Chapter Sa’d – Part 16

Part 16

Recap: Paradise will be a new creation nothing to do with what I see in this world. However, it will be the result of our deeds here i.e., what type of attitude I took here.  The representation of Paradise is usually presented in the Quran in the form of things that human beings enjoy here without any human interference.  Example: Fruits, drinks, water… We all love to have a nice residence for ourselves and our family here.  Paradise is described with eternally running water, continuously revived everfresh fruits, most comfortable life in castles etc. Everything is organized by the Creator of the universe for our entertainment and comfort here as samples and in Paradise permanently.

The description of Paradise in scriptures is introduced as everything will be created directly with the hands of God, with no other interference.  That is how God will treat us with a never-ending enjoyment.

38:52 “having beside them well-matched mates of modest gaze.”

The Quranic language is not gender specific, it is both men and women centric.  Modest gaze are the ones (men or women) who have no other concerns but their spouses.  What does it mean?  S/he has completely devoted herself/himself to you because you love him/her, and s/he loves you.  In other words, s/he is not interested in anyone else but you.  This  type of intimate relationship is what we yearn for with the Source of our existence, a taste of which can be experienced here temporarily.  

When a person addresses a general body of human beings, the masculine form is used to address the women as well.  Example: “O believers!” Although the form of the verb is masculine, men and women are equally included.  If the message is specific to women, then it is speaking to women with a faminine form of the verb and the related nouns, however, if it is specific to men, then with masculine verbs and different words like “rajul,” pl. “rijaal” is used.

Everything in creation is miraculous, joyful, and worthy of praise.  A delicious meal is easily discussed, talked about, and shared with others.  However, certain private enjoyment such as sexual pleasures between a husband and wife is not openly discussed in Islamic circles.  It is related to one’s sanctified life and it is best not to share and expose such personal intimate matters in public, that is the Islamic etiquettes.  Although enjoying intimacy is a miraculous event directly created by God, out of nothing.  

Question: Why will men have access to multiple spouses, and women have access to one spouse?

The Qur’an does not favor one gender over the other.  When the Quran describes Paradise or Hell in terms of intimacy or fire (events that we experience here), then these are just symbolic representations of what Paradise and Hell entails.  However, these are not plausible as far as understanding the Qur’an is concerned, because the new creation will be completely different from this world, not of the nature of this world, nothing to do with this world.  The Quran always presents evidence of the hereafter based on what we can experience here.

The description of the Quran is to provide evidence for belief in “Absolute” or “ghaib”, which has nothing to do with this world.  The Quran says that you cannot know ghaib, but you can conclude the existence of ghaib.  No one including the Prophets know ghaib.  You must believe in ghaib, how come? 

• I don’t know ghaib and I am required to believe in ghaib, what does that mean?  

We must be aware of the difference between knowing and believing.  Knowing is NOT belief.  Example: Did you see the pencil that Ali showed?  Yes.  That is not belief.  That is the acceptance of the order that we all observe.  However, the human free will must choose from among two options, one has no evidence and the other has the whole universe as its evidence.  To believe, you must have some clues and evidence.  By definition, the Qur’an is the word of God and God must be the Wise One (again by definition), and He would not ask me to believe in ghaib without any evidence.  It means that I must see the signs i.e., it must be obvious, available, and knowable for me.  For this, I must use my free will and be honest, without any bias.  That is, if I see a sign, then I must confirm the existence of what it refers to.  Not that I will confirm that I know It.  Belief is the confirmation of the evidence, what it points to.  That is how it works in the human being:

• First, we see the signs and we have our intention of whether I am looking for evidence of what it refers to or I am just trying to see everything in a way to deny the existence of what the evidence refers to (because I do not want to accept that such a Being exists).

The reason for denial is not the lack of evidence or comprehension, rather the reason for denial is arrogance i.e., the claim that human beings take that I am self-sufficient, I don’t need anyone else, I exist by myself, the universe exist by itself, and I don’t want to submit my existence to Something else.  In other words, denial is an ego-centric consideration, i.e., I want to declare myself as having an independent existence.  This is usually chosen before looking at the evidence, after the evidence, looking for an excuse that this evidence is not a sign to Something else.  That is, this person does not want to admit It.

• Belief should not be the result of prejudice or bias.

Common rhetoric: Some people among Muslims believe in God and may say, “I am born in a Muslim family, so I believe.”  That is not belief, that is just restating your knowledge of Islamic tradition.  Belief is not knowledge.  Belief necessitates evidence.  Belief is conviction, confirmation, and certainty about the existence of an Absolute Source of Existence.  “I am absolutely sure that this existence points to the necessary existence of a Creator and the Hereafter.”  Also, the Quran is not a human speech, because all the points mentioned in the Quran, I can directly relate to myself.  It is directly related to what my human feelings tell me.  No one can say that I know the essence of God, rather I know the necessity of the existence of God, that is confirmable within myself.  All the signs point to the Necessarily Existent One as its source of existence, that is belief.

