Being saved of Hell is a great success:

 O believers, we are dealing now with the third lesson of surah An-Naba’ ayah 31. Allah the Almighty says:

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,

(An-Naba’)

 In fact, not deserving Hell is in itself a great Achievement.

And he who is saved from the Fire and admitted to the Garden, will have succeeded. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).

(Al-Imran, 3:185)

 O my sons, nothig that is followed by the Fire can be good, and nothing that is followed by the Paradise can be evil. Every blissful thing outside the Garden is insignificant, and every affliction, except Hell, is peace.
 Not to deserve the Hell is a great success; protect yourself from the Fire, even if it is with half of a date.
 A man asked Sufian At-Thaury to give him advice. He said in response:
 "Work for the life of this world in as much as you remain in it, and for the Hereafter in as much as you will remain there; and work for Allah in as much as you need Him, and fear Hell in as much as you find it difficult to bear it."

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,

(An-Naba’)

Piety is to remember Allah and obey Him:

 Allah the Great and Almighty called this the Supreme Triumph.

Verily this is the Supreme Triumph.
For the like of this let all strive, who wish to strive.

(As-Saffat, 37:60-61)

And for this let those aspire, who have aspirations.

(Al-Mutaffifin, 83:26)

 For the pious, those who fear their Lord, it is a great achievement just to avoid Hell.

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,

(An-Naba’)

 The pious are those who avoid being disobedient to Allah, who shield themselves from the Wrath of Allah and His torment in this life and in the Afterlife, so piety is protection from a dengerous thing. The pious are those who fear Allah and abide His Commands, and abstain from what He has forbidden, and comply with what He has ordered, so that He finds them doing what He has ordered them to do, and He does not find them doing what He has forbidden them to do; and those who consider what Allah has prohibited as a prohibition, and what He has made licit as a thing licit. Such is the meaning of "the pious".

O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared.

(Al-Imran, 3:102)

 This means to remember your Lord not to disbelieve in Him; to obey Him and not to disobey Him; and never to forget Him.

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,

(An-Naba’)

We only know names about the pleasures of the Hereafter:

 The success is a cause for happiness. Because of his human nature, every man wishes a supreme success for himself. In this life it is to be rich, powerful, or of high-rank –this is the conception of achievement or success in the worldly life. But there is another angle to it from the believers' point of view: It is to obey Allah the Merciful, to do good, and to know Allah the One and Only. This is the meaning of Success as regards the Hereafter.
 Tell me what your idea of achievement is, and I'll tell you who you are! The people of worldly life associate achievement with money or pleasure. On the other hand, believers think that it is the knowledge of and obedience to Allah, and doing good deeds.

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,

(An-Naba’)

 They will be saved from Hell, and will be happy in Paradise.

32- Gardens enclosed and Grapevines,

(An-Naba’)

Worldly success and success in the Hereafter:

 In reality, nothing in the Hereafter has any connection with this life, except in your mind. To be easily understood, Allah the Great and Almighty has mentioned to us things that we are familiar with in this life.
 Narrated Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

"Allah said: I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has ever seen and what no ear has ever heard and what has never come to any human mind. So reauthor, if you will. No person knows the joy –so far concealed- that awaits them."

(Agreed upon)

 Nothing in the worldly life relates to the reality of the Bliss of the Hereafter, but in their names. In this life, we see a beautiful orchard of leafy trees, green growth pleases your eye; roses, flowers, herbs; birds singing; the breeze is soft –this is what we know in this life. To approximate this to our minds, our Lord the Great and Almighty said:

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,

(An-Naba’)

 Gardens… Sometimes one can see in a magazine a picture of a very beautiful garden: well-looked after, a green lawn surrounded by roses and tress and sparkling fountains. Then one says: "This is a spectacular view, captivating." Yet, this is just an approximation.

"I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has ever seen and what no ear has ever heard and what has never come to any human mind."

