward] — and extra...”} [Qur’an, 10: 26] The ‘best reward’ in this verse refers to Paradise, and the ‘extra’ is to be given permission to look at the Face of Allah. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, clarified in the following narration: Suhayb, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: “The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “When the inhabitants of Paradise enter it, Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, will say to them: `Do you wish for me to give you anything more?’ They will reply: `Have You not made our faces bright? Have You not brought us into Paradise and delivered us from Hell?’ Then, Allah will remove the Veil (that screens Him from the believers); the (dwellers of Paradise) will then feel that they have not been awarded anything dearer to them than looking at their Lord.” [Muslim] Then he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, recited the verse (i.e., the 26th verse of Chapter Yoonus).”Having known the greatest bounty and pleasure which the dwellers of Paradise will attain is looking at the Face of their Lord, it becomes evident how deprived the sinners are and how great their loss is. They will be prevented from seeing the Face of their Lord, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {“No! Indeed, from their Lord, that Day, they will be partitioned”} [Qur’an, 83: 15]Reward for women in ParadiseAllah The Almighty clarifies (what means): {“And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer - those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even by as much as] the speck on a date seed.”} [Qur’an, 4: 124] This reflects the kindness of Allah The Almighty and informs us that He will deal fairly and equally with both males and females in terms of accepting their good deeds; He will not wrong anyone by even an amount as small as the ‘speck’ on the date seed, which is a reference to the very fine membrane that covers it.In this verse, Allah The Almighty informs women specifically that He will not wrong them, provided they fulfil the condition in it (which means): {“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.”} [Qur’an, 16: 97] Imaam Ibn Katheer, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “This is a promise from Allah to anyone from the children of Aadam, whether male or female, who perform good deeds, which (of course) are those deeds that are in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and who perform them whilst their hearts believe in Allah and His Messenger, that they will live a good life.”If women still doubt their reward in the Hereafter, then the following narration ought to put their mind at ease. Umm ‘Umaarah, may Allah be pleased with her, went to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and said: “O Messenger of Allah! Why are women not mentioned in the Qur’an as much as men are?” So Allah The Almighty revealed the verse (which means): {“Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so – for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.”} [Qur’an, 33: 35] [At-Tirmithi]Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/‘You have better knowledge of your worldly affairs’The Prophets of Allah are the elite of humankind and the most honourable of all people in the sight of Allah, The Exalted. He chose them and entrusted them with conveying His Religion to His Creation. He Says (what means): {Those are the ones to whom We gave the Scripture and authority and prophethood.} [Qur’an 6:89] He also Says (what means): {Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, so from their guidance take an example.} [Qur’an 6:90] The Muslim Ummah unanimously agreed that the Messengers of Allah, may Allah exalt their mention, are infallible with regard to conveying the divine revelation, and this essentially means that they never lie, forget, or make mistakes in this regard.Al-Qaadhi ‘Iyaadh, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “The Prophets of Allah are free of all physical and moral deficiencies.” Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “The Qur’anic verses that establish the prophethood of the Prophets of Allah indicate that they were infallible with regard to communicating the divine revelation. This means that whatever divine revelation they conveyed was unquestionably the truth, and this is the very essence of prophethood.” Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “The infallibility of the Prophets of Allah, may Allah exalt their mention, means guarding them against all imperfections, distinguishing them with aspects of spiritual perfection, and blessing them with support and steadfastness in all matters, as well as sending down serenity upon them.”The Ijtihaad (personal reasoning) of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), that proved to be erroneous or not optimum does not violate his infallibility in the slightest, because he was supported with the divine revelation. Whenever his Ijtihaad was correct, he did not receive any remark or correction from Allah, The Exalted, and this serves as an approval from Allah of his Ijtihaad and indicates that it is obligatory to follow his Ijtihaad in this regard. However, if his Ijtihaad proved to be not optimum, the divine revelation came to correct it, clarifying what was optimum in that regard (like the incident regarding the prisoners of war in the Battle of Badr).In fact, such divine remark and correction render the Ijtihaad of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, part of the divine revelation and a binding