The Benefits Of Miswak

Abu Hurairah Radiyallahu ‘anhu narrates that
Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam said:
Were it not (for the fear) of overburdening my
Ummah, I would have ordered them to (brush
their teeth with) Siwak at every Salat.
(Muslim)
Note: Siwak or Miswak is a natural tooth
brush prepared from the roots or branches of
various trees and bushes. The most common
and beneficial is that of the root of the
Salvadora Persica, a wild desert plant known
in Arabic as Arak, and in Urdu as Peelu.
‘A’ishah Radiyallahu ‘anha narrates that Nabi
Sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam said: The Siwak is
a means of purifying the mouth and pleasing
the Rabb.
(Nasai)
Abu Hurairah Radiyallahu ‘anhu narrates that
Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam said
once on a Friday: O Community of Muslims!
Allah has made this day an ‘Eid for you, so
take a bath and needfully brush your teeth
with Siwak (toothstick).
(Tabarani, Majma’uz-Zawaid)
Abu Ayyub Radiyallahu ‘anhu narrates that
Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam said:
Four characteristics pertain to the practices of
the Prophets (Messengers): Modesty, use of
perfume, use of Siwak, and marriage.
(Tirmidhi)
Abu Umamah Radiyallahu ‘anhu narrates that
Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam said:
Whenever Jibrail ‘Alaihis salam came to me
he stressed the use of Siwak to the extent that
I feared (from the excessive use of Siwak) I
may injure my gums.
(Musnad Ahmad)
‘A’ishah Radiyallahu ‘anha narrates that
whenever Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘alaihi
wasallam slept in the night or day, as he
awoke he would brush his teeth with Siwak
before performing Wudu.
(Abu Dawud)
‘A’ishah Radiyallahu ‘anha narrates that
Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam said:
Two Rak’at (of Salat offered) with Siwak, are
superior in virtue to seventy Rak’at (offered)
without Siwak.
(Bazzar, Majma-’uz-Zawaid)
‘Ali Radiyallahu ‘anhu narrates that
Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam said:
Verily, when an ‘Abd (the slave of Allah) uses
the Siwak, then stands in Salat, an angel
stands behind him, listening closely to his
recitation. He then draws closer and closer to
him, until he places his mouth upon the
mouth (of the one reciting the Qur’an).
Whatever he recites from the Qur’an, it enters
inside the angel; so purify your mouths (with
Siwak) for (the recitation of) the Qur’an.
(Musnad, Bazzar. Majma-’uz-Zawaid)

Toothpastes contain cancer causing nicotine, finds study

Beware! Your favourite toothpaste could be
laced with cancer -causing nicotine.
A study by the Delhi Institute of
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research
(DIPSAR) has found that many of the
toothpaste manufacturers are adulterating
toothpastes and toothpowders with high
quantity of nicotine.
"Out of the 24 brands of toothpastes studied
in 2011, seven brands - Colgate Herbal,
Himalaya, Neem paste, Neem Tulsi, RA
Thermoseal, Sensoform and Stoline - were
found to contain nicotine," said Professor S. S.
Agarwal of DIPSAR, which is affiliated to the
Delhi University and is funded by the Delhi
government.
"Colgate Herbal and Neem Tulsi, also a herbal
product, surprisingly had 18 and 10 mg of
nicotine, which is equivalent to the quantity
found in nine and five cigarettes respectively,"
Prof Agarwal added.
"Out of the ten brands of toothpowders
examined, six - Dabur Red, Vicco, Musaka Gul,
Payokil, Unadent and Alka Dantmanjan - were
found to contain nicotine. Payokil was found
to have the highest 16 mg of tobacco, which
is equivalent of what a person consumes after
smoking eight cigarettes," he said.
"Vicco was found to have used tobacco
consecutively for three years in its
toothpowder, while Dabur Red resumed mixing
tobacco in 2011 after stopping it in 2008,"Prof
Agarwal said.
The findings were, however, strongly refuted by
the manufacturers of some of the dental
creams and toothpowders named by DIPSAR.
According to the Cigarettes and Other
Tobacco Products Act, 2003, tobacco cannot
be added to non-tobacco products like
toothpastes and toothpowders.
Section 7(5) of the Act lays down that every
tobacco package should have nicotine and tar
contents along with the maximum permissible
limits, which is not being done by these
toothpaste manufacturers.
Moreover, as nicotine and tar are carcinogens,
the manufacturers should mention them
among contents along with their permissible
limits on the packages to help people make an
informed choice.
Prof Agarwal said that he has now written to
the Union ministry of health and family
welfare, drug controller-general of India and
Delhi drug controller about the rampant
tobacco adulteration in toothpowders and
toothpastes. " Addition of tobacco is banned
under central excise but it is still being added;
do they forward it to the drug controller-
general of India? Nicotine action is believed to
be responsible for the drug induced feeling of
pleasure and addiction, said Prof Agarwal.
Denying the presence of nicotine in his
products, Sanjeev Pendharkar, Director, Vicco
Laboratories said that the DIPSAR report was
brought to their notice earlier as well. "The
matter was also investigated by officers of the
Drugs Control Administration, Goa. They did
not find anything adverse and the samples
drawn by them also did not show presence of
nicotine," he asserted.
"We tested samples of Vicco Vajradanti paste
and powder and the raw materials used in
them. We found that both finished products
and raw materials did not show presence of
nicotine. The findings of DIPSAR are totally
wrong. It has not disclosed the source of
sampling. Our products do not contain any
nicotine or fluoride," Pendharkar iterated.
He demanded tests in a government-approved
laboratory and "our in-house laboratory," to
substantiate his claim.
Refuting the findings of DIPSAR, a corporate
official of the Himalaya Drug Company said,
"We do not add nicotine to our toothpaste.
Tests conducted have proved that our product
is absolutely nicotine-free. The product was
analysed for the presence of nicotine using
highly sensitive Liquid Chromatography Mass
Spectrometry (LC-MS) technique.
The results showed that nicotine was not
detected. In polyherbals, many phytochemicals
are present which can best be estimated by
LCMS, hence we follow this sophisticated
procedure."Asked for comments, a Dabur India
spokesman said, "We would not be able to
comment unless we see the study and the
methodology used." Prof Agarwal stood by his
findings. He said these companies "are lying
just to safeguard their interests." He said he is
ready to provide the companies with details of
the methodology used.
"Nicotine in toothpastes can have the same ill
effects as that in tobacco products like
cigarettes and paan products. The nicotine is
absorbed by the tongue and saliva in the
mouth. It can lead to staining of teeth too and
damage the whole enamel," warned Dr Rakesh
Malhotra, senior dental surgeon, Centre for
Advanced Dentistry. Toothpaste that contains
nicotine can be as addictive as other nicotine
products, he added. Nicotine can be absorbed
by the lips, tongue, the floor of the mouth, the
top roof of the mouth, cheeks and the gums
leading to problems like oral inflammation and
cancer.
"Oral ingestion of nicotine can lead to oral
cancer and cancer causing agents can also
get into the lining of the stomach, esophagus
and into the bladder," Dr Malhotra said. Other
side- effects of nicotine consumption include
drooling. Children are particularly impacted by
this, and may even report a burning sensation
in the mouth.
According to Dr R C Jiloha of the psychiatry
department, G. B. Pant Hospital, "Nicotine is
distributed throughout the body, mostly to
skeletal muscles and binds to the receptors in
the brain, where it influences the cerebral
metabolism."
Health hazards
It can also be absorbed by the lips, tongue,
floor of the mouth, top roof of the mouth,
cheeks and gums leading to problems such as
oral inflammation and cancer. "Oral ingestion
of nicotine can lead to oral cancer and cancer
causing agents can also get into the lining of
the stomach, esophagus and the bladder," he
added.
"Toothpastes containing nicotine can have the
same ill effects hitherto attributed to tobacco
products such as cigarettes and paan
masala . The nicotine in the toothpaste is
absorbed by the tongue and saliva in the
mouth. It can lead to staining of teeth too and
damage the whole enamel," Dr Rakesh
Malhotra, senior dental surgeon, said.

DESCRIPTION OF PARADISE & ITS PEOPLE

Initially all people whom their deeds record
are given in right hand will enter Paradise.
However later people will be entering to
paradise due to intercession and by mercy of
Allah.
As we cannot comprehend the Hell
punishment, same way we can not exactly
imagine what Allah has made for the people of
Heaven. As said by prophet (pbuh)
“There are things in Paradise, which no eye
has seen no ear has heard and no human
mind has thought of “.
1.
Paradise has eight agates.
2.
The distance between the two gate-panels of
one of the gates of Paradise is the distance of
forty-year's walking
3.
Paradise has one hundred levels.
4.
Bricks used are of gold and silver.
5.
Prophet will get “Al-Waseelah” The Highest
level of Paradise.
6.
There are lights of pearl.
7.
Its Soil of saffron, a fine white powder.
8.
There is a sea of honey, a sea of wine, a sea of
milk and a sea of water, and the rivers flow
out of these seas. Wine will be highly tasteful
without any sore taste and bad smell.
9.
In it are rivers of water; rivers of milk of which
the taste never changes; rivers of wine, and
rivers of honey pure and clear.
One can bring canal to one’s selected place
without any trouble.
10.
There are spring of Kafoor, Salsabeel, and
spring of Kauthar which will be given in
custody of prophet Mohammad (PBUH)
11.
The wine of Paradise is crystal-white, delicious
to those who drink and free from intoxication.
12.
Dark Green Gardens under which rivers flow.
13.
Pebbles of pearl and sapphire
14.
There are Tent, hollowed out pearl
15.
Its fragrance can be discerned from a distance
of forty years' traveling. The best of the
aromatic plants of Paradise is henna.
16.
Fruits of all kinds,
two types having taste of world but much
better in quality, including dates and
pomegranates, apple, grape, pomegranates.
The fruits in bunches will be low and near at
hand.
17.
Trees, like date palms and, thornless Lot-
trees, among them Talh trees with fruits piled
one above another.
18.
There is no tree in Paradise that does not
have a trunk made of gold
19.
Tooba is a tree in Paradise, as big as a
hundred year's journey; the clothes of the
people of Paradise comes from its calyces.
Their clothes will never wear out.
20.
Tree, Sidrat al-Muntaha, its Nabq [fruits]
looked like the clay jugs of Hajar, leaves like
ears of elephants, and one of these leaves
could cover the whole of this ummah.
21.
Beautiful high dwellings or mansion whose
inside can be seen from the outside, and the
outside can be seen from inside.
22.
Flesh of any fowl that they may desire.
23.
Some heavens will be having all utensils and
other things of Silver and some of Gold.
24.
People will be like Aadam, sixty cubits tall,
age about 30 to 33 and their youth will never
fade.
25.
People will not urinate, defecate, spit, blow
their noses or excrete.
26.
There will be no sickness, pain or sadness.
27.
People will sit on gold-encrusted thrones,
reclining on green cushions and rich carpets,
facing one another, eating and talking and
drinking.
28.
Immortal youths will serve them with goblets,
and ewers, and cups filled with wine from
unsullied springs by which their minds will not
be clouded and which will not make them
drunk.
29.
They will be given to drink there a cup [of
wine] mixed with zanjabeel (ginger), from a
spring there, called Salsabeel.
30.
Also wine mixed with Tasneem (spring in
Paradise), drink from it are those who are
nearest to Allah.
31.
People of Paradise will look at the people
dwelling in the chambers above them in the
same way that people look at a brilliant star
shining far away on the horizon.
32.
People of Paradise will also be able to look
Hell and talk to them.
33.
People will go every Friday to a market, then a
wind will come from the north and blow on
their faces and clothes, and they will get
increase in beauty.
34.
People will be in permanent joy and will never
feel miserable.
35.
Their wives will be Al-Hoor Al-Eyn. Very
beautiful, like Rubies and Coral. The marrow of
whose calves will be visible from beneath the
flesh because of their beauty.
36.
The wives will sing to their husband in the
most beautiful voices that anyone has ever
heard.
37.
Hoors are like pearls hidden in their shells,
having big and lustrous eyes but restrained
(as to their glances).
38.
If a woman from the people of Paradise were
to look at this earth, she would light up
everything between it and fill it with her
fragrance; the veil on her head is better than
this world and all that is in it
39.
Worldly spouses, shall be in a renewed life, as
virgins with full of love and well matched.
40.
The close relatives will get joined to higher
stages by Allah blessing. (Parents with
children or spouses)
41.
There will be no hatred of resentment among
them, their hearts will be as one.
42.
They shall not hear therein any Laghw
(useless talk), talk starting by saying salaam
to each other.
43.
People shall abide for ever and will never die.
44.
Abu Bakr and 'Umar will be the leaders of men
of Paradise from the earlier and later
generations.
45.
Hasan and Husayn are the leaders of the
youth of Paradise
46.
The best women of Paradise are Khadeejah
bint Khuwaylid, Faatimah bint Muhammad,
Maryam bint 'Imraan and Aasiyah bin
Muzahim, the wife of Fir'awn
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is quoted as
saying that everyone will see Allah on the Day
of Resurrection, as easily as one can see the
sun when there are no clouds. And this is the
most pleasurable and valuable, that heavenly
people will get.

