The beauty of the example of the
Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam is that
there isn't a single area of his life
that doesn't set a higher standard
for you to aim with yours.
And then the beauty of the sahabah
is that with all of their differences,
their different personalities.
Their different beings.
You have a blueprint in each of them
of how you could be the best version of yourself.
And that's what this deen is about.
It's about striving not just to be satisfactory,
but to be as prophetic as possible by following the Sunnah
of the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam .
In hopes that one day you get to be with him
in the highest level of paradise.
Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la says,
Wa likullin darajaatum mimma a'milu
That everyone will have their degree in Jannah,
in accordance with that which they used to do.
In accordance with their deeds.
And the scholars say that entrance into Jannah
is through "La ilaha illah Allah"
And the Manaazil,
The stations that you achieve in Jannah
are with your Aamaal,
are with your deeds.
And so you have Darajaat in Jannah, degrees
in Jannah of righteousness,
and you have Darakaat,
degrees of wickedness in Jahannam.
And if the first and the last of all of mankind
were put in one Darajaah of Jannah,
it would fit them all.
But everyone needs to strive for the highest level.
Now there's one part of the Quran
that talks about two gardens.
The believer having two gardens.
So Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la says,
That they will be given their reward twice,
for what they patiently endured,
and they repel evil with good.
So Allah mentions two rewards.
And then Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la says,
Waliman khafa maqama rabbihijannatan
And for the one who fears standing before his Lord
and being held accountable, there are two gardens.
And then Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
further says,
in Surah Rahman, Wamin doonihima jannatan
And below them are two gardens.
So some of the scholars, they said that perhaps,
there is a superiority of one garden over the other.
So there are higher gardens than others.
And this is what's being spoken about.
So for example, in Surah Rahman
Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
mentions about the first set of gardens
Feehima AAaynani tajriyan
That in them are a pair of gushing springs.
So the first one is superior to the second one.
And then some scholars said,
no actually every single believer has two gardens in Jannah.
One for their good deeds and one for abstaining from sin.
So this is for every believer that you have two gardens,
bi-idhnillahi Ta'ala.
One for the things that you put forth,
and the other for the things that you abstain from.
And this is the place of your reward,
and this is the place of your replacement,
for the things that you abstain from in this life.
But then when you talk about the degrees,
you're going to see stars above you,
or hopefully you will be the stars
that are above the others.
And Imam Ad-Dahaak, Rahimahullah
He said that some of them will be better than others,
and those who are placed in a higher position
will realize their position.
And those who are at a lower grade will not feel like
anyone has been placed above them,
Because it wouldn't be Jannah otherwise.
So if you are amongst the privileged with a higher rank,
you know you're amongst the privileged of a higher rank.
And if you're of a lower degree, then you don't realize,
or you don't feel like anyone is above you.
And the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said,
that the people of paradise will see the people
of the Ghuraf, as we said.
Like stars in the remote part of the sky.
And in another narration,
the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam specified,
like a glittering star, because of the difference of grades.
The Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam did not want us
to become a complacent people.
He didn't want us to think, well I'm okay with that.
No, rather, he wanted us to be those stars.
And that's why when Mu'aaz radiAllahu Anhu said,
I heard the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam say,
that whoever performs the five daily prayers,
and fasts the month of Ramadan.
And performs the hajj, or pays the Zakah in some narrations,
Allah will forgive him no matter what,
whether he made hijrah,
or whether he sat in the place that he was born.
And I said, Ya Rasulullah,
should I go tell people about this?
That Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
is going to forgive them so long,
as they say La illaha illa Allah,
and do the bare minimum.
They do the obligatory deeds.
And the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said,
No, Mu'aaz, leave them to strive.
Let them work because Jannah has 100 degrees,
and between every two degrees is like the distance
between the heavens and the earth.
And the highest one of them is
Al-Firdous.
And above it is the throne,
and it is the best grade of paradise.
The rivers of Jannah flow from that place.
And so when you ask Allah, ask him for
Al-Firdous.