ruling that must be obeyed and entails that its violation is forbidden. This is the key difference between the Ijtihaad of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and that of the scholars of his nation. As for his Ijtihaad and personal opinions on worldly matters, and the incidents where they proved to be erroneous (or not optimum), it does not contradict his prophethood and infallibility in any way. This is because it is conceivable that the Prophets and Messengers of Allah might err with regard to worldly matters, and this does not undermine their prophethood, nor does it contradict their infallibility.Some sceptics who promote doubts about the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and his infallibility brought forth as evidence the incident when he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, gave his personal opinion on the artificial pollination of palm trees in Madinah and that it later proved to be wrong. It was narrated on the authority of Raafi‘ ibn Khadeej, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: “When the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, came to Madinah, the people had been artificially pollinating the palm trees. He said: ‘What are you doing?’ They said: ‘We are used to doing this,’ whereupon he said: ‘Perhaps if you do not do that it would be good.’ So they abandoned this practice, and then there was a decline in the produce. They mentioned that to him, so he said: ‘I am only human; whenever I command you to do something pertaining to your religion, adhere to it, and whenever I command you to do something out of my personal opinion, then (keep in mind) that I am only human.’” [Muslim]Anas ibn Maalik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, passed by some people who were artificially pollinating palm trees and said: “If you do not do so, it will still come out right.” The dates came out of poor quality. Afterward, he happened to pass by them, and said: “What has gone wrong with your palm trees?” They said, “You said such-and-such (and we acted upon your advice).” He said: “You are more knowledgeable of your own worldly affairs.” [Muslim]In the version narrated by Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “If that benefits them, then let them do it (artificially pollinate the palm trees). It was an assumption on my part, so do not blame me for an assumption, but whenever I convey to you anything from Allah (divine revelation), adhere to it; I would never tell a lie about Allah.” [Muslim]The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, did not intend to change their practice of pollinating palm trees, but it was rather Ijtihaad on his part regarding a worldly matter that could be right or wrong. This is evidenced by what he said in the version of the Hadith narrated by Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah, may Allah be pleased with him: “If that benefits them, then let them do it. It was only an assumption on my part, so do not blame me for an assumption...”The Companions mistakenly assumed that he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, forbade them from this practice based on divine revelation. Then he explained to them that whenever he communicated divine revelation to them, he would never err with regard to it. This is why he said to them: “...whenever I convey to you anything from Allah, adhere to it; I would never tell a lie about Allah.” Lying here means making a mistake; meaning: I would never make mistakes with regard to the divine revelation I convey. It is not conceivable that the Hadith should mean lying in its literal sense because he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, was infallible against it even if he were conveying from other than Allah. Therefore, he said in the Hadith narrated by Raafi‘ ibn Khadeej: “I am only human; whenever I command you to do something pertaining to your religion, adhere to it, and whenever I command you to do something out of my personal opinion, (keep in mind that) I am only human.”In his commentary on these Ahaadith, Al-Munaawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “His saying (I am only human) means that he is equal to them in humanity and not with regard to (his authority in) religious matters. This is a reference to the Saying of Allah, The Exalted (which means): {Say, I am but a man like yourselves, (but) I receive revelation...} [Qur’an 18:110] He, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, was equal to humans in his humanity, but he was distinguished from them with the duty of conveying the Divine Message.His statement: ‘whenever I command you to do something pertaining to your religion, adhere to it,’ means: If I command you to do what benefits you with regard to your religion, then comply with it because it is always the truth and it is always correct.’ His statement: ‘and whenever I command you to do something out of my personal opinion, (keep in mind that) I am only human,’ means: If I command you to do something pertinent to worldly matters, then I am a human being; my personal opinion on worldly matters may be right or wrong. This is because a human being is prone to forgetfulness and error. By ‘opinion’ here, he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, meant personal opinion on worldly matters.”An-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, compiled the Ahaadith about the artificial pollination of palm trees cited in Saheeh Muslim under the title: “Chapter on the Obligation of Compliance to His Commands Regarding Religious Matters rather than His Personal Opinions on Worldly Matters”. In this chapter, he commented on the Hadith reading, ‘You are more knowledgeable of your own worldly affairs,’ saying: “Scholars said that it means you are more aware of the worldly matters rather than those pertaining to legislation (and Shari‘ah). As for what he said based on his Ijtihaad and declared it to be part of the Shari‘ah, it is obligatory to act upon it. The pollination of palm trees does not fall under this category but rather the one mentioned before it.Scholars said: His saying was not a statement but rather an assumption, as he clarified in the other versions of the Hadith. They said that his personal opinion and assumption on worldly matters are like those of any other person, and therefore it is conceivable that something like this should happen, and it does not imply any deficiency.” Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “He did not forbid them from pollination, but they made the mistake of assuming that he forbade them from it.”Shaykh Ahmad Shaakir, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “The Hadith is clear and explicit and does not conflict with any other text, nor does it contradict his infallibility with regard to his Ijtihaad. It does not indicate that the Sunnah cannot be brought forth as adducible evidence on all matters, nor does it support their claims that the Prophetic Sunnah in its totality is not part of the divine revelation ... Rather, in the Hadith about the pollination of palm trees, he said to them that he did not believe there was a need for that. So he neither commanded nor forbade anything, and he was not conveying divine revelation or establishing an act of Sunnah. Therefore, there are no grounds for expanding the scope of this meaning to the extent of using it as a means to demolish the fundamentals of legislation!”Our Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, was infallible from erring in what he conveyed to us from Allah, The Exalted, and not with regard to his personal opinions on worldly matters that might have been right or wrong. A Muslim believes with certainty in the infallibility of the Prophets and Messengers of Allah, on top of whom comes our Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Therefore, we should be extremely mindful and beware of those who seek to challenge and raise doubts about the Sunnah by saying that the opinions of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, on worldly matters might have been wrong and that some of the Shari‘ah rulings that he conveyed to us were actually based on his personal Ijtihaad that might have been right or wrong as well! This is a false claim and groundless misconception, and this is why Allah, The Exalted, Says (what means): {Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination.* It is not but a revelation revealed.} [Qur’an 53:3-4]Al-Baghawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “It means that he never spoke falsehood.” As-Sa‘di, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “It means that his speech does not emanate from his personal inclination but rather followed the guidance and Taqwa that Allah has revealed to him with regard to his own affairs and those of others. This indicates that the Sunnah is part of the divine revelation from Allah to His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. He Says (what means): {And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom...} [Qur’an 4:113] (Wisdom here is a reference to the Sunnah). It also indicates that he was infallible with regard to what he conveyed from Allah, The Exalted, and His Shari‘ah because he did not speak from personal inclination but rather from a revelation revealed. Allah, The Exalted, Says (what means): {And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from.} [Qur’an 59:7] Ibn Katheer, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “It means that whatever he commanded you to do, do it, and whatever he forbade you from doing, avoid it; for he only commands you to do what is good, and he only forbids you from what is evil.” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “I have left you with that which, if you hold on to it, you will never go astray; the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet.” [Al-Haakim, Al-Albaani: authentic] The Prophetic Sunnah is the rescue ship and the key to deliverance; whoever boards it will be saved, and whoever fails to do so will drown. Az-Zuhri, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Our early scholars used to say, ‘Adherence to the Sunnah is salvation.’”Maalik, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “The Sunnah is (like) Noah’s Ark; whoever boards it survives, and whoever fails to do so drowns.” Obviously, his saying, “You are more knowledgeable of your own worldly affairs,” does not apply to the religious matters, Shari‘ah, obligations, and prohibitions. It rather means: ‘You, who artificially pollinate palm trees, and others like you who practice different professions in industry, agriculture, and the various crafts, are more knowledgeable of your (respective) areas of specialisation than me.’ Al-Munaawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said in Fath Al-Qadeer: “It means that you know about your worldly affairs more than I do, and I know about the affairs of your afterlife more than you do; because the Prophets and Messengers were sent to save people from wretchedness in the Hereafter and help them win eternal bliss.”Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
