The magnitude of the blessings in Jannah

وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ

“…And you will have therein whatever your souls desire, and you will have therein whatever you request.” Surah Fussilat, 31

 

The meaning of this ayah is quite obvious. Allah is saying that we would get whatever we want in Jannah. And He swt is also saying that we will see things in Jannah that we never saw before. So when we see them we might want them too along with the desires that we carried in this world. So we would get those new things too if we request or place an order to get them.

 

All of this sounds cool but here is what’s even cooler. In the next ayah Allah says:

 

نُزُلًا مِّنْ غَفُورٍ رَّحِيمٍ

“A نُزُلا from the Forgiving and the Merciful.”

 

The word نُزُلا which is usually translated as ‘accomodation’, actually has the meaning of coming down. Because back in the day, the Arabs visited each other’s houses on horses or camels. So when they arrived at someone’s house they literally had to come down from the ‘vehicle’ they came in. So the word نُزُلا is actually used for the first treatment that you get when you get down to or when you arrive at a house. Be it a glass of water or a small snack. The point is, that’s not all that you are going to get from the house. In fact, that نُزُلا is just the starter for the bigger meal or some other services you are going to receive.

 

As I was discussing this ayah with one of my friends, and I was having a hard time explaining this word, she brilliantly said, “It’s like a welcome drink.” And I was like…..“EXACTLY!” Because a welcome drink is something you get when you arrive a 5 star hotel or a resort. That welcome drink you get is like just the beginning of all the services you are going to get from the resort. There are going to be so many exotic meals, sceneries and other activities that you are going to enjoy in the resort besides that drink.

 

So what is Allah saying in the ayah? He swt is telling us that whatever we desire AND whatever more we request from Jannah are still nothing but a نُزُلا. That’s not everything we are going to get from Jannah. Rather, that’s just the beginning of all that Allah has prepared for the believers. The rest of the blessings are just on their way after that. So this means that most things in Jannah that we have heard of is actually still part of that initial treatment. Subhaanallah! From this we could comprehend the hadhith where the Prophet (SAW) says that Jannah is such that no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard and no heart can even think of.

 

May Allah make us all worthy of His Jannah. Ameen!

*Notes on a lecture by Ustadh Nouman.