The Qur’ān (3:15-17) says: “Say: Shall I tell you of better things than these? For the God-fearing there are, with their Lord, gardens through which running waters flow where they shall dwell forever, and wives of perfect chastity, and Allah’s good pleasure. Allah is mindful of His servants; those who say: “Our Lord, we have indeed accepted the faith. Forgive us our sins and keep us safe from the torments of the fire. They are the patient in adversity, the true to their word, the devoted who spend in the cause of Allah, and those who pray for forgiveness at the time of dawn.”
In the preceding ayah it was said: “Alluring to man is the enjoyment of worldly desires through women and offspring, heaped-up treasures of gold and silver, horses of high mark, cattle and plantations. These are the comforts of this life. With Allah is the best of all goals.”
All these cherished desires, and all similar ones, are the comforts of this life. Hence, they are not part of the sublime life or of the higher horizon. What is better than all this, because it is essentially nobler and it helps protect the human soul against being consumed by worldly desires, is that which remains with Allah, the Exalted. This is available to anyone who wants it, and it more than compensates for the pleasures of this world: “Say: Shall I tell you of better things than these?…” (Ayah 15)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is commanded to give the happy news of these comforts of the hereafter to those who are described as “the God-fearing”. We note that these comforts are, generally speaking, physical. There is, however, an essential difference between them and the comforts of this world. These are provided only to the God-fearing, who are always conscious of Allah. If the pleasures of this life included fertile plantations, they have in the hereafter gardens through which running waters flow. Moreover, both they and their gardens live forever, unlike the plantations of this world which we enjoy only for a limited period of time.
In contrast to the pleasures of women and children in this life, there are in the hereafter wives of perfect chastity. Their purity makes them far superior to what people desire of women in this life. As for the horses of high mark and the cattle, and the heaped-up treasures of gold and silver, all these are viewed in this life as means to achieve more and greater comforts. In the hereafter, all comforts are freely available to everyone. No special means are required to achieve any ends.
According to a hadith, when the people of Paradise would have settled down there, happy and content without having any desire remaining unfulfilled, Allah, the Exalted, will speak to them asking if they are happy and if they need anything. They will say: Our Lord, You have given us everything, what else could we ever need. Allah would say: Now I give you the greatest of all blessings – you all have My approval that I will never be displeased with you, and nearness forever. There remains what is far superior to all comforts, namely, “Allah’s good pleasure.” His pleasure is, to a believer, more precious than this life and the life to come combined.
“Allah is mindful of His servants.” He knows their nature and the motivations and incentives which form part of it. He also knows what suits human nature in the way of directives and instructions. He knows how to deal with it in this life and the life to come.
Ayat 16-17 then describe the relationship of the God-fearing with their Lord, which earns them this blessing of Allah’s good pleasure. Their prayer is indicative of the fact that they are God-fearing. They state first that they are believers, before they appeal to Allah on the strength of that faith to forgive them their sins and to keep them safe from the Fire.
Every one of their qualities is of great value in human life and in the life of the Muslim community. Their patience in adversity suggests that they endure pain without complaint. They remain steadfast, happy to fulfil the duties of their faith, submitting themselves to Allah and accepting whatever happens to them as part of Allah’s will and design. Being truthful shows that they hold the truth, which is the mainstay of human life, dear to their hearts. They find lying contemptible, for lying is indicative of a state of weakness which prevents one from speaking the truth, in order to realise some benefit or to avoid some harm.
Their devotion is a fulfilment of the duty of the servant towards his Lord. Moreover, it elevates man because he addresses his devotion to the only Allah in the universe, not to anyone else.
Spending in the cause of Allah liberates man from the captivity of the material world, and from the greed for wealth. It also places the reality of human brotherhood above the desire for personal comfort. It achieves social security on a mutual basis which is worthy of human life.
“And those who pray for forgiveness at the time of dawn.” Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: “When it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior descends every night to the heaven of the world and says, ‘Is there anyone who invokes Me (demand anything from Me), that I may respond to his invocation; Is there anyone who asks Me for something that I may give (it to) him; Is there anyone who asks My forgiveness that I may forgive him?’”
To pray at dawn for forgiveness adds to all the connotations of purity and compassion. Indeed, the mere mentioning of dawn reminds us of the lovely feelings of this particular part of the night, shortly before the break of day. At that time, everything is beautiful, pure and still. Man’s thoughts are at their purest. The inner motives of uncorrupted human nature are at work. When we add to all this, the condition of praying to Allah for forgiveness, then the atmosphere is one of total purity in both the inner soul of man and the inner soul of the universe. Both are truly submissive to Allah, the Creator of both man and the universe.
The God-fearing, who are characterised by these essential qualities, will have “Allah’s good pleasure.” They deserve it, and with it all that is associated with Allah’s compassion and grace. It is certainly superior to any worldly comfort and to any of man’s desires.
We note how the Qur’ān deals with the human soul. Its approach begins with man on earth. Gradually but steadily, it elevates the human soul to higher horizons until it brings it into the highest society with ease and compassion. It never forgets man’s weakness, nor his motives and nature. However, it directs man’s abilities and aspirations gently, without the suppression of any motive and without the use of force. It is also mindful that human life should continue and progress. This is the nature of Allah’s method: “Allah is mindful of His servants.”