Is there one or more Paradise?

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IntroductionSome Questions and answers about Paradise

The first verse speaks about the painful chastisement of those in Hell and then has compared the comfort of those in Paradise. It says:

“Is that better or the eternal gardens promised to the righteous? That is a reward for them and the final abode”

The term “Jannatol Khuld’ has been used only in this verse of the Qura’n and it tells us about the eternal existence of Paradise.

Raghib in Mafuradat says that “Khuluud” means something being safe from decay and destruction. Maqayis-ol-Loghat has described it as steadfastness and ever lastingness. Misbahol-Loghat has described it as being permanent at one place. Though the term “ Jannatol Khuld” has been used as an adjective describing its extra quality this quality is its permanent feature because all its bounties have an ever lastingness. The people there will also live in it for ever. This is why this particular Paradise is not attached to anything and actually all its gardens have the same features.

Some Ulema like Ibn Manzoor in Lisan-ol-Arab have said that this is a name of Paradise but there is a possibility that they mean eternal feature which as time passed became the name of Paradise.

The second verse has another des c r i p tion. The efforts of the righteous will not be wasted says the verse and then adds, “For them are the gardens of Paradise under which the rivers flow.”

The word “Jannaat” is the plural of “Jannat” and is one of the gardens of Paradise. According to Maqayis-ol-Loghat the word “A’dn” means solidity or steadfastness or according to Raghib in Mafuradat means eternal and strongly founded. This is because the pits of metals etc are called “Ma’dan” but here it means that Paradise is eternal and will not decay or be destroyed like the gardens in this world. The gardens here dry up after some time and some times the fruits are affected by viruses, the trunk is rendered hollow (by insects) and even the harsh summer and winter winds dry them up. They some times fall prey to lightning strikes also.

In short the gardens of this world are preyed upon by many calamities but the gardens of paradise will always be in bloom. There will be no calamity, no autumns and the trees will never dry up.

Some commentators have opined that “ Jannaat And” means the internal portion of Paradise and is one of the gardens but more vast and even its parts can be taken as Paradise and this is why it has been described in plural (1) But this meaning seems far fetched after we study the explanation given above.

The third verse says the same thing in another style. It says, “For those who believe and do righteous deeds are gardens like comfortable homes, rewards for their good deeds.”

The word “Ma’waa” is derived from “Awiyy” or “Uwiyy”. According to Raghib in Mafuradat it means to merge one thing with another and then it was used for something that remains alive. Maqayis-ol-Loghat has described it as “Tajammaa’ which means to stand by something. In short “Ma’Waa means any place or abode where a person spends his days and nights so “Jannatol Ma’waa” will mean the eternal paradise and it also denotes peace and tranquility.

Some have said that this tells us that this world is not the eternal abode of mankind but a pathway which the people will cross to reach their eternal abode. According to hadiths this world is a bridge and does not mean an eternal resting place.

Eternity is feature that applies to the entire Paradise but Ibn Abbas has said:

“ there are 8 gardens in Paradise and one of them is the “Eternal garden” the others are called, “ Darol Jalaal”, “Darol Qaraar”, “ Daros Salaam”, “ And”, “ Jannatol Khuld”, “ Jannatol Firdaus” and “ Jannatol Naiim”.”

We had said earlier that “Nuzul”, means something that is placed first before a guest (Like sherbet or cold drinks or water)

In this case the proof is that “Jannatol Ma’waa will be presented before the true believers or special people of God. Their real service will be through the bounties of Paradise compared to which ‘Jannatol Ma’waa is something very ordinary and what can it be other than the closeness to God and the beatific vision of His glory and authority?

On of the des c r i p tion of this great bounty of God is “Jannatol Firdaus. It is said: “And those who believe and do righteous deeds have for their entertainment the gardens of Paradise.”

The word “Firdaus” may be Roman, Cyprian, Nabatian or African or Arabic. There is a great debate amongst the linguists about it. Each one of them has a separate interpretation.

Some have taken the word to be derived from Persian which was originally “Paradizus” or “Paradeez” and then it became “Faradees” and finally “Firdaus”.

Many meanings have been attributed to it like orchard, or garden, vineyards, gardens that have all kinds of fruits and flowers, gardens heavily populated by trees with flowing water and lots of grape vines.

Those who take it as an Arabic word believe it to be derived from “Fardasa” which means open and expansive. This word has been used only twice in the Qura’n (Verse 107 of Surah Kahf and 111 of Surah Muminun) for paradise. The hadiths from the Holy Messenger and the Infallible Imams tell us that it means a very lofty place.

There is a hadith from the Holy Messenger that says:

“When you beseech God ask for ‘Firdaus” which is the center of Paradise and the best place in it. God’s throne is above it and the rivers of Paradise flow out from it.” (1)

There is a hadith from Imam Ali that says:

“Every thing has a higher station and the higher station of Paradise is Firdaus which is for Mohammad and his progeny.”

Imam Sadiq has explained the verse as:

“This verse was revealed to stress the prominence of Abuzar, Salman, Miqdaad, and Ammar Yassir and it says: “God has declared Firdaus to be their final abode”

It is evident that there is no conflict between the second and third hadiths because such true followers of Mohammad and his progeny are considered to be one with them.

What does the word “Nuzulan” mean here? Some have taken it to mean the final destination and a place of rest. And this has been confirmed by the hadith from Imam Sadiq. Some commentators have said it means something which is given to the guests or something which is initially presented to the guests and it is correct to merge the two meanings.

