Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, Jannah (, ''jannāt'', ) is the final and permanent abode of the righteous. According to one count, the word appears 147 times in the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

. Belief in the afterlife is one of the six articles of faith in

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...

and is a place in which " believers" will enjoy pleasure, while the disbelievers (''Kafir'') will suffer in ''

Jahannam In Islam, Jahannam () is the place of punishment for Islamic views on sin, evildoers in the afterlife, or hell. This notion is an integral part of Islamic theology,#ETISN2009, Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", ''Numen'', 56, 2009: p.401 and has occupied ...

''. Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", Numen, 56, 2009: p.401 Both ''Jannah'' and ''Jahannam'' are believed to have several levels. In the case of Jannah, the higher levels are more desirable, and in the case of Jahannam, the lower levels have more severe punishments — in ''Jannah'' the higher the prestige and pleasure, in ''Jahannam'' the severity of the suffering. The afterlife experiences are described as physical, psychic and spiritual. Jannah is described with physical pleasures such as gardens, beautiful

houris In Islam, a houri (; ), or houris or hoor al ayn in plural form, is a maiden woman with beautiful eyes who lives alongside the Muslim faithful in paradise. They are described as the same age as the men in paradise. Since hadith states people ...

, wine that has no aftereffects, and "divine pleasure". Their reward of pleasure will vary according to the righteousness of the person. The characteristics of ''Jannah'' often have direct parallels with those of ''

''. The pleasure and delights of ''Jannah'' described in the Qu'ran, are matched by the excruciating pain and horror of ''Jahannam''. Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", Numen, 56, 2009: p.405 Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.86 Jannah is also referred to as the abode of

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

before their expulsion. Muslims believe ''Jannah'' and ''Jahannam'' co-exist with the temporal world, rather than being created after

Judgement Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the ''Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus, Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God in Abrahamic religions, God of a ...

. Humans may not pass the boundaries to the afterlife, but it may interact with the temporal world of humans. According to some Islamic teachings, there are two categories of the people of heaven: those who go directly to it and those who enter it after enduring some torment in hell; Also, the people of hell are of two categories: those who stay there temporarily and those who stay there forever.

Terminology

''Jannah'' is found frequently in the

(2:30, 78:12) and often translated as "Heaven" in the sense of an abode in which believers are rewarded in afterlife. Another word, ''samāʾ'' (usually pl. ''samāwāt'') is also found frequently in the Quran and translated as "

heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

" but in the sense of the sky above or the

celestial sphere In astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an abstract sphere that has an arbitrarily large radius and is concentric to Earth. All objects in the sky can be conceived as being projected upon the inner surface of the celestial sphere, ...

. (It is often used in the phrase ''as-samawat wal-ard'' "the heavens and the earth", an example being Qu'ran 38:10.) The Qu'ran describes both ''samāʾ'' and ''jannah'' as being above this world. ''Jannah'' is also frequently translated as "paradise", but another term with a more direct connection to that term is also found, ' (Arabic: ), the literal term meaning

paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

, which was borrowed from the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

word ' (), which is also the source of the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

word "paradise". ' is used in Qu'ran 18:107 and 23:11 Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.87 and also designates the highest level of heaven. In contrast to ''Jannah'', the words '' '', ', ', ', and other terms are used to refer to the concept of

hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

. There are many Arabic words for both Heaven and Hell that also appear in the Qu'ran and in the

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

. Most of them have become part of Islamic beliefs. ''Jannah'' is also used as the name of the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden (; ; ) or Garden of God ( and ), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2–3 and Ezekiel 28 and 31.. The location of Eden is described in the Book of Ge ...

in which

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

and Hawa (

Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

) dwelt.

Salvation/inhabitants

Scholars do not all agree on who will end up in Jannah, and the criteria for whether or not they will. Issues include whether all Muslims, even those who've committed major sins, will end up in Jannah; whether any non-Muslims will go there or all go to Jahannam.

