"For them will be Gardens of Eternity: beneath them rivers will flow"

[Quran 18:31]

"Gardens of perpetual bliss - they shall enter them , as well as the among their fathers, their spouses and their offspring.  And Angels shall enter upon them from every gate."

Quran al- Rad 13:23


"This is a reminder.  Verily, for the righteous is a beautiful place of (final) return- gardens of eternity, whose doors will (always) be open to  them."

 Quran Saad 38:49-540


"And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Garden in crowds until behold, they arrive there.  Its gate will be opened, and its keepers will say, 'Peace be upon you!  Well have you done, so enter it, abiding (in it) eternally."

Quran al-Zumar 39:73


"And no soul knows what joy has been kept hidden for them."

Quran Al-Sajdah 32:17



"(Here is) a parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised.  In it are rivers of water, incorruptible;  rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine, delicous to those who drink; and rivers of honey, pure and clear.  In it there are for them all kinds of fruits and forgiveness from their Lord.  (Can those in such bliss) be compared to such as shall dwell for ever in the fire?  (Those to whom shall) be given boiling water to drink, (it will be so hot that) it cuts up their bowels (to pieces)."

Quran Muhammad 47:15


                                                   


"As for the roghteous, they will be in the mids of Gardens and rivers, in an assembly of truth,  in the presence of a Soverign Omnipotent."

Quran al Qamar 54:54-55


"The righteous will be amid Gardens and springs.  (They will be greeted), enter here in peace and security.'  And we shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury.  (They will be) brothers facing each other on thrones."

Quran al-Hijr 15:45-47


"Their thirst will be slaked with pure wine, sealed.  The seal will be of musk.  For This, let the competitors compete.  With it (will be given) a mixture of tasneem (the highest spring in Paradise) a spring from which the nearest to Allah drink."

 Quran al- Mutaffifeen 83:25-28


"The companions of the right hand- what are the companions of the right hand?  (They will be) among lote trees without thorns, among talh (said to be a banana, but Allah knows best) trees with flowers (or fruits) piled oneabove another, and  in shade long- extenede, by water flowing (constantly) and fruit in abundance whose season is not limited nor (supply) forbidden.  And (they will be) on thrones (of dignity) raised high."

Quran 56:27-34 

 
"As for the righteous, they shall be amid (cool) shades and springs (of water) and fruits, all they desire.  Eat and drink to your hearts content because of what you used to do.  Thus do the We certainly reward the dooers of good."

Quran 77:41-44


"Therein will they recline (at ease).  Therein they can call (at pleasure) for fruit in abundance and (delicous) drink."

Quran 38:51



"And among them will be circulated vessels of silver and glasses of crystal- crystal-clear, made of silver which they will determine the measure thereof (according to their wishes).  They will be given a cup in which is a mixture of Zanjabeet (ginger) from a fountain called Salsabeel.  Around them, youths of perpetual (freshness) will serve.  If you see them, you will think they are scattered pearls.  When you look there (i.e. Paradise), you will see bliss and a magnificent realm.  Upon them will be green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade.  They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink.  Verily this is a reward for you and your endeavor has been appreciated."

Quran 76:15-22

                                                 

                                                       
"As for him who will be given his record in his right hand, he will say, 'Ah here!  Read my record!  I certainly knew that I would be meeting my account!'  So he will be in a life of bliss,  in a garden on high, the fruits hanging in bunches (low and near).  Eat and drink with full satisfaction because of the (good)  that you sent before you in the days past!"

Quran 69:19-24


"Allah has promised to believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein eternally and good homes in gardens of everlasting bliss.  But the pleasure of Allah is the greatest.  This is the supreme triumph."

Quran  9:72


"Therein will be thrones raised on high, goblets placed (ready), cushions set in rows and rich carpets spread out."

Quran  88:12-16


"But on this day the believers will laugh at the unbelievers.  On thrones they will command a sight (of all things).  Are the unbelievers not rewarded (finally) for what they used to do?"

Quran  55:54


"Reclining on raised thrones, they will see therein neither (burning) nor (freezing) cold."

Quran 76:13


"No frivolty will they hear therein nor anuthing sinful- only the saying, 'Peace! Peace!"

Quran 56:25-26


"Certainly, those who believe and work righteousness - their Lord will guide them because of their faith.  Beneath them will flow rivers in gardens of bliss.  Their prayer therein will be, 'Subhaanak Allahumma' ('Glory be with you, O Allah), and their greeting therein will be 'Sallam" ('Peace').  And the last of their prayers will be, 'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds!"

Quran 10:9-10
  

                                                    



"You will recognize in their faces the beaming brightness of bliss."

