[0:00]Umar ibn al-Khattab radi allahu ta'ala anhu said that if there was to be a caller from the heavens that everyone is going to go to heaven except for one person, I would fear that I am that one person. But then he also said, if there was to be a caller to say that everyone is going to hellfire except for one person, then I would hope to be that one person. That really shows you the way that these people thought in terms of hope and fear. They had the highest hopes in Allah, but they never became complacent. And what that means is that when you're asking Allah for Jannah, don't sit there and think, well, I don't do all these amazing things that everybody else does. I don't belong in this category or that category. Think to yourself, how can I ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala sincerely for the highest level of al-Firdaus, the highest level of Paradise? And then start to bring into my life those qualities that also might seem untainable right now.
[1:12]So Jannah doesn't just have levels and degrees, there are entire sections of Jannah that reflect a certain level of highness that you want to aspire to. And so, for example, you have the Jannah that is al-Ma'wa. And Ka'ab radiAllahu ta'ala anhu said, this is the place of the shuhada who are in the bodies of green birds, and they are waiting for Ar-Rahman to bring them into Jannah in the fullest sense. And Subhanallah, al-Ma'wa is a place of relief, and so they will be relieved in the greatest way. And then you have Jannatu Adn. Okay? And this is translated as the Garden of Eden, but I want you to think about levels here inshallah ta'ala. So Jannatu Adn refers to the highest garden and then there are specifics of Jannatu Adn that we're going to speak about. And Abdullah ibn Umar radiAllahu ta'ala anhuma says something very powerful. He says Allah subhana wa ta'ala created four things by his hand. The Throne, the Pen, Adin, and Adam alayhi salaam. And then he said to the rest of the creation, Kun fa kan. Be and it was. And what that means is that there is something very special about this particular part of Jannah that reflects an even more customized reward for the believers. We're not just talking about the now, we're not just talking about the special rooms, we're talking about a section of Paradise. And Rasoolullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam was narrated to have said, Allah created Jannatu Adn, the Garden of Eden by His Hand, putting one brick of white pearl, another one from red rubies, another one of green crystal. Its floor is musk, its ground is of pearl, and its grass is of saffron. And then Allah subhana wa ta'ala ordered it to speak, and it said, qad aflaha al-mu'minun, the believers have succeeded.
[3:01]And Allah subhana wa ta'ala said, wa 'izzati wa jalali la yujawiruni fi ka bakhil. That I swear by My Majesty and My Honor, no stingy person is going to be My neighbor in you. Meaning this is a generous reward for generous people, not someone who is stingy because that's not a place that's befitting to a stingy person.
[3:39]Shamr ibn Atiya radiAllahu anhu, he goes on to say that Allah subhana wa ta'ala created al-Firdaus by His Hand and he opens it five times every day and he says to it, beautify yourself for my Awliya. Iz-dadi husnan li Awliyai, increase yourself in beauty for My friends! May Allah subhana wa ta'ala make us from his Awliya. Allahumma ameen. So you then have al-Firdaus. So basically think about al-Adn in the broader sense and then specifically from Jannatu Adn, you have al-Firdaus al-A'la. And it is what the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, the highest, the most spacious, and the best of al-Jannah. Rasoolullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, when you ask Allah, don't just ask him for Jannah, ask him for al-Firdaus. It is the best of paradise, it is the highest of paradise, and above it is the throne of Ar-Rahman, and from it flow the rivers of Paradise. Now who is al-Firdaus forbidden to? The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said that when Allah subhana wa ta'ala created al-Firdaus by His Hand, he forbade it for every mushrik, every polytheist, and those who are addicted to wine and to drugs. And what the scholars say that that's speaking about is that idea that of course Jannah is forbidden as a whole to a mushrik, to someone who associates a partner with Allah subhana wa ta'ala. But it's saying that how can a person expect the highest reward from Allah subhana wa ta'ala when they resort consistently to the lowest sins? And so let this be motivation to remove the low sins, the khaba'ith, the filthy things that are not befitting of a person who seeks a high reward. So you have Jannatu Adn, you have al-Firdaus, and then you have al-Wasilah, al-Wasilah. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Al-Wasilah darajatan 'inda Allah, that Wasilah is a daraja, it's a degree with Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Laisa fauqaha daraja, there is no degree over this particular degree, fas'alullah an yu'tiyani al-Wasilah. So ask Allah to grant me al-Wasilah. Who are we to make du'a for the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam to be granted something? Does he need our du'a? No. But let's talk about this for a moment. So you have al-Firdaus and then you have the one place that belongs to one person.