Going back to the question, men may have, depending on the circumstances of this world, multiple spouses and women with one, that is the rule in this world, not the next creation.  We don’t know the nature and essence of the next creation. There will be no worries, stress, and jealousy in Paradise.  Similarly, there will be no happiness and pleasure in Hell.  That is how the Quran describes and we understand this is the case.  As a woman, will you enjoy your husband having another woman as an intimate partner?  No, you would want the pleasure of having a husband with a modest gaze.  By definition, in Paradise, there is no disliking and hurting one’s pleasure.  God’s Mercy will be limitlessly open for all of us.

The descriptions in the Quran are found in detail in the Prophetic Hadiths, sayings.  Example: When you enjoy the pleasure of a fruit juice, you wish not to take the time to peel it and squeeze it.  “If only I can directly enjoy the fruit juice without working to get the juice.”  That is the description of Paradise, i.e., there will be nothing annoying or hindrance to get pleasure.  

• That is our hope that there will be no problem in my life, nothing that I should bother about, everything must be as I want ready, without any effort.  That is God’s Mercy (Paradise) with no limitations.

First, we will not have the same bodies in Paradise. Our spirit is always the same, but our concepts, enjoyments, and perceptions will be different.  The description of Paradise in the Hadith literature is that no one can ever imagine what Paradise is like because it is a completely different creation.  “The Quran says that every creature will be alive in Paradise (Qur’an, 29: 64)”, i.e., the earth, water and stone will be alive.  Every level of existence that we notice here will be upgraded to one further step.  And the fruit that you pluck from a tree, will immediately be replaced by another one.  That is, you will never experience the lack of anything that you like in Paradise.  Is there any such type of creation here?  No.  From the way the things are created here shows that God has the ability to present creation in a way that manifests His qualities as to be in Absolute form.  This is a conclusion by looking at the way that things come into existence, i.e., belief.  “The Creator must be an Absolute One and His existence level has nothing to do with the existence level of this world.

The Quran says that the inanimate beings will be animate in the hereafter.  Example: I cannot really enjoy a stone here.  But in the hereafter, it will be upgraded to an animate being.  Just like a tree will come walking to you to serve you food, a plant will be upgraded to an animal, and animals will be like human beings speaking to you, communicating. These are just for our imaginations in this world, not real descriptions.  How about us?  We will be upgraded as well, and there is no way to describe it, for its essence is unimaginable.  The hadith narrations say, you can never describe it at all even if as it occurs to your imagination cannot be the same.  

• Everything will be alive in the next world.

Do you enjoy your life while entertaining yourself with all the bounties given to you?  Yes.  This is the pleasure given by God directly with no human interference, the way we are created.  That is how human beings are supposed to be.

Comment: Those people who did not get married, how will they enjoy the pleasures described in Paradise?  

Paradise is not a source of deprivation, rather a place of unimaginable joy.  It will be a completely different creation (“Watch for˺ the Day ˹when˺ the earth will be changed into a different earth and the heavens as well, and all will appear before Allah—the One, the Supreme.” Qur’an, 14: 48); some things of this world (tasty food and sexual pleasure) are signs that God can create something like this.  In other words, the enjoyment experienced here will be multiplied by an infinitely unimaginable form.  There will be nothing that people of Paradise will be missing.  These are just descriptions because this world and Paradise are completely different levels of existence.

The examples of this world are going to be evidence for the qualities of the Creator. They demonstrate that an Absolute Being can create something much better than this world.  Everything here must be used as a sign that the One who creates the world must have power, knowledge, freewill and wisdom.  The Creator of the universe must have knowledge that I have seen here, and in its reality, this knowledge must be Absolute.  Whatever knowledge you understand in this world, His knowledge must be multiplied by infinite.  “The Creator must be All-Seeing and All-Knowledgeable One.”  His Mercy will be manifested in infinite form.  If someone is not married in this world, and is not satisfied with his/her spouse, then there will be nothing disturbing in Paradise for you, we cannot imagine how it will be in that creation.

Comment: This is the exhibition hall for the originals.  If one takes this life as an opportunity to acknowledge the source of it, this source will reveal His power and wisdom in another form that fits His Absolute capacity.  He invites the human beings here by giving the need for Eternal Life in its Absolute Satisfaction. 

Here, we experience pain and pleasure.  The Day of Resurrection is the day of separation between the pain and pleasure.  The unpleasant creation will be taken into Hell while the pleasures will be transformed into Paradise.

Finally, belief does not start from believing in a Creator, rather from accepting that we are created.  So, we can say that if I need to be given existence, who gave it to me?  Then the journey of belief starts with this point.  I am created, and the universe cannot create me.  I have free will and I am an intelligent being.  We are all given existence with the universe.  Who can be our Source of existence?  That is the beginning of the journey: I am given existence, who can it be?!  

• Belief process starts from observation and experience of this world; we can examine it.

• Belief in ghaib is our conclusion of our investigation in this world.

• That is why the Quran always emphasizes, Lailaha illallah, you cannot find any Creator in this world, so there must be a Creator who is not of the nature of this world and that doesn’t need to be given existence.