The Islamic 70 Houris for men, who will live like kings, in Heaven is actually supported by the Bible!

Paradise: Who are the People of Paradise? And who are the "Muminoon (Believers)" in Islam?

This article was sent to me by brother/sister salvi@bigates.com; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him or her.

Paradise: Who are the People of Paradise?

We could go on and on, for the ahadeeth are vast in numbers, about the Prophet's descriptions of Paradise. But a place that has houses built with gold and silver bricks: where its dirt is made of rubies and sapphires and its inhabitants wear only the finest silk garments, sounds like a pretty exclusive neighborhood to me.  Who are these people who will be allowed to live in this enchanting place?  The Jews say the Jews.   The Christians say the Christians.  But Allah says, "And they say: 'None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.' Those are their (vain) desires. Say, 'Produce your proof if you are truthful.' [2:111] He also says, "(Namely) those whose lives the angels take in a state of purity, saying (to them), 'Peace be on you, enter you the Garden, because of (the good) which you did (in the world)." [16:32]

Always in the Qur'an when Allah mentions those who will attain Paradise, He mentions the believers, not the Muslims.  He, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "Indeed the Muttaqoon will be amongst the Gardens and water-springs." [15:45] He also says, "Verily, the Muttaqoon will be in a place of security, among Gardens and Springs, dressed in fine silk and (also) in thick silk, facing each other. This is how it shall be, and We shall marry them to Houris with wide, lovely eyes. They will request therein for every kind of fruit in peace and security." [44:51-55]

So who are the believers and how do we become one of them?  Allah says, "They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and they enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and they strive with one another in hastening to good deeds, and those are among the good." [3:114]

He, subhanahu wa ta'ala, also says of the believers, "But the Apostle and those who believe with him strive hard with their property and their persons; and these it is who shall have the good things and these it is who shall be successful." [9:88]  He goes on to say, "Allah has purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Qur'an: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain, which you have concluded: that is the achievement supreme." [9:111]

Of the believers, He also says, "But those who have faith and work righteousness, they are companions of the Garden: Therein shall they abide (forever)." [2:82]  O slaves of Allah know that being among this illustrious group of people who will live in this place of tranquility and bliss is not something easily attained.  Allah says, "Or do you think that you shall enter the Garden (of bliss) without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They encountered suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Apostle and those of faith who were with him cried, 'When (will come) the help of Allah?' Ah! Verily, the help of Allah is (always) near!" [2:214]

What Allah and His Messenger, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, convey to us is that the people of Paradise are the God-conscious, and the God-fearing.  Not everyone, who says, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, just as not everyone who professes the Shahadah, will enter Paradise.

Only those who fear Allah as He ought to be feared, and are motivated by that fear to do acts of righteousness will attain success.  The one who is conscious of His Lord, in every aspect of his life, and turns to Him in true submission, will have purchased for himself safety and security on a day, when there will be none, except with Allah.  He does not cause a soul to suffer fear twice, the fear of Him in this world, and the fear on The Day of Judgment.  About this, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said, "Allah says, 'I do not combine for my servants two states of fear, or two states of safety.  So if he feels safe from Me in this world I will cause him to fear on The Day of Judgment, and if he fears Me in the world, I will cause him to be safe on The Day of Judgment.'" (Sahih al-Jami)

It is important, therefore, that Muslims know the characters of those who will be the inheritors of Paradise.  But it is unfortunate that many of today's Muslims understand that it is enough for one to pronounce the Shahadah by his tongue for him to be entitled to enter Paradise regardless of whether he lived according to Islam or not!   But the Shahadah means and requires more than the mere utterance of it.   Actually this fact is one of the most mentioned aspects of Islam in the Qur'an and Sunnah.  The essence of Eman is deed.  Deeds of the heart and deeds of the tongue and other body parts.  Deeds that are to be continued till one leaves this world.  That was the reason why the Arabs of Makkah refused to pronounce it.   They fully appreciated its implication.  They knew it concerned authority and understood that they had to govern their deeds and lives with it.  Yet many of those who repeat it today lead life styles that do not resemble those described in the Qur'an and practiced by the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, and his companions.  The Qur'an warns us that deeds are the basis on which we are to be judged, not only the utterance of the Shahadah, "It is not by your wishes nor the wishes of the People of the Book: whoever does wrong shall be punished for it, and he will find none other than Allah as a protector or helper." [4:123]

So entering Paradise requires that we live as believers and die as Muslims.  That takes knowledge, dedication and determination to see it through to its completion.   The first step is belief in Allah and His Messenger, and the flip side to that is leaving all acts of shirk; this means directing all acts of ibadah to none but Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, whether it be wearing talismans, supplicating to others than Allah or simply showing off.  The next step is obeying Allah and His Messenger, avoiding bid'ah and innovations, and carrying out all compulsory acts of worship that He has prescribed.  Once we are steadfast and regular in what we must do, we can then proceed to the next level of eman and worship, by doing the things that we have been encouraged to do.  By increasing our acts of worship, and remembrance of Allah we will leave off sin and help safeguard ourselves from a Fire, the fuel of which is men and stones.

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