CONFIRMED PEOPLE OF PARADISE

The People of Paradise: The Leaders of the
People of Paradise
(i) The Leaders of the Men
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri reported that the
Messenger (saw) said, "Abu Bakr and 'Umar
will be the leaders of men of Paradise from the
earlier and later generations." [Silsilat al-
Hadith as-Saheehah]
(ii) The Leaders of the Youth
Tirmidhi, al-Haakim, at-Tabaraani, Ahmad
and others reported that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri
said, that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"Hasan and Husayn are the leaders of the
youth of Paradise".
(iii) The Leaders of the Women
The true female leader is the one with whom
her Rabb is pleased and whose deeds He
accepts. The best women are those who attain
the Paradise of delights. The women of
Paradise are of different levels, and the
Messenger (saw) told us about their leaders:
"The Messenger of Allah (saw) drew four lines
and said, "Do you know what these are?" They
said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He
said, "The best women of Paradise are
Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, Faatimah bint
Muhammad, Maryam bint 'Imraan and
Aasiyah bin Muzahim, the wife of Fir'awn"
[Saheehah, 4/13, no. 1508, from Ahmad at-
Tahhaawi, al-Haakim from Ibn 'Abbaas,
saheeh]
Maryam and Khadeejah are the best of the
four - "The best of its women is Maryam and
the best of its women is Khadeejah" [from 'Ali
in Bukhaari, Kitaab Manaaqib al-Ansaar] -
and Maryam is the "First Lady" The reason
why Maryam is considered the best of all
women is clearly stated in the Qur'an:
"Behold! the angels said, "O Maryam! Allah
has chosen you and purified you, chosen you
above the women of all nations."
[Aale-Imran 3:42]
How could she not be the best of women when
Allah has clearly stated that, "her Rabb
accepted her with a goodly acceptance. He
made her to grow in a good manner...." [Aale-
Imran 3:37]
These four women are beautiful examples of
perfect, righteous women. Maryam, the
daughter of 'Imraan, is praised by Allah in the
Qur'an: "And Maryam, daughter of Imraan,
who guarded her chastity; and We breather
into [the sleeve of her shirt/garment] through
Our Ruh [i.e. Jibreel] and she testified to the
truth of the Words of her Rabb, and [also
believed in] His Scriptures and she was one of
the Qaaniteen [obedient to Allah]" [At-Tahreem
66:12]
Khadeejah as-Siddeeqah believed in the
Messenger (saw) without hesitation; she
consoled him and supported him in every way.
Her Rabb gave her the good news, during her
lifetime, of a place in Paradise in which there
would be no noise or exhaustion [Bukhaari,
Kitaab al-Manaaqib, Fath al-Baari, 7/133]
Aasiyah the wife of Fir'awn, despised the
power and luxuries of this world and rejected
Pharaoh and his false claims of divinity, so
her husband tortured her until her soul
departed to her Creator: "And Allah sets forth
an example for those who believe, the wife of
Pharaoh, when she said, "My Rabb! Build for
me a home with You in Paradise, and save me
from Pharaoh and his works, and save me
from the Dhaalimoon [those that do wrong]
" [At-Tahreem 66:11]
Faatimah az-Zahraa, the daughter of the
Prophet (saw) was patient and forbearing, and
feared Allah. She was a branch from the pure
tree, brought up by the educator of humanity.
The People of Paradise: The Ten Who Were
Given Glad Tidings of Paradise
The Messenger (saw) clearly stated that ten of
his Companions would be in Paradise: "Abu
Bakr will be in Paradise, 'Umar will be in
Paradise, 'Uthmaan will be in Paradise, 'Ali will
be in Paradise, Talhah will be in Paradise, az-
Zubayr will be in Paradise, 'Abdur-Rahmaan
ibn 'Awf will be in Paradise, Sa'd ibn Abi
Waqqaas will be in Paradise, Sa'eed ibn Zayd
will be in Paradise and Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-
Jarraah will be in Paradise." [sahih, Ahmad
from Sa'eed ibn Zayd, at-Tirmidhi from
'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn 'Awf]
The People of Paradise: Others Who It Was
Reported Will Be In Paradise
Others are Ja'far ibn Abi Taalib, Hamzah ibn
'Abdul-Muttaalib, Abdullaah ibn Salaam, Zayd
ibn Harithah, Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufay, *
Harithah ibn al-Nu'maan, Bilaal ibn Abi
Rabah, Abud-Dahdah, * Waraqah ibn Nawfal
Ibn 'Abbaas narrated that the Prophet (saw)
said "I entered Paradise yesterday and looked
at it, and saw Ja'far flying with the angels,
and I saw Hamzah reclining on a couch" [at-
Tabaraani, Ibn 'Adiyy, al-Haakim, Saheeh al-
Jaami', 3/140, no. 3358]
In a saheeh hadith the Prophet (saw) said,
"The leader of the martyrs is Hamzah ibn
'Abdul-Muttaalib" [Saheeh al-Jaami', 3/219,
no. 3569]
From Mu'aadh that the Messenger of Allah
(saw) said, "'Abdullaah ibn Salaam is the
tenth of the first ten to enter
Paradise" [Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer,
4/25, no. 3870, Ahmad, at-Tabaraani, al-
Haakim]
ar-Rawayanee and ad-Diyaa reported from
Buraydah that the Prophet (saw) said, "I
entered Paradise and I was welcomed by a
young girl. I asked, "Who do you belong to?"
She said, "To Zayd ibn Harithah" [Saheeh al-
Jaami as-Sagheer, 3/141, no. 3361]
From 'Aa'ishah (ra) that the Messenger of
Allah (saw) said, "I entered Paradise and I saw
that Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl had two
levels." [Saheeh al-Jaami as-Sagheer, 3/141,
no. 3362. Ibn 'Asaakir]
Tirmidhi and al-Haakim narrated from
'Aa'ishah that the Messenger of Allah (saw)
said, "I entered Paradise and I heard someone
reciting. I asked, "Who is that?" They said,
"Harithah ibn al-Nu'maan; this is the
righteous man" [Saheeh al-Jaami as-Sagheer,
3/142, no. 3366]
Tabaraani and Ibn 'Adiyya report with a
saheeh isnaad from Abu Umamah that the
Prophet (saw) said, "I entered Paradise, and
heard footsteps ahead of me. I asked, "What is
this sound?" I was told, "This is Bilaal, walking
in front of you"" [Saheeh al-Jaami' as-
Sagheer]
Muslim, Abu Dawood, at-Tirmidhi and Ahmad
reported from Jaabir ibn Samurah that the
Messenger (saw) said, "How many bunches of
dates are hanging for Abud-Dahdah is
Paradise!". This is the one who gave his
garden called Bayrahaa, the best garden in
Madinah, in charity when he heard that Allah
(swt) had revealed : "Who is he that will lend
to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply
it to him many times?...." [Al-Baqarah 2:245]
Al-Haakim reported with a saheeh isnaad
from 'Aa'ishah that the Messenger (saw) said,
"Do not slander Waraqah ibn Nawfal for I have
seen that he will have one or two gardens in
Paradise" [Saheeh al-Jaami as-Sagheer,
6/1534, no. 7197]
Waraqah believed in the Prophet (saw) when
Khadeejah brought him to him at the
beginning of his Call; he had asked Allah to
let him live until he saw His Messenger so
that he could support him.
Two groups were misled in this matter: The
Jabaariyyah, who took the hadith to mean
that the reward is not connected to deeds,
because man has nothing to do with deeds
[i.e. everything is foreordained]; and the
Qaadariyyah who took the hadith to mean
that Paradise was the equivalent of good
deeds, and man has the right to enter by
virtue of his good deeds.
The commentator on at-Tahhaawiyyah said,
"As for the idea that recompense results
directly from one's deeds, the Jabaariyyah and
the Qaadariyyah are misled, and Allah has
guided Ahl as-Sunnah. The ba' of negation
[nafyi] is not like the ba' used for affirmation.
The negation in the hadith "No one will enter
Paradise by virtue of his deeds" [bi' amaalihi]
is the ba' of substitution or exchange, as if
good deeds were not the price of a man's
admission to Paradise. This is like the [false]
Mu'tazili claim that good deeds will give a
person the right to enter Paradise, whereas
the truth is that admission to Paradise is by
the Grace and Mercy of Allah. The bi' in the
aayah "....a reward for what they used to
do...." [As-Sajda 32:17]. Allah is the Creator
of Cause and Effect, so everything is referred
back to His Grace and Mercy" [Sharh at-
Tahhaawiyyah, 495]

