Who will enter heaven directly? Who will not be questioned in the hereafter?
In one narration, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) states that some people will enter the Garden without experiencing the difficulties of questioning:
“My Lord promised me that seventy thousand of my Community shall be admitted into the Garden without a reckoning against them, nor any punishment. With every thousand to enter there are seventy thousand and three measures from the measures[1] of my Lord.” (Tirmidhi, Qiyama, 12/2437; Ibn Maja, Zuhd, 34; Ahmad, V, 250)
In another Narration, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) describes the meritorious nature of guarding the borders of one’s nation and the reward that those who die doing so will receive in the Next World:
“Keeping guard for a day and a night is better than fasting for a whole month and standing in prayer every night. If such a person dies (while, performing this duty), their reward will continue and they will go on perpetually receiving their reward and will be delivered from the torment of the grave.” (Muslim, Imara, 163)[2]
The foremost precondition of martyrdom, before Allah, is sincerity. Martyrdom is a ticket for direct entry into the Garden if it is without ulterior motive, that is, if it is realised purely for the sake of Allah Almighty. Thus, only those who strive in the name of a lofty goal, by way of exalting the religion of Allah, protecting the lands where His religion can be practised, and guarding one’s nation and sacred sites, can be considered martyrs. Otherwise, the fact that those who die while acting for fame or fortune, or hollow heroism will not be considered martyrs is expressly stated in a Prophetic narration.[3]
That is to say, the martyrs who will enter the Garden exempted from reckoning are those who were not looking for anyone, but were sincerely seeking a reward from their Lord.
Again, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has stated:
“When the slaves stand for the Reckoning, a group of people will come with their swords on their backs and with blood dripping from their wounds and they will assemble at the gate of the Garden.
It will be asked, ‘Who are they?’
It will be said, ‘They are the martyrs. They were alive, receiving sustenance from their Lord.’
Then a caller will cry out, ‘Let those whose reward is with Allah rise and enter the Garden!’
The caller will cry out a second time, ‘Let those whose reward is with Allah rise and enter the Garden!’
The people will ask, ‘Who are those whose reward is with Allah?’
‘Those who forgive the people,’ will be the response.
Then the caller will cry out a third time, saying, ‘Let those whose reward is with Allah rise and enter the Garden!’
Then, this many thousand people will rise and be admitted into the Garden without reckoning.” (Tabarani, Mu’jam al-Awsat, II, 285; Haythami, X, 411)
Indeed, Allah, glory be to Him, declares in relation to such people:
“The repayment of a bad action is one equal to it. But if someone pardons and puts things right, his reward is with Allah. Certainly He does not love wrongdoers.” Counsel (Ash-Shura, 42:40)
Similarly, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has said:
“All the communities were shown to me. I saw one Prophet pass by with a community, one Prophet pass by with a group, one Prophet pass by with ten people, one Prophet pass by with five people, and another Prophet pass by all alone. Then I looked and there was an enormous crowd.
I asked, ‘Jibril (Gabriel), is this my community?’
He answered, ‘No, but look at the horizon.’
I looked and there was a large group of people gathered together.
He said, ‘This is your community. Seventy thousand of them will enter the Garden without any reckoning or punishment.’
I asked, ‘Why?’
He said, ‘They did not have themselves cauterised, nor did they use incantations,[4] nor seek omens, but, they put their trust in their Lord.'”
‘Ukkasha ibn Mihsan stood up and said, ‘ask Allah to make me one of them.’
He said, “O Allah, make him one of them!”
Then another man stood up and said, “Please ask Allah to make me one of them.”
Allah’s Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘‘Ukkasha has beaten you to it.” (Bukhari, Riqaq, 50; Muslim, Iman, 367-374)
Another narration also mentions those who do not practice or resort to sorcery and black magic.[5]
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) refers to the other believers who will enter the Garden without reckoning in the following words:
“On the Day of Judgment, the people will be gathered on a vast plane, such that the voice of an announcer can reach all of them and all of them are visible.
On that Day, a crier will call out three times saying, ‘Today, everyone will know those people of great distinction!’
Then, a voice will cry out, Who forsake their beds to call on their Lord in fear and hope, and spend from that which We have provided for them?[6]
Those who are not distracted from trade or commerce from the remembrance of Allah and establishing the Prayer and paying Zakat?’[7]
The crier will call out once again, ‘Today, everyone will know those people of great distinction!’
Then, it will be said, ‘Where are those who most praised their Lord?'” (Hakim, Mustadrak, II, 433/3508; Bayhaqi, Shu’ab, IV, 539)
On the basis of the Qur’anic verses and Prophetic narrationscited above, those people who will be admitted into the Garden without questioning can be enumerated as follows:
- Those with perfect reliance on Allah;
- Those who do not believe in omens and superstition;
- Those who do not practice or resort to sorcery and black magic;
- Those who do not cauterise;
- Martyrs;
- Those who forgive others;
- Those who stand in prayer during the night;
- Those who spend in Allah’s way; and
- The believers who constantly remember and praise Allah, and whose reward is, as a result, with their Lord.
[1] This expression appears to have been used rhetorically, by way of exaggeration for emphasis.
[2] Also refer to Tirmidhi, Fada’il al-Jihad, 2; Nasa’i, Jihad, 39; Ibn Maja, Jihad, 7.
[3] See Muslim, Imara, 152. For the complete text of the Prophetic Tradition, see, p. 366-368.
[4] ‘Ruqya‘, translated here as incantations, or asking Allah to heal the sick by means of certain Qur’anic verses and prophetic statements, is religiously permissible. There are prophetic traditions which indicate that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also performed ruqya. The censure of those who use it for healing in this narration pertains to the act of seeking healing and cure not from the Creator, but from something that is created, thus acting against the principle of complete reliance in Allah. This is akin to a person’s deeming their healing to be not from Allah but from a doctor or from medication. A believer undertakes treatment for a particular illness by means of the Divinely-bestowed ways and means. However, on no account do they ascribe healing or cure to mortals. They see their healing to be solely from Allah. Indeed, Prophet Ibrahim, upon him be pace, as cited in a Qur’anic verse as having said: “And when I am ill, it is He who heals me.” (Ash-Shu’ara’, 26:80)
That is to say, even if a believer avails themselves of causes, they must wholeheartedly believe that healing is absolutely from Allah, glorified and exalted be He. They must trust only Him, be resigned to their fate, and must have patience for the misfortunes that befall them.
[5] See Muslim, Iman, 374.
[6] Refer to Qur’an, (32:16).
[7] See, Qur’an (24:41).
Source: An Excellent Exemplar II , Osman Nuri Topbaş, Erkam Publications