Inhabitants according to Quran

The Quran specifies the qualities for those allowed to inhabit Jannah (according to Smith and Haddad) as: "those who refrain from doing evil, keep their duty, have faith in God's revelations, do good works, are truthful, penitent, heedful, and contrite of heart, those who feed the needy and orphans and who are prisoners for God's sake." Another source (

Sebastian Günther Sebastian Günther is a German scholar specializing in Arabic and Islamic Studies. Biography He pursued Arabic and Islamic studies at Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany (1981-1986), where he earned his M.A. in 1986 and his Ph.D ...

and Todd Lawson) gives as the basic criterion for

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

in the

afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

more detail on articles of faith: the belief in the

oneness of God ''Tawhid'' () is the concept of monotheism in Islam, it is the religion's central and single most important concept upon which a Muslim's entire religious adherence rests. It unequivocally holds that God is indivisibly one (''ahad'') and si ...

( ),

angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

, revealed books, messengers, as well as

repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past or present wrongdoings, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen ...

to God, and doing good deeds (''amal salih''). All these qualities are qualified by the doctrine that ultimately salvation can only be attained through God's judgment.Moiz Amjad.
Will Christians enter Paradise or go to Hell?
". '' Renaissance – Monthly Islamic journal'' 11(6), June, 2001.

Jinn, angels, and devils

The idea that

jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

as well as humans could find salvation was widely accepted, based on the Quran (Q.55:74) where the saved are promised maidens "untouched before by either men or jinn" – suggesting to classical scholars

al-Suyūṭī Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (; 1445–1505), or al-Suyuti, was an Egyptian Sunni Muslim polymath of Persian descent. Considered the mujtahid and mujaddid of the Islamic 10th century, he was a leading muhaddith (hadith master), mufassir (Qu'ran exege ...

and al-Majlisī that jinn also are provided their own kind of houri maidens in paradise. Like humans, their destiny in the hereafter depends on whether they accept God's guidance. Angels, on the other hand, because they are not subject to desire and so are not subject to temptation, work in paradise serving the "blessed" (humans and jinn) guiding them, officiating marriages, conveying messages, praising them, etc. The devils cannot return to paradise, because Islamic scripture states that their father, the fallen angel Iblis, was banished, but never suggests that he or his offspring were forgiven or promised to return. The eschatological destiny of these creatures is summarized in the prophetic tradition: "One kind of beings will dwell in Paradise, and they are the angels; one kind will dwell in Hell, and they are the demons; and another kind will dwell some in Paradise and some in Hell, and those are the jinn and the humans."

Salvation of non-Muslims

Muslim scholars disagree about exact criteria for salvation of Muslim and non-Muslim. Although most agree that Muslims will be finally saved – ''

shahid ''Shahid'' ( , , ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); the latter sense acq ...

s'' (martyrs) who die in battle, are expected to enter paradise immediately after death – non-Muslims are another matter. Muslim scholars arguing in favor of non-Muslims' being able to enter paradise cite the verse: Those arguing against non-Muslim salvation regard this verse to have applied only until the arrival of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

, after which it was abrogated by another verse: Historically, the

Ash'ari Ash'arism (; ) is a school of theology in Sunni Islam named after Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, a Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer (''mujaddid''), and scholastic theologian, in the 9th–10th century. It established an orthodox guideline, based on ...

school of theology was known for having an optimistic perspective on salvation for Muslims, but a very pessimistic view of those who heard about Muhammad and his character, yet rejected him. The

Maturidi Maturidism () is a school of theology in Sunni Islam named after Abu Mansur al-Maturidi. It is one of the three creeds of Sunni Islam alongside Ash'arism and Atharism, and prevails in the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. Al-Maturidi codified a ...

school also generally agreed that even sinners among Muslims would eventually enter paradise, but its unclear whether they thought only Muslim would go to Jannah, or if non-Muslims who understood and obeyed "God's universal law" would be saved also. The

Muʿtazila Mu'tazilism (, singular ) is an Islamic theological school that appeared in early Islamic history and flourished in Basra and Baghdad. Its adherents, the Mu'tazilites, were known for their neutrality in the dispute between Ali and his opponents ...

school held that free will and individual accountability was necessary for Divine justice, thus rejecting the idea of

intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of prayer, praying on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy speci ...