SEEING ALLAH (SWT) IN PARADISE

The Greatest Delight: Ridwaan Allah and
Looking At His Face
"Some faces that Day will be Nadhirah
[shining, radiant], (22) Looking at their
Rabb." [Al-Qiyamah 75:22-23]
Ibn al-Itheer said, "Seeing Allah is the
ultimate joy in the Hereafter, the most
precious gift of Allah. May Allah (swt) help us
reach that goal." [Jaami' al-Usool, 10/557]
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri reported that the
Prophet (saw) said that "Allah will say to the
people of Paradise, "O People of Paradise!
They will say, "We are at Your Worship, our
Rabb, and all goodness is in Your hand." He
will say, "Are you content?" They will say,
"Why should we not be content, O Rabb, when
you have given us what you have not given to
anyone else of Your Creation?" He will say,
"Shall I not give you better than that?" They
will say, "O Rabb, what could be better than
that?" He will say, "I grant you My pleasure
and I will never be displeased with you after
that." [Bukhaari and Muslim]
Muslim and at-Tirmidhi reported from Suhayb
ar-Rumi that the Messenger of Allah (saw)
said:
"When the people of Paradise enter Paradise,
Allah will say: "Do you want anything more?"
They will say, "Have You not made our faces
white [i.e. honoured us]? Have You not
admitted us to Paradise and saved us from
the Fire?" Then the veil will be lifted, and they
will never have been given anything more dear
to them than looking at their Rabb, may He be
Blessed and Exalted."
One report adds, "Then the Prophet (saw)
recited the aayah , "For those who have done
good is the best [reward i.e. Paradise] and
even more [i.e. the honour of glancing at the
Countenance of Allah]..." [Younus 10:26]
Thus seeing the Face of Allah (swt) was
interpreted as part of the "more" [mazeed]
which Allah has promised to al-Muhsinoon
[those who have done good]: "There they will
have all that they desire - and We have more
[for them, i.e. a glance at the All-Mighty, All-
Majestic." [Qaf 50:35]
This is a joy and honour that will be denied to
the Kuffaar and Mushrikeen: "Nay, surely they
[evildoers] will be veiled from seeing their
Rabb that day." [Al-Mutafafeen 83:15]
Imaam Maalik ibn Anas, the Imaam of al-
Madinah, used this aayah as proof that
"Looking at their Rabb" [Al-Qiyamah 75:23]
literally meant they would see the face of
Allah, as some had interpreted it as meaning
the people would be waiting for their reward.
Maalik said, "They have lied.... The people will
look at Allah on the Day of Resurrection with
their own eyes. If the believers are not going
to see their Rabb on the Day of Resurrection,
why did Allah (swt) say that the kuffaar would
be veiled from Seeing Him?" [See Sharh as-
Sunnah, Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/100 no.
5662]
At-Tahhaawi, the great Hanafi Imaam, said in
his "Al-'Aqeedah at-Tahhaawiyyah", "This
seeing [Allah] is true, something that will
happen to the people of Paradise; it is not
necessary to attempt to define it or describe
how it will happen. It is mentioned in the Book
of Our Rabb [75:23]. The way it will happen is
according to the will and knowledge of Allah
and we have to believe in it as it was narrated
from the Messenger of Allah in the saheeh
hadith. We should not interpret it according
to our own inclinations and opinions, for no
one is sound in his deen except the one who
submits fully to Allah and His Messenger.
What is ambiguous should be referred to one
who has knowledge (i.e. a scholar)" [Sharh at-
Tahhaawiyyah, 203]
The Refutation of Those Who Differ
The commentator of at-Tahhaawiyyah
explained the different misguided opinions on
this matter: "Those who differed with regard to
the believers seeing Allah (swt) on the Day of
Resurrection are the Jahmiyyah and al-
Mu'tazilah, and those who followed them of
the Khawaarij and Imaamiyyah. Their false
opinion is refuted by the Qur'an and Sunnah.
The fact that the believers will see Allah (swt)
is confirmed by the words of the Sahaabah,
Taabi'een, well known scholars of Islaam, Ahl
al-Hadith and by all the groups of
philosophers (Ahl al-Kalaam) who belong to
Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah. "
"This issue is one of the most important
matters of Usool ad-Deen [the fundamentals
of religion] for it is the ultimate goal for which
people are striving and competing, and it will
be denied to those who are "veiled from seeing
their Rabb" and who will be turned away from
His Mercy."
He then explained the dangers of
misinterpretation:
"This is what corrupted both the world and
religion. This is what the Jews and Christians
did to the texts of the Tawraat and Injeel, and
Allah (swt) warned us against doing likewise,
but the confused people insisted on following
their path. How much harm has been caused
to the religion and its followers by wrong
interpretations! Was 'Uthmaan killed except as
a result of misinterpretation? Would the Battle
of Siffeen, the Battle of the Camel, the killing
of Husayn and the Battle of al-Harrah have
happened without there being
misinterpretation? Would the Khawaarij,
Mu'tazilah and Rawaafid have emerged, and
would the ummah have split into seventy-
three sects, if there had been no
misinterpretation?"
He explained that there were two reasons that
the aayah should be taken to mean the
believers will see Allah
(1) the Understanding of the Text itself
"An-Nadhar (looking) is connected by Idaafah
(genitive grammatical possessive structure) to
al-Wajh (face) which is the location of looking
(because the face is the site of the eyes). The
use of the word "ilaa" (here translated as "at")
clearly means that they will be looking and
seeing with their eyes; the wording has no
indication that it could mean anything other
than that. It is crystal clear that what Allah
meant is that they will see their Rabb,
subhaanahu, with their own eyes, which are
located in the face.
"The Arabic word Nadhar is used in a number
of ways and may mean different things,
depending on the context:
"If it stands alone with nothing following it, it
means "stopping" and "waiting" - "...Wait for
us! (undhuroonaa) Let us get something from
your light!.." [Al-Hadid 57:13]
"If it is followed by "fi" (lit. "in") it means
"thinking" or "pondering": "Have they not
considered (yandhuru fi) the dominion of the
heavens and the earth?.... " [Al-Araf 7:185]
"If it is followed by ilaa (at) it refers to looking
or seeing with the eyes: "Look at (undhuru
ilaa) their fruits when they begin to bear" [Al-
Anam 6:99]
So how can it be interpreted otherwise when it
refers to the face, which is the site of the
eyes?"
(2) the way in which the Salaf understood the
text.
He quotes a number of reports to illustrate
this:
Al-Hasan said, "[Their faces] will look at their
Rabb and will become radiant with His light."
Abu Saalih reported from Ibn 'Abbaas (ra) that
"Looking at their Rabb" [Al-Qayamah 75:23]
meant,
"They will be looking at the face of Allah, azza
wa jall."
'Ikrimah said that "Some faces will be
Nadhirah"
[Al-Qayamah 75:22] indicated "because of joy,
and looking at their Rabb" meant "truly
looking at their Rabb" and he reported a
similar opinion from Ibn 'Abbaas. This is the
opinion of the Mufassireen of Ahlus-Sunnah.
Concerning the aayah, "There they will have all
that they desire - and We shall have more [for
them]" [Qaaf 50:35]
at-Tabari reported that 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib (ra)
and Anas ibn Maalik said,
"This means that they will see Allah, azza wa
jall."
He explains the meaning of "even more" [az-
Ziyaadah] as looking at the face of Allah, as
the report narrated by Muslim in his saheeh
from Suhayb "..then the veil will be lifted and
they will see Him, and they will never be given
anything more precious to them than seeing
Allah (swt). This is az-Ziyaadah [the "even
more" referred to in the aayah]". The same
hadith was narrate with a number of isnaads
and slightly different wording from others, and
this is how it was interpreted by the Sahaabah
as Ibn Jareer reported from Abu Bakr as-
Siddeeq, Hudhayfah, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari and
Ibn 'Abbaas (ra).
Tabari and others quoted from ash-Shaafi'ee
via al-Mazani, and al-Haakim said, "al-Asaam
told us that ar-Rabee' ibn Sulayma said,
"I was with Muhammad ibn Idrees ash-
Shaafi'ee when a letter reached him from
Upper Egypt in which he was asked his
opinion about the aayah [83:15], and he said,
"As those [evildoers] will be veiled from Seeing
Allah because of His wrath towards them
indicates that these people (the believers) will
see Him because He will be pleased with
them."
The Mu'tazilah however concluded from the
aayaat "....You cannot see Me..." [Al-Araf
7:143] and "No vision can grasp Him.." [Al-
Anam 6:103] that therefore no one would see
Allah, but these can in fact be used as proof
against their position, for the first aayah
proves that the believers will see Allah for a
number of reasons:
(i) Nobody could think that Musaa (as), the
Messenger of Allah and the most
knowledgeable about Allah at that time, the
one who spoke with Allah, would ask to see
Allah [as is stated in the earlier part of this
aayah] if it were improper to do so.
(ii) Allah did not rebuke Musaa for this
request although when Nuh asked Allah to
save his son, He rebuked him for doing so [see
11:46]
(iii) Allah said, "..You cannot see Me.." , but
He did not say, "I can never be seen" or "It is
not possible to see Me" or "I am invisible".
There is a difference. This indicates that Allah
could be seen but that Musaa did not have
the strength to see him in this life because
human beings in this world are too weak to be
able to endure seeing Allah.
(iv) The ideas mentioned in (iii) can be
explained by referring to the next part of the
aayah
"...but look upon the mountain. If it stands
still in its place then you shall see Me...."
[Al-Araf 7:143]
Allah showed Musaa that despite its strength
and solid nature, a mountain in this world
could not withstand exposure to the sight of
Allah, so how could a human being who was
created weak, endure it?
(v) Allah could have made the mountain
stable, which is possible, but he had placed a
condition for seeing Him. If the mountain
stood firm when he appeared to it, then Musa
would be able to see Him.
(vi) Allah said, "..When his Rabb appeared to
the mountain, He made it collapse to
dust.." [Al-Araf 7:143].
If it is possible for Him to reveal Himself to a
mountain, which is an inanimate object how
could it be impossible for Him to reveal
Himself to His Messengers and those whom
He loves (awliyaa) in the abode of honour
which is Paradise?
(vii) Allah spoke to Musa and if a person is
permitted to speak and converse with no
mediator, then it is more befitting for him to
be able to see the One to whom he speaks. No
one could deny that people may see Allah
unless they also deny that Allah may speak to
them and those who denied that Allah could
be seen did in fact also deny that Allah could
speak to his slaves. Their claim that
"Lan" (never) implies absolute and eternal
negation can be answered by the fact that the
people will see Allah in the Hereafter and such
a negation will not necessarily be carried over
into the Hereafter, especially as in this case a
condition was attached. There are other
similar instances in the Qur'an - "But they will
never long for it.." [l-Baqarah 2:95] although
elsewhere He says, "And they will cry, O
Maalik! Let your Rabb make an end of us." He
will say, "Verily you shall abide forever" [Az-
Zukhruf 43:77]. If "lan" meant absolute and
eternal negation (i.e. that such and such a
thing would never happen), it would not be
possible to impose conditions, but Allah (swt)
says, "Therefore I will not leave this land until
my father permits me.." [Yousuf 12:80] which
proves that "lan" does not imply absolute
negation.
The evidence that people may see Allah is
presented in the most eloquent fashion, and in
the context of praise, and it is well-known that
praise is something positive; a thing that does
not exist cannot be praised. When Allah (swt)
praises by negation it implies something
positive; a thing that does not exist cannot be
praised. When Allah (swt) praises by negation
it implies something positive, like when He is
praised by saying that He neither slumbers
nor sleeps, which implies that He is the
Eternal One; or by saying that He never dies,
which implies that He is the eternally living; or
by saying that He never feels tired or
exhausted, which implies He is the All-
Powerful; or by saying that He never forgets or
lacks awareness, which implies that He is All-
Knowing. So there is no praise in negation
unless it implies something positive. The One
Who is Perfect cannot share in the quality that
is denied. The meaning is that Allah (swt) may
be seen but He cannot be seen in His entirety.
The aayah "No vision can grasp Him"
indicates that He is Almighty and because of
His greatness he cannot be fully comprehend,
for idraak [comprehension] is something that
surpasses seeing, as Allah (swt) says, "And
when the two hosts saw each other the
companions of Musa said, "We are sure to be
overtaken." [Ash-Shura 26:61]
Musaa did not deny that they saw them but
he denied that they would overwhelm them
because seeing [ru'yah] and overwhelming or
surrounding [idraak] could take place
independently of one another. Allah may be
seen [ru'yah] but He may never be fully
comprehended just as He may be known, but
never completely. This is how the Sahaabah
and Imaam understood this aayah, as their
opinions are recorded in its tafseer. Even the
Sun, which is a mere created entity, cannot be
fully comprehended by the one who sees it.
The hadith narrated by the Prophet (saw) and
his companions concerning the believers
seeing Allah has also reached the level of
tawaatur and were recorded by the compilers
of the six books, for example, the hadith of
Abu Hurayrah, "Some people asked, "O
Messenger of Allah, will we see our Rabb on
the Day of Resurrection?" The Messenger of
Allah (saw) said, "Do you doubt that the moon
is seen when it is full?" They said, "No, O
Messenger of Allah." He said, "Do you doubt
that the sun is seen when there are no clouds
to hide it?" They said, "No." He said, then you
will see Him just as clearly." [Bukhaari and
Muslim, who narrated a similar hadith from
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri, and narrated by Jareer
ibn 'Abdullaah al-Bajlee narrated by al-
Bukhaari and Muslim; Abu Musa narrated in
al-Bukhaari, Sharh at-Tahhawwiyah,
p.204-210]

HEAVEN: WHAT IS THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN HEAVEN?