So he's telling Mu'aaz radiAllahu Anhu,
Don't let people become complacent and say,
well in that case,
I'll just make sure I do the bare minimum.
Because then they might end up falling short
of the bare minimum, and missing out on Jannah as a whole.
And so in this hadith,
the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam mentions
100 degrees of Jannah,
and Imam Ibn Taimiyah, comments on this.
Because someone might say,
well does that mean Jannah is only 100 degrees?
He said no.
Because just like when the
Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam says
that Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la has 99 names,
that doesn't mean Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
has only 99 names.
So when the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam mentions
100 grades of paradise,
or 100 degrees of paradise, that doesn't mean
that there are only 100 degrees of paradise.
Rather, the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
is conveying a concept here,
that there are higher degrees in paradise
that you should strive towards.
Now just like when we talked about palaces,
and some of the other things.
There are general qualities that allow you to ascend.
And then there are specific deeds.
And in general when you talk about qualities.
The highest levels in Jannah
as Imam ad-Dhahabi Rahimahullah said,
are for people that cried at night with Allah
Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la,
and smiled at people during the day.
So those that used to face Allah at night with tears,
and those that used to face people during the day
with a smile.
Those are the people that end up in the highest ranks
with Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la.
And then Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
mentions, those who strove.
So Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la says,
La yastawee alqaAAidoona minaalmu/mineena
ghayru olee addarari walmujahidoonafee
sabeeli Allahi bi-amwalihim waanfusihim
faddalaAllahu almujahideena bi-amwalihimwaanfusihim
AAala alqaAAideena darajatah
wakullanwaAAada Allahu alhusna wafaddala
Allahualmujahideena AAala alqaAAideena ajran AAatheema
Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
says that those believers who stay home,
other than those who have a disability,
are not equal to those who strive with their wealth,
and with their selves in the path of
Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la.
Allah has raised such people who strive through their wealth
in their lives, to a rank above those
who stay at home by degrees.
And even though Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
has promised all of the believers their specific reward.
Those who strive have a tremendous reward,
over those who stay home.
And so Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
has guaranteed a significant reward,
for those who significantly strove for His sake.
Then there are specific deeds.
The Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam mentioned,
those who sponsor orphans,
or those who show excellence,
in raising their own two daughters.
So he said, SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam,
Anna wa kafirul yateem
I and the one who takes care of an orphan
will be like these two fingers.
So that's how close you'll be
to the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam.
Obviously Rasulallah SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam,
is in the highest of the highest of Jannah.
And in another narration,
the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said,
whoever raises two daughters, wa ahsana tarbiyatahuma,
He really strives to raise those daughters well,
will be in Jannah with me, like these two fingers.
So if you parent like the
Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam,
or sponsor an orphan, take care of orphans
like the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam,
then you will be with the Prophet
SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
like these two fingers.
Either like this or like this.
Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
also will raise the status of parents
who raised their children to make dua
So this is now the effect of that type of parenting.
The Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said that
Allah 'Azawajal
will be be raising a person in paradise,
and that person will be asking
as they're ascending through paradise.
Ya Rabb!
How did I get all of this?
What's happening here?
And Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la will say,
Waladuka astaghfaralak.
Because your child sought forgiveness for you.
Who taught the child to make istighfaar,
and to seek forgiveness.
It's a good parent who teaches the child to do so.
And so because the child does that,
imagine this parent that is ascending through
the degrees of paradise.
And then with the Quran,
the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said,
that the reciter of the Quran will be told to recite
until the very last ayah.
And so the last ayah that you memorize,
will determine the rank that you achieve.
And so naturally the one who memorizes more Quran
will be elevated degree, upon degree, upon degree.
Now, if you think about that hadith,
where the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said
that there are 10 rewards,
for every single letter of the Quran,
not just word of the Quran.
Here you see the darajaat,
the positions and the degrees that come with people,
who memorize more of the Quran.
And of course those who apply that memorization,
will have higher, and higher,
and higher degrees of paradise.
So we know that paradise has at least
the same amount of degrees as ayat in the Quran.
And then you have those that bore trials,
for the sake of Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la.
