First published on: See Heaven with the Eyes of a Muslim  

Heaven from an Islamic perspective is the ultimate reward for which Muslims do every single good deed, leave the least wrongdoing and for its sake, they endure the burden of every hardship they face. However, do you know that Muslims have two heavens: one in this world and the other in the Hereafter? How does each of them look like then?

Heaven during life?


Heaven in this world, for a Muslim, is living in a state of peace of mind. We are not talking here about attaining happiness. We are rather talking about being calm and tranquil. It is a state in which a Muslim lives through all his life that enables him to face the utmost burdens with patience and ease. The way to reaching this state is not a bed of roses of course. It requires excreting some effort like committing yourself to do worships and being fully aware of the triviality of this life. Hence, whatever happens to you is going to pass and it is only a test to make you worthy of attaining the heaven in the hereafter, in which you will literally forget all about the burdens you have faced once you take your first step to paradise as reported in Prophet Muhammad’s quote:

… and then one of the people of  Paradise who had experienced extreme misery in the life of this world will be dipped in Paradise. Then he will be asked: ‘O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any misery? Did you ever encounter difficulty?’ He will say: ‘By Allah, no my God, I neither experienced misery nor passed through hardship'”. [Muslim] (1)

But how does this heaven look like? Let’s see heaven with the eyes of a Muslim.

One gate is not enough!


Heaven has 8 gates, between the 2 ends of each gate yawns a distance which one would be able to cover in forty years. One who is constant in prayer will be called from the Gate of prayer, and whoever is eager in fighting in the Cause of God (Jihad), will be called from the Gate of Jihad. The one who is generous in charity will be called from the Gate of Charity.


Musk is not perfume! 


Musk is not used in heaven as a perfume. It is rather the material of which the earth of heaven is made; it is like white shining pure musk.


Craving something sweet? How about a river of honey!


In Paradise, there is a river of water, a river of honey, a river of milk, and a river of wine.


Trees, shadows and fruits 


Trees with a full load of fruits which are piled on top of each other. There is a tree that a rider can travel for a hundred years under its shade but would not be able to pass it.


There are fruits of various kinds, that which no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard of and no heart has ever imagined. Every time they will be provided with a fruit, they will say:


This is what we were provided with before…” [Qur’an 2 – 25] (2)

The shape will appear similar, but the taste is different. Prophet Muhammad said:

I saw Paradise and reached out for a cluster of fruit from it. Had I done so, you would have kept eating from it for the remainder of the life of the world.” (Bukhari) (3)

The supply of these fruits never runs out, winter or summer. Rather, they are always available for those who want to eat from them, forever. Whenever these fruits are desired, they will be available and easy to grasp.


People in Paradise 


     The first group to enter Paradise will be shining like the moon when it is full. The next group will be like the most radiant planet in the sky. They will not urinate, relieve nature, spit or blow their noses. Their combs will be of gold and their sweat of musk; and in their censers, the aloes-wood will be used. Their wives will be from virgins (Hur). Their form will be similar to each other, the form of their father Adam, sixty cubits high in the sky.

A scene from Paradise


     People will be sitting on thrones woven with gold, reclining thereon, face to face and none of them will be in the back lines. Immortal boys will go around them, who will never grow up, get old or change in shape with cups, and jugs, and a glass of wine drawn from a flowing spring, not from containers that might get empty. Rather, this spring of wine flows freely. They will never get headaches from this wine nor intoxicated as this wine does not affect their minds even though it has a strong and tremendously delightful taste. Whatever fruits they wish for will be distributed among them in addition to the flesh of fowls that they desire.

They will not hear therein ill speech or commission of sin – Only a saying: “Peace, peace.”[Qur’an 56: 17] (4)

In conclusion, do you love Paradise? Does that concept help you hope to revive again? You still have a chance. Be a Muslim. It is the only way to reach! Let’s have one to one conversation to have answers to all your questions about Islam right now!