Quran 83:24 


"Some faces that day will beam (in happiness),  looking at their Lord."

Quran 75:22-23


"For them will be gardens of eternity, rivers flowing beneath them.  They will be adorned with bracelets of gold,  and they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade, reclining on raised thrones.  How good the reward!  How beautiful a place of rest!"

Quran 18:31


"Gardens of eternity they will enter.  They will be adorned therein with bracelets og gold and pearls.  Their garments will be of silk.  They will say, 'Praise be to Allah who has removed from us (All) sorrow, for our Lord is indeed oft-forgiving, appreciative, who has settled us in the house of lasting residence out of His bounty.  No toil nor sense of weariness shall touch us therein."

Quran 35:33-35


"But on this day the believers will laugh at the unbelievers.  On thrones they will command a sight (of all things).  Are the unbelievers not rewarded (finally) for what they used to do?'

Quran 83:34-36


"They will advance on each other, engaging in mutual enquiry.  They will say, 'We used to be fearful (of Allah and His punishment) among our people.  But Allah has been good to us and has delivered us from the penalty of the scorching wind.  Truly, we used to call upon Him before.  Truly, it is He who is the Beneficient, the Merciful."

Quran  52:25-28


"Look how We have bestowed more on some than on others.  But verily in the hereafter is greater difference in rank and preference."

Quran 17:21

                                            


"Verily, he who comes to his Lord as a criminal (at judgement), for him is Hell, wherein he shall neither die nor live.  But he who comes to Him as a believer who has worked righteous deeds, for them are ranks exalted -  gardens eternity, beneath which flow rivers, dwelling therein forever.  Such is the reward of those who purify themselves (from evil)."

20:74-76


"O you who believe!  When you are told to make room in assemblies, (spread out and)  make room.  (Ample) room will allah provide for you.  And when you are told to rise u, rise up.  Allah will raise those of you who believeand who have been granted knowledge in rank.  Allah is well-acquainted with all you do."

Quran 58:11


The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam told us clearly about the rivers of Paradise. He said that during his Israa' (Night Journey): "...I saw four rivers flowing out from beneath Sidrat al-Muntahaa, two visible and two hidden. He asked, "O Jibreel, What are these rivers?" He said, "The two hidden rivers are rivers of Paradise, and the two visible rivers are the Nile and the Euphrates".

[Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaan, Baab al-Israa',1 /150, no.164 ; al-Bukhaari reports the same from Anas ibn Maalik, Jaami' al-Usool,10 /507, narrated bt Abu Awanah, al-Isma'eelee and at-Tabaranee in as-Sagheer]

Muslim reports from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "Sihran, Jihran, the Euphrates and the Nile are all from the rivers of Paradise".

Sahih Muslim, Kitaab al-Jannah, Baab ma fid-dunyaa min anhaar al-jannah,4 /2183, no.2839 , al-Albaani attributed it, in Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah1 /6, to Muslim, Ahmad, al-Ajirri and al-Khateeb

Sheikh Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaani said, "Perhaps what is meant is that these rivers originated in Paradise just as mankind did; this hadith does not contradict the well-established fact that these rivers spring forth from known sources on earth. If this is not in fact the meaning of this hadith, then it is one of the matters of al-Ghayb [the Unseen], which we must believe and accept because the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam has told us about it".

Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah,1 /18

                                                    

al-Qaree' said, "These four rivers are considered to be among the rivers of paradise because they are so fresh and beneficial, and contain blessings from Allaah, and were honoured by the fact that the Prophets came to them and drank from them". [reported by al-Albaani in his footnotes on Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh,3 /80]

Another of the rivers of Paradise is al-Kawthar, which Allaah has given to His Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam: "Verily We have granted you [O Muhammad] al-Kawthar [a river in Paradise]"

Quran 108:1

The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam saw it and told us about it. al-Bukhaari reported from Anas ibn Maalik that the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said,

"Whilst I was walking in Paradise I saw a river whose banks were domes of hollow pearls, and I asked, "What is this, O Jibreel?" He said, "This is al-Kawthar which your Rabb has given to you". And its scent - or its mud - was of fragrant musk".

Hudbah [one of the narrators] was not sure if he said tib [scent] or teen [mud]. [Sahih al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, Baab fil-Hawd, Fath al-Baari,11 /464]

                                                   


Ibn 'Abbaas explained, "al-Kawthar means the abundant blessings which Allaah has bestowed upon His Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam." Then Abu Bishr said to Sa'eed ibn Jaabir, who reported this comment from Ibn 'Abbaas, "There are people who claim that it is a river in Paradise". Sa'eed said, "The river in Paradise is one of the blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon him".