(''Shafa'a'') by Muhammad on behalf of sinners. Unlike other schools it believed Jannah and Jahannam would be created only after Judgement Day. Like most Sunni, Shia Islam hold that all Muslims will eventually go to Jannah, and like the

school, believe heedless and stubborn unbelievers will go to hell, while those ignorant of the truth of Islam but "truthful to their own religion", will not. Modernist scholars

Muhammad Abduh Muḥammad ʿAbduh (also spelled Mohammed Abduh; ; 1849 – 11 July 1905) was an Egyptian Islamic scholar, judge, and Grand Mufti of Egypt. He was a central figure of the Arab Nahḍa and Islamic Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th ce ...

and

Rashid Rida Sayyid Muhammad Rashīd Rida Al-Hussaini (; 1865 – 22 August 1935) was an Ulama, Islamic scholar, Islah, reformer, theologian and Islamic revival, revivalist. An early Salafi movement, Salafist, Rida called for the revival of hadith studies and ...

rejected the notion that the

People of the Book People of the Book, or ''Ahl al-Kitāb'' (), is a classification in Islam for the adherents of those religions that are regarded by Muslims as having received a divine revelation from Allah, generally in the form of a holy scripture. The clas ...

are excluded from Jannah, referring to another verse.Der Koran, ed. and transl. by

Adel Theodor Khoury Adel Theodor Khoury (26 March 1930 – 14 July 2023) was a Lebanese Catholic theologian and historian of Christianity and Islam. Biography Adel Theodor Khoury was born in Tebnine, Lebanon on 26 March 1930. After theological studies Khoury entered ...

, Gütersloh 2004, p. 67 (footnote). * ˹Divine grace is˺ neither by your wishes nor those of the People of the Book! Whoever commits evil will be rewarded accordingly, and they will find no protector or helper besides Allah. But those who do good—whether male or female—and have faith will enter Paradise and will never be wronged ˹even as much as˺ the speck on a date stone. (Q.4:123–124)

Descriptions, details, and organization

Sources

Sources on Jannah include the Quran, Islamic traditions, creeds, Quranic commentaries (''tafsir'') and "other theological writing". Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.vii "Third Islamic century traditionalists amplified the eschatological material enormously particularly in areas on where "the Quran is relatively silent" about the nature of Jannah. Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.viii Some of the more popular Sunni manuals of eschatology are ''Kitāb al-rūḥ'' of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzīya and ''al-Durra al-fākhira ft kashf 'ulūm al-ākhira'' of Abǖ Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī.

Delights

Inside Jannah, the Quran says the saved "will have whatever they wish for, forever"; (Q.25:16). Other verses give more specific descriptions of the delights of paradise:

'And whoever is in awe of standing before their Lord will have two Gardens
... ˹Both will be˺ with lush branches.
... In each ˹Garden˺ will be two flowing springs.
... In each will be two types of every fruit.
... Those ˹believers˺ will recline on furnishings lined with rich brocade. And the fruit of both Gardens will hang within reach.
... In both ˹Gardens˺ will be maidens of modest gaze, who no human or
jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
has ever touched before.
... Those ˹maidens˺ will be ˹as elegant˺ as rubies and coral.
... Is there any reward for goodness except goodness?
... And below these two ˹Gardens˺ will be two others.
... Both will be dark green.
... In each will be two gushing springs.
... In them are fruits, palm trees, and pomegranates.
... In all Gardens will be noble, pleasant mates
...˹They will be˺ maidens ouriswith gorgeous eyes, reserved in pavilions.
.... No human or jinn has ever touched these ˹maidens˺ before.
... All ˹believers˺ will be reclining on green cushions and splendid carpets.
Then which of your Lord's favours will you both deny? (Q.55:46–76, Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran)

Smith and Haddad summarize some of the Quranic pleasures:

Choirs of angels will sing in Arabic (the only language used in paradise), the streets will be as familiar as those of the dwellers' own countries, inhabitants will eat and drink 100 times more than earthly bodies could hold and will enjoy it 100 times more, their rooms will have thick carpets and brocade sofas, on Fridays they will go to a market to receive new clothing to enhance their beauty, they will not suffer bodily ailments or be subject to functions such as sleeping, spitting, or excreting; they will be forever young.