 As the Fire is frightful, so the Garden is beautiful; and as the Fire is a Great Loss, so the Heaven is a Great Triumph. If all the trials of this life were cast on one man, and he ended up in Paradise, he would be the greatest winner. By contrast, if all the bliss of this life came to one man, and then he ended up in Hell, he would be the greatest loser, he would have lost everything.
If a man thinks that Allah honours him when He bestows upon him, or that Allah despises him when He restricts for him the pleasures of this life, such man is wrong. He is mistaken if he says that Allah has despised him and if he says that Allah has honoured him, because according to such point of view Allah would have been despising sh3er while giving him the bliss of this life.

My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the sovereignty,

(Yusuf, 12:101)

 Perhaps the most accurate interpretation I have read of this ayah is that (real) sovereignty does not belong to one who owns a luxurious palace or has great wealth. It belongs to the one who controlls himself and his desires, and compells himself to obey Allah. He said:

I do fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

(Al-Hasher. 59:16)

Soverneinty is to contril your anger and whims:

 This is the great sovereignty, but Allah gives material goods to whom He loves and to whom He dislikes.
 The real sovereignty is to control yourself when angry; to control your appetites; to withstand allurements and pressures. This is the Supreme Achievement.

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,
32- Gardens enclosed and Grapevines,

(An-Naba’)

 Gardens are surrounded by fences or walls, not so parks. But here it is your own garden and this makes it more enjoyable, because a public ground may be sometimes crowded, and it is for everybody, after all, but the garden exclusively belongs to its owner.

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,
32- Gardens enclosed and Grapevines,

(An-Naba’)

 It is difficult to describe fruits, because each has its own special taste. I can tell you that you cannot describe the taste of the grape without saying it is a grape, and the same goes for the pear. Every kind has its own special and pleasing taste; there are many kinds of apples and pears and oranges, and so on. So, these gardens are for our senses to enjoy them, and those grapevines to delight our taste.

33- And young full-bosomed maidens of equal age,

(An-Naba’)

 Perfect hur (fair females) with wide lovely eyes, and this is something that Allah has put in the human nature. He says:

Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet, women and sons; hoards of gold and silver,

(Al-Imran, 3:14)

Perfect women for the believers in the Hereafter:

 According to His Pefect Wisdom, Allah the Great and Almighty has not made wordly women perfect. There is no woman without a defect, and the objective of this defect is instructive. You should get help from her without getting deeply attached to her; she should help you in the matters of your deen, not be the center of attraction and attention. But this will come to an end on the Last Day. Women there will be perfect both as regards their appearance and morals. You may admire, in this life, a woman's physique but not her manners, and vice versa. The absolute perfection belongs to Allah. In the Hereafter, the hur (plural of hur’ia) will be the most perfect creatures. Therefore, when the wife of one the Companions kept nagging him about giving her something of the worldy life, he answered:

"O woman, you should know that there are the hur in Paradise, and if one of them looked down on earth, the light of her face would be like the light of the sun and the moon. So, it is easier for me to sacrifice you for them than to sacrifice them for you."

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,
32- Gardens enclosed and Grapevines,
33- And young full-bosomed maidens of equal age,

(An-Naba’)

 "Full-bosomed" means young and perfect physically, and the meanings of this expression have been elaborately explained.
of equal age
 This means of approximate age. A young girl might not like to be with a man much older than her; and a man does not like to be with a woman much older than him. To be of "approximate age" is one of the conditions for a complete conjugal happiness.

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,
32- Gardens enclosed and Grapevines,
33- And young full-bosomed maidens of equal age,
34- And a Cup (full to the Brim).

 There are rivers in Paradise of refined honey, and rivers of milk, the taste of which never changes, and rivers of wine delicious to those who drink it, and also rivers of water, the smell and taste of which never change –excellent refeshments. And the Cup is full to the Brim. All of this is just an approximation, because the language must denominate something. For example, the word "sea" evokes in you an experience. You went to the seaside, and sailed on the sea and swam in it, and saw its waves and its beauty. So when you come back, whenever you hear word "sea", this word will evoke all the experiences that you have had.