Surah Waqiah describes the gardens of Paradise in another style which is “Jannatol Naiim”. It is said, “And those foremost in faith, will be ones nearest to God in the gardens of bliss.”

The word “Jannaat” is the plural of Jannat may be because each person in Paradise will have a garden and they collectively will become many gardens. The word “Naiim” is the plural of “Na’umat” because there will always be material and spiritual bounties in Paradise. These gardens will not be like the ones in this world that at times become painful for the people and sometimes they are blissful. Most gardens in this world have one bounty (fruit) but not all the variety.

The notable point is that the verse first speaks about their closeness and then “Jannaatol Naiim” so it seems that the garden despite all its bounties is like a drop compared to the ocean it is compared to the closeness mentioned.

This term (Jannatol Naiim and Jannaatol Naiim) has been used nearly ten times in the Qura’n and its repetition emphasizes its importance. (6)

The point to note is that the troubles of mankind increases when he gets closer to power in this world because he is always afraid that the one in power may one day neglect him and put him under stress. This is why the learned people always advise people to remain aloof from the Sultan or the ruler but getting closer to God is something else. This closeness will result in peace and tranquility both materialistic and spiritual and manifests in the form of “Jannatol Naiim”.

Another p[point to note is that in many commentaries the term “ Naiim” like in verse 8 of Surah Takathur that says, “Then shall you be questioned that Day for what you indulged in” has been taken to mean “ the bounty of succession” (7) So we can discern that “Jannatol Naiim” may be the paradise for the successors. This may be the Paradise where one will benefit from the divine light of God and the presence of His chosen ones.

 Does the term “Jannaatol Naiim” mean the entire Paradise or some special parts of it? There are two views about it. On the one side is the promise given to the close ones so it may refer to the second view that is confirmed by verses 88 and 89 of Surah Waqiah that say:

“So if he is among the ones nearest to God (there is for him) rest and satisfaction and a garden of delights.”

There are four kinds of gardens mentioned in the end of the 6th verse and they have been paired according to attributes.

“But for those who fear the time when they will stand before God” will have two gardens. “Full of bounties” means full of evergreen and fruit bearing trees. “In each of them will be two gardens with rivers flowing below them.”

It has sometimes been though that these four gardens are for all the believers and the number is for variety which men prefer for they enjoy variety but the words of the verses denote that they will be for people of different strata for the term “ and besides these two” tells us of it being below.

This differentiation between the dwellers of Paradise has been well defined by a hadith from the Messenger that says:

“There are two gardens in which the utensils are made of silver and two in which they are made of gold.”(8)

There is a hadith from Imam Sadiq explaining this meaning in detail:” Do not say that there is only one Paradise for there are two more underneath. Do not say that all of them have the same prominence because God has said, “The station of some are more elevated than that of the others.” This difference is because of their deeds.”(9)

Why are there two gardens for each of the groups? The commentators have given many explanations for this but there is no contradiction between them for they all may be included in the meaning of the verse. They are:

One points to the spiritual paradise and the other to the material one.

Each person in Paradise has two gardens one for meeting all friends and the other for spending time with their wives.

One garden is the reward for belief and the other is the reward for good deeds.

One is the reward for deeds but the second one is a bounty bestowed by God.

One is for obeying the commands of God and the other is for abstaining from sins.

We learn from the above verses that there are many places and stages of Paradise and each stage is a garden of Paradise. The different stations of the saints tell us that there is difference between them in Paradise. The Paradise of the close ones is different from the Paradise of the obedient ones. Those who have prominence in belief and enlightenment have a very lofty place that is above those with lesser good deeds.

Though their attributes cannot fully be understood by us it is certain that they have different stations. Even on the Day of Judgment those of a lesser degree will not be able to imagine the bounties of those above them.

Some times the word “Jannat” is used in the singular form but denotes the general idea of peace and some times it has been used in plural form and this too is one with different stations and different bounties. It is thirdly used in the dual form and denotes two different stages that have been described earlier.

Some times the Qura’n speaks about the Paradise being eternal and terms like “Jannati Adn”, “Jannatol Ma’waa”,

And “Jannatol Khuld” has been used.

 But it has sometime been taken to the material or spiritual and the term “Jannatol Naiim” has been used. The term “Jannatol Firdaus” has been used when the book speaks about the lofty places in it.

All these meaningful des c r i p tions speak about God’s beneficence and about the true closeness to Him.

 


 

1. See Verse 72 of Surah Tauba, 23 of Surah Raad, 31 of Nahl, 61 of Maryam, 67 of Ta-Ha, 33 of Fatir, 50 of Saad, 8 of Surah Mumin, 12 of Surah Saff, and 8 of Baiyyanah.
2. Tafsir Majmaul Bayan vol.6 page 467 and Tafsir Qartabi vol.6 page 4013.
3) Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim as quoted by Ruhul Ma’ani vol.16 page 47.
4. Tafsir Burhan vol.2 page 495 hadith 2
5. Tafsir Qummi as quoted by Al Mizan for this verse.
6. See Surahs Maidah 65, Yunus 9, Hajj 56, Shuara 85, Luqman 8, Saffat 43, Waqiah 16 and 89, Qalam 34 and Maarij 38.
7. For further study of this hadith see Behar-ol-Anwar vol. 24 page 48 chapter 29.
8. Tafsir Majmaul Bayan vol. 9-10 page 210
9. Tafsir Majmaul Bayan vol. 9-10 page 210.

 

IntroductionSome Questions and answers about Paradise
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