People of Paradise and the obstacles to Al Jannah - Shaqur Rahman

Bismillah

Shaqur Rahman – People of Paradise and the obstacles to Al Jannah

Shaqur Rahman started of the talk by reading out a hadith that is reported in Tirmidhi on the authority of Abu Hurairah who said that the Messenger of Allah (SALLALAHU ALAYHI WA SALLAM) said:
When Allah created Paradise and Hell-fire, He sent Gabriel to Paradise, saying: Look at it and at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) said: So he came to it and looked at it and at what Allah had prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) said: So he returned to Him and said: By your glory, no one hears of it without entering it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by forms of hardship, and He said: Return to it and look at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) said: So he returned to it and found that it was encompassed by forms of hardship (1). Then he returned to Him and said: By Your glory, I fear that no one will enter it. He said: Go to Hell-fire and look at it and what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants, and he found that it was in layers, one above the other. Then he returned to Him and said: By Your glory, no one who hears of it will enter it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by lusts. Then He said: Return to it. And he returned to it and said: By Your glory, I am frightened that no one will escape from entering it.

The point the ustadh was trying to make is that Al Jannah has been surrounded by difficulties but An Naar is surrounded by temptations. There is wisdom behind this – the Prize of Allah is al Jannah.

‘You think you’ll go to Jannah and not be tested? There were people before us that were touched by tribulations and destroyed and not only that but they had tasted every hardship before going to Jannah’. Any path to Jannah must have hardship because Jannah is not FOR EVERYONE. It is only for those who deserve it

‘Hasten towards good deeds’

The ustadh mentioned some of the hardships we face. He said that all of the fitan can be summarised into two points – doubts and temptations. All of this happens when we fall against the requirement of Allah.

OBSTACLES

 Ø  The desire to have power – e.g. Bashar al Assad

 Ø  Weak conviction – you are not worried about the DoJ until calamities befall you. This person has lost in this world and the next world

 Ø  Ibn Taymiyyah (paraphrasing) – A person who has an emotional imaan, that kind of imaan can easily vanish but imaan through knowledge, that imaan is far more difficult to remove.

 Ø  Being pleased and content with this world. (paraphrasing)’... This dunya is a place which has been beautified and Allah is going to place you therein. Allah is watching what we do. Put a barrier between you and the punishment of Allah. Beware of the fitnah ESPECIALLY THE FITNAH OF THE WOMEN’

Ustadh then said that ‘The prize of Allah is only for those slaves He chooses’

CONCLUSION

Remember, to achieve al Jannah, disobey your desires and submit them to the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam

(Paraphrasing) "None of you (truly) believes until his desire or inclination is in accordance with what I have brought or subservient to what I came with."

All good is from Allah and all mistakes are from myself.