The Prophet describes heaven in the following
terms :
"There is in it what no eye has even seen,
things of which no ear has ever heard and
what no one has ever imagined."
If we try to relate this Hadith to the
description of heaven in the Qur'an we
conclude that although the Qur'anic
description is true and accurate, it is given in
terms which are familiar to us. The reality is
far happier and much more enjoyable than we
can imagine.
The Prophet says: "Women are the sisters of
men."
This Hadith means that women have equal
status with men and, with regard to religious
duties and rights, they enjoy the same
treatment. What this means in effect is that
every type of enjoyment which is promised in
the Qur'an to believers applies both to men
and women in equal measure. Women do not
have any lower status, nor are they neglected
nor treated in an inferior way.
Read Verse 35 of Surah 33, entitled "The
Confederates," or "Al-Ahzab". It may be
rendered in translation as follows:
"For all men and women who have surrendered
themselves to Allah, and all believing men and
believing women, and all truly devout men and
truly devout women, and all men and women
who are true to their word, and all men and
women who are patient in adversity, and all
men and women who humble themselves
before Allah, and all men and women who give
in charity, and all men and women who fast,
and all men and women who are mindful of
their chastity, and all men and women who
remember Allah unceasingly: for all of them
Allah has indeed readied forgiveness of sins
and a great reward."
(Al-Ahzab 33:35)
It is well known that with regard to religious
duties, men and women are alike. Hence, their
reward must be alike in order to maintain
justice between them. Likewise, what they
may receive in heaven must be the same.
When the Qur'an speaks of wives for believers
in heaven, this need not be understood in
terms of marriage in this world. If a married
couple are good believers and both of them
are admitted to heaven, they will be together
in heaven. The woman's happiness will not be
jeopardized by her husband having wives from
among the women of heaven. That sort of
marriage is only for companionship. The
women will also have companions and will live
in endless bliss.

HOOR

1.
Hoor mentioned in the Qur’an
The word hoor occurs in the Qur’an in no less
than four different places:
(1) In Surah Dukhan chapter 44, verse 54
"....Moreover, We shall join them to
companions with beautiful, big and lustrous
eyes."
[Ad-Dukhan 44:54]
(2) In Surah Al-Tur chapter 52 verse 20
"...And We shall join them to companions,
with beautiful, big and lustrous eyes."
[At-Tur 52:20]
(3) In Surah Rahman chapter 55 verse 72
"Companions restrained (as to their glances),
in goodly pavilions."
[Ar-Rehman 55:72]
(4) In Surah Al-Waqiah chapter 56 verse 22
"And (there will be) companions with
beautiful, big and lustrous eyes."
[Al-Waqiah 56:22]
2.
Hoor Translated as Beautiful Maidens
Many translators of the Qur’an have
translated the word hoor as ‘beautiful
maidens’ especially in the Urdu translations. If
hoor means ‘beautiful maidens’ or girls, then
they are meant only for the men. Hence, what
will the women get if they enter Paradise?
3.
Meaning of Hoor
The word hoor is actually the plural of ahwar
(applicable to man) and of haura (applicable
to woman) and signifies a person having eyes
characterized by hauar a special quality
bestowed upon a good soul, male or female in
paradise and it denotes the intense whiteness
of the white part of the spiritual eye.
The Qur’an describes in several other verses
that in paradise you will have azwaj which
mean a pair or spouse or companion which
means you will have spouses or companions
pure and holy (mutaharratun means pure,
holy).
"But give glad tidings to those who believe and
work righteousness, that their portion is
gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time
they are fed with fruits therefrom, they say:
"Why, this is what we were fed with before",
for they are given things in similitude; and
they have therein companions pure (and holy);
and they abide therein (forever)".
[Al-Baqarah 2:25]
"But those who believe and do deeds of
righteousness, We shall soon admit to
Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath – their
eternal home; therein shall they have
companions pure and holy: we shall admit
them to shades, cool and ever deepening".
[An-Nisa 4:57]
Therefore the word hoor has no specific
gender. Mohammad Asad has translated the
word hoor as spouse and Abdullah Yusuf Ali
as companion. Therefore according to some
scholars a man in paradise will have a hoor
that is a beautiful maiden with beautiful big
and lustrous eyes and a woman in paradise
will get a man with beautiful big and lustrous
eyes.
4. Women will get something exceptional in
Paradise
Many scholars say that in context, the word
hoor used in the Qur’an refers only to ladies
since gents are addressed. A reply that would
be accepted by all types of people would
rather be the answer given in the Hadith when
a similar question was posed that if a man
gets a hoor, a beautiful Maiden in Paradise,
then what will the women get? The reply was
that the women will get that which the heart
has not desired for, the ear hasn’t heard off
and the eye hasn’t seen, indicating that even
the women will get something exceptional in
Paradise.

