Seeking Paradise by Achieving Brotherhood

It is certainly the nature of man to question his purpose in this life. For every action he takes, whether it is a step taken forward or a word uttered, must have a purpose of some kind. This purpose, for Muslims, is molded into something far more meaningful. It is molded into Imaan (Faith). In fact they spend their nights restless in thought about their Creator and anxious for this ultimate reward as Allah (SWT) describes them in the last verses of Surat al-Imran. They pray in sincerity: "Oh our Sustainer, grant us that which You have promised us through your messengers, and do not disgrace us on Resurrection Day! Verily, You never fail to fulfill Your promise!"
 
And thus does their Sustainer answer their prayer: "I shall not lose sight of the labor of any of you who labors for My sake be it man or woman: each of you. As for those who abandon evil, and are driven from their homelands, and suffer hurt in My cause, and fight for it and are slain - I shall most certainly eradicate their sins, and shall most certainly bring them into gardens through which running waters flow, as a reward from Allah: for with Allha is the most beautiful of rewards."
 
To the believers the promise is clear and a reality. It is al-Jannah: Paradise. Their purpose is to achieve the ultimate reward promised to them by their Creator through His Messengers peace and blessings be upon them. Hence, to the faithful this life is but a means to reach their ultimate goal: Paradise.
 
We must ask ourselves, "What must we do to attain this reward?" Prophet Muhammad (S) provided us with what is obligated of us in order to reach this goal. It was narrated by Abu Hurairah (R) that the Prophet (S) stated: "By He who holds my soul in His grasp, none of you will enter Heaven until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. He (S) asks: Should I guide you to a manner in which you may increase love amongst you? Bestow salam to each other."
 
This matter cannot be taken lightly. It is what stands between you and your faith. And it maybe what prevents you from receiving your reward.  Imam Ahmad, reported that as the Prophet Muhammad (S) was sitting amongst a group of his companions a man from the ansaar walked towards them. His beard was dripping with the water of wudu. At the instant he walked in the Prophet (S) addressed his companions stating: "A man from the people of Jannah will walk towards you now." This happened for three consecutive days. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al Aws became resolute in finding out what it was that made this man from the people of Jannah. Abdullah accompanied this man for three days and nights determined to uncover his secret. He studied every action the man took, every prayer, every voluntary fast, and every sadaqah he gave. He reported that the man performed the minimum required of him and he did not find anything surprising in the man's behavior. Finally, He decided to tell the man the words of Prophet Muhammad (S) and ask him what his secret was. Listen carefully to the man of ahil al Jannah's answer. He says (R): "There is nothing I do that you have not seen except that I do not hold any ill feelings towards any Muslim and I do not envy any individual for a rizq Allah has bestowed upon him."
 
Abdullah (R) comments concerning this answer, stating that this is his secret and is our failing. To be able to judge our brothers fairly, to have good feelings towards them, to clean our hearts from hatred, envy, hypocrisy, and baseless suspicions. If only we achieved this then we have achieved a great success. Our hearts will be clean for Allah (SWT) to look upon. Prophet Muhammad (S) states: "Allah does not look to your physical appearances or your possessions, but rather looks to your hearts and your actions."
 
Let us all examine our hearts and evaluate the ill feelings we have towards this person and that person. How many of our Muslim brothers do we avoid so we will not be forced to say salam to him? How many can we not bear to even look at? Or those we have ignored when they sought our help? Or injured with our cruel tongues? How many have we looked down upon and arrogantly turned away from? What we will gain from this?  What are we going to harvest from these feelings and actions?
 
Do we not seek to be among those who Allah (SWT) describes in Surat Al Hashr: And those who came after them say: "Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brothers who came before us into Faith, and leave not, in our hearts, bitterness against those who have believed. Our Lord! Thou art indeed Full of Kindness, Most Merciful."
 
My dear brothers and sisters, it is not only that we will gain nothing from such illnesses in our hearts, it is that we will incur punishment from our Creator who has ordered us to hold our tongues, not to be suspicious of one another, not to slander each other, and to be forgiving of each other. It may be what stops Allah (SWT) from having mercy on our souls. It was reported that Prophet Muhammad (S) said: "The doors of Paradise open every Monday and every Thursday and Allah forgives every servant of His that does not worship partners with Allah except a man who is at conflict with his brother. It will be said to wait until these two forgive one another. Wait until these two forgive one another. Wait until these two forgive one another."
 
Oh Allah I ask that we are not amongst those whom Your forgiveness will not reach because of the hurt they cause their brothers. Oh Allah I ask that You make us amongst those who encourage our brothers to reconcile. Oh Allah I ask You to make us amongst those who hold their tongues and who do not injure their Muslim brothers by word or action. Oh Allah I ask that You purify our hearts from hatred, envy, and suspicion. Oh Allah make us one brotherhood, a brotherhood that seeks and gains Your reward: al-Jannah. Ameen.
 
Sh. Jamal Said
Imam & Director