[Qeiafib]

السلام عليكم

Is there any information on this other than that it is the highest and the one we should always ask for in our du'aas? Such as criteria and I don't mean just try to be the best you can be but something specific we can try to 'tick off' as it were. I tried to find some talks on it but I haven't found any on jannat-ul-firdaws just on jannah as a whole. Any help would be great, especially if there is a lecture on specifically jannat-ul-firdaus

و عليكم السلام

[spacecrafty]

I think the best thing we can do to work toward the goal of firdaws is to cultivate the love of Nabi in our hearts. Some practical ways to do this are to recite salawat on him abundantly, and to follow the sunnah as much as possible, especially the sunan of our outward appearance, which is really neglected today (modest dress, beard, covering the head).

I say this due to the following ahadith:

Anas b. Malik reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and I were coming out of the mosque that we met a person on the threshold of the mosque and he said to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him): When would be the Last Hour? Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: What preparation have you made for that? The man became silent and then said: Allah's Messenger, I have made no significant preparation with prayer and fasting and charity but I, however, love Allah and His Messenger. Thereupon (the Holy Prophet) said: You would be along with one whom you love. Abu Firas Rabi'a ibn Ka'b al-Aslami, the servant of the Messenger of Allah and one of the People of the Suffa, who said, "I used to spend the night with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and I would bring him his wudu' water and whatever he needed. He said, 'Ask of me.' I said, 'I ask you for your friendship in the Garden.' He said, 'Something else as well?' I said, 'I only want that.' He said, 'Help me against your self by means of a lot of prostration.'" [Muslim] المرء مع من احب

A person will be with whom he loves. (Bukhari, Muslim)

Mulla Ali Qari (RH) states that the most common understanding for this hadith is that when a man loves those who are good and pious he will be raised with them on the day of resurrection, and if he loves those who are evil and corrupt he will be raised with these people on the day of resurrection.

This can be further seen in the hadith:

المرء على دين خليله

A person is upon the religion of his friend. (Tirmidhi)

It is narrated in Bukhari, on the authority of a large number of sahaba’s that a man came up to the Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu alayhi wassalam) and asked

“What do you say of a man who loves a certain group of people but cannot be of them?”

To this Muhammad (sallalahu alayhi wassalam) replied;

“A person will be with whom he loves”

By a certain group here the man meant those who were learned and pious that he loved these people but did not have the means to be amongst them.

Anas (RA) mentions in relation to this hadith;

“There was nothing which made us (sahaba’s) happier in this world than to hear this” (Muslim)

As they loved Muhammad (saw) greatly, this hadith indicated that they would be with him the hereafter.

Some scholars have stated that this is a glad tiding of a good death for those who love the pious as they will be raised amongst them on the day of resurrection.

May Allah make us from those who are resurrected with the pious on the day of reckoning. Ameen. To be with the Prophet in jannah, means to be with him in firdaws.

[Qeiafib]

The problem I have is that the thought of jannat-ul-firdaus rather than motivating me to improve myself has the opposite effect on me. I always think no-one can compare to the Sahabah by consensus, but even excluding them I cant compare to the likes of the saints or the great Imaams, never mind them I cant even compare to the average Muslim so I always start to think its a hopeless cause to try and get JF.

I know this is waswasa and its shaythaan making me despair in Allah's mercy and forgiveness, but nevertheless I cant seem to shake it off. For the past week or so I spent much time in zhikr and sending durood upon the Prophet SAW and praying salah in masjid (even woke up for Fajr at home a few times) but that week was a very difficult week and each day was a struggle to go the masjid and pray 4 times a day and it all starts to get on top of me and I slip up again. And when I slip I slip very badly. Its literally 1 step forward and 2 steps back and I just get into this cycle.

The more stories I hear about the pious predecessors the more I think I can never compare in the slightest, and so how could I get JF too? I even tried the old aim for the canopy and you will reach the branch, aim for the sky and you will reach the canopy method to say aim for JF the highest so even if you miss it you will get a good station but that didnt work, nothing but JF satisfies me yet its so hard to do every single day. If I pray at home (except Fajr) even that makes me think I missed the chance of getting 27 times the reward praying in jamaat at masjid etc etc. I dont want to blab on but I think you get the idea.

The biggest problem is I can anticipate the responses of people about waswasa and not to despair and I know these things but I can nevertheless help feeling them and am not sure what to do.

[uneniaPhenits]

Don't worry bro. Just ignore the thoughts. Remember no one is dissatisfied in Jannah. It is such that even if there are different Ranks, Everyone is Satisfied, there is a lengthy Hadith (this is what i can recollect) in which it is mentioned that there is a Market in Jannah, and when a person of lower rank meets a person of higher rank, His garments will start improving and becomes the same as that of the higher rank person. Don't you think Allah will be able to satisfy us forever in Paradise. Also more than Jannah there is something that all inhabitants of Jannah will get and thats what we are living for- The Pleasure of Allah .