WHAT IS IN PARADISE

The Soil of Paradise
Bukhaari and Muslim reported the hadith of
al-Mi'raaj from Anas ibn Maalik from Abu
Dharr in which Abu Dharr (ra) said, "The
Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"I entered Paradise where I saw lights of pearl
and its soil was musk". Muslim and Ahmad
report from Abu Sa'eed that Ibn Sayyaad
asked the Messenger (saw) about the soil of
Paradise. He said,
"It is a fine white powder of pure musk".
Ahmad reports from Jaabir ibn 'Abdullaah
that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
concerning the Jews:
"I am going to ask them about the soil of
Paradise, which is a fine white powder." So he
asked them, and they said, "It is like a loaf of
bread, O Abul-Qaasim," The Messenger of
Allah (saw) said, "Bread is like pearls".
[an-Nihaayah, 2/242]
Ahmad at-Tirmidhi and ad-Daarimi reported
that the Prophet (saw) said,
"I asked "O Messenger of Allah (saw), From
what are people made?" He said, "From
water." We asked, "From what is Paradise
built?" He said, "Bricks of gold and silver and
mortar of fragrant musk; its pebbles are pearls
and rubies, and its soil is saffron. Whoever
enters it is blessed with joy and will never be
miserable; he will remain there forever and
never die; his clothes will never wear out, and
his youth will never fade away."
[Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/89, no. 5630]
The Rivers of Paradise
Allah (swt), may He be Blessed and Exalted,
has told us that rivers flow from beneath
Paradise:
"And give glad tidings to those who believe
and do righteous good deeds, that for them
will be Gardens under which rivers flow…."
[Al-Baqarah 2:25]
"For them will be Gardens of Eternity: beneath
them rivers will flow...."
[Al-Kahf 18:31]
The Prophet (saw) told us clearly about the
rivers of Paradise. He said that during his
Israa' (Night Journey):
"...I saw four rivers flowing out from beneath
Sidrat al-Muntahaa, two visible and two
hidden. He asked, "O Jibreel, What are these
rivers?" He said, "The two hidden rivers are
rivers of Paradise, and the two visible rivers
are the Nile and the Euphrates".
[Muslim & Bukhaari]
Muslim reports from Abu Hurayrah that the
Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"Sihran, Jihran, the Euphrates and the Nile are
all from the rivers of Paradise".
[Sahih Muslim, Kitaab al-Jannah]
Sheikh Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaani said,
" Perhaps what is meant is that these rivers
originated in Paradise just as mankind did;
this hadith does not contradict the well-
established fact that these rivers spring forth
from known sources on earth. If this is not in
fact the meaning of this hadith, then it is one
of the matters of al-Ghayb [the Unseen], which
we must believe and accept because the
Prophet (saw) has told us about it". [Silsilat
al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 1/18]
Another of the rivers of Paradise is al-
Kawthar, which Allah has given to His
Messenger (saw):
"Verily We have granted you [O Muhammad]
al-Kawthar [a river in Paradise]"
[Al-Kauthar 108:1]
The Prophet (saw) saw it and told us about it.
Bukhaari reported from Anas ibn Maalik that
the Prophet (saw) said,
"Whilst I was walking in Paradise I saw a river
whose banks were domes of hollow pearls,
and I asked, "What is this, O Jibreel?" He said,
"This is al-Kawthar which your Rabb has given
to you". And its scent - or its mud - was of
fragrant musk".
Hudbah [one of the narrators] was not sure if
he said tib [scent] or teen [mud]. [Sahih al-
Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq]
Ibn 'Abbaas explained,
"al-Kawthar means the abundant blessings
which Allah has bestowed upon His Messenger
(saw)."
Ibn Katheer compiled a number of hadith [an-
Nihaayah, 2/246] in which the Prophet (saw)
spoke about al-Kawthar, such as the Narrated
by Muslim from Anas, which states that when
the aayah
"Verily We have granted you al-Kawthar" [108]
was revealed, the Prophet (saw) said,
"Do you know what al-Kawthar is?" They said,
"Allah and His Messenger know best". He said,
"It is a river that Allah (swt) has promised me
and in it is much goodness".
Another hadith narrated by Ahmad from Anas,
according to which the Prophet (Saw) said,
"I have been given al-Kawthar, which is a river
flowing across the face of the earth; its banks
are domes of pearl and it is not covered. I
touched its mud with my hand, and found that
it was fragrant musk and its pebbles were
pearls".
Also narrated by Ahmad from Anas, the
Prophet (saw) said,
"It is a river that Allah (swt) has given to me
in Paradise. Its mud is musk and its water is
whiter than milk, and sweeter than honey.
Birds with necks like the necks of camels drink
from it."
The rivers of Paradise do not just contain
water. There are rivers of water, of milk, of
wine and of clear honey.
Allah (swt) says:
"The description of Paradise which the
Muttaqoon have been promised is that in it are
rivers of water the taste and smell of which are
not changed; rivers of milk of which the taste
never changes; rivers of wine delicious to
those who drink; and rivers of clarified honey
[clear and pure].."
[Muhammad 47:15]
Tirmidhi reports, with a sahih isnaad, from
Haakim ibn Mu'aawiyah that the Messenger of
Allah (saw) said,
"In Paradise there is a sea of honey, a sea of
wine, a sea of milk and a sea of water, and the
rivers flow out of these seas." [Jaami' al-
Usool, 10/508]
He also told us of a river called Baariq, which
flows by the gate of Paradise. During the
period of al-Barzakh [the time between death
and the day of Judgement] the shuhadaa are
beside this river. Ibn 'Abbaas narrated that
the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "The
shuhadaa [martyrs] are in a green dome
beside the river of Baariq, near the gate of
Paradise, from which provision comes to them
morning and evening."
[Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer, 3/235, no.
3636]
The Springs of Paradise
In Paradise there are many springs that
provide drinks of different tastes:
"Truly al-Muttaqoon [the pious and righteous]
will be amidst Gardens and Water-springs"
[Al-Hijr15:45]
Concerning the two Gardens which Allah (swt)
has prepared for those who fear their Rabb,
Allah (swt) said,
"In them [both] will be two springs flowing
[free]. "
[Ar-Rahman 55:50]
And concerning the two Gardens beneath
them, He said,
"In them [both] will be two springs gushing
forth water."
[Ar-Rahman 55:66]
In Paradise there are two springs from which
al-Muqarraboon will drink pure and undiluted,
whilst the Abraar will drink their water mixed
with something else. The first is the spring of
Kafoor, as Allah (swt) says:
"Verily the Abraar [the pious, those who fear
Allah and avoid evil], shall drink a cup [of
wine] mixed with water from a spring in
Paradise called Kafoor, (5) A spring wherefrom
the slaves of Allah will drink, causing it to
gush forth abundantly."
[Al-Insan 76:5-6]
He tells us that the pious will drink from it
mixed with something else, whilst those close
to Allah will drink it pure and undiluted.
The second spring is of Tasneem, as Allah
(swt) says:
"Verily al-Abraar will be in delight [Paradise],
(22) On thrones, looking [at all things]. (23)
You will recognise in their faces the brightness
of delight. (24) They will b given to drink pure
sealed wine, (25) the last thereof [that wine]
will be the smell of musk, and for this let [all]
those who strive who want to strive [i.e.
hasten earnestly to the obedience of Allah].
(26) It [that wine] will be mixed with Tasneem,
(27) a spring whereof drink those nearest to
Allah."
[Al-Mutaffafin 83:22-28]
Another of the springs of Paradise is called al-
Salsabeel as Allah (swt) says:
"And they will be given to drink there a cup [of
wine] mixed with zanjabeel [ginger],
(17) a spring there, called Salsabeel".
[Al-Insan 76:17-18]
The Palaces and Tents of Paradise
Allah (swt) will build good and beautiful
dwellings for the people of Paradise:
"....and beautiful mansions in Gardens of
everlasting bliss...."
[At-Tauba 9:72]
In some places in the Qur'an, Allah (swt)
described these dwellings as ghurafaat
[chambers or dwellings]:
"and they will reside in the high dwellings
[Paradise] in peace and security...."
[Saba 34:37]
The reward for the slaves of the all-Merciful
will be:
"Those will be rewarded with the highest place
[in Paradise] because of their patience. Therein
they shall be met with greetings and the word
of peace and respect"
[Al-Furqan 25:75]
Allah (swt) described these Ghurafaat:
"But for those who fear Allah and keep their
duty to their Rabb [Allah], for them are built
lofty rooms, one above the other, under which
rivers flow. [This is] the Promise of Allah, and
Allah does not fail in [His] Promise."
[Az-Zumr 39:20]
Ibn Katheer said: "Allah has told us about His
blessed slaves who will have rooms [or
dwellings] in Paradise: these will be lofty
palaces, "lofty rooms, one above another -
story upon story, well-constructed, strong and
decorated. The Prophet (saw) described these
palaces to us. According to a hadith narrated
by Ahmad, and Ibn Hibbaan from Abu Maalik
al-Ash'ari and by at-Tirmidhi from 'Ali (ra) the
Prophet (saw) said:
"In Paradise there are dwellings whose inside
can be seen from the outside, and the outside
can be seen from inside. Allah [swt] has
prepared them for those who feed the hungry,
and speak softly and gently, fast continuously
and pray at night whilst the people are
asleep."
[Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer, 2/220, no.
2119]
Allah (swt) has told us that there are tents or
pavilions in Paradise:
"Houris [beautiful, fair females] restrained in
pavilions"
[Ar-Rahman 55:72]
These pavilions are wondrous tents, made of
pearls, each one is made from a single,
hollowed-out pearl. They are sixty miles high;
according to some reports they are sixty miles
wide. Bukhaari reports from 'Abdullaah ibn
Qays that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"The tent is a hollowed out pearl, thirty miles
high; in each corner of it the believer will have
a wife whom no one else can see". Abu
'Abdus-Samad and al-Haarith reported from
Abu 'Imraan that the wording was "sixty miles
high"
[Sahih al-Bukhaari, Kitaab Bid' al-Khalq, Fath
al-Baari, 6/318]
Muslim reported from 'Abdullaah ibn Qays
that the Prophet (saw) said:
"The believer in Paradise will have a tent made
out of a single, hollowed-out pearl, sixty miles
long, in which he will have [a number of]
wives, whom he will visit in turn, none of
whom will see the others".
[ Muslim, Kitaab al-Jannah]
The Prophet (saw) told us about the
characteristics of the palaces of some of his
wives and companions. Bukhaari and Muslim
report that Abu Hurayrah (ra) said, "Jibreel
came to the Prophet (saw) said,
"O Messenger of Allah, Khadeejah is coming,
carrying a container of food. When she comes
to you, convey to her greetings of peace from
her Rabb and from me, and give her the glad
tidings of a house in Paradise made of
brocade, in which there is no noise or
exhaustion." "
[Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/266]
Bukhaari and Muslim report from Jaabir that
the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"I entered Paradise, where I saw ar-Rumaysa',
the wife of Abu Talhah. And I heard footsteps
and asked, "Who is that?" He [Jibreel] said,
"That is Bilaal." And I saw a palace with
women in its courtyard. I asked, "Whose is
this?" They said, "It is for 'Umar ibn al-
Khattab". I had wanted to go in and look at it,
but I remembered your jealousy [where women
are concerned]." '
Umar said, "May my mother and father be
sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah (saw),
would I feel jealous from you?" [Mishkaat al-
Masaabeeh, 3/226]
The Prophet (saw) has told us of the way in
which the believer may acquire more than one
house in Paradise:
Ahmad reports with a saheeh isnaad from Ibn
'Abbaas that the Prophet (saw) said,
"Whoever builds a masjid for Allah, even if it
is as small as the nestling-place scratched
out by the sane grouse for its eggs, Allah
(swt) will build a house for him in Paradise".
[Saheeh al-Jaami-Sagheer]
Ahmad, Bukhaari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn
Maajah report from 'Uthmaan that the
Messenger of Allah (saw) said
"Whoever builds a mosque for Allah (swt),
Allah (swt) will build something similar for
him in Paradise".
[Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer, 5/265, no.
6007]
Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ahmad, an-Nasaa'ee, and
Ibn Maajah report from Umm Habeebah that
the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"Whoever prays twelve extra [supererogatory]
rak'ahs every day, Allah (swt) will build for
him a house in Paradise."
[Saheeh al-Jaami', 5/316, no. 6234]
The Light of Paradise
Ibn Katheer in his commentary on the aayah
: "....And they will have therein their
sustenance, morning and evening. (62) Such is
the Paradise, which We shall give as an
inheritance to those of Our slave who have
been al-Muttaqoon [pious and righteous]"
[Maryam 19:62-63] said, "This means
something approximate to the times of day
and night, it does not mean that there will be
a day and night there. They will know the
passing of time by the changes in the
light " [Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/471]
On the same subject, Ibn Taymiyyah said,
"There is no sun and moon in Paradise, and no
day or night, but they will know morning and
evening from a light that shines from the
direction of the Throne" [Majmu' Fataawa
Shaikh al-Islaam, 4/312]
The Fragrance of Paradise
Paradise is filled with a pure and beautiful
fragrance, which the believers will be able to
discern from a great distance. Ahmad, an-
Nasaa'ee, Ibn Maajah and al-Haakim report
with a saheeh isnaad that the Messenger
(saw) said,
"Whoever kills a man of Ahl ad-Dhimmah
[non-Muslims living under Islaamic rule] will
not smell the fragrance of Paradise, even
though its fragrance can be discerned from a
distance of forty years' travelling."
[Saheeh al-Jaami as-Sagheer, 5/235, no.
6324 adn 5/337 no. 6333]
The Trees and Fruits of Paradise
(i) Its trees and fruits are of many kinds and
everlasting
The trees of Paradise are abundant and good
and of many kinds. Allah has told us that
there are grapevines, date palms and
pomegranate trees in Paradise, as well as
lotus trees and acacia trees:
"Verily, for the muttaqoon, there will be a
success [Paradise], (31) gardens and grape
yards"
[An-Naba 78:31-32]
"in them [both will be fruits, date palms and
pomegranates"
[Ar-Rahman 55:68]
"And those on the Right Hand
(27) who will be those on the Right Hand?
[They will be] among thornless lote-trees, (28)
Among Talh trees with fruits piled one above
another, (29) In shade long-extended, (30) By
water flowing constantly, (31) And fruit in
plenty (32) whose season is not limited, and
their supply will not be cut off, "