Why Allah named some aspects of Paradise with worldly names:

 Once, a university professor said that the word "chair" carries the meaning which is in conformity with people's experiences. If a scholar holds the highest university degree (with honours), and has not been granted the Chair at the Faculty of Science, and he hears the word "chair", he will be absent-minded for hours and feel sorry the Chair is not his. And he knows that he is the one who really deserves this position because of his high degree and excellent qualifications. So, his mind is focused on that position, he feels regret when he compares his certificate, issued by a country renowned for the quality of its science departments, with that of a professor who has been given this position, who holds an inferior title. He may contemplate this word for hours and keep saying to himself: I am worthier of this Chair than so-and-so.
 If a barber hears this word, and he has two chairs in his shop, and he needs another one, will he buy it? There is a tax to pay and he needs another employee, too…
 Somebody might need a chair for a waiting room, and think: Where can I find this chair? Should it be wooden or of another kind? And maybe a tired man hears it, and he says: "Ah, I would like to sit on a chair for a while." You may attach all your experiences to one word.
 To approximate the concept of Paradise to our minds, our Lord the Great and Almighty has named some of the blissful aspects of the Paradise with the names known to us in this life. We have gardens, groves, and tall beautiful trees, evergreen and of many shapes, various roses, scents, aromatic plants, rivers, springs, cascades, beautiful women, and agreeable birdsongs… this is our experience in the worldly life. Allah the Great and Almighty has brought nearer to us the concept of the Paradise. He says:

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,
32- Gardens enclosed and Grapevines,
33- And young full-bosomed maidens of equal age,
34- And a Cup (full to the Brim).

 So, the Cup is full, the maiden is full-bosomed and of the same age as the dweller of the Paradise, and there are special gardens full of delicious fruits.

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,

 Allah the Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and earth invites us to the Bliss of the Hereafter. Is it reasonable to reject His invitation?

O you who believe! Give your response to Allah and His Messenger, when He calls you to that which will give you life.

(Al-Anfal, 8:24)

The happiest person in this world is the one who soesn’t seek it:

 He tempts us with Paradise in which we will live forever. There will be no diseases. In this life thare are many painful illnesses. There, no slipped disk turns one's life into hell, no arthirits, no myopia, no high cholesterol prevents you from eating delicious foods. Our life in this world is full of trouble, worry, grief. One may lose one's energy and cease to enjoy the pleasures of this life. One may become bored with food and drink, travelling, social life. This life is full of afflictions –death of our beloved and relatives, dangerous diseases, humiliation and compulsion, fear and sadness. But there is Paradise prepared for the Righteous, in which there is great and everlasting Bliss, and what an eye has never seen, and what an ear has never heard, and what has never occurred to a human mind.
 Maybe you are rich but barren or sterile, and maybe you have many children but no money to support them. You might be successful in your marital life but may have failed at educating your children, or vice versa. Or you might have succeeded in both, but not in your professional life; or you might have succeeded in your professional life, but you may have lost your health. Allah has designed this life to be like this, life full of negatives and positives; and He has done it in order for us no to get attached to it, to take it as a mount, not as qiblah, a passage not a home; not an end in itself. The happiest person in this life is the one detached from this life. On the other hand, the most miserable person in this life is the one thirsty for it. Your worries depend on what you take from this life, and the one who takes from this life more than he needs, takes from his death, although unaware of it.

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,
32- Gardens enclosed and Grapevines,
33- And young full-bosomed maidens of equal age,
34- And a Cup (full to the Brim).

 There, in Paradise, are Gardens which are enjoyment for the eye, and fruits for the mouth, and sensual pleasure with attractive young full-bosomed maidens, and a nutritional enjoyment of the cup full to the brim.

Part of happiness is to live with truthful people:

 Notice the clearness!

