The guide of souls to the land of joy

Paradise was created for our Lord, the Almighty, and it is true. It is not right for a servant to dispute it or doubt its existence after God Almighty informed us about it in His Noble Book, and narrated its news, describing the eternal bliss and comfortable living in it. This is why Paradise is the delight of the eyes of lovers and the focus of the hearts of the knowers. This is why jurists and scholars have been concerned with writing books specifically on the subject of Paradise and what God has prepared for its people. Among the most famous of these books is the book of the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya, “Hadi al-Arwah,” in which he was keen to present all the evidence he had reached that relates to the location of Paradise. He spared no effort in clarifying its aspects, desiring to convey these meanings that he had come across to the minds, and to encourage people to follow the paths of Paradise. After examining this book and following its content, the reader will notice many things: First, its arrangement was logical, as if it had been placed according to a ladder that began with the first steps and then proceeded upwards to the highest. This is evident from the arrangement of its chapters and sections. For example, the first chapter, explaining the existence of Paradise, then touching on the description of Paradise and talking about it, and people’s positions in explaining its reality, so he mentioned its gates, then its levels… Then he led the book to a beautiful end, and sealed it with his beauty, so he mentioned in the last chapter, Chapter Seventy, the belief of the Salaf and explaining the aspect of truth in it, and rejecting the acceptance of those who disagreed with them, and then he listed a group of the axioms of the people of the Sunnah, denying those who disagree with them in it… And truly, the book in its content, structure and meaning is of great importance, as its author gathered what was scattered by others on this subject, whether those who devoted it alone in research, or scattered it in the folds of their books, and from here it becomes clear that this book was an important and useful reference for those who wanted to stop at what is related to the description of Paradise and its bliss. Secondly: Ibn al-Qayyim relied in investigating the subject he presented on several sources, including the Book of Allah Almighty, the Prophetic Sunnah, the sayings of the Companions and the scholars of interpretation… And finally, the author did not spare any effort in presenting what he could in this book of rational and transmitted evidence, and this has been The book was verified and the researcher’s work was evident in: First: extracting the Quranic verses and the prophetic hadiths mentioned in the book, Second: explaining some ambiguous words, whether in the texts or the author’s phrases, Third: controlling and numbering the text.