As the gates of Jannah are opened for the arrival of the saved into Jannah they will be greeted (Q.39:73) by angels announcing, "Peace be upon you, because ye have endured with patience; how excellent a reward is paradise!" ( Q13:24). Inside there will be neither too much heat nor bitter cold; there will be fountains ( Q.88:10), abundant shade from spreading tree branches green with foliage (Q.53:14–16, also Q.36:56–57). They will be passed a cup ( Q.88:10–16) full of wine "wherefrom they will get oaching of the head” (hangovers) .56:19 and "which leads to no idle talk or sinfulness" ( Q.52:23), and every meat ( Q.52:22) and trees from which an unceasing supply of fruits grow ( Q.36:56–57), "that looks similar ˹but tastes different˺"; ( Q.2:25) adornment with golden and pearl bracelets ( Q.35:33) and green garments of fine silk and brocade ( Q.18:31); attended upon by

hulman Hulman can refer to: *the Hulman family *a fictitious Northern Indiana town, the setting for the movie a Christmas Story ''A Christmas Story'' is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on the 1966 book '' In God We Trus ...

( Q.52:24), servant-boys (eternal youths (56:17, 76:19)) like spotless pearls ( Q.52:24). While the Quran never mentions God being in the Garden, the faithful are promised the opportunity to gaze upon His face, something the inhabitants of the Fire will be deprived of. Inhabitants will rejoice in the company of any parents, spouses, and children who were admitted to paradise ( Q52:21) —conversing and recalling the past. ;Non-physical pleasures While the Quran is full of "graphic" descriptions of the "physical pleasures" for the inhabitants of the Garden, it also states that the "acceptance 'riḍwān''from God" felt by the inhabitants "is greater" than the pleasure of the Gardens (Q.9:72), the true beauty of paradise, the greatest of all rewards, surpassing all other joys. On the day on which God brings the elect near to his throne ('), "some faces shall be shining in contemplating their Lord". The visit is described as

leading the men and

Fatimah Fatima bint Muhammad (; 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra' (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs and ...

leading the women to approach the Throne, "which is described as a huge esplanade of musk". As "the veil of light before the Throne lifts, God appears with the radiance of the full moon, and His voice can be heard saying, 'Peace be upon you.'" Hadith include stories of the saved being served an enormous feast where "God Himself is present to offer to His faithful ones delicacies kneaded into a kind of pancake". Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.96 In another series of narratives, God personally invites the inhabitants of Jannah "to visit with Him every Friday". ;Houri "Perhaps no aspect of Islamic eschatology has so captured the imagination" of both "Muslims and non-Muslims" as houri (''ḥūr''). Men will get untouched Houri in paradise ( Q55:56), virgin companions of equal age ( 56:35–38) and have large, beautiful eyes ( 37:48). Houri have occasioned "spectacular elaborations" by later Islamic eschatological writers, but also "some derision by insensitive Western observers and critics of Islam". Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.89 The Quran also states the saved "will have pure spouses," (without indicating gender) ( Q2:25, Q4:57), accompanied by any children that did not go to

( Q52:21), and attended to by servant-boys with the spotless appearance similar to a protected pearls ( Q52:24). Despite the Quranic description above,

Houris In Islam, a houri (; ), or houris or hoor al ayn in plural form, is a maiden woman with beautiful eyes who lives alongside the Muslim faithful in paradise. They are described as the same age as the men in paradise. Since hadith states people ...

have been described as women who will accompany faithful Muslims in Paradise. Muslim scholars differ as to whether they refer to the believing women of this world or a separate creation, with the majority opting for the latter.

