WHAT IS THE
MEANING OF THE HADITH THAT SAYS
"EVERYONE WILL BE TOGETHER WITH
THOSE HE LOVES"?
QUESTION:
According to the meaning of: “Everyone
will be together with those he loves4”
, in Paradise, friend will be together
with friend. Therefore, love for God’s
sake kindled in a simple nomad during one
minute’s conversation with the Prophet
(PBUH), means he has to be with the
Prophet (Peace and blessings be
upon
him) in Paradise. But since God’s Noble
Messenger (PBUH) receives limitless
effulgence, how can it be united with
that of a simple nomad?
THE
ANSWER: We shall allude to this
elevated truth with a comparison. For
example, a magnificent personage set up a
vast banquet and finely-adorned spectacle
in a splendid garden. He prepared it in
such a way that it included all the
delicious foods that the sense of taste
can experience, and all the fine things
that please the sense of sight, and all
the wonders that amuse the faculty of
imagination, and so on; he included in it
everything that would gratify and give
pleasure to the external and inner
senses. Now, there were two friends and
they went together to the banquet and sat
down at a table in a pavilion. But the
sense of taste of one of them was very
limited, so he received only minor
pleasure. His eyes could see only a
little, he had no sense of smell, and he
could not understand the wondrous arts
nor comprehend the marvels. He could only
benefit from and take pleasure in a
thousandth or even a millionth of that
beautiful place, to the extent of his
capacity. The other man however had
developed his outer and inner senses, his
mind, heart, emotions, and subtle
faculties so perfectly and to such a
degree that although he was next to his
friend, he could perceive and experience
all the subtleties and beauties and
marvels and fine things in the
exhibition, and receive their different
pleasures.
Since
this confused, sorrowful, and narrow
world is thus, and although the greatest
and the least are together, the
difference between them is as great as
from the ground to the Pleiades, surely
in Paradise, the realm of bliss and
eternity, while friend is together with
friend, each will receive his share from
the table of the Most Merciful and
Compassionate One in accordance with his
capacity and to the extent of his
abilities. Even if the Paradises in which
they are found are different, it will not
be an obstacle to their being together.
For although the eight levels of Paradise
are one above the other, the roof of all
of them is the Sublime Throne.5 If there
are walled circles round a conical
mountain, one within the other and one
above the other from its foot to the
summit, the circles are one over the
other and look to one another, but do not
prevent each other seeing the sun. There
are also various narrations of Hadiths
indicating that the Paradises are in a
manner close to this.
____________________
4. Bukhari, Adab, 96; Muslim, Birr, 165;
Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 50; Da’wat, 98.
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