Part 27

Every man will have two of the houris as wives — and the marrow of the bones in their legs will be visible through their flesh and bones."103 The Vision of Allah Allah says: ( Faces that Day will be radiant, gazing at their Lord. ) (75: 21-22) He also says: 101 al-Bukhari, 11 /419; Muslim, 2/45-46. 102 al-Bukhari, 6 / 15; Al-Tirmidhi, 8/155. 103 al-Bukhari, 6/319; Muslim, 17/ 172-173. ( Those who do good will have the best and more! ) (10: 26) It has been related by Abu Hurairah that some (Companions of the Prophet) asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Will we see our Lord on the Day of Judgment?" He replied, "Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun at noon when it is not clouded over?" They said, "No." Then he said, "Do you have any difficulty in seeing the full moon on the fourteenth night when it is not clouded over?" They said, "No." Then he said, "By Allah Who is the One in Whose Hand my life is, you will have no more difficulty in seeing your Lord than you have in seeing either of them.104 It has been related by Suhaib Ibn Sinan ar-Rumi that the Prophet recited the ayah of Allah, ( Those who do good will have the best and more! ) (10: 26) and said, "When those who deserve the Garden have entered the Garden and those who deserve the Fire have entered the Fire, Allah the Blessed and Exalted will ask, 'Would you like Me to give you anything more?' They will reply: 'Have You not illuminated our faces? Have You not brought us into the Garden and saved us from the Fire?'" He continued, "Then He will remove the Veil - and of everything given to them nothing will be dearer to them than the vision of their Lord, the Mighty and Glorious."105 This indeed is the highest reward - and all other rewards are nothing compared to the moment when the people of the Garden enjoy the vision of their Lord. They will experience the greatest bliss when they meet their Lord. All praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Yours is the Glory, our Lord, and to You all praise belongs. I bear witness that there is no god but You, and that Muhammad is Your slave and Your Messenger and I seek Your forgiveness and I turn in repentance to You. 104 Muslim, 41 / 7078. 105 Muslim, 3/17. CONCLUSION See the dunya, this world, as it really is. Do not be taken in by its deceptive attractiveness and its illusory beauty. Understand the reality and nature of existence. Allah describes the dunya like this: ( The metaphor of the life of the dunya is that of water which We send down from the sky, and which then mingles with the plants of the earth to provide food for both people and animals. Then, when the earth is at its loveliest and takes on its fairest guise and its people think they have it under their control, Our command comes upon it by night or day and We reduce it to dried-out stubble, as though it had not been flourishing just the day before! In this way We make Our Signs clear for people who reflect. ) (10: 24) In another verse, Allah says: ( Make a metaphor for them of the life of the dunya. It is like water which We send down from the sky and the plants of the earth combine with it but then become dry chaff scattered by the winds. Allah has absolute power over everything. ) (18: 44) The life of this world is bound to end, no matter how long it lasts. It is only a few breathes in a few places, limited to a certain time span — nobody will live for ever. It has been related by 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, "The Messenger of Allah took hold of my shoulder and said, 'Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a traveller.'" The narrator added, "Ibn 'Umar used to say, 'If you survive until the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive until the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and take from your life for your death.'"106 The Messenger of Allah slept on a reed mat and sat up with its marks on his body, so Ibn Mas'ud said, "O Messenger of Allah, I wish you would tell us to spread something out for you to make it comfortable for you." He replied, "What have Ito do with this world? As far as this world is concerned I am like a rider who shades himself under a tree for a while and then goes off and leaves it."107 Jesus used to warn his followers saying, "Treat this world like a bridge and do not settle down in it." He also said, "Who can build a house on the surface of the waves of the sea?