Surah Al-Hajj, Ayah 24

The Reward of the Believers

When Allah tells us about the state of the people of Hell -- we seek refuge with Allah from that state of punishment, vengeance, burning and chains -- and the garments of fire that have been prepared for them, He then tells us about the state of the people of Paradise -- we ask Allah by His grace and kindness to admit us therein. He tells us:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ جَنَـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ

(Truly, Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous good deeds, to Gardens underneath which rivers flow,) means, these rivers flow throughout its regions, beneath its trees and palaces, and its inhabitants direct them to go wherever they want.

وَهُدُوا إِلَى الطَّيِّبِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ (And guided they were to the good word (of faith) - 22:24) Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has said that this refers to the Kalimah tayyibah لا إله إلا اللہ . Some others say that it means Qur'an. (Qurtubi) As a matter of fact it includes all these things in its meaning.

In this world where the net of deceptive words is spread out everywhere and where people far away from Truth enjoy the position of dominance, it is undoubtedly the most difficult task to discover and recognise the truth of Faith; and it is even more difficult in practice to put oneself on the path of this faith. Those who have been endowed with the ability to recognise and sift the noblest of words from the medley of senseless sounds, are the ones who will seek out the right path from a labyrinth of different paths. Those who show such great ability in this world are the cream of humanity. They deserve to be given an abode in the eternal gardens of paradise.