Sahih al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, Baab fil-Hawd, Fath al-Baari,11 /463 al-Haafidh ibn Katheer compiled a number of hadith [an-Nihaayah,2 /246]

in which the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam spoke about al-Kawthar, such as the report narrated by Muslim from Anas, which states that when the aayah

"Verily We have granted you al-Kawthar" [Quran108] was revealed, the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "Do you know what al-Kawthar is?" They said, "Allaah and His Messenger know best". He said, "It is a river that Allaah subhanahu wa ta`ala has promised me and in it is much goodness".

He also quoted the hadith narrated by Ahmad from Anas, according to which the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "I have been given al-Kawthar, which is a river flowing across the face of the earth; its banks are domes of pearl and it is not covered. I touched its mud with my hand, and found that it was fragrant musk and its pebbles were pearls".

Also narrated by Ahmad from Anas, the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "It is a river that Allaah subhanahu wa ta`ala has given to me in Paradise. Its mud is musk and its water is whiter than milk, and sweeter than honey. Birds with necks like the necks of camels drink from it."

The rivers of Paradise do not just contain water. There are rivers of water, of milk, of wine and of clear honey.

Allaah subhanahu wa ta`ala says:

"The description of Paradise which the Muttaqoon have been promised is that in it are rivers of water the taste and smell of which are not changed; rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine delicious to those who drink; and rivers of clarified honey [clear and pure].."

[Quran 47:15]

                                              

at-Tirmidhi reports, with a sahih isnaad, from Haakim ibn Mu'aawiyah that the Messenger of Allaah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "In Paradise there is a sea of honey, a sea of wine, a sea of milk and a sea of water, and the rivers flow out of these seas."

[Jaami' al-Usool,10 /508]

He also told us of a river called Baariq, which flows by the gate of Paradise. During the period of al-Barzakh [the time between death and the day of Judgement] the shuhadaa are beside this river:

Ibn 'Abbaas narrated that the Messenger of Allaah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "The shuhadaa [martyrs] are in a green dome beside the river of Baariq, near the gate of Paradise, from which provision comes to them morning and evening."

Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer,3/235, no.3636

  In Saheeh Muslim (187), Ibn Masood narrates from Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alahi wa sallam - the warming story of the last man to escape Hellfire His crawl away from Jahannam/Hellfire is filled with face slips into the dirt, a tremoring walk, and a fire that licks him until he finally escapes.  When he is past it, he looks back, horrified, and announces with the loudest voice,

"All praise is due to Allah Who saved me from you."

Then he says, most proud,

"Verily I have been rewarded with something that no one from the beginning to the end of creation has been blessed with."


                               


At that moment, a tree glimpses his eye, a tree that was commanded to be raised for him. He quickly raises his hands,

"O Allah! Allow me to draw near to that tree so that I can cool off under its shade and drink from its water."

Then Allah ta'ala calls him,

"O son of Adam! I fear that if I grant you what you ask you shall ask for more."

"Nay, O Allah!"
 
pleads the man and testifies that he shall ask no more.  As the man basks in the glory of the tree, another tree is raised, one more bounteous and lush. The man pleads,

"O Allah! Allow me to draw near to that tree so that I can cool off under its shade and drink from its water."

  Allah then says, "Did you not promise me that you would ask no more? Perhaps if I give it to you, you shall ask for yet more."
 
The man testifies that he will not and is permitted that tree.  Just then a tree is raised near the doors of Jannah, one bigger and lusher than all the rest. The mans heart sinks. 

"O Allah, that tree, that tree, I'll ask for nothing else."

"Did you not promise you would ask for nothing more?"

"After that tree, yaa Allah, nothing more."

He is permitted to draw nearer to the tree and there - as he nears the doors of Jannah - he hears the sounds of it's inhabitants and he leaps,

"O Allah! Enter me into Jannah!"

"O son of Adam!" Allah announces. "What shall satisfy you and finish your pleading."

Then Allah offers,

"Will it please you if I give you all the treasures and bounty of the entire world and then double it!"

The man's smile shuts off and his eyes lock up.
 
"My Lord, you're the Lord of the universe. Are you mocking me?"

Ibn Mas`ood started laughing. He told his students,

"Ask me why I'm laughing. I'm laughing because Rasul Allah laughed when he told us this. And he also asked us,
 
'Do you know what makes me laugh? I'm laughing for Allah's laughter when he said,
 
"You are the lord of the universe. Are you mocking me?"'"

Allah then tells him,

"I'm am not mocking you, rather I am capable of doing whatever I so wish." Allahu Akbar!