35- No vanity shall they hear there nor untruth.

 "Vanity" (Arabic laghw) is nonsense, false, empty talk, in which you hear flattery, imposture and forgery.

35- No vanity shall they hear there nor untruth.

 They will not lie, nor will hear lies. Laghw is nonsense or rubbish.
 Once, I was on a crowded bus. It was three o'clock and a friend of the driver's was inviting him for luch at his place. Was the driver supposed to leave the bus full of passangers and go? This is a type of nonsensical and meaningless courtesy, false and empty expressions, and all of this exists in this world. There are many liars, big liars! Sometimes you sit in a gathering full of liers and hypocrites.

35- No vanity shall they hear there nor untruth.

 There is, in Paradise, no meaningless or false talk, they do not lie and nobody lies to them.
 Our gracious brother! It is a truthful society when you meet a truthful man who talks to you about the reality, without exaggerating or underestimating. Verily, it is happiness for a man to live with candid people.
 Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

"The truth is piety, and piety leads to Paradise; verily the servant should look for the truth till he is written down as righteous."

(Sahih Muslim)

 This is the Great Success –the Paradise, with various Gardens and the Cup full to the Brim, and keeping away from talking nonsense and lying.

36- Recompense from your Lord, a Gift, (amply) sufficient.

(An-Naba’)

As to the Righteous, they will be in the midst of Gardens and Springs; Taking joy in the things which their Lord gives them, because, before then, they have done good deeds. They were in the habit of sleeping but little by night, and in the hours of early dawn they (were found) praying for forgiveness. And in their wealth there is a due share for the beggar and the deprived.

(Adh-Dhariyat, 51:15-19)

Then he that will be given his Record in his right hand will say: "Ah here! Read my Record. I did really think thay my Account would (one Day) reach me." And he will be in a Life of Bliss. In a Garden on high; the Fruits whereof (will hang) low and near. Eat and drink, with full satisfaction; because of the (good) that you sent before you, in the days that are gone.

(Al-Haqqah, 69:19-24)

Everything has an accurate account in the Hereafter:

 Every thing will be recorded accurately: your prayers, lowering your gaze, frankness, avoiding gossip, filial affection, everything will be recorded there, big and small, for or against you –Precicse Register.

36- Recompense from your Lord, a Gift, (amply) sufficient.

(An-Naba’)

 "Amply sufficient" means liberal and bountiful. Linguists say: I will be granted until you say: Enough! Take whatever you want.
 Narrated Abu Dhur that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Allah the Exalted and Glorious has said: "O My servants! If the first generations and the later generations of you, and the mankind and the yin stood up and asked Me, and I granted them each their wish, this would not decrease what is with Me, no more than a needle that is thrust into the sea. O My slaves! It is just your deeds that I count, then I give you your due in full. So he who receives the good must thank Allah, and he who receives something else, should only blame himself.

(Sahih Muslim)

36- Recompense from your Lord, a Gift, (amply) sufficient.

(An-Naba’)

For the like of this let all strive, who wish to strive.

(As-Saffat, 37:60-61)

And for this let those aspire, who have aspirations.

(Al-Mutaffifin, 83:26)

 As to the worldly life, you can imagine it as a wide and a very long road which leads to a very deep hole; a hundred meteres deep. Cars are racing along this road; the first of them has just fallen down! Then the second one, then the third… What kind of race is it? The life of this world is like this. The richest, the most powerful man dies and enters his grave. The healthy and the sick, the handsome and the ugly, the strong and the weak, the highborn and the miserarble –all of them are bound to die! Death puts an end to this life, to this race. But in the Hereafter:

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement,

(An-Naba’)

In the Hereafter, everything will testify:

As to the Righteous, they will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers. In a sure Abode with a Sovereign Omnipotent.

(Al-Qamar, 54:54-55)

37- (From) the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and whatsoever is between them, the Most Gracious, with Whom they cannot dare to argue.

