The Road to Paradise
By Khalid Baig
A new advertising slogan from an international beverage company makes its case in just
three words: "Obey Your Thirst." Although these words are meant to produce an
impulsive reaction rather than reflection, it would be good, and immensely more refreshing
and rewarding if, for a change, we did the exact opposite. For, this is the battle cry of
the pop culture. That is why the ad never explains why we must obey our thirst.
In fact, this has been the central obsession of Jahiliya societies throughout history:
Eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow we die. Do whatever pleases you. You live only
once so make the most of it. Obey your desires.
Today’s society has taken this old obsession to unbelievably new heights (or
depths). Ad men make a living out of provoking thirsts of all kinds. It has been developed
into both a scientific discipline and an art form. The best available technologies,
talents and resources of all kinds are used to promote one message: Indulge your desires.
If this unprecedented pursuit could produce happiness, these would have been the
happiest times in the entire history of mankind. It is no secret that it is not so. If
there were a Misery Index to gauge the despair and gloom of individuals and communities,
we would find that it is also at an all time high. This road has never led to true
happiness. And it never will.
Actually, this road leads straight into eternal hell. The warnings are posted all along
this road and have also been communicated to us by messengers of Allah. That is why the
Prophets are called Nazeer (warner). The entire mission of the Last Messenger of
Allah was to warn us about the road that leads to Hell and show us the path that leads to
Paradise. His teachings remain with us so we can avoid the peril. He informed us:
"The Fire has been surrounded by lusts and desires and the Paradise by
hardships." [Bukhari, Muslim]. Another hadith explains this further. According to
that, when Allah created the Garden, He asked Angle Jibreel (Gabriel) to go and take a
look at it. So he went and looked at the Paradise and at all that Allah had prepared for
its inhabitants. Then he said: "O My Lord! By Your Honor, No one who hears about this
place would stay away from it." Then Allah surrounded the Paradise by difficulties
and hardships and asked Jibreel again to go and take another look. Jibreel went again and
after looking at it came back and said: "O My Lord! By Your Honor, I am afraid now
that no one will be able to enter it." Then after Allah created the Hell, He asked
Jibreel to go and take a look. When Jibreel came back he said: "O My Lord! By Your
Honor, no one who hears about it will ever enter it." Then Allah surrounded the Hell
by all kinds of lusts and desires and asked Jibreel to take another look. This time after
looking at it Jibreel said: "O My Lord! By Your Honor, I am afraid that no one will
be able to avoid it."
These ahadith beautifully capture the test of life. The path to hell is a slippery
downhill slope. It looks attractive and promises instant satisfaction. It makes us feel
good just like the drug addicts feel good when they go on a high, oblivious of the ruin
that awaits them. This is the path of hedonism, consumerism, and materialism. It promises
"liberation" from all norms, moral values, obligations, and higher authority, so
we can become slaves of our own desires. This is the path to eternal doom and gloom. On
the other hand, the path to paradise is most definitely uphill. It requires sacrifice and
self control; patience and perseverance; obedience and submission to our Creator; hard
work and firm commitment. It requires giving up instant satisfaction so we can get eternal
satisfaction. It is paved with stumbling blocks and hardships. But should we choose our
destination simply on the basis of how easy it is to get there?
Although hell is a greater horror than the worst horror all human minds put together
can ever imagine, it is easier to avoid, as we have been told about paths leading to it
and given the freedom of choice to avoid those paths. Although paradise is a greater
treasure than all human minds put together could ever imagine, the journey to paradise is
easier than the journey to treasure islands found in fables where the seekers have to find
the path on their own. Here we have been shown the path and taught through Prophetic
example how to travel on that path. Yes, the lure of worldly pleasures is always great.
That is by design or there would be no test. But then this is a fair test. We have been
given the capability to shun the temporary pleasures and embrace the temporary pains by
remembering the eternal ones. All it takes is belief, commitment, and seeking help from
Allah and we can overcome the roadblocks.
Our success lies not in obeying our thirsts but in controlling them in obedience to
Allah. Our goal is not to maximize our pleasures here, but to reach the house of eternal
pleasures. Once we embrace this perspective, it brings joy to this life as well, but it is
a materially different kind of joy than one finds in obeying one’s basal desires. The
Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said, "The coolness of my eyes lies in
offering Salat." On the other hand, the Qur’an tells us that Salat is a burden
except on those who have fear of Allah in their hearts. Clearly, what brings joy to a
healthy person may not bring joy to a sick person. The joy righteousness brings to this
life is the joy of the person who is awake and alert. In contrast the pleasure brought by
satisfying our lusts is like the "pleasure" of a drunkard who has fallen in a
sewer. He may be sound asleep but can anyone who knows the reality of his situation envy
him?
Obeying our thirsts means falling asleep in that unseemly place. Let us heed the
wake-up call from the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam: "I have not seen
anything as dreadful as the Fire whose evader is asleep and anything as desirable as
Paradise whose seeker is asleep." [Tirmidhi]