[6:07]And why is it called al-Wasilah? Because al-Wasilah means the connection. And it is directly connected to the throne of Ar-Rahman. And it's in its highest reach. As Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullah said, it is a place perched out for one person in the highest place of al-Jannah, and only one person can occupy it. And it must be the one person who will intercede on behalf of all of mankind on the Day of Judgment.
[6:39]And it must be that one person, al-Wasilah, in that connected place, who connected more people to Allah subhana wa ta'ala than any other human being in history. And brought more people to Jannah than any other human being in history. Who deserves al-Wasilah more than the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam?
[7:03]And the scholars mentioned, of course, that on the scale of Rasoolullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam, is not just his good deeds, but every single good deed that any believer has ever done or will ever do, is on the scale of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. So when we're talking about building our palaces, Rasoolullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam gets a share of that and a share of that and a share of that.
[7:27]So think of Rasoolullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam who used to pull us up and who continues to intercede for us and continues to move people forward. Being in this unique position with Allah subhana wa ta'ala in Jannah that everyone recognizes and the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam continuing to be the one who occupies that highest position and brings us closer to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, when you hear the mu'adhdhin call the adhan, then send salawat upon me. Because every time you send salawat upon me, Allah subhana wa ta'ala will send ten prayers upon you. And then ask Allah to grant me al-Wasilah, which is a status in Paradise, which only one servant of Allah will get, and I hope to be that person. And whoever asks for al-Wasilah for me, then my intercession, my shafa'ah will be due for that person. And how do we do so? Allahumma rabba hadhihi ad-da'watil al-qaimah, ati Muhammadan al-Wasilah wal-Fadilah, wa ab'athhu maqaman mahmoudan al-ladhi wa'addtah. Oh Allah, the Lord of this perfect call and established prayer, grant Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam al-Wasilah, grant him this place of great reward and intercession, and grant him this bounty, and give him this honored station that you have promised him because verily, you do not neglect your promises. And what does the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam do with his Wasilah, with his connection? He uses it to grant you Wasail, to grant you connections to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Think of the reward of sending salawat on the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. This is even more special than that. You have the intercession of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Now here's the thing, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, ask for al-Wasilah for him, which is at the top of al-Firdaus, and it's for one person. But he said, ask for al-Firdaus for yourself. And when you think about what Jannah means to you, and what you want in al-Jannah. You know, a lot of people will start to mention things that are okay to mention, right? Anything you're abstaining from in this life and you're asking Allah subhana wa ta'ala for in the next, you shouldn't be ashamed of that. Alhamdulillah, it's Jannah and we're human beings and Allah subhana wa ta'ala knows us and there's a reason why Allah subhana wa ta'ala grants us so many incentives. But what if you love the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam so much that Jannah is being with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam? And Subhanallah, you think about al-Madina in this world. And the most painful thing to the Sahabah was when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam departed from this world, Madina didn't feel like Madina to them anymore. And for us, what is it like when we go to al-Madina? We don't feel that same thing that the Sahabah once felt even though Madina feels amazing. Now what does this have to do with Jannah? Subhanallah, there's a powerful narration. Al-Qa'qa' radiAllahu anhu, he was asked, tell us something you shawwiquna ila al-Jannah. That's going to make us really, really, really want Jannah. Like tell us something that's going to really make us want Jannah. And you know what he said? He said fiha Rasoolullah. In it is the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. In Jannah, we get to be with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. That's enough and the only thing that's greater than that is being with Allah subhana wa ta'ala Himself. Ya ayyuha an-nafsul mutma'innah. Allah will say to the righteous, "O tranquil soul!" Irji'i ila rabbiki radiyatan mardiyyah. "Return to your Lord, well pleased with Him and well pleasing to Him." Fadkhuli fi 'ibadi wadkhuli Jannati. "So join My servants, and enter My Paradise." All of creation was built by one word: "Be," said He, and it was--except four: His Throne, the Pen, Adam, and I--lovingly crafted by His own Hands, topped with al-Firdaus, the highest of me, decorated with His Speech, telling me: "Be more, O Paradise, be more, more pleasant, more pretty, and more; you are the gift My friends are waiting for."