And of course this starts with the
shuhadah, the martyrs.
And the best of the shuhada
are those who fought in the first rows,
and they do not turn away their faces from the battlefield.
And these are the people who occupy
the highest positions in paradise.
And Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
will smile at them.
And when Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la smiles at anyone,
then they will not be called to account.
So that's the first level.
Then the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
said about trials in general.
This is a powerful hadith in Ibn Hibbaan: Rasulallah
SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said that verily a man may have
a manzila, a rank with Allah
Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la
that he doesn't achieve by his good deeds.
But Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la,
continues to put that person to trial,
until he reaches the rank that has been destined for him.
Subhanallah
So the trials come your way, until Allah
Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la elevates you,
to the rank that he wants you to be in.
Ola-ika yujzawna alghurfata bimasabaroo
Again these are the people that are rewarded,
with the highest place because of their patience.
And Sabr.
can take you places in Jannah,
that your good deeds just cannot.
And then you have the hadith of Aisha RadiAllahu anha.
That a man came to the Prophet
SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam, and said
Ya Rasullallah.
You are more beloved to me than myself,
and you are more beloved to me than my family.
You are more beloved to me than my children.
And sometimes I'm at home, and I remember you,
and so I can't help myself.
I'll come and I'll find you.
And if I want to see you, I can see you in the
masjid.
But then I remember that there will come a time,
that I will die Ya Rasulallah,
my death will come and your death will come.
And I realize that even if we enter into Jannah,
you're going to be in this place with the Prophets.
And I'm afraid that even if I enter Janna,
I'm not going to be able to see you anymore,
Ya Rasulallah.
Subhanallah, I mean look at this, right?
Like I don't have the good deeds, I don't have the trials,
but all I know is that when I want to see you in this
dunya.
It has a heavenly feel that I can come see you
Ya Rasulallah,
and you are more beloved to me,
than all of the possessions and people of this world.
So I'm thinking about Jannah,
which is supposed to be greater than this world.
Ya Rasulallah,
I'm worried you're gonna be in that high place,
and even if I get in, where am I going to be?
And the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
did not say anything
except that Jibreel 'Alayhi Salaam,
came down with the aya, Waman yutiAAi Allaha warrasool
faola-ika maAAa allatheena anAAama AllahuAAalayhim
mina annabiyyeena
wassiddeeqeen washshuhada-i wassaliheen
wahasuna ola-ika rafeeqa
That whoever obeys Allah and the messenger,
will be amongst those who have earned His favor.
The messengers, the prophets,
those that were affirmers of the truth.
Those who were shuhadaa,
those who were martyrs, those who were righteous,
and how excellent of companionship that is.
And remember a man who comes to the Prophet
SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam,
and testifies that Ya rasulallah.
The only thing I've prepared for the day of judgment
is that I love you.
And the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said,
Anta ma man ahbabt.
You will be with the one whom you love.
And Anas radiAllah Taala Anhu said that,
that's the best thing I heard, because I thought to myself,
I love Rasulallah SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam.
I love Abu Bakr,
and I love Umar.
And so when you think about loving for the sake of Allah,
that doesn't necessarily just mean from the same generation.
And just like when two people love each other
for Allah's sake in the same generation,
they're at this high place.
The greatest way to ascend is to love the person
who was most beloved to Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta-A'la.
And that is our beloved Prophet
SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam.
And this is the only way to ascend higher,
beyond your family, beyond your friends,
and beyond your deeds.
Abu Umama radiAllah anhu, reported that
Rasulallah SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam was asked,
do the people of paradise visit one another?
And he said that, those on the higher level
will visit those on the lower.
And those of the lower level
will not visit those on the higher level.
Except for those who love each other for the sake of Allah.
They will go anywhere that they wish on camels
with beautiful saddles.
And so if you love the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam,
you get to be with the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam.
And if you love the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam,
then you will try to be like the
Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam.
And if you try to be like the Prophet
SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
Then certainly through both of those routes,
you get to be with the Prophet
SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
in the highest level of paradise.
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