Book 28: Events of the Day of Resurrection and the Beginning of Creation

Abu Huraira told that he asked God's messenger what the creation was made of and he replied that it was made of water. He was asked what paradise was constructed of and replied, "A brick of gold and a brick of silver with mortar of strong-scented musk; its pebbles are pearls and rubies and its soil is saffron. Those who enter it will be in affluent circumstances and will not be destitute, they will live forever and not die, their garments will not wear out, and their youth will not pass away." Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The trunk of every tree in paradise is of gold." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "There are a hundred grades in paradise with a distance of a hundred years between every two." Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan gharib tradition.

Abu Sa'id reported God's messenger as saying, "There are a hundred grades in paradise; if the universe were gathered in one of them it would hold it all." Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.

He reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying regarding the words of God most high, "And couches raised high[*]," that their height is like the distance between heaven and earth, a distance of five hundred years. *Quran; 56:34 Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The faces of the first company to enter paradise on the day of resurrection will be as bright as the moon on the night when it is full, and the second company will be like the most beautiful shining planet in the sky. Every man among them will have two wives, each wife wearing seventy mantles through which the marrow of her leg will be seen." Tirmidhi transmitted.it.

Anas reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "In paradise the believer will be given such and such power to conduct sexual intercourse.' He was asked whether he would be capable of that and replied that he would be given the capacity of a hundred men. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Sa'd b. Abu Waqqas reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "If as much of what is in paradise as could be carried by a fingernail were to appear the space between the cardinal points of the heavens and the earth would be adorned on account of it, and if a man of the inhabitants of paradise were to look down and his bracelets were to appear his light would obliterate the light of the sun just as the sun obliterates the light of the stars." Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "The inhabitants of paradise are hairless, beardless and have black eyes, their youth does not pass away and their garments do not wear out." Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it.

Mu'adh b. Jabal reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "The inhabitants of paradise will enter paradise hairless, beardless with their eyes anointed with collyrium, aged thirty or thirty-three years." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Asma' daughter of Abu Bakr told that she heard God's messenger say when the lote-tree of the boundary[*] was mentioned to him, "A rider can travel in the shade of a branch of it for a hundred years," or "a hundred riders can take shelter in its shade (the transmitter being in doubt); in it there are golden butterflies and its fruit looks like earthenware jars." *Quran; 53:14 Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying th is is a gharib tradition

Anas told that when God's messenger was asked what al-Kauthar[*] was he replied, "That is a river God has given me (meaning in paradise), whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, containing birds whose necks are like the necks of sacrificial camels." `Umar remarked, "These have a pleasant life," and God's messenger replied, "Those who eat them have a pleasanter life." *Quran; 108 Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Buraida told that when a man asked God's messenger whether there were any horses in paradise he replied, " If God brings you into paradise you will not wish to be conveyed in it on a horse of red ruby which will fly with you in paradise wherever you wish without doing so." A man asked God's messenger whether there were any camels in paradise and he did not give him the same reply as he gave the other, but said, "If God brings you into paradise, you will have what your soul desires and your eye takes pleasure in." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Ayyub told that a nomadic Arab came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "Messenger of God, I am fond of horses. Are there any horses in paradise?" He replied, "If you are granted entrance into paradise, you will be brought a winged horse made of a ruby and will be mounted on it, then it will fly with you wherever you wish." Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a tradition whose isnad is not strong, that Abu Saura its transmitter is declared to be a weak traditionist, and that he had heard Muhammad b. Isma'il, i.e., Bukhari say this Abu Saura's traditions were rejected, he being one who transmitted dis acknowledged traditions.

Buraida reported God's messenger as saying, "The inhabitants of paradise will be in a hundred and twenty rows, eighty of them from this people and forty from the rest of the peoples," Tirmidhi, Darimi and Baihaqi, in Kitab al-ba'th wan nushur, transmitted it.

Salim quoted his father (Abdullah bin Umar) who reported God's messenger as saying. 'The breadth of the gate by which my people will enter paradise will be a three years[*] journey for a fine rider, yet they will be so crushed that they will almost lose their shoulders." *The noun le not specified in the text. From the form of the numeral, it might be either nights or years. Mirqat 5, 207. expresses a preference for years, as that conveys better the idea of huge extent. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying that this is a weak tradition, and that when he asked Muhammad b. Ismail about this tradition he did not know it, adding that Yakhlud b.Abu Bakr transmitted dis acknowledged traditions.