[Al-Waqia 56:27-33]
The lotus tree [ad-Sidr] is a thorny plant, but
in Paradise it will be thornless. At-Talh
[acacia tree] is a tree of Hijaaz, a kind of 'idah
[a fair sized thorny shrub], but in Paradise its
fruits will be ready to eat, with no effort
required.
What Allah (swt) has told us about the trees
of Paradise is only a small part of what
Paradise contains. Hence Allah told us :
"In them [both] will be every kind of fruit in
pairs"
[Ar-Rahman 55:52]
Because of its abundance, people will be able
to leave what they want and take what they
want:
"Verily the Muttaqoon shall be amidst shades
and springs,
(41)
And fruits - such as they desire"
[Al-Mursalat 77:41-42]
Ibn Katheer spoke very cleverly about the
greatness of the fruits of Paradise, and
concluded that by means of understatement,
Allah (swt) conveyed the abundance and
greatness of those fruits. He said,
"how do you think the trees that are grown for
their fruit on earth will be in Paradise, like
apple trees, date palms, grape vines and so
on? How do you think the flowers will be? In
short, there will be what no eye has seen, no
ear has heard and no human heart can
comprehend and we ask Allah (swt) to grant
us some of this, by His Grace"
The trees of Paradise bear fruit constantly,
unlike the trees of this world, which bear fruit
only at certain times or seasons. The trees of
Paradise always bear fruit and offer shade:
"And fruit in plenty,
(32)
whose season is not limited, and their supply
will not be cut off"
[Al-Waqia 56:32-33]
The supply is continuous and the people of
Paradise are never denied. one of the delights
that the people of Paradise will enjoy is
finding that its fruits are similar in
appearance, but different in taste:
"....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 [i.e. in the same form
but different in taste]....
"
[Al-Baqarah 2:25]
The trees of Paradise are of rich and lush
foliage -
"With spreading branches" [Ar-Rahman 55:48]
, and they are intensely green - "dark and
green [in colour]"
[Ar-Rahman 55:64]. The intensity of the colour
is because of the density of the trees in
Paradise.
The fruits of the trees will be low-hanging, in
easy reach of the people of Paradise:
"Reclining upon the couches lined with silk
brocade, and the fruits of the two Gardens will
be near at hand"
[Ar-Rahman 55:54]
The shade of these trees will be as Allah (swt)
says:
"..and We shall admit them to shades wide and
ever deepening".
[An-Nisa 4:57]
(ii) Some of the trees of Paradise
The Messenger of Allah (saw) told us
wondrous things about some of the trees of
paradise which indicates that they are so
amazingly huge that trying to imagine them
makes one's head spin. We shall quote some
examples here:
(a) A tree whose shadow it takes one hundred
years to cross.
This is a huge tree, whose true size is known
only to its Creator. The Prophet (saw)
conveyed an impression of its size when he
said that
"In Paradise there is a tree which the rider of a
swift horse would need one hundred years to
pass beneath"
[Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq]
And in the narration of Muslim from Abu
Hurayrah and Sahl ibn Sa'd it is said that
"In Paradise there is a tree under whose shade
a traveller could travel for one hundred years
and not reach the edge of it"
[Muslim, Kitaab al-Jannah]
(b) Sidrat al-Muntaha
There is a tree in paradise which Allah has
mentioned in a clear and unambiguous
revelation. Allah (swt) told us that our
Prophet Muhammad (saw) saw Jibreel in the
form in which Allah created him at that tree.
He also told us that it was veiled with
something known only to Allah (swt) when the
Prophet (saw) saw it:
"And indeed he [Muhammad] saw him [Jibreel]
at a second descent [i.e. a second time]
(13)
near Sidrat al-Muntaha [the Lote-tree of the
utmost boundary beyond which none may
pass]
(14)
near it is the Paradise of Abode.
(15)
When that covered the lote-tree which covered
it!
(16)
The sight of [Muhammad] turned not aside
[right or left], nor did it transgress beyond
[the] limit [ordained for it]
(17)
Indeed he (Muhammad SAW) did see, of the
Greatest Signs, of his Lord (Allâh).
[An-Najm 53:13-18]
The Prophet (saw) told us about what he saw
of this tree:
"Then I was taken up until I reached Sidrat al-
Muntaha and I saw its Nabq [fruits] which
looked like the clay jugs of Hajar, its leaves
were like the ears of elephants, and one of
these leaves could cover the whole of this
ummah. It was veiled in colours indescribable.
Then I entered Paradise, and its lights were
pearls and its soil was musk".
[Saheeh Bukhaari and Muslim]
(c) Tooba.
This is a huge tree which produces the fabric
for the clothing of the people of Paradise.
Ahmad Ibn Jareer and Ibn Hibbaan report
from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri that the Messenger
of Allah (saw) said,
"Tooba is a tree in Paradise, as big as a
hundred year's journey; the clothes of the
people of Paradise comes from its calyces [the
outer parts of its flowers]"
[Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 4/639, no.
1985, the isnaad is hasan]
Narrated by Ahmad from 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr,
who said, "A man came to the Prophet (saw)
and asked, "O Messenger of Allah, tell us
about the clothes of the people of Paradise;
are they created or are they woven?" Some of
the people laughed. The Messenger of Allah
(saw) said, "Why are you laughing? Because
someone who does not know has asked
someone who does know?" Then he turned and
asked, "Where is the one who asked the
question?" The man said, "Here I am, O
Messenger of Allah". He said, "No, they are
produced by the fruits of Paradise" three
times"
[Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 4/640]
(iii) The best aromatic plants in Paradise
Allah told us that in Paradise there are
aromatic plants:
"[there is for him] rest and provision [Rayhaan
- literally - sweet smelling plants, here used as
symbolical of complete satisfaction and
delight]"
[Al-Waqia 56:89]
In Mu'jam at-Tabaraanee al-Kabeer, a report
from 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr whose isnaad is
saheeh according to the conditions of
Bukhaari and Muslim states that the Prophet
(saw) said,
"The best of the aromatic plants of Paradise is
henna."
[SilSilah as-Saheehah, 3/407, no. 1420]
(iv) The trunks of the trees of Paradise are of
Gold
One of the wondrous things that the
Messenger of Allah (saw) told us is that the
trunks of the trees are gold:
"There is no tree in Paradise that does not
have a trunk made of gold"
[Ibn Hibbaan, at-Tirmidhi, al-Bayhaqee, from
Abu Hurayrah, Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer
5/150 saheeh]
(v) How can the Believer increase his share of
the trees of Paradise?
The Father of the Prophets, Ibraaheem (as)
asked our Prophet Muhammad (saw) on the
night of the Israa' to convey his greetings to
this ummah and to tell them the way in which
they could increase their share of the trees of
Paradise. at-Tirmidhi reported with a hasan
isnaad from Ibn Mas'oud that the Messenger
of Allah (saw) said:
"I met Ibraaheem...and he said, "O
Muhammad, tell your ummah that Paradise is
a land whose soil is good and its water is
sweet. It is an empty plain, which will be
planted with SubhaanAllah, al-Hamdulillaah,
and Allahu Akbar"
[Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer, 5/34, no.
5028]
The Animals and Birds of Paradise
The kinds of birds and animals that exist in
Paradise are known only to Allah. He ta'ala
told us that among the delights enjoyed by
the people of Paradise will be:
"..and the flesh of fowls any that they may
desire"
[Al-Waqia 56:21]
Tirmidhi reports from Anas that the
Messenger of Allah (saw) was asked, "What is
al-Kawthar?" He said, "That is a river that
Allah has given me... and in it are birds with
necks like the necks of camels". 'Umar said,
These birds will be in bliss". The Messenger of
Allah (saw) said, "Those who eat them will be
more blissful"".
[Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2/91]
Haakim and Abu Na'eem
reported from Ibn Mas'oud that "a man
brought a haltered she-camel and said, "O
Messenger of Allah, this she-camel is for the
sake of Allah". He said, "You will have seven
hundred haltered she-camels in Paradise"
[Silsilat as-Saheehah, 2/228 no. 634; a
similar report is narrated by Muslim, Mishkaat
al-Masaabeeh, 2/350, 3799]
Paradise: There is Nothing Like It
The delights of Paradise surpass the
imagination and defy description. They are like
nothing known to the people of this world; no
matter how advanced we may become, what
we achieve is as nothing in comparison with
the joys of the Hereafter. As is mentioned in
several reports, there is nothing like Paradise:
"It is sparkling light, aromatic plants, a lofty
palace, a flowing river, ripe fruit, a beautiful
wife and abundant clothing, in an eternal
abode of radiant joy, in beautiful soundly-
constructed high houses".
[Ibn Maajah]
The Sahabah asked the Prophet (saw) about
the buildings of Paradise and he replied with a
wonderful description:
"Bricks of gold and silver, and mortar of
fragrant musk, pebbles of pearl and sapphire,
and soil of saffron. Whoever enters it is filled
with joy and will never feel miserable; he will
live there forever and never die; their clothes
will never wear out and their youth will never
fade."
[Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, ad-Daarimee, Mishkaat
al-Masaabeeh, 3/29, sahih].
Allah (swt) indeed spoke the truth when He
(swt) said:
"And when you look there [in Paradise] you
will see a delight [that cannot be imagined].
and a great dominion"
[Al-Insan 76:20]
What Allah (swt) has kept hidden from us the
delights of Paradise is beyond our ability to
comprehend: Bukhaari reported from Abu
Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said that
Allah (swt) said,
"I have prepared for My slaves what no eye
has seen, no ear has heard and no human
heart can imagine". Recite if you wish, "No
person know what is kept hidden for them of
joy as a reward for what they used to do...."
(As-Sajda 32:17).
The Gates of Paradise
Paradise has gates through which the
believers, like the angels, will enter:
".....And angels shall enter unto them from
every gate [with the salutation]:
(23)
"Peace be unto you for that you persevered in
patience! How excellent is the final home!"
[Ar-Rad 13:23-24]
Allah (swt) has told us that these gates will be
opened when the believers reach them, and
they will be welcomed by the angels with
greetings of peace:
"...... till, when they reach it, its gates will be
opened, and its keepers will say, "Salaamun
'alaykum! You have done well, so enter here to
abide therein."
[Az-Zumr 39:73]
The number of gates in Paradise is eight, one
of which is called Ar-Rayyaan, which is
exclusively for those who fast. Bukhaari and
Muslim report from Sahl ibn Sa'eedi that the
Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"In Paradise there are eight gates, one of
which is called ar-Rayyaan. No one will enter
it except those who fast, and when they have
entered it will be locked behind them and no
one else will enter it".
[Ibn Katheer]
In addition to Ar-Rayyaan, there are also
gates for those who pray much, those who
give in charity and those who fight in jihaad;
Abu Hurayrah (ra) reported that the Prophet
(saw) said,
"Whoever spends a pair [of anything] from his
wealth for the sake of Allah (swt) will be
called from the gates of Paradise, and
Paradise has eight agates. Whoever used to
pray [regularly and properly] will be called
from the gate of prayer; whoever use to give in
charity will be called from the gate of charity'
whoever used to fight in jihaad will be called
from the gate of jihaad, and whoever used to
fast [regularly] will be called from the gate of
fasting".
Abu Bakr (ra) said, "By Allah, it would not
matter if a person was called from any of
them but will anyone be called from all of
them, O Messenger of Allah (saw)? " He said,
"Yes, and I hope that you will be one of them" .
[saheeh, Ibn Katheer, an-Nihaayah, 2/214]
The Prophet (saw) also said,
"Whoever performs wudhu and does it
properly, then lifts his gaze to the sky and
says, "Ashhadu an laa ilaaha illa Allah,
wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna
Muhammadan 'abdahu wa rasuluhu, the eight
gates of Paradise will be opened to him, and
he will enter it through whichever one he
wishes".
[Muslim, Ahmad and others on the authority of
'Umar, an-Nihaayah, 2/219]
The Prophet (saw) told us that there is a gate,
which is only for those who will not be called
to account: this is the right-hand gate of
Paradise. Everyone else will enter Paradise
with the rest of the nations through the other
gates. In a hadith about ash-Shafaa'ah
(intercession) whose authenticity is agreed
upon, Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet
(saw) said,
"Allah (swt) will say, "O Muhammad, admit
those of your ummah who do not need to be
brought to account through the right-hand
gate and the others will enter through the
other gates like the rest of the people.""
In the same hadith, the Prophet (saw)
described the width of the gates of Paradise:
"By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of
Muhammad, the distance between two panesl
of the gates of Paradise or between the two
gateposts, is liek the distance between
Makkaah and Hajar, or between Makkah and
Basra"
[an-Nihaayah, 2/221]
The Prophet (saw) has told us that the gates
of Paradise are opened during Ramadhaan.
Bukhaari, Muslim, and Ahmad report from Abu
Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (saw)
said,
"When the month of Ramadhan comes, the
gates of heaven are opened".
In some reports it states that the distance
between the two gate-panels when they are
open is that of a forty year journey.
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"The distance between the two gate-panels of
one of the gates of Paradise is the distance of
forty-year's walking, but there will come a
time when it is very crowded".
[Ahmad]
Paradise is Not the Equivalent of Deeds
Paradise is something of immense value; a
person cannot earn it by virtue of his deeds
alone - Muslim reported from Abu Hurayrah
(ra) that the Prophet (saw) said,
"No one of you will enter Paradise by his
deeds alone." They asked, "Not even you, O
Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Not even me,
unless Allah covers me with His Grace and
Mercy"
[Saheeh Muslim, 4/2170, no. 2816]
The fact that some texts indicate that
Paradise is the equivalent reward for deeds
could be problematic, for example:
"No person knows what is kept hidden for
them of joy as reward for they used to do."
[As-Sajda 32:17].
However there is no conflict between these
aayaat and the meaning of the hadith. The
aayaat indicate that good deeds will be a
reason, not the price, for admission to
Paradise. The hadith say that good deeds are
not the price.