Size, geography and structure

The Qur'an describes paradise as a "great kingdom" (Q.76:20) stretching out over and above the entire world, and "lofty" (Q.69:22). Paradise is "as vast as the heavens and the earth" (Q.3:133). There are four rivers: one each of water, milk, honey, and wine ( 47:15). (They were later identified as ''Kawthar'', ''Kafur'', ''Tasnim'', and ''Salsabil''.) Despite the details given in the Quran about Jannah/Garden, "nowhere" is there found "an ordered picture of the structure" of the abode. "For the most part Islamic theology has not concerned itself with questions about the location and structure of the Garden and the Fire on the understanding that only God knows these particulars." Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.91

Layers/levels

On the basis of "several scriptural suggestions", scholars have created "a very detailed structure" of paradise, but there is more than one, and not all of the traditions on location of paradise and hell "are easily pictured or indeed mutually reconcilable". For example, Qu'ran 23:17 states "We created above you seven paths ��arā'iq from which is drawn a heaven of seven tiers (which is also "a structure familiar to Middle Eastern cosmogony since the early Babylonian days"). Another school of thought insists Jannah actually has "eight layers or realms" as the Quran gives "eight different names ... for the abode of the blessed". Some descriptions of Jannah/the Garden indicate that the most spacious and highest part of the Garden, Firdaws, which is directly under the Throne and the place from which the four

rivers of Paradise Rivers of Paradise, the four rivers of Paradise, or "the rivers of/flowing from Garden of Eden, Eden" are the four rivers described in Genesis 2 (Bible), Genesis 2:10–14, where an unnamed stream flowing out of the Garden of Eden splits into fo ...

flow. Others say the uppermost portion is either the Garden of Eden or 'Iliyi and that is the second level from the top. Another possibility is that there are four separate realms of the blessed, of which either Firdaws or Eden is the uppermost. This is based on Surah 55, which talks about two Gardens: ("As for him who fears standing before his Lord there are two Gardens annatan)

Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: pp.87–88 Still others have proposed that the seven levels suggested by the Qur'an are the seven heavens, above which is the Garden or final abode of felicity, while many see paradise as only one entity with many names. Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.88 One version of the layered Garden conceptualization describes the highest level of heaven (''al-firdaws'') as being said to be so close that its inhabitants could hear the sound of God's throne above. This exclusive location is where the messengers, prophets in Islam">prophets In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the ...

, Imams, and Shahid, martyrs (''shahids'') dwell. Al-Suyuti and ''Kitāb aḥwāl al-qiyāma'' each gives names to the levels that do not always coincide (see table to right).

Gates/doors

Two verses of the Quran (Qu'ran 7:40, 39:73) mention "gates" or "doors" (using the plural form) as the entrance of paradise, but say nothing about their number, names or any other characteristics. * "To those who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance, no opening will there be of the gates of heaven ..." (Qu'ran 7:40) * "And those who kept their duty to their Lord (Al-Muttaqoon – the pious) will be led to Paradise in groups till when they reach it, and its gates will be opened" (Qu'ran 39:73) As in the case of the levels of Jannah, later sources elaborate, giving names and functions but don't agree on all details (see table to right). In traditions, each level of the eight principal gates of Paradise is described as generally being divided into a hundred degrees guarded by angels (in some traditions Ridwan). The highest level is known as ' (sometimes called Eden) or

Illiyin ''Illiyin'' or ''Illiyun'' ( literally: Heaven, Upperworld) is a Quranic term referring to either the "most high" and "supreme" places above Jannah, i.e. the Garden of Eden or Paradise, in the seventh Heaven closest to the Throne of God (al-ʿ ...

. Entrants will be greeted by

with salutations of

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

As-Salamu Alaykum ''As-salamu alaykum'' (, ), also written ''salamun alaykum'' and typically rendered in English as ''salam alaykum'', is a greeting in Arabic that means 'Peace be upon you'. The (, meaning 'peace') has become a religious salutation for Muslims ...