'Ali reported God's messenger as saying, "In paradise there is a market in which there is no buying or selling, but only the forms of men and women; and when a man desires a form, he enters it." Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.

Sa'id b. al-Musayyib told that he met Abu Huraira who said, "I ask God to bring us together in the market of paradise." Sa'id asked if it contained a market and he replied that it did, for God's messenger had informed him that when the inhabitants of paradise enter it they will alight in it by virtue of their deeds. They will then be granted permission for the period of a Friday in this world and will visit their Lord whose throne will be shown to them, and He will appear to them in one of the gardens of paradise. Pulpits of light, pulpits of pearls, pulpits of rubies, pulpits of chrysoprase, pulpits of gold and pulpits of silver will be placed for them, and the humblest of them, for there is no one worthless among them, will sit on mounds of musk and camphor, not considering that those who are on the chairs are in a more excellent position than they. Abu Huraira told that he asked, "Messenger of God, shall we see our Lord?" to which he replied, "Yes, are you in doubt about seeing the sun and the moon on the night when it is full?" On receiving the reply that they were not, he said, "Similarly you will have no doubts about the vision of your Lord, and no man will remain in that assembly without God conversing with him, till he says to one of them, `So and so son of so and so, do you remember the day you said such and such?' and He will remind him of one of the dishonest things he did in the world. He will say, `0 my Lord, hast Thou not forgiven me?' and He will reply, `Yes; by the wideness of my forgiveness, you have reached this station of yours.' While that is taking place a cloud will overshadow them from above and rain on them perfume whose fragrance will be such as they have never experienced my thing to compare with, and our Lord will say, `Get up and go to the honour I have prepared for you, and take what you desire.' We shall then come to a market surrounded by angels containing such things as eyes have never seen, ears have never heard, and hearts have never thought of. What we desire will be conveyed to us, there being no buying or selling in it, and in that market the inhabitants of paradise will meet one another. A man of exalted station will come forward and meet one who is humbler than he, though there is no one worthless among them, who will be charmed by the clothing he sees him wearing, but before their talk comes to an end, he will imagine that he has something more beautiful than the other. That is because it is not fitting for anyone to grieve in it. We shall then go to our dwellings and our wives will meet us and say, `Welcome; you have come with more excellent beauty than you had when you left us.' We shall reply, To-day we have had a meeting with our Lord, the Overpowering One, and it is fitting that we should come away as we have done'." Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah trans - mitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition

Abu Sa'id reported God's messenger as saying, "The lowliest of the inhabitants of paradise will be he who has eighty thousand servants, seventy-two wives, and for whom a round pavilion of pearls, chrysoprase and rubies as large as the distance between al-Jabiya[1] and San'a'[2] will be set up." By the same isnad he said, "Those who are to go to paradise who die whether young or old will come into paradise aged thirty and never grow older. The same applies to those who will go to hell." By the same isnad he said, "They will wear crowns the smallest pearl of which will illuminate the space between the east and the west." By the same isnad he said, "When a believer in paradise wishes a child, its conception, delivery and growth to full age will be accomplished in a moment as he wishes." Ishaq b. Ibrahim said regarding this tradition that when a believer in paradise wishes a child it will come in a moment, "But he will not wish one." To the NE of the Lake of Tiberias. Capital of the Yemen. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition. Ibn Majah transmitted the fourth part, and Darimi the last statement.

`Ali reported God's messenger as saying, "In paradise there is a meeting-place for the large-eyed maidens who will raise voices such as created beings have never heard and say, `We are the women who live forever and do not pass away, we are the women in affluent circumstances who will not be destitute, we are the women who are pleased and not displeased. Blessed are those who belong to us and to whom we belong!" Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Hakim b. Mu'awiya reported God's messenger as saying, "In paradise there are a great river of water, a great river of honey, a great river of milk and a great river of wine; then the smaller rivers will be divided off." Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Darimi transmitted it from Mu'awiya. (Mirqat, 5, 301 says this is most probably Mu'awiya b. Abu Sufyan because Hakim's father is not known to have been a Companion of the Prophet.)