Companions of the Prophet

Narrated Al-Bara: Abu Bakr bought a (camel)
saddle from 'Azib for thirteen Dirhams. Abu
Bakr said to 'Azib, "Tell Al-Bara' to carry the
saddle for me." 'Azib said, "No, unless you
relate to me what happened to you and Allah
's Apostle when you left Mecca while the
pagans were in search of you." Abu Bakr said,
"We left Mecca and we travel led continuously
for that night and the following day till it was
midday. I looked (around) searching for shade
to take as shelter, and suddenly I came across
a rock, and found a little shade there. So I
cleaned the place and spread a bed for the
Prophet in the shade and said to him, 'Lie
down, O Allah's Apostle.' So the Prophet lay
down and I went out, looking around to see if
there was any person pursuing us. Suddenly I
saw a shepherd driving his sheep towards the
rock, seeking what we had already sought
from it. I asked him, 'To whom do you belong,
O boy?' He said, 'I belong to a man from
Quraish.' He named the man and I recognized
him. I asked him, 'Is there any milk with your
sheep?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Will you then
milk (some) for us?' He said, 'Yes.' Then I
asked him to tie the legs of one of the sheep
and clean its udder, and then ordered him to
clean his hands from dust. Then the shepherd
cleaned his hands by striking his hands
against one another. After doing so, he milked
a small amount of milk. I used to keep for
Allah's Apostle a leather water-container, the
mouth of which was covered with a piece of
cloth. I poured water on the milk container till
its lower part was cold. Then I took the milk
to the Prophet whom I found awake. I said to
him, 'Drink, O Allah's Apostle.' So he drank till
I became pleased. Then I said, 'It is time for
us to move, O Allahs Apostle!' He said, 'Yes.'
So we set out while the people (i.e. Quraish
pagans) were searching for us, but none found
us except Suraiqa bin Malik bin Jushum who
was riding his horse. I said, 'These are our
pursuers who have found us. O Allah's
Apostle!' He said, 'Do not grieve, for Allah is
with us."

