Quran and Sunnah
The Inheritance of the Believers
Bismillah
Allah ta’ala says in suratul Anbiya ayah 105,
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وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ
And We have already written in the Zaboor (Psalms) after the [previous] mention that the land is inherited by My righteous servants. (21:105)
What is “al-ardh, the land” referring to in this verse?
It is the land of Jannah, Paradise. Allah ta’ala says that He has already written it in the Lawh al Mahfoodh (the Preserved Tablet) that Jannah will be for His righteous servants.
In this time of financial crisis, we should remind us of the deficiency that surrounds this dunya, and that our ultimate abode lies in the hereafter. Allah has promised the believers and reassures them in this ayah that no matter how much financial loss they suffer in this dunya, the righteous believers have Jannah to look forward to as their capital in the hereafter.
Why has Allah used inheritance for the righteous? Allah azza wa jal could have said they will be given Jannah, or they will receive it, yet He the Most Knowing says they will inherit يَرِثُ yarithu .
There are two basic factors that are involved with inheritance:
1- The heir has a fixed share
2- It is given at a specific time
Firstly, wiraathah (inheritance) could be figuratively used to show that this is what these believers deserve, because inheritance is a fixed share by Allah so if a person is an heir to the deceased, it is their right to receive their share. Jannah is the right of the believers. Secondly, an inheritance is something that is received at a specific time. Inheritance is given at the end: after a person dies, their funeral arrangements are taken care of and they are buried. So these believers will get Firdaws at the end: after they’ve lived in this dunya, remained in their graves and passed through the Day of Judgment.
The housing market now is pretty bleak, yet you can win a free home everyday in Jannah! How can you increase your real estate?
1-Pray the 12 sunnahs. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “A house will be built in Paradise, for anyone who prays in a day and a night twelve rak’ahs.” (Saheeh Muslim)
2- Build a masjid for a house like it. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “He who built a masjid for Allah, Allah would build a house for him like it in paradise.” (Saheeh Muslim)
3- Give up arguing for a house in the suburbs. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “I guarantee a house in the outskirts of Jannah for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right.” (Tirmidhi)
4- Give up lying for a house in the city. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “I guarantee a house in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun.” (Tirmidhi)
5- Display good manners for the penthouse suite. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners” (Tirmidhi)
Any more real estate tips?
may Allah ta’ala make us among the inheritors of Jannah, Ameen.
Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah
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The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.
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Ibn AbuAisha
May 9, 2009 at 12:41 AM
Assalamu Alaikum,
Barak Allahu Feeki for the beautiful reminder. May Allah make us inheritors of these houses in Jannah. Ameen.
May Allah reward you for your efforts. Jazaki-Allahu Khairan.
wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah, wa iyyak wa feek barak Allah, typo has been fixed! -Amatullah
Sadaf
May 9, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Jazakillahi khairan for this great reminder. I love how it relates to the current property situation. :-) We truly should be more worried about our real estate situation in Jannah….how much do we own there, what are we doing to invest in our permanent abodes there..etc.
Point number 3 is especially applicable to etiquette of commenting/debating on blogs in the cyberworld.
“Ghurafaat” = Penthouse suite! LOL!
MR
May 9, 2009 at 1:08 PM
InshaAllah!
Amad
May 9, 2009 at 2:22 PM
very nice… okay this isn’t a hadith… but just a reminder… leave a house in the duniya (for mortgage) to earn a house in the jannah (interest-free, all paid)?
anon
May 9, 2009 at 2:56 PM
salam
why cant inheritance refer to this dunya? Isnt it always the case that the belivers are victorious in this world? Look at the case of Nuh (as) and his people, Lut (as) and his people, Ibrahim and Namrood, Musa and Fir’aun and Qarun and Haman, Muhammad (sallahu ‘aayihi wa sallam) and his enemies, Dajjal and Imam Mehdi and Eisa? Who was victorious in the end…..the believers of course.
UmmeAmmaarah
May 9, 2009 at 3:45 PM
JazakAllahu khair…..SubhanAllah, that is so motivating! mm….. isn’t there a house in Jannah promised to those who say ‘Salaam’ first….. dunno for sure, but i thought so…could you confirm and add sister Amatullah.