(An-Naba’)

 This will be the Drucial Day! When in this life a person is required for questioning, he is not able to sleep for days, thinking about what he will be asked, and what he might want to hide and say nothing about. But when Allah the Almighty will ask us about what we have done in this life, everything wil bear witness against us. Allah has said:

At length, when they reach the (Fire), their hearing, their sight, and their skins will bear witness against them, as to (all) their deeds. They will say to their skins: Why do you bear witness against us? They will say: Allah has given us speech, He who gives speech to everything. He created you for the fist time, and unto Him were you to return.

(Fussilat, 20-21)

 And with every soul a witness will come. An angel will drive or lead them, another angel will testify against them; this is the time of granting! Some said: Without measure, and some said: Till they say: Enough.

In the Resurrection Day no one can say a word:

36- A Recompense from your Lord, a Gift, (amply) sufficient.

(An-Naba’)

 This is from Allah –

37- (From) the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and whatsoever is between them, the Most Gracious...

(An-Naba’)

 Our Lord is the Sustainer Who manages the heavens and the earth. He supplies the creatures with what they need, raises or educates them, and leads them to their happiness.
 The situation will be dreadful, it will be the crucial, the hardest Day.

with Whom they cannot dare to argue.

(An-Naba’)

 In this life man can object, avenge and hope, but he will not be able to say a word on this crucial Day.

And behold! You come to Us bare and alone as We created you for the first time.

(Al-An’am 6:94)

38- The Day that ar-Ruh and the angels will stand forth in rows, none shall speak except any who is permitted by the Most Gracious, and he will say what is right.

(An-Naba’)

 There is some disagreement among commentators about the word "ar-Ruh". What does it mean? Some said: He is Yibril (a.s). Others said: A great angel will come after the exposition; his name is Ar-Ruh. And some said: It means the angels. But what seems to me the most accurate thing I have read about this word is that it means the Noble Quran. It is the clear way –the angel has the record of your deeds and the Balance beside you.

All your deeds are registered by the angels:

38- The Day that ar-Ruh and the angels will stand forth in rows,

 The angels wrote down for this human being all his movements and moments of quietude, every breath; they have recorded everything, and his works will be judged according to the Way of Allah the Great and Almighty, according to this Holy Quran in which there are orders and prohibitions, the licit and the illicit, commands and duties, the right and the wrong, the good and the evil, everything is mentioned. It is the order, the measure and the balance. Your works are in the hands of the angels, who write down everything about you; the measure according to which you will be judged will be the Holy Qur'an.

38- The Day that ar-Ruh and the angels will stand forth in rows, none shall speak except any who is permitted by the Most Gracious, and he will say what is right.

(An-Naba’)

 It means that nobody can mediate except the one who has been permitted to present an intercession, and he will speak the truth.

39- That is (without doubt) the True Day.

Good work of Allah’s sake takes you to the Mercy of Allah:

 Certainly, this Day will come and we have an appointment with it. In no time at all will we find ourselves envolved in it.

39- That is (without doubt) the True Day.

 What is exptected is coming, and what is coming, is inminent. Observe how we wait for Ramadan. It is coming, and then it is over! Eid Al-Adha comes after that; summer will come, it has come and it's over! The year 2000 has come and it has passed. Thus, time flies.

39- That is (without doubt) the True Day.

 The promised or appointed Day will be very long. The most crucial day of yours is the present day. What has passed is gone, and the expected is in the Unseen. Verily, you have just the hour that you live now.

39- That is (without doubt) the True Day. Therefore, let the one who so wills take a (staright) Return to His Lord.

 You can do a good deed that leads you to Allah. If you make use of a good deed devoted to Allah the Great and Almighty, it will take you to the Mercy of Allah.

To Him ascend (all) the Words of Purity,

(Fatir, 35:10)

 So, whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness,

39- That is (without doubt) the True Day. Therefore, let the one who so wills …

 The one who wants to deserve it, and be happy in this life and in the Hereafter, and he wants the Supreme Success, and to be in Paradise:

39- Therefore, let the one who so wills take a (staright) Return to His Lord.

