Jannah is Surrounded by Obstacles

We ask Allah to make us of those who do not have to suffer in the Hell Fire. How can we endure the Fire of Hell if we cannot hold our finger in this worldly fire? The people of Hell Fire will say, “If we had any intelligence, we would not be here.” Allah has shown us the truth. With Muslims, the situation is that we know the truth. If we choose not to follow it, then that’s even more dangerous. Because that is what is why the hypocrites are in the lowest of hell – because they knew the truth and rejected it.

Getting to Jannah is not easy. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said that we have to go through obstacles to Jannah. Abu Hurayrah narrated that RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “The (Hell) Fire is surrounded by all kinds of desires and passions, while Paradise is surrounded by all kinds of disliked undesirable things.” [Bukhaari, 8/76/494]

The story of this hadith is that when Allah subhaana wa ta’aala created Jannah and Naar, He told Jibreel to visit them. He paid a visit to both, and he came back to Allah and said, “I don’t think anyone would hear about Jannah and not enter it. I don’t think anyone would hear about Hell and avoid it.” So Jibreel was saying that this is so straightforward and takes common sense – all humans will end up going to Jannah. Jibreel ‘alayhis salaam was told to go visit them again. This time, Allah wrapped up hell in shahawaat (the desirable things to us; our passions) – this is what attracts us to sin.

Imagine hell as a magnet, pulling us towards it. Remember the analogy that RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam gave of him being the man in the desert, trying to save insects from going into the fire.

Jibreel saw hell after it was wrapped in these desires and passions. Then he saw Jannah and saw that you have to go through all of these obstacles and disliked things to get to Jannah. Jibreel came back to Allah and said, “Now, I don’t think anyone will make it to Jannah. I think all of them will go to hell.”

An-Nawawi (who has the best commentary on Sahih Muslim) comments on this hadith and says, “Hell fire and Paradise are covered with a veil, and you cannot get to the veiled unless you cross the veil. And crossing the veil to get to Jannah is by going through the disliked and difficult things. For example, being very active in ‘ibaadah; having commitment to ‘ibaadah; being patient; not getting angry; being forgiving; having compassion; giving sadaqa; and staying away from the sins.”