Paradise & the Reward of the God-conscious

Passages on this theme

• The Reward of the God-Conscious: Gardens, Peace, and a Gift from the Lord of All

  Before this passage lists a single delight, it tells you where the delight comes from: it is a gift, given freely and generously by the Lord of the heavens, the earth, and all that lies between — the All-Merciful. Read it in that order and everything that follows changes. The lush gardens and vines, the companions of equal age, the brimming cups, the place swept clean of idle talk and falsehood — these are not perks earned and totted up, but the open-handedness of a generous Lord toward those who were mindful of Him. And the awe is real: this is the same majesty before whom none can presume to speak except as He permits (78:38). Yet that same Lord turns from the terror of the Day of Decision to lavish good upon the God-conscious. That is the heart of the matter — the security and triumph named here are mercy first. If your heart already senses that the best of things comes to us unearned, freely held out rather than owed, this is the One that longing has been pointing to. The door He describes so warmly is still open to you today.

Questions & misconceptions