An Important warning in respect of
heaven and hell
(128) It is related by Abu Hurairah that the Apostle
of God said: Hell has been surrounded with ease and
luxuriousness, and Heaven has been surrounded with
toil and suffering.
-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood and Nissai
Commentary.-Generally, sins i.e., deeds that are to be
expected to lead one to Hell are a source of sensuous
enjoyment, while duties i.e., deeds that make one
deserving of admission to Paradise come hard on the
flesh. Thus, the ultimate destination of the bondsman
who will yield to his inordinate appetites and perform
evil deeds shall be Hell while the bondsman who will
observe the commands of God and remain faithful to Him
shall make his abode in Heaven.
(129) It is related by Abu Hurairah that the Apostle
of God said: When God created Heaven, He told Gabriel
to go and see it [as to how He had made Paradise with
its astounding boons and comforts]. Gabriel, thus,
went and saw Heaven and the wonderful things the Lord
had provided in it. On return, he exclaimed, O Lord !
By Thy Glory and Thy Magnificence, [Thou hast made
Heaven so beautiful and got ready such blessings in it
that I am sure that] anyone who hears about it will
attain it [i.e., he will be fired with the desire to
live there permanently and will again his objective by
performing the good deeds that are needed to go to
Heaven and avoiding the evil things] God, then,
surrounded Heaven with toll and hardship [i.e., He
enclosed it on all sides with the injunctions of the
Shariat to observe which calls for a great deal of
self-denial and earnest endeavour], and, once again,
told Gabriel to go and see Heaven [with the new
barricade built around it]. So, once more, Gabriel
went and saw Paradise, and, on his return, he
exclaimed, Our Lord ! By The Glory and Thy
Magnificence, now I fear that no one will be able to
attain it [i.e., the condition of the observance of
the laws of the Shariat Thou hast prescribed is so
very hard that, perhaps, no one will be in a position
to fulfil it]. Again, when God created Hell, He told
Gabriel to go and see it [and the various forms of
punishment He had put together there]. Thus, Gabriel
went and saw it, and, on coming back, he said, O Lord
! By Thy Glory and Thy Magnificence, [Thou hast made
Hell such an infernal place that] whoever hears about
it will never enter it [i.e,. he will strictly refrain
from acts that are likely to take him to Hell]. God,
then surrounded Hell with material comforts and bodily
enjoyment and told Gabriel, again, to go and see it.
So, once more, Gabriel went and saw Hell [and the ring
of sensual pleasures that had been put around it]. On
return, he exclaimed, O Lord! By Thy Glory and Thy
Magnificence, now I fear that everyone will make his
home in it [i.e., the pleasures with which Thou hast
encompassed Hell hold such an attraction for man, with
all his animal desires and propensities, that,
perhaps, everyone will yield to them and end up in the
bottomless pit].
-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood and Nissai
Commentary.-The special lesson the above Tradition
carries is that the sequel of gratifying ones
inclinations and desires [which, apparently, is so
pleasing] is the fearful chastisement of Hell, a
moment of which will make one forget the joys and
comforts of a lifetime, while the end of a life, of
loyalty and submission to Divine injunctions [which
seems so hard and cheerless to our carnal selves] is
Paradise, the home of perfect felicity and eternal
bliss.
(130) It is related by Abu Hurairah that the Apostle
of God said: I have not seen a fearful calamity like
Hell that the one running away from it may have fallen
asleep, and I have not seen an attractive thing like
Heaven that the one desiring it may have slept.
-Tirmidhi
Commentary.-It is natural for man that when he runs to
save his life from an evil thing like a ferocious
beast or a pursuing enemy, he keeps running and does
not think of rest or sleep till he has attained
safety. Similarly, when a person strives eagerly for a
desirable object he forgets about rest and sleep till
he has succeeded in his aim. But towards Heaven and
Hell our attitude is hard to explain. There is no more
alluring thing than Heaven, but instead of trying our
utmost to attain it, we are inclined to be negligent
while there is no more detestable thing than Hell yet
those who should be fleeing from it are fast asleep.
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom
(i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue
with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone
astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy
Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in
His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites
(men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I
am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if
Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of
camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever
calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who
follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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