Sayyidina Abu Saeed Khudri (RA) reported that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said that
Allah will say to the people of Paradise, “O people of Paradise !“
They will say, ‘Here we O Lord and at ‘Your service!”
He will say “Are you pleased?”
They will say, “Why should we not be pleased when You have given us which no one out of Your creatures has been given?”
He will say, “I will give you better than that”
And, He will say, “I make My pleasure lawful for you and will never be angry at you again.”
[Bukhari 6549, Muslim 2829, Ahmed 11835]


A part of the lengthy Hadith:
".......A man of rank will meet
another of lower rank there being none worthless among them. He will be delighted at
the garments on him, but even before their conversation concludes he will imagine that
he wears what is more beautiful than the other wears. That will be because it would not
be proper for for anyone to grieve there. Then we will turn back to our dwellings and
our wives will meet us and say, 'Welcome. You have come while you wear a beauty
more than when we had separated'.We will say that we had met our Lord the
Dominant, and it befits us that we should return from there as we have returned.'
[Ibn e Majah 4336]

[Qeiafib]

Thank you for your reply. The hadeeth which states that in Jannah there will be no regrets save one, when a man looks at the sky and see's stars (those who are at a higher rank) and remember all those moments in his life in which he didnt remember and he will regret having not spent that time wisely.

It is said to be the only regret one will have in jannah and I keep thinking about that.

Besides, I'm not content to think I will be happy in heaven no matter what rank I get, I want the highest. Where the sahabah, matyrs and most pious are. Where the roof of the heaven isnt a higher heaven like the others but its the Arsh of Allah SWT. I think about spending eternity in such a position and get so excited but then I get so upset because I fail at the basic duties of islam required to get into heaven, never mind all the supererogatary things one needs to do to go higher.

And I cant ignore these thoughts its usually the thing I think the most about because this is the whole point I used to do any form of worship with the hope of gaining the mercy and love of Allah SWT and getting closer to JF. But the motivation is also the downfall and the thing that drags me down after a while as well.

[uneniaPhenits]

Besides, I'm not content to think I will be happy in heaven no matter what rank I get, I want the highest. Where the sahabah, matyrs and most pious are. Where the roof of the heaven isnt a higher heaven like the others but its the Arsh of Allah SWT. I think about spending eternity in such a position and get so excited but then I get so upset because I fail at the basic duties of islam required to get into heaven, never mind all the supererogatary things one needs to do to go higher.

And I cant ignore these thoughts its usually the thing I think the most about because this is the whole point I used to do any form of worship with the hope of gaining the mercy and love of Allah SWT and getting closer to JF. But the motivation is also the downfall and the thing that drags me down after a while as well.

Well, its not just you, we all want the highest of paradise. Also there is a hadith that while praying for paradise one should pray for Jannatul Firdaws. Well never loose hope in Allah, only Allah knows what he will take into account. Something against us, or Something in favour of us. But don't worry, the companion of Musa(as) in Paradise is a butcher find out why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM4NKJ-WVBQ.

The worry you are going through is what every believer goes through. Reminds me of a quote of Imam Shafi'i (ra) :
“All humans are dead except those who have knowledge;
and all those who have knowledge are asleep, except those who do good deeds;
and those who do good deeds are deceived, except those who are sincere;
and those who are sincere are always in a state of worry.”

-Imam Shafi'i (rahimullah)

Try to make this worry to work in your favour. If its not working in your favour then its from Shaytaan, ignore it. Also don't forget Dua is the weapon of the believer.

[spacecrafty]

It's unlikely we will be able to match the deeds of the earliest generations. However, the truth is, no one will enter jannah through their actions, only the mercy of Allah. That said, I think our best bet is again, to cultivate love for the Prophet, the sahaba, and the pious people. We know that some people will be able to bring others along with them into jannah. Therefore, it would be beneficial to forge a close relationship with a pious shaykh who has a chain going back to the Prophet . In this way, when the first link in the chain (the Prophet ) enters jannah, you will inshallah be yanked along, too, despite your shortcomings.

Similarly, if you are in a lower level in jannah, and you have a close relationship with someone who is in al firdaws, and supposing that person wants to see you and be with you, then Allah will not lower his status to achieve that. Instead, He will raise yours. That's the belief we must have in addition to doing as many good deeds as we can, as the hadith qudsi goes (rough translation), "I (Allah) am as my servant thinks of me". That is, Allah will deal with you according to your true conviction.