Quran Garden

Session 515

Chapter 3

Verse 185

a continuation

Every self will taste death, and your wages will be fully paid on the Day of Resurrection.  Whoever is tugged away from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have triumphed.  The present world is only an illusory pleasure.  (Chapter 3: Verse 185)

Abu Huraira narrated that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "The footprint of a whip in Paradise is better than the entire world and what is in it.  Read if you wish: Whoever is tugged away from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have triumphed.' "

When you say, "My friend was tugged away from something," it means that he was frozen in fear and had to be physically pulled.  How can this apply to Hellfire?  We answer that sin has an allure and a strong pull in this world.  For example, sin draws you towards illicit relations with the opposite sex while your faith tugs in the opposite direction.  In the Hereafter, Hellfire will have a similar draw on the sinner, a pull that cannot be resisted, while faith tugs in the opposite direction.  Fire lures the sinners because it is in a state of rage.  God says,

It all but bursts with rage.  Each time a group is flung into it its custodians will question them: "Did no one come to warn you?" (67:8)

Have you seen a covered pot of boiling water?  The lid bounces on and off from the steam energy building within the pot.  Water bubbles filled with steam escape the surface; if you are close enough, you may get burned.  It is similar to the rage of Hellfire against the disbelievers on Judgment Day.  God says,

Move towards that which you used to deny.  Go to a shadow of smoke!  It rises in three columns, which is neither shady nor is of any avail against the flame.  It shoots out sparks as large as treetrunks as if they were yellow camels.  (77:29)

A man in angry rage also lets expletive words burst out and may get violent.  But why is Hellfire bursting with rage?  We answer that each of God's creations believes in the Almighty.  Even a disbelieving human, who enjoys freedom of choice, is formed from cells and tissues that believe in God.  The tongue that utters the words of disbelief curses its owner while doing it.  The hand that steals does so while cursing its owner.  Hellfire despises the disbelievers who rebelled against the Creator and wants to draw them into the punishment, as illustrated in the following verses,

We shall ask Hell that day: "Are you full?" It will answer: "Aren't there any more?" (50:30)

Prophet Muhammad told us about the lure of sin and Hellfire's pull on the sinner.  He, peace be upon him, said, "My example and yours is like that of a man who kindled a fire.  Insects and butterflies started swarming around it and were about to fall into it.  I am working very hard to keep you away from the Fire and you are fleeing from me."  Look at the beautiful analogy; we all have experienced how moths and insects are lured toward Fire.  Such creatures come for the light, but many end up dead around the fire pit as if they sought after and loved their destruction.  Similarly, the sinful human, who is guided by desire, loves his destruction as each deed leads him or her closer toward Hellfire.  The phrase, "Whoever is tugged away from the Fire" expresses the strong pull and the state of fixation people will experience on Judgment day. 

The mere escape from such a state is a great bounty.  How about if you were not only saved but also admitted into Paradise?  That is the ultimate victory.  On the Day of Judgement, you must walk across a narrow path transversing over Hellfire, known as the Sirat, to reach Paradise.  Why?  Because Allah wants you to see firsthand and appreciate how faith saved you from the torment.  Those with pure faith and amazing deeds will fly over the Sirat.  Some will run across while others wobble before falling into Hell if their deeds cannot carry them across.  Note that the phrase "Whoever is tugged away from the Fire" implies that someone or something else saves you.  Allah showered humanity with an abundance of guidance in this life so faith can save us from the Fire in the Hereafter.

The verse ends with, "The present world is only an illusory pleasure."  The "present world" is translated from the Arabic origin "Dunya," which literally means 'the lowest,' implying that there is a higher life we should aspire to.  God says,

The life of this world is merely an amusement and a diversion; the true life is in the Hereafter, if only they knew.  (29:64)

In other words, our present life is barely worthy of being called 'life.'  Why?  because life is not measured by the age of the universe, but by the length of your stay.  Some people live for 100 years, most live for 60 or 70, while some die in their teens.  How can you enjoy something if you could lose it at any moment?  Would you invest in a bank if it is guaranteed to vanish soon?  More importantly, the pleasure of the Dunya is limited to the resources available to you, the work you put in, and luck.  You may get disabled tomorrow and be unfit to work anymore.  The resources at your disposal today may run out, be stolen, or destroyed.  Thus, it is not fit for any intelligent human being to be fooled by such uncertainties.  God says,

Alas!  But man oversteps all bounds when he thinks he is self-sufficient. (96:6-7)

Do not dupe yourselves by choosing short, uncertain pleasures over immense, endless ones or by preferring the work of humans over the work of the Almighty All-Generous.  Indeed, "The present world is only an illusory pleasure" for the vain idiot who chases the trivial.

God did not wrong worldly life by describing it as a pleasure because there are surely nice pleasures in this world.  But He warned us that it is not the pleasure one should chase after because it is fleeting and inferior.  You want a life of superior quality, immense pleasure, and everlasting bliss.  God says,

Indeed, the pious shall be amid delight, on couches gazing in wonder.  You will recognize on their faces the radiance of bliss.  They will be served sealed nectar; Its seal is a fragrance of musk.  For this then, let the competitors compete! (83:22-26)