Heavenly Thoughts

I was just having one of those lazy Sunday afternoons trying to complete my revision for the day when I kinda sorta started day dreaming...For those of you who watch Scrubs, it was one of those moments that JD has when he phases out into a world of his own...So I thought to myself what would Heaven be like...The great majority of the religions of the world have some concept of rewards or punishments for the deeds done in this world to hold everyone accountable for their actions...The concept of heaven is similar: Eternal life lived in the kind of luxury us mere mortals cannot even imagine...One has read of streams of milk and honey, palaces made of gemstones,wine and the guys favorite: Hoors (virgin maidens of incomparable beauty)...Then I asked myself...Wait a minute!!!...Isn't the whole idea of heaven playing on our basic instinctive desires of food, lust, greed, materialism and all that stuff...I mean all these things seem shallow and carnal...Yet we do good deeds to get "that" heaven...Aren't we being plain greedy...In economics, I remember studying a term for this, whereby consumers in the young generation consume less today in order to consume more in the future when they retire...So following that train of thought it just seemed that we might be trying to save ourselves from such "carnal" adventures in this temporary world so that we might go buck wild in Heaven and that too for eternity...I mean, it would still get boring...Don't you think so? No matter how much you eat, no matter how much you live in luxury or how much you screw around, there must come a certain point in time when the inhabitants of heaven would turn to God and say, Hey Creator, What Next??? Even in this finite worldly life, we always look for some change, some progression...When we're young, we study to get into some profession..After that we look to progress in our jobs, get married, start a family and so forth...We always have something to look forward to...Yet it seems, the prospects of an eternal life in Heaven might not sound as exciting as its portrayed..

To resolve this conflict in my mind, I needed to find someone to talk to...So I just played out my thoughts on this topic to my flatmate even thought I feared he might chastise me for thinking about such unholy satanic ideas...Surprisingly, he replied quite logically...He just said look around you...The world is full of so many wonders...God made all this by merely saying Kun Fayakun (let it be)...He further argued that at the current state, our thought capacity is limited and we cannot even start comprehending what Heaven would seem like...For God, it isn't difficult to create progression and meaning for our life in Heaven as well...If He managed it for us here in this world, surely, He can do it in the Hereafter too...He also said that Heaven wouldn't be the same for all...God knows His creation well and everyone will have Heaven which would be a sort of Utopia for them, customized to their own ideals and preferences...I asked jokingly: does that mean the 70 hoors won't be in your utopian version of heaven?

I think, in the end, he managed to convince me in a way...Perhaps we can't even start comprehending Heaven right now...Perhaps, its better as a mystery...Perhaps we would be sooo blissfully happy to be in the company of prophets, saints and other noble human beings..From what I read in books of religion, the best reward for man in Heaven will be to live in the shadow of the Creator and to be able to communicate and talk to Him without any indirect means like prayers and all...It will be the feeling of complete and utter bliss that our faith in the Hidden God and His Signs paid off...I'll end this post with the peace of mind I got from these verse of Surah Rehman from the Holy Quran:

055.046 But for such as fear the time when they will stand before (the Judgment Seat of) their Lord, there will be two Gardens-

055.047 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

055.048 Containing all kinds (of trees and delights);-

055.049 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

055.050 In them (each) will be two Springs flowing (free);

055.051 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

055.052 In them will be Fruits of every kind, two and two.

055.053 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

055.054 They will recline on Carpets, whose inner linings will be of rich brocade: the Fruit of the Gardens will be near (and easy of reach).

055.055 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

055.056 In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched;-

055.057 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

055.058 Like unto Rubies and coral.

055.059 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

055.060 Is there any Reward for Good - other than Good?

055.061 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

055.062 And besides these two, there are two other Gardens,-

055.063 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

055.064 Dark-green in colour (from plentiful watering).

055.065 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

055.066 In them (each) will be two Springs pouring forth water in continuous abundance:

055.067 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

055.068 In them will be Fruits, and dates and pomegranates:

055.069 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

055.070 In them will be fair (Companions), good, beautiful;-

055.071 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

055.072 Companions restrained (as to their glances), in (goodly) pavilions;-

055.073 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

055.074 Whom no man or Jinn before them has touched;-

055.075 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?-

055.076 Reclining on green Cushions and rich Carpets of beauty.

055.077 Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

055.078 Blessed be the name of thy Lord, full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.