."Jannah",

Encyclopaedia of Islam The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is a reference work that facilitates the Islamic studies, academic study of Islam. It is published by Brill Publishers, Brill and provides information on various aspects of Islam and the Muslim world, Isl ...

Online Jannah is accessible vertically through its gates (Qu'ran 7:40), by ladders (''ma'arij'') (Qu'ran 70:3), or sky-ropes (''asbab''). However, only select beings such as angels and prophets can enter.Sachiko Murata ''The Tao of Islam: A Sourcebook on Gender Relationships in Islamic Thought'' SUNY Press 1992 page 127 Iblis (Satan) and

devils A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in many and various cultures and religious traditions. Devil or Devils may also refer to: * Satan * Devil in Christianity * Demon * Folk devil Art, entertainment, and media Film and ...

are kept at bay by angels who throw stars at them, whenever they try to climb back to heaven (Q.37:6–10). Notably and contrary to many Christian ideas on heaven,

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

(

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

) does not reside in paradise.

Rivers

A few hadith name four rivers in paradise, or coming from paradise, as: Saihan (

Syr Darya The Syr Darya ( ),; ; ; ; ; /. historically known as the Jaxartes ( , ), is a river in Central Asia. The name, which is Persian language, Persian, literally means ''Syr Sea'' or ''Syr River''. It originates in the Tian Shan, Tian Shan Mountain ...

), Jaihan (

Amu Darya The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

), Furat (

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

) and Nil (

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

). Salsabil is the name of a spring that is the source of the rivers of Rahma (mercy) and

Al-Kawthar Al-Kawthar () is the 108th chapter (sūrah) of the Quran. It is the shortest chapter, consisting of three '' ayat'' or verses: : ۝ We have given thee abundance :۝ So pray to your Lord and sacrifice o Him alone :۝ Indeed, your enemy is the ...

(abundance).

Sidrat al-Muntaha The ''Sidrat al-Muntaha'' () in Islamic tradition is a large Cedrus or lote tree (''Ziziphus spina-christi'') that marks the utmost boundary in the seventh heaven, where the knowledge of the angels ends. During the Isra' and Mi'raj, when Muhamm ...

is a Lote tree that marks the end of the seventh heaven, the boundary where no angel or human can pass. Muhammad is supposed to have taken a

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...

from jannah, and shared it with

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

, as recorded by

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī (1201 – 1274), also known as Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (; ) or simply as (al-)Tusi, was a Persians, Persian polymath, architect, Early Islamic philosophy, philosopher, Islamic medicine, phy ...

. However, some scholars, like Ghazali, reject that Muhammad took the fruit, argued he had only a vision instead.

Literal or allegorical

According to scholars Jane I. Smith, Yvonne Y. Haddad, while there are Muslims of a "philosophical or mystical" bent who interpret descriptions of heaven and hell "metaphorically", "the vast majority of believers", understand verses of the Quran on Jannah (and hellfire) "to be real and specific, anticipating them" with joy or terror, Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.84 although this view "has generally not insisted that the realities of the next world will be identical with those of this world". Besides the material notion of the paradise, descriptions of it are also interpreted as

allegories As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughou ...

, whose meaning is the state of joy believers will experience in the afterlife. For some theologians, seeing God is not a question of sight, but of awareness of God's presence. Although early Sufis, such as

Hallaj Mansour al-Hallaj () or Mansour Hallaj () ( 26 March 922) ( Hijri 309 AH) was a Persian HanbaliChristopher Melchert, "The Ḥanābila and the Early Sufis," ''Arabica'', T. 48, Fasc. 3 (2001), p. 352 mystic, poet, and teacher of Sufism. He w ...

, took the descriptions of Paradise literal, later Sufi traditions usually stressed out the allegorical meaning.