Amatullah
May 9, 2009 at 6:07 PM
Sadaf: wa iyyaki…lol, I had to make it relevant to our times…We all know what the penthouse suite is and the status that it has..now imagine dwelling in the highest part of Jannah..Not some hotel or apartment building, subhanAllah!
Amad: jazak Allahu khayran, that’s an awesome example.
anon: wa alaykum salam. Good question. Alhamdulillah the beauty of the Qur’an is that Allah ta’ala and His Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam explained these verses to us so that we may understand. I did not make up this interpretation of the ayah, rather this is what I learned tafseer wise.
Mujahid said, narrating from Ibn `Abbas, “This means, the land of Paradise.” This was also the view of Abu `Aliyah, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ash-Sha`bi, Qatadah, As-Suddi, Abu Salih, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and Ath-Thawri (may Allah have mercy on them). So this is the view of the scholars of Tafseer.
However, it is also mentioned that this ayah can refer to the earth in this world; meaning the believers will have succession and victory on the land as you mentioned but the stronger opinion is that ‘al-ardh’ refers to the land of Jannah. The ayah that supports this is when the believers will say in Jannah:
وَقَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي صَدَقَنَا وَعْدَهُ وَأَوْرَثَنَا الْأَرْضَ نَتَبَوَّأُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ نَشَاءُ
And they will say: “All the praises and thanks be to Allah Who has fulfilled His Promise to us and has made us inherit (this) land. We can dwell in Paradise where we will.” (39:74)
And Allah knows best!
UmmeAmmaarah: wa iyyaki! How about you research that hadeeth and let us know inshaAllah :)
Jazaakum Allahu khayran for the comments.
sincethestorm
May 9, 2009 at 11:46 PM
a very good reminder…
Mug
May 9, 2009 at 11:54 PM
Assalam alaykum,
What is the authenticity of the last three hadith?
Amatullah
May 10, 2009 at 12:20 AM
wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah Mug, it is graded Saheeh by Shaykh Albaani rahimahullah in Saheeh al Jami 1/235. I usually include this, my apologies I forgot.
MashaAllah I also found this: http://www.saaid.net/rasael/441.htm, inshaAllah I will translate the ahadeeth and post tomorrow. It’s basically a document with authentic hadeeth where the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam promises a house in Jannah for certain actions! There are 10 posted there, 5 of which was included in the above article:
1- Building a masjid
2- Reading surah Ikhlaas
3- Being thankful and hopeful when loosing a child
4- Reading the duaa for the market
5- Filling in the gaps in the rows of Salah
6- Praying the 12 sunnahs in a day
7- Believing in the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, submitting to him and struggling in the path of Allah
8- Leaving arguing even in the right
9- Leaving lying even if joking
10- husn al khuluq, good and beautiful character.
UmmeAmmaarah
May 10, 2009 at 12:20 AM
Sister Amatullah, i tried to search for it online, but couldn’t find it. As far as i remember it went something like this: After hearing that a house in Jannah would be granted to those who give salaam first, Ali RA saw Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq RA coming in his direction (with other Sahaba RA), and he being younger didn’t offer Salaam first, because he wanted Abu Bakr RA to offer Salaam first and get the promised Ajr for it. I am extremely sorry sister that i can’t confirm the hadith….. I hope someone who Allah has blessed with more knowledge can enlighten us a bit more.
Amatullah
May 10, 2009 at 12:39 AM
ukhti, no problem! Alhamdulillah it’s normal for me when I cannot find a source even though I’ve heard it before. I asked you to search for it because I haven’t heard that narration before :) I hope it didn’t come off rude, if so it was not intentional and I apologize.
InshaAllah I will do some searching as well, I have heard though that the younger say salaams to the older, the one walking to the one sitting etc. Allah knows best.
umtalhah
May 10, 2009 at 4:10 AM
as salam alaikum,
jazakAllahu khairan for a wonderful reminder….
Hajera
May 10, 2009 at 7:21 AM
Subhanaallah .Excellent advice. Jazakumallahu khairaa sis. Are there any more verses” Al-ardh” means land referring to Jannah?
Assalamualykum.