 Let him take the necessary measures to reach Allah and return to Him safe and successful. And he who does not want to take such measures:

40- Verily, We have warned you of a Chastisemente near,

 The commentators said: "Near" in the worldly life. And some said that it is in the Hereafter, and we can accept both explanations. In case man does not respond, Allah has informed the Prophet, may He bless him and grant him peace:

Leave Me alone (to deal) with the (creature) I created (bare and) alone.

(Al-Muddaththir, 74:11)

 Leave Me with him. I shall deal with him: If man does not respond to the Call, Allah gives him instruction. If he fails to respond again, he grants him the tempting success. If he still fails to take heed from this, Allah will destroy him! So, we have these choices: illustrative Call, educational direction, tempting success, and then destruction.

39- That is (without doubt) the True Day. So, whosoever wills, let him seek a place with (or a way to) His Lord (by obeying Him in this worldly life).

 Whoever has done a good deed seeking Allah's Satisfaction: has given away some of his money, or time, or knowledge, or experience to the Muslims, or has removed some distress from their life, or solved their problems:

39- That is (without doubt) the True Day. So, whosoever wills, let him seek a place with (or a way to) His Lord (by obeying Him in this worldly life).

 And if do not want:

40- Verily, We have warned you of a Chastisement near, the Day when man will see the deeds which hands have sent forth, and the kafir will say: Woe to me! Would that I were (mere) dust!

 The believer looks at his present work:

Their light will run forward before them and by their right hands, while they say: Our Lord! Perfect our Light for us, and grant us fogiveness, for You have power over all things.

(At-Tahrim, 66:8)

 For the believer his good deeds run ahead of him, and give off the light that illuminates his road before him.

The Day when man will see the deeds which hands have sent forth,

 He has given somebody a job, called to the Way of Allah, left behind him a book on science, or a righteous son, built a mosque or an orphanage, or a religious institute, or ordered what is right and prohibited an abomination, learned the Holy Qur'an and the ahadiz and taught them, fed the poor and the needy, gave assistance to the orphans, and the miserable and the widows, established sadaqah, and did his best, and did good seeking his Lord's Satisfaction –he will see all these deeds ahead of him on the Doomsday.
 A very poor man, with the salary of just four thousand pounds, an employee in a school, inherited a site for which he was offered several million pounds. When he received the first payment, he was told that the second one when it will be registered. Then he was told that a mosque would be built on it, so he said: "I will not take the second payment in order for it to be in the Cause of Allah."Despite the fact that he was poverty-stricken, he presented it as a gift to a certain district in Damascus. This mosque will be the light for him. And the same goes for a person who builds a religious institute or a mosque, or writes a book, or serves people in any way, or feeds the poor.

The Day when man will see the deeds which hands have sent forth,

 It is a good deed to put a morsel of food in your wife’s mouth. The morsel you give to a poor person will be as big as the Mountain of Uhud on the Doomsday.

the Day when man will see the deeds which hands have sent forth,

 The one who gives away his money for the good, he will be happy to reach it in the Hereafter

40- …. and the kafir will say…

 Why did we say: The believer? Because contrary to the kafir, the Day on which the believer will see the good that he did in this life, he will be happy and he will enter the Paradise by means of this good.

40- …. and the kafir will say: Woe to me! Would that I were (mere) dust!

 And he that will be given his Record in his left hand will say: Ah! Would that my Record had no been given to me! And that I had never realized how my accound (stood)! Ah! Would that (Death) had made an end of me! Of no profit to me has been my wealth! My power has perished from me! (The stern command will say): Seize him, and bind him. And burn him in the Blazing

Fire. Further, insert him in a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits.