Imam Bukhari

After the Sahâbah al-kirâm, Imâm al-
Bukhârî ranks as the most eminent of
those pious people who have conferred
endless bliss upon the Ummah of the
Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa
sallam. The greatest evidence of this is
the book of Ahâdîth an-Nabawî he
compiled, commonly known as Sahîh al-
Bukhârî. It is universally acknowledged as
the most authentic book after the Holy
Qur'ân. So long as their is one Muslim
left on the Earth, the blessings of Imâm
Bukhârî will have a place in his or her
Îmân and Islâm. Let us briefly examine
below a short survey of his life and
works.
His Early Years
Imâm al-muhaddithîn Hadrat Imâm Abû
`Abdullâh Muhammad ibn Ismâ`îl al-
Bukhârî was born on the 13th of the
Islâmic month of Shawwâl, 194AH, in the
famous city of Bukhara, of the land
"beyond the canal" - present day
Uzbekistan -. The father of Imâm Bukhârî,
Ismâ`îl ibn Ibrâhîm ibn Mughîrah al-
Ja`fî, was a great muhaddith and ascetic
from whom he inherited his
characteristics of literary zeal and
excellence. During infancy his father
passed away and his mother took on the
entire responsibility of bringing him up.
Imâm Bukhârî became blind at a young
age. He had recourse to many famous
and skilled doctors of his time but their
treatments made no difference. His
mother was a pious worshipper and a
righteous woman. She cried out for help
in the court of Allâh the Almighty, for her
child and begged for the restoration of
his eyesight. At last, "the river of mercy
flowed over her," and Almighty Allâh
accepted her invocation. One night, she
visited Ibrâhîm `alayhis-salâm in a
dream and was told, "Allâh has restored
the sight of your son because of your
intense and beautiful invocations." In the
morning, as Imâm Bukhârî got up from
his bed, glimmers of light reached out
into his eyes.
Primary Education and Interest in Hadîth
When Imâm Bukhârî reached the age of
ten and after acquiring his elementary
education, Almighty Allâh inserted the
interest in the science of Ahadîth into his
heart and he obtained admission in the
Hadîth class of Bukhara. He obtained his
educations after vigorous study. A year
later, he had such a good retention of the
text and chains of transmission of
Ahâdîth, that sometimes teachers got
their corrections from him. Imâm Bukhârî
had been acquiring religious education
with competance and swiftness and at
the tender age of sixteen, he had
completely learnt by heart the books of
`Abdullâh ibn al-Mubârak, al-Wakî` and
other learned companions of al-Imâm
Abû Hanîfa radiyallâhu `anhum.
The Visit to the Haramayn and the
Commencement of His Ahâdîth
Compilation
At the age of eighteen, He visited Makkah
accompanied by his mother and elder
brother, Ahmad ibn Ismâ`îl. After
performing the pilgrimage, his brother
returned with the company of his mother,
but Imâm Bukhârî stayed there for further
education. Meanwhile, he wrote a book
called, Qadâyâ as-Sahâbah wat-Tâbi`în.
After this he went to Madînah al-
munawwarah to compile the famous book
of Asmâ` ar-rijâl (Names of men of
transmission) called, Târîkh al-kabîr,
while sitting by the tomb of the Holy
Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam
during moonlight hours. Immediately
after completing this, a series of
imitations had begun. Muhammad ibn
Yûsaf al-Furyâbî said that at the time he
had copied Târîkh al-kabîr, Imâm Bukhârî
did not yet have any facial hair.
Imâm Bukhârî travelled to cities far and
wide for the transmission of Ahâdîth and
had gained immense knowledge while
sitting far from his own country for
several years. He stated himself, "To seek
knowledge, I travelled to Egypt and Syria
twice, Basra four times, spent six years at
the Hijâz and left for Kufa and Baghdad
on so many occasions accompanied by
Muhaddithîn."
His Remarkable Memory
Imâm Bukhârî was a man with a very
strong memory. When we look at his
memory, it is as if his body from head to
toe stored it. Seeing his memory, the
memory of Abû Hurayrah radiyallâhu
`anhu is rekindled in the hearts of
Muslims. Hashid ibn Ismâ`îl states that
in his childhood: "Imâm Bukhârî used to
go with us to the Scholars of Basra to
listen to Ahâdîth. All of us used to write
Ahâdîth down, except Imâm Bukhârî.
After sixteen days, we thought about it
and we condemned Imâm Bukhârî saying
that, 'you had wasted so many days work
by not writing down Ahâdîth.' Imâm
Bukhârî asked us to bring our notes to
him. So we all brought our notes, upon
which Imâm Bukhârî began to read
Ahâdîth one by one from the top of his
head until he narrated to us more than
fifteen thousand! Hearing these, it
seemed that Imâm Bukhârî was
reteaching us all of the Ahâdîth we had
noted."
Muhammad ibn Azhar Sajistânî says: "I
used to go to Sulaymân ibn Harab
accompanied by Imâm Bukhârî for
listening to Ahâdîth. I used to write the
Ahâdîth, but Imâm Bukhârî wouldn't.
Somone said to me, 'Why doesn't Imâm
Bukhârî note the Ahâdîth down?' I told
him, 'if you missed any Hâdîth in writing,
you could obtain it from the memory of
Imâm Bukhârî.'"
Imâm Bukhârî's memory could be
understood by knowing that if he glanced
through a book, it would be committed to
memory instantly. In his early period of
acquiring knowledge, he memorised
seventy thousand Ahâdîth and later in his
life, this figure reached three hundred
thousand. Of these, one hundred
thousand were sahîh (rigorously
authenticated) and two hundred thousand
were not sahîh (hasan, da`îf, etc). Once
he went to Balkh and the inhabitants
desired that he should recite one Hadîth
from each of his shaykhs. Then he orated
from one thousand Shaykhs one
thousand Ahâdîth.
Sulaymân ibn Mujâhid says: "One day I
was present in the company of
Muhammad ibn Salâm Baykandî.
Muhammad ibn Salâm said, 'If you had
come earlier, I would have shown you the
child who has seventy thousand Ahâdîth
in his memory.' Sulaymân stood up from
his company and started looking for
Imâm Bukhârî. Shortly he found him and
asked, 'Are you the one who has
committed seventy thousand Ahâdîth to
memory?' Imâm Bukhârî replied, 'I have
learnt more Ahâdîth than this by heart. I
even know the place of birth, death and
residence of most of those companions
from whom the Ahâdîth are narrated."
His Extraordinary Intellect
Along with his extraordinary memory, he
also had a very sharp intellect. He did
not depend on pen and paper as much as
he relied on his mind and memory.
People examined the capabilities of Imâm
Bukhâri in the science of Hadîth
repeatedly but he always remained
successful as a result of Allâh's gift of
intellegence and superb memory.
Hâfiz Ahmad ibn `Adî describes: "When
the people of Baghdad had learnt that
Imâm Bukhârî was due to arrive there, the
Muhaddithîn of Baghdad decided to test
him by changing the text and chains of
transmission of one hundred Ahâdîth.
They joined the chain of one Hadîth with
the text of another and attached the
chain of this Hadîth with the text of the
prior. Like this, they mixed up the text
and chains of transmission of one
hundred Ahâdîth and gave these to
people who would test Imâm Bukhârî with
these.
"When Imâm Bukhâri arrived at Baghdad,
the people held a gathering in his
honour, in which most of the Ulamâ,
nobles and public were present. One
person stood up according to the plan
and asked a question regarding a Hadîth
with its altered chain of transmission.
Upon this, a second person stood up and
recited in similar manner. Like this, the
people completed the hundred Ahâdîth
and awaited Imâm Bukhârî's reply. He
said that he had not apprehended those
Ahâdîth. When he saw that everyone had
finished asking questions, he stood up
and described the chain of transmission
of the first Hadîth read and then gave its
correct chain. Like this, he detailed the
faulty chains on the Ahâdîth of all one
hundred set up by the scholars. He had
given the correct chains of transmission
to every Hadîth. When he finished, the
entire audience was full of praise and
recognition of the superiority and
greatness of Imâm Bukhârî."
Hâfiz Abul-Azhar relates: "Once four
hundred Muhaddithîn had gathered in the
city of Samarqand to test Imâm Bukhârî.
They did this by mixing up the
transmissions of Syria with the
transmissions of Iraq and the
transmissions of Iraq with the
transmissions of Syria. Similarly, they
inserted the transmissions of the Haram
(Makkah) into the ones of Yemen and
vice versa. They did this to Imâm Bukhâri
for seven days, but could not mislead
him in text or transmission a single time.
He had comprehensive knowledge in the
science of Hadîth - all of the routes of a
Hadîth were in his eyes if one with many
chains was found. So Imâm Bukhârî had
a good view of all of them. In that age,
no one had more command over the
different ways of transmission than Imâm
Bukhârî."
Yûsuf ibn Mûsâ Marûzî states: "I was
sitting in the central mosque of Basra
when I heard a voice saying, 'O seeker of
knowledge, Imâm Muhammad ibn Ismâ`îl
has arrived. Whoever wants to receive
Ahâdîth from him should present himself
in his company.'" Marûzî says: "I saw a
thin, weak young man near the pillar who
was praying salât with extreme
humbleness and humility and that was
Imâm Bukhârî. As soon as the
announcement was made, curious people
from all directions began to gather
around."
Glimpses of his private life
1. Self sufficiency:
The father of Imâm Bukhârî, Muhaddith
Ismâ`îl ibn Ibrâhîm was enormously rich
and Imâm Bukhârî had inherited a huge
share of his wealth. He used to give his
wealth on the basis of silent partnership
(e.g. if a person is in possession of a
shop, the profits are shared equally, but
only one partner does all the work). Abû
Sa`îd Bakr ibn Munîr states: "Once Abû
Hafs sent some goods to Imâm Bukhârî
and when traders learnt of this, they came
and offered five thousand dirhams. He
told them, 'Come in the evening.' A
second group of traders came and offered
ten thousand dirhams, but he told them,
'I have already made an agreement with
someone else. Ido not want to change my
intention for the sake of ten thousand
dirhams.'"
2. Simplicity and humbleness:
From the point of view of his character,
Imâm Bukhârî was a simple and hard
working person. He would fulfill his own
needs by himself. Despite having a lot of
wealth and status, he always kept the
minimum number of servants required
and never indulged himself in this matter.
Muhammad ibn Hâtim Warrâq, who was
one of his main disciples, says: "Imâm
Bukhârî was establishing an inn near the
city of Bukhara and was placing the
bricks with his own hands. I came
forward and said 'Leave the laying of the
bricks for this building to me.' But he
replied, 'On the day of judgement, this act
will be of benefit to me.'"
Warrâq goes on to say: "When we
accompanied Imâm Bukhârî on a journey,
he would gather us in one room and
would stay by himself in a separate room.
Once I saw Imâm Bukhârî get up between
fifteen and twenty times during the night
and every time, he lit the lamp with his
own hands. He took some Ahâdîth out,
marked them and then placed his head
on his pillow and laid on his couch. I
said to him, 'Why did you go through all
this trouble during the night, when you
could have woken me up [so that I could
help you].' He replied, 'You are young and
are in need of sound sleep and I did not
want to disturb your sleep.'"
3. Generosity
Just as he was generous with this wealth,
he was also greatly generous with his
heart. Sometimes, he would give three
thousand dirhams as a donation in one
day. Warrâq says that Imâm Bukhârî's
earnings were five hundred dirhams per
month and he would spend all of it on
his students.
4. Abstention ( Zuhd )
Imâm Bukhârî kept himself away from all
worldly desires and temptations.
Sometimes, in his quest for knowledge, he
passed his time eating dried grass (hay).
Usually he would eat only two or three
almonds in a whole day. Once he became
ill and the doctors told him, "Your
intestines have become dry because you
have been eating dried leaves." It was at
that moment that Imâm Bukhârî told the
doctor that he had been eating dried
leaves for forty years and during this
span of time he never even touched any
kind of curry.
5. Fear of Allâh
He was bestowed with the highest rank of
piety and righteousness. He feared Allâh
very much inwardly and outwardly. He
prevented himself from backbiting and
suspicion and always respected the rights
of others. Bakr ibn Munîr relates that
Imâm Bukhârî said, "I am hopeful that
when I meet my Lord, He will not take
account of me because I never
backbited."
Imâm Bukhârî was so vigilant in his
worship, that he would pray Nawâfil and
keep fasts in abundance. He would
complete the recitation of the whole
Qur'ân daily in the month of Ramadân
and also recited ten chapters of the Holy
Qur'ân deep in the night. He would
complete the Holy Qur'ân in the Tarâwîh
prayers and always reciting twenty verses
in each rak`at. He was very courteous,
tolerant and gentle. He never became
angry if mistreated by other persons and
prayed forgiveness for those who
attributed evil to him. If he needed to
correct any person, he would never
embarrass him in public.
His Arrival in Nîshâpûr and the issue of
the creation of the Qur'ân
In 250 AH, Imâm Bukhârî decided to go
to Nîshâpûr. After hearing this news, a
wave of happiness spread among its
people. In those times, Muhammad ibn
Yahya adh-Dhuhlî was the head of the
literary kingdom of Nîshâpûr. He advised
and led the inhabitants of the city to
gather together for the welcoming of
Imâm Bukhârî. A huge crowd went to the
outskirts of the city to receive Imâm
Bukhârî, with extreme magnificence and
honour. Imâm Muslim ibn Hajjâj says
that in all his life, he had never seen such
a reception ever given to a scholar or
even a ruler.
Imâm Bukhârî began to deliver lectures
on Hadîth in Nîshâpûr. At every session,
a huge crowd always packed the area to
listen and many included people who had
arrived specifically to learn the science of
Hadîth. However, some unpleasant
people were envious about the reputation
and popularity of Imâm Bukhârî. These
people set up Muhammad ibn Yahya
adh-Dhuhlî to become his opponent. In
this incident, Muhammad ibn Yahya
considered the pronunciation of the
Qur'ân as eternal and was firmly rooted
with this concept.
Once, a man approached Imâm Bukhârî
and asked him whether the Qur'ân was
created (makhlûq) or not created (ghayr
makhlûq). Imâm Bukhârî paused for a
while. The man insisted on a reply, upon
which he was told, "The Qur'ân are the
words of Allâh and they are not created
(ghayr makhlûq)." The man posed some
more questions about the words of the
Qur'ân, upon which Imâm Bukhârî said,
"Our actions are created and the
pronunciation is one our actions."
[Comment by G.F. Haddad: The above is
inaccurately translated. It should read:
"Muhammad ibn
Yahya considered the *pronunciation* of
the Qur'ân as eternal..." and "Imâm
Bukhârî said, 'Our actions are created and
the pronunciation is one our actions.'"
The disagreement was only over the
pronunciation (lafz) of the Qur'an, not the
words of the Qur'an, although lafz also
means "wording." Al-Dhuhli and other
people close to the Hanbali madhhab
considered that the pronunciation is
uncreated just like the Qur'an itself.
Others, like Bukhari and Muslim, also al-
Karabisi the companion of al-Shafi`i and
others considered the pronunciation
created since it is part of one's acts and
acts are certainly created. There was no
disagreement that the words of the
Qur'an are not created since they are
what is meant when we say that the
Qur'an is Allah's Speech.
What possibly reconciles the different
views on this subject is that lafz is used
by some to mean the revealed, uncreated
words and contents of recitation, while
others mean thereby the mere act of
pronunciation, which is created; hence
the extreme caution shown by some, such
as Imam al-Bukhari, who fell short of
saying: "Lafz is created" even though he
used it in the second sense, since he
said: "Lafz is an act of human beings,
and our acts are created." This lexical
ambiguity is a proof of sorts that the
differences on this particular question
were largely in terminology rather than
essence. Added to this is a fundamental
difference in method around the
appropriateness of such dialectic (kalam)
, which poisoned the air with unnecessary
condemnations on the part of Imam
Ahmad's followers - and Allah knows
best.]
After this, mass propaganda started
against Imâm Bukhârî, which led to
accusations that he believed the words of
the Qur'ân to be created. When Dhuhlî
heard these rumours, he disconnected his
ties with Imâm Bukhârî and became his
foe. He started warning people by
announcing that they should not attend
the lectures of Imâm Bukhârî. As a result,
people refrained from sitting in his
lectures, except Muslim ibn Hajjâj. At
last, due to his disappointment, Imâm
Bukhârî left the city of Nîshâpûr and
returned to Bukhara. 1
Banishment from his homeland
When the people of Bukhara learnt that
Imâm Bukhârî was coming back to his
homeland, they became extremely
overjoyed and erected tents many miles
outside the city to welcome him. They
greeted him with splendour for his return.
He established a school there where he
spent a great deal of time teaching with
satisfaction.
Even here, there were envious people who
did not leave him alone. They met the
governor of Bukhara, who was a
representative of the Khilâfat `Abasiyya,
Khâlid ibn Ahmad. They told him to call
Imâm Bukhârî to his house and busy him
with teaching his son. When the governor
put this suggestion to Imâm Bukhârî, he
was told, "I do not want to abuse
knowledge and carry it to the footstep of
the rulers. If anybody wants to learn, they
should come to my school." The governor
replied, by stating, "If my son was to
attend your school, he should not sit
with ordinary people. You would have to
teach him separately." Imâm Bukhârî
answered, "I cannot stop any person from
hearing Ahâdîth." Upon hearing this, the
governer of Bukhara became angry with
him and got a fatwa (verdict) from the
time wasting opportunist (ibn al-waqt)
`Ulamâ against Imâm Bukhârî to banish
him from the city.
Imâm Bukhârî was distressed at the
thought of being banished from his
homeland. Not even a month passed,
before the Khalîf of Baghdad dismissed
the governor of Bukhara, Khâlid ibn
Ahmad adh-Dhuhlî. The governor was
expelled from his palace in extreme
disgrace and dishonour, being mounted
on a she-ass and then thrown into
prison, where he died in a space of a few
days. Similarly, all the supporters of the
governor also died in disgraceful ways.
His passing
After returning from Bukhara, Imâm
Bukhârî decided to travel to Samarqand.
He was still many miles from the city,
when he heard that the people there had
two veiws about him. So he decided to
stay at a village along the way called
"Kharteng". Here, he made the following
invocation one night after the late-night
prayer: "O Allâh, the Earth despite its
grandeur is becoming narrow and is
troubling me greatly. So take me back to
You." After this invocation, he became ill.
Meanwhile, the people of Samarqand sent
a messenger to bring him there. Bukhârî
got up and was ready to travel, but his
strength gave way. He began to invoke
Allâh at length, then he took to his bed
and his soul passed away to his Lord -
may Allâh have mercy on him. An
indescribable amount of perspiration
came out of him even after he consigned
his life to the Creator of life. When this
abated, he was shrouded. He died on the
night of `Îd al-Fitr, the first night of
Shawwâl in the year 256 AH. He had
reached the age of 62 years, less twelve
days. On this night, the sun of great
knowledge, virtue and blessings had set,
whose knowledge and actions had
enlightened the hearts and minds of the
great intellects and people of Samarqand,
Bukhara, Baghdad and Nîshâpûr.
His acceptance by Allah's Messenger
sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam
Imâm Bukhârî devoted his entire life, in
the search for the way of life given by the
Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa
sallam, in acting upon his sayings and
researching into this science. His each
and every action was a fragment of the
way of the Messenger. Warrâq stated: "In
a dream, I once saw Imâm Bukhârî
walking behind the Prophet sallallâhu
`alayhi wa sallam and his feet would fall
exactly where the feet of the blessed
Prophet had fallen."
Farbarî stated: "Once in a dream, I met
the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa
sallam and he asked me, 'Where are you
going?' I replied, 'To Muhammad ibn
Ismâ`îl [al-Bukhârî].' He then said, 'Go,
and give him my salâm.'"
Just as the Holy Prophet sallallâhu
`alayhi wa sallam had happiness with
Imâm Bukhârî during his lifetime, he was
also pleased with him after his death.
Concerning this, `Abd al-Wâhid ibn Âdam
Awaysî stated: "I saw the Holy Prophet
sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam in my sleep
standing with a group of his
Companions. I asked, 'O Prophet
sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, who are you
waiting for?' He replied, 'For Bukhârî.'
After a few days I heard the news of
Imâm Bukhârî's passing away. He had
died at the very moment that I saw the
Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam in
my dream."
The Janâzah prayer was performed over
Imâm Bukhârî and his body was covered
with soil. A beautiful musk smell exuded
from the earth of his grave which lasted
for several days. People from far and
wide began to visit it in astonishment
and also took handfuls of earth from his
grave for blessings (tabarruk).
Abul-Fath as-Samarqandî relates: "two
hundred years after the death of Imâm
Bukhârî, a drought struck Samarqand.
The people made the istisqâ' prayer and
invocations but rain did not fall. A
saintly man came to the judge (Qâdî) of
the city and gave him some advice. He
said: 'With the people of the city, go to
the grave of Imâm Bukhârî and invoke
Allâh the Exalted there to give you rain.
Perhaps Allâh will accept our invocations
and give us rain.' The judge of the city
accepted this advice with delight and
proceeded to go to the grave. The people
followed him and upon arrival, he prayed
for rain in front of them at the grave.
People wept and also sought the
intercession of the one who was in the
grave. At that moment, clouds gathered
and Allâh sent such heavy rain that those
who were in Kharteng could not reach
Samarqand for seven days because of the
rain's abundance.
Conclusion
Imâm Bukhârî was not only a scholar,
worshipper, a devotee and a prosperous
man, but he always feared Allâh and
shone with the love of the Messenger
sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam. The
virtuous outpourings he gave to the world
during his life are still being given today
and as the Muslim Ummah goes about
its daily acts of worship, they realise how
important the role played by Imâm
Bukhârî was. He compiled and circulated
the Ahâdîth of the Prophet wherever
possible and Allâh spread his status to
every corner of the world. It is a fact that
as long as the traditions of the Holy
Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam
(qîla and qâla) are mentioned in
gatherings, lights and blessings will
shower onto the grave of Imâm al-
Bukhârî from the skies of the Most
Merciful.