Amatullah
May 10, 2009 at 9:14 PM
wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah,
wa iyyakum.
Hajera: These are the only ayaat that I know of, there are other ayaat that state the believers will inherity Jannah:
وَتِلْكَ الْجَنَّةُ الَّتِي أُورِثْتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
This is the Paradise which you have been made to inherit because of your deeds which you used to do. (43:72)
and
وَنُودُوا أَن تِلْكُمُ الْجَنَّةُ أُورِثْتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And it will be cried out to them: “This is the Paradise which you have inherited for what you used to do.” (7:43)
and Allah knows best.
Stranger
May 11, 2009 at 3:59 PM
Assalamu alaykum,
Jazakumullah khayr for the advice. Indeed we should be constant in securing for ourselves Allah’s pleasure and a place in Jannah inshallah.
I can never seem to remember which 12 rak’ah we should pray along with the 5 daily salah. I know it’s the 2 sunnah before Fajr, 2 sunnah after Maghrib, 2 Sunnah after Isha. Are the rest 4 sunnah before Asr and 2 with Duhr (can’t remember before or after) If someone could reference the hadith in which the Prophet (saw) specifies which sunnah, I would really appreciate it.
Amatullah
May 11, 2009 at 6:46 PM
wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah Stranger,
InshaAllah you ca find the answer to your question here: http://islamqa.com/en/ref/1048/
Stranger
May 12, 2009 at 1:02 PM
Ok jazakillah khayr. I keep forgetting that of the 12, the 4 sunnah of asr isn’t counted in them. Jazakillah khayr!
Amatullah
May 12, 2009 at 2:21 PM
wa iyyak, those 12 sunnahs with regards to the House in Jannah are known as the Rawatib, but there are other sunnahs you can pray too. Like the 4 before Asr, there is a hadeeh that states:
Ibn ‘Umar relates from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) that he said, “May Allah have mercy on man who prays four rakats before ‘Asr.” [Reported by Tirmidhi, Hasan according to Shaykh Albaani]
and with regards to isha:
Ibn ‘Abbas relates that ‘I spent the night with my Aunt Maymuna [the wife of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)]. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) prayed Isha then returned to his home and prayed four rakats.’ [Bukhari]
There are other authentic ahadeeth like this as well. It’s good to look through an authentic book on Salah that covers this in detail. Jazakum Allahu khayran for asking the question, I learned something new.
and Allah knows best.
Ilm Seeker
May 12, 2009 at 4:06 PM
As-salaamu ‘alikum, jazakumullahu khayran for the inspiring and actionable post masha’Allah. Just one question: does the 12 rakaat mean the 2 before Fajr, 4 before Dhur, 2 after Dhur, 2 after Maghrib, and 2 after Isha, or can it be any 12 rakaat in one day?
Amatullah
May 12, 2009 at 7:17 PM
wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah,
wa iyyakum. According to the IslamQA fatwa I posted above, shaykh Munajjid said that this hadeeth specifically refers to these 12 rakaat:“4 Rak’aat before and 2 after the Dhuhr (Midday) Prayer, 2 after the Maghrib (Sunset Prayer), 2 after the ‘Ishaa’ (Evening) Prayer and 2 before the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer.”
inshaAllah a shaykh or local Imam can answer for further clarification.
Allahu a’lam.
grateful for personal agent
May 14, 2009 at 7:56 PM
SubhanAllah, another example to give up arguing and Islamic etiquette of conversation
Sa’eed bin Musayyeb says: Once the Prophet was sitting with his Companions, and one person used insulting words against Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), causing him pain. But Abu Bakr remained silent. The person again used bitter words against Abu Bakr, and still Abu Bakr did not respond. The third time when this ignorant person hurt Abu Bakr with his tongue, Abu Bakr tried answering back. At this point the Prophet got up. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him, “Are you displeased with me, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet replied, “No, but (when you remained silent) an angel came down from the heaven responding to this man’s talk. But the moment you started replying to that man, the angel went away and the devil sat down. And I cannot sit where the devil is sitting.” Abu Dawood 041 4878
Saimah
May 15, 2009 at 8:13 AM
JazakAllah Khayr for the great reminder. I love how you related it to housing, lol…penthouse. :)