(Al-Haqqah, 69:25-32)

True believers look at everything with the scale of the Hereafter:

 O brother, these are the facts: This is the Word of Allah the Almighty and this lesson is charged with feeling toward Allah, and this charge should lead us to obedience to Him, and seek Paradise, and seek protection from Hell. This charge should make Paradise our Target.
 O our gracious brother! If one wants to travel to a far-away country, he applies for a visa, then his travel can take place and he finds out the price of his ticket. The moment he gets his visa, he already lives in that country, although he is still in Damascus. He keeps saying to himself: Where shall I live? What shall I do? What shall I buy there? And so on, he lives there, although he is still in his country. In the same way, a true believer, who believes in Hell and Paradise, lives with the Dwellers of Paradise. He seeks in every deed he does the Pleasure of Allah and His Reward, and he hopes for a Seat of Truth near the Sovereign Omnipotent.
 When you mentally live with the Children of the Hereafter, you live in it before you reach it. This is one of the signs of a true believer. He gauges everything offered to him into the measure of the Hereafter. Does this deed upgrade my rank before Allah or not? Will it bring me nearer or take me away from Him? Will Allah be satisfied with this deed or dissatisfied? Such is the reasoning of a believer, based on the standards of the Hereafter.
 The interest one pays on the loan looked at from the point of view of worldly standards is profitable. You lend a hundred thousand and receive, in return, a hundred and twenty. This is what happens with usurious deals. But our Lord the Almighty said:

Allah will deprive usury of all blessing, but will give increase for deeds of generosity.

(Al-Baqarah, 2:276)

 Thus, according to the standard of the Hereafter, the good loan is that which pleases Allah, and He helps to increase its quantity. Therefore, the believer believes in the promise and threat of Allah, and he lives in the Hereafter before he reaches it.

Some scenes from Paradise and Hell:

 The previous lesson was about the Dwellers of Hell:

21- Truly, Hell is a place of ambush-
22- A dwelling place for the taghun (transgressors in general)
23- They will abide therein for ages.
24- Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink.
25- Save a boiling fluid, and a fluid, dark, murky, intensely cold,
26- A fitting recompense (for them).
27- For that they used not to look for any account (for their deeds)
28- But they treated Our Signs as false.
29- And all things have We preserved on record.
30- So taste (the fruits of your deeds), for no increase shall We grant you except in chastisement.

(An-Naba’)

 The second axis is:

31- Verily for the Righteous there will be an Achievement;
32- Gardens enclosed, and Grapevines;
33- And young full-bosomed maidens of equal age;
34- And a Cup (full to the Brim).
35- No vanity shall they hear there nor untruth.
36- Recompense from your Lord, a Gift (amply) sufficient.
37- (From) the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and whatsoever is between them, the Most Gracious, with Whom they cannot dare to argue.
38- The Day that ar-Ruh and the angels will stand forth in rows, none shall speak except any who is permitted by the Most Gracious, and he will say what is right.
39- That is (without doubt) the True Day. So, whosoever wills, let him seek a place with (or a way to) His Lord (by obeying Him in this worldly life).
40- Verily, We have warned you of a Chastisement near, the Day when man will see the deeds which hands have sent forth, and the kafir will say: Woe to me! Would that I were (mere) dust!

Everything can be corrected in this world before it is too late:

 We are alive as long as our hearts beat and we can move, and we are able to stretch out our hands and give, and we can lower the gaze. Everything can be corrected before it is too late, before the man is forced to say:

Woe to me! Would that I were dust!

 And this is possible before everything comes to an end, before the arrival of the Angel of Death, and then repentance will not be accepted.

The Day that certain of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith.

(Al-Ana’m, 6:158)

 O brother, this speech carries a strong charge of meanings, may Allah the Exalted make it useful for us, and I hope it will increase our integrity and our good deeds so that we deserve Paradise of the Most Gracious where we will find:

32- Gardens enclosed and Grapevines,
33- And young full-bosomed maidens of equal age,
34- And a Cup (full to the Brim).
35- No Vanity shall they hear therein, nor Untruth.