A few final issuses related to jannah

The Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Allah created Adam in his complete shape and form (directly), sixty cubits (about 30 meters) in height. [...] So whoever will enter Paradise, will be of the shape and form of Adam. Since then the creation of Adam’s (offspring) (i.e. stature of human beings is being diminished continuously) to the present time.” [Bukhaari, 8/74/246]

What about their age? In at-Tirmidhi, it mentions that they will enter Jannah at the age of 33 years old.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam also says, Sleeping is a brother of death, and the people of Jannah do not sleep. It’s continuous fun – why would anyone sleep?

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, there would be bounties which the eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard and human heart has ever perceived it. It said in the hadith that he talked about Jannah in the hadith and then said this. Your mind is limited to this dunya.

There was a primitive tribe which some anthropologists visited. The tribe lived in a very hot climate, so they never saw snow in their lives. These anthropologists kept describing snow to them by things in their environment that they knew. Then, when they presented them with snow, they didn’t recognize it. Similarly, we will never grasp Jannah until we see it.

There will be no urination or spitting or anything disgusting in Jannah.

“And when you look therein (Paradise) you will see pleasure and a great kingdom.” (76:20) You are a king in what Allah has given you; or in the case of our sisters, they will be Queens in Jannah. (inshaAllah).

Allah says: “No person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden (in reserve) for them – as a reward for their (good) deeds.” (32:17)

Jannah vs. Dunya

Allah told Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “And strain not your eyes in longing for the things We have given for enjoyment to various groups of them (polytheists and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah), the splendour of the life of this world that We may test them thereby. But the provision (good reward in the Hereafter) of your Lord is better and more lasting.” (20:131)

Allah is telling Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who was poor, not to look at the wealth and pleasure He has given them. Don’t look at their palaces, gardens and wealth, because what Allah has for you is better.

Jannah is better compared to this world in four aspects:

1. Quantity

The quantity of everything in Jannah is multifold of everything in this world. Allah says: “[....] Say, ‘Short is the enjoyment of this world. The Hereafter is (far) better for him who fears Allah, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly even equal to the Fatila (a scalish thread in the long slit of a date­stone.’” (4:77) Qaleel is translated as “short” here, but what it is saying that the quantity is very little. What Allah has for you in Jannah is a lot. The person with the least has 10 times of this world.

2. Quality

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says in Bukhaari, “A (small) place equal to an area occupied by a whip in Paradise is better than the (whole) world and whatever is in it [...]” [Bukhaari, 8/76/424] How much would that area occupy? 1 inch by a foot? So if you buy that much in Jannah, that is worth the price of the whole world. Of course, you have distances in Jannah that can be measured in light years.

RasulAllah also says, “By Allah, this world (is so insignificant in comparison) to the Hereafter that if one of you should dip his finger (and while saying this Yahya pointed with his forefinger) in the ocean and then he should see as to what has stuck to it.” [Muslim, 40/6843] The dunya is like a drop of water compared to the akhirah. We are fighting and killing ourselves over a droplet of water! We are neglecting our religion for a droplet of water.

If everyone was promised $100 for showing up for fajr every morning, surely the masjids would be packed. Is $100 worth Jannah? We are bargaining for the wrong thing! RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “I do not fear poverty on you. My concern is that you will become wealthy, and when you become wealthy you will compete on this world like the nations before. And it will destroy you like it destroyed them.”

And we mentioned the hadith before in which RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam mentioned the woman of Paradise, appearing before this world. That is the quality of everything in Jannah.

3. Jannah is Pure, Dunya is Contaminated

Everything in Jannah is pure, whereas everything in dunya is contaminated. Everything in dunya is contaminated – even what you deem as pleasure.

Let’s look at some of the things that we enjoy – food, for example. Imagine for a moment that the digestive system was made transparent and you could see all of what went on once the food was in your mouth. You would see the food mix with saliva, the colour changing. You would see it go into your stomach and coated with fluid. What if you could smell? You would never have a meal with anyone if you could see all of that! Nevertheless, we enjoy food, even though it is [internally] a very gruesome process.

Without getting graphic, the process of reproduction, just think about the process. The whole thing is quite disgusting. Because of desire, it makes it seem very passionate and desirable.

Ibn AlJowzee said to think about kissing – if people really thought about it, they wouldn’t do it.

That is everything in dunya – it is a mask. As soon as you pick up that later, you see how rotten it is from the inside.

Allah says, about the wine of Jannah: “Free from headiness; nor will they suffer intoxication there from.” (37:47)

If water settles somewhere for a long time, algae begins to grow in it. Allah tells us the water of Jannah is incorruptible.

And milk left out of the fridge for awhile will spoil and become sour. Allah says that the milk of Jannah will never change.

One of the difficulties of honey is that it is hard to cleanse. Allah says that in Jannah the honey will be purified for you.

So Allah says about the four rivers that you will have in Jannah, that they will be pure. Your companions will be pure. All of the natural processes that a woman goes through in the dunya – menstruation, etc – will not exist in Jannah. All of the impurities and sins of the heart will be gone. The hearts would be like the heart of one man.

Allah has given us a glimpse of Jannah and Naar in this world, but the real thing is in the akhirah.

Everyone has experienced the pain of fire – whether it was hot water, burning oil, an open flame, etc. It seems that Allah has everyone taste the pain of fire, as a warning for the real thing. And this is just a personal observation.

4. Dunya is Temporary

Even if there is enjoyment in dunya, it is temporary. In akhirah, it’s permanent. In the dunya, if you enjoy food, you cannot keep eating because it will cause health problems.

You’ll find that in this world the ones who can afford the exotic foods are the ones who cannot eat it – they have high cholesterol, etc.

Everything in Jannah is permanent. You can drink your entire river if you want. You can have fruit and meat of your choice. You will be entertained with your spouse’s for years and years.

The punishment for adultery is stoning. SubhaanAllah, they go through this enjoyment of a few minutes for a punishment like that. In akhirah, the punishment is forever. Everything in dunya is temporary and everything in the hereafter is permanent.

After going through this tour of Jannah and Naar, we should make a commitment to ourselves to always remember and bring up this topic. We should try to live in akhirah, though we are walking in dunya.

And pray all the time – in your sujood, raising your hands for du’aa`. Pray the prayers mentioned in Qur’an. Pray for protection from the Fire and pray for Jannah.