Free Ticket to Paradise?

“Just because you are Muslim you won’t be getting a free ticket to paradise. You have to prove it ! .”

I don’t know why I started this post by that quote, but it’s truly provoking isn’t it? Maybe, it is something that I want to remind myself at this moment and also to remind myself over my life in the future.  Thanks to my lecturer for reminding me with such a simple yet beautiful words =)

Anyway, let’s say that we want to get ‘A’ in our exams, we have to prove how serious are we to get that ‘A’ and pass with flying colours, if you want to buy a bungalow for your beloved mum as her birthday present despite that you have such a little monthly payment, you would try your level best to do extra savings or even extra works to fulfil that isn’t it? Let’s say that you want to go for your hajj the next year to come, you would surely put an effort to have your dream come true isn’t it ?. All of these and many more show that if we want to get something, we should at least do something in return. I won’t say that’s the rule but I would say that’s how it works =D

For Muslims, paradise is a place that we are truly longing for, since it is there that a true happiness exists and it is there that our final destination supposed to be. We believe that this world is just a transit to lead ourselves to the very much eternal world there in the Gardens of Delights i.e. the Heaven. Sometimes, all of us including ME keep saying that we want paradise; we want paradise, and so on.  However, have we done enough to fulfil this dream?. Surely not!. At least for my part, I am sure and convinced I AM NOT.!  Subhanallah.may Allah forgive me. As I browsed through the index of the Qur’an regarding paradise, I found abundant of verses where God enlightened us on how to achieve the paradise or the Gardens that He had promised us. As I have said earlier, if we want something, surely we have to do something in return. As the saying goes “Give, and ye shall receive”. However, it does not mean that we submit or serve God because He needs our submission. On the other hand, even if we don’t do that, it would not affect Him at all. As mentioned in the Qur’an:

And whoever strives only strives for [the benefit of] himself. Indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds.(Holy Qur’an 29:6)

That’s what I mean. Basically, to show our gratitude over the many blessings that He had bestowed upon us, that is the way how we should be showing our thanks to Him. Anyway, I was surprised to find that when I browsed through the index, I found quite a number of verses talking about the same things. What I mean is, the ways that God had elucidated in the Qur’an on how to attain paradise. You don’t believe me. Take a look at these ayat (verses) Of the Qur’an with the highlighted words:

Give the good news to those who believe and do right actions that they will have Gardens with rivers flowing under them. When they are given fruit there as provision, they will say, ‘This is what we were given before.’ But they were only given a simulation of it. They will have there spouses of perfect purity and will remain there timelessly, for ever. (Qur'an 2:25)

Race each other to forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the people who guard against evil. (Qur'an 3:133)

Or did you imagine that you were going to enter the Garden without Allah knowing those among you who had struggled and knowing the steadfast?(Qur'an 3:142)

Whoever does an evil act will only be repaid with its equivalent. But whoever acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, such a person will enter the Garden, provided for in it without any reckoning. (Qur'an 40:40)

As for those who believe and do right actions–We impose on no self any more than it can bear–they are the Companions of the Garden, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Qur'an7:42)

As for those who believe and do right actions and humble themselves before their Lord, they are the Companions of the Garden, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Qur'an11:23)

Can you see the patterns? Almost all of the verses have the same gist i.e. believe and do right actions, guard against evil (still means right actions isn’t it?), acts rightly (again right actions), believe and do right actions and humble themselves before their Lord, struggled and knowing the steadfast and so on. Ya Allah, that’s the terms and conditions to achieve the Paradise!!

 However, what does it mean by ‘to do right actions?’. Subhanallah, I then found a verse that truly explains this question of mine right there in the same index. Guess what it says??

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:

These are Allah’s limits. As for those who obey Allah and His Messenger, We will admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. That is the Great Victory. (Qur'an4:13)

There goes the answer!!. Subhanallah.I believe the right actions that I have been highlighting above are- to obey Allah and His Messenger. It makes sense isn’t it? By obeying Allah and His Messenger, we are actually believe and do right actions, guard against evil, struggling and knowing the steadfast, being humble before our Lord  and the list goes on. Simply to say, it explains the points that we have mentioned above. In fact, there is a hadith(sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) in which it says:

From Mu'adh bin Jabal, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I said:

"O Messenger of Allah, tell me of a deed which will take me into Paradise and will keep me away from the Hell-fire." He said: "You have asked me about a great matter, yet it is, indeed, an easy matter for him to whom Allah Almighty makes it easy. (It is ) that you worship Allah without associating anything with Him, that you perform the prayers, that you pay the zakat, that you fast during Ramadan, and that you make the pilgrimage to the House."

[Related by Al-Tirmidhi, who said it was a fine and sound hadith]

After reading this hadith and those verses of the Qur’an, I found that the promise made by Allah is a truly a real promise. To be exact, they are not a lip service. Nonetheless, we should also take note that there is no such thing as free ‘ticket’ to paradise. Definitely the ‘ticket’ is there but it comes with terms and conditions-agree? 

Now, it depends on all of us whether to grab the opportunity and get the ticket that we want so much or just sit back and rest on our laurels.  I believe those ‘tickets’ are ‘reserved’ for all of us as long as we follow the ‘terms’ and ‘conditions’. A person once tell me,

What’s the point of avoiding hell and not going to paradise?

I totally agree with this person!.She made her point that day. Sometimes we are so much concern of don’t, don’t , don’t and forget about the do, do, do to achieve the paradise. InsyaAllah, I’m trying hard to book my ticket now.  What about you my dear brothers and sisters. Have your booked your ‘tickets’?  Don’t delay ya. Book your ‘ticket’ now !!   ^_^

Allahu A’lam(Allah Knows Best)