Eternal, not temporal

While some Quranic verses suggest hellfire is eternal and some that its punishment will not necessarily be forever for Muslims who committed grave sins, verses on Jannah are less ambiguous. Eternality assured in verses about paradise such as Qu'ran 3:198, 4:57, and 57:12, which say that the righteous will be ''khālidūn fīhā'' (eternally in it), and Qu'ran 35:35, which describes the reward of ''dār al-maqāma'' he abode of everlastingness Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: pp.92–93 Consequently, neither "theologians nor the traditionalists" have had any doubts about the eternal nature of paradise or the residence of the righteous in it.Some exceptions to this include the followers of Jahm ibn Ṣafwān, who "denied the eternality of both the Garden and the Fire". Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.93

Other characteristics

To classical scholars on the afterlife

and al-Majlisī, one of the characteristics of Jannah (like hellfire) is that events are not "frozen in one eternal moment", but form cycles of "endless repetition" and "unceasing self renewing clockwork". For example, when a fruit is plucked from a tree, a new fruit immediately appears to takes its place; when a hungry inhabitant sees a bird whose meat they would like to eat it falls already roasted into their hands, and after they are done eating, the bird "regains its form shape and flies away"; houri regain their virginity after being deflowered by one of the saved, but they also grow like fruit on trees or plants on the land and "whenever one of them is taken" by one of the saved in paradise one for his pleasure, "a new one springs forth in her place". (So too in hellfire are the skin of the damned replaced each time that they are burned off by the fire to be burned again, and drowning sinners driven back into the sea by giant snakes and scorpions whernever they reach the safety of shore.)

Garden of Eden and Paradise

Muslim scholars differ on whether the

(), in which Adam and Eve (Adam and ''Hawwa'') dwelled before being expelled by God, is the same as the afterlife abode of the righteous believers: paradise. Most scholars in the early centuries of Islamic theology and the centuries onwards thought it was and that indicated that paradise was located on earth. It was argued that when God commanded Adam to "go down" (''ihbit'') from the garden, that did not indicate a vertical movement (such as "falling" from a heaven above to earth), but instead was used in the same sense as Moses telling Israelites to "go down to Egypt". However, as paradise came over the centuries to be thought of more and more as "a transcendent, otherworldy realm", the idea of it being located somewhere on earth fell out of favor. The Garden of Eden, on the other hand lacked many transcendent, otherworldy characteristics. Al-Balluti (887–966) reasoned that the Garden of Eden lacked the perfection and eternal character of a final paradise: Adam and Eve lost the primordial paradise, while the paradisical afterlife lasts forever; if Adam and Eve were in the otherworldly paradise, the

devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

(''Shaiṭān'') could not have entered and deceive them since there is no evil or idle talk in paradise; Adam slept in his garden, but there is no sleep in paradise. Many adherences of the

, also refused to identify Adam's abode with paradise, because they argued that paradise and hell would not be created until after

Day of Judgement The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

, an idea proposed by Dirar b. Amr. Most Muslim scholars, however, assert that paradise and hell have been created already and coexists with the contemporary world, taking evidence from the Quran, Muhammad's heavenly journey, and the life in the graves. Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.92 Islamic exegesis regards Adam and Eve's expulsion from paradise not as punishment for disobedience or a result from abused free will on their part, but as part of God's wisdom (''ḥikma'') and plan for humanity to experience the full range of his attributes, his love, forgiveness, and his creation's power. By experiencing hardship, they better appreciate paradise and its delights.

Khwaja Abdullah Ansari Abu Ismaïl Abdullah al-Harawi al-Ansari or Abdullah Ansari of Herat (1006–1089) () also known as ''Pir-i Herat'' () "Sage of Herat", was a Sufi saint, who lived in Herat (modern-day Afghanistan). Ansari was a commentator on the Qur'an, schola ...

(1006–1088) describes Adam and Eve's expulsion as ultimately caused by God, since man has no choice but to comply to God's will. However, that does not mean that complying is not a "sin" and that humans should not blame themselves for it. That is exemplified by Adam and Eve in the Quran (Qu'ran 7:23 "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will certainly be losers".)