Everything about Islam

Heaven-Concept

Heaven by Duaa Anwar

The Quran is filled with not just descriptions of the Heavenly Gardens and Hell, but conversations, dialogues, discourses and intellectual discussions.  When similar scenarios are repeated over and over it is an indication that God is saying, “pay attention!”  It is therefore incumbent upon us to do just that - pay careful attention, with either hope for the blissful abode known as the Heavenly Gardens or seek to protect ourselves from the fires of Hell.  Information is repeated over and over in order to make us think long and hard.

The Concept of Heaven

The existence of Heaven is a fact according to the Quran. Like everything else in the universe, Heaven is a creation of Allah: “He it is Who produced gardens (Heaven) trellised and untrellised, and the date palm, and crops of diverse flavor, and the olive and the pomegranate, like and unlike …” (6:141).

Its purpose is to motivate people to do good deeds in their lives, and reward them when they die.

Heaven is described in the Quran as a garden with trees, flowers, fruits, rivers, birds, and more, all designed for the pleasure of the righteous.

The Quran heavily emphasizes the subject of Heaven to provide a strong motive for people to stay on the right path. In the Quran, Allah promises His believers again and again that they will be rewarded for following His teachings. For example, He says, “But as for those who believe and do good works We shall bring them into gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. It is a promise from Allah in truth; and who can be more truthful than Allah in utterance?” (4:122).

This assures believers that life after death will bring them more luxury than this world can offer. Heaven is Allah's promise to those people, assuring them that they will abide in it forever. Since there's no death after the Resurrection, anyone who enters Heaven will enjoy its luxury to no end. In Heaven, there is no aging, suffering, difficulties, or challenges that are typical of this world.

The Road to Heaven

In Surah Al Fatiha, the opening Surah of the Quran, there is a prayer asking Allah for Heaven: “Show us the straight path, the path of those whom You have favored; not (the path) of those who earn Your anger nor of those who go astray” (1:6–7).

In another Surah, Allah says, “And (He commands you, saying): This is My straight path, so follow it. Follow not other ways, lest you be parted from His way. This has He ordained for you, that you may ward off (evil)” (6:153).

The straight path Allah talks about in the Quran is the road to Heaven. It is not a physical road that people will walk on Judgment Day; instead, it refers to the time spent and choices made in this world. The straight path is the Quran, as presented in the second Surah, which answers the first by saying, “This is the scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off evil …” (2:2). Following the Quran and its teachings, which are the straight path, will lead to Heaven.

Whether or not someone will find the straight path is a matter ordained by Allah, according to the Quran: “And Allah summons to the abode of peace, and leads whom He will to a straight path” (10:25). The “abode of peace” in this verse refers to Heaven. The implication here is that Allah will make finding the straight path easy for the devoted believer. In other words, the more a believer strives to please Allah, the stronger his faith will become, and the closer he will get to Heaven, a chain of events made possible by the will of Allah.

Belief Is the Key

Belief in Allah as the sole Creator and in Muhammad as his messenger can be a ticket to Heaven even for someone who has not strived hard enough in this world.

Although it is the foundation of Islam, according to the Quran it can possibly save a non-Muslim from hellfire on Judgment Day: “Lo! Those who say: Our Lord is Allah, and afterward are upright, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not nor grieve, but bear good tidings of the Paradise which you are promised” (41:30). The word upright here means being righteous.

Further on, Allah says, “Lo! Those who believe and do good works and humble themselves before their Lord: such are rightful owners of the Garden; they will abide therein” (11:23). This verse addresses “those who believe” in Allah and promises them the Garden (Heaven). Doing good works is essential, but belief is given top priority. Take the example of the grave's interrogation, where the angel's first question is “Who is your Lord?” Prophet Muhammad emphasized the importance of belief by saying, “The key to Heaven is the Declaration of Faith in Allah.”

Who Goes to Heaven?

Prophet Muhammad was once asked, “Isn't belief the key to Heaven?” He said, “True, but every key must have teeth in order to open.” In the Quran, the value of good deeds is not forgotten: “Enter the Garden because of what you used to do” (16:32). Belief in Allah may be the key, but a person's deeds determine the measure of reward deserved. Those deeds are the teeth to the key to Heaven. Most Islamic scholars conclude that belief grants a person admission to Heaven, but with more bad deeds than good, reward could be postponed until a certain sentence in Hell is completed.

According to the Quran and Sunnah, admission to Heaven is granted, not earned: “If Allah took mankind to task for that which they earn, He would not leave a living creature on the surface of the earth …” (35:45). This means that if Allah judged people by their record of deeds alone, their sins would be so much that He would not leave a living soul on Earth. Muslims believe that Allah's forgiveness and graciousness allow people to go to Heaven, while good deeds determine the level of comfort awarded.

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