Paradise is surrounded by hardships, Hellfire by desires: What this hadith means?
In brief:
- • Paradise is surrounded by hardships, reminding us that attaining Allah’s pleasure requires patience and self-discipline.
- • Allah’s mercy offers us many opportunities to seek forgiveness and earn rewards through sincere repentance, good intentions and righteous deeds.
- • Nurturing love for Allah, making sincere efforts and practising tawakkul (trust in Allah) can help us remain steadfast on the path to Paradise.
The Prophet s.a.w. said,
حُفَّتِ الْجَنَّةُ بِالْمَكَارِهِ، وَحُفَّتِ النَّارُ بِالشَّهَوَاتِ
“Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and Hellfire is surrounded by temptations.”
(Sahih Muslim)
We know that Allah is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful and Most Generous. With these beautiful attributes, would Allah make it difficult for us to receive His blessings, or would He make it easier?
Surely, Allah, in His infinite mercy and generosity, would make it easier. While people sometimes impose difficult conditions when they are reluctant to give something, Allah's generosity is beyond comparison.In His boundless mercy, He has opened many paths and made it easier for His servants to strive towards attaining Paradise.
But why does it seem hard?
The path to Paradise requires effort, patience and self-discipline. The hardships mentioned in the hadith include fulfilling our acts of worship, resisting temptations, remaining patient during life’s challenges and striving to do good, even when it feels difficult.
Our natural desires and inclinations can sometimes make these responsibilities feel challenging. While we may be drawn towards what is easy or pleasurable, Islam teaches us to exercise self-restraint and prioritise what pleases Allah.
On the other hand, giving in to our desires without restraint can lead us towards wrongdoing. This helps us understand why the Prophet s.a.w. described Hellfire as being surrounded by temptations.
Nurture love for Allah
One way to make acts of goodness feel less burdensome is to nurture our love for Allah. Just as a husband who loves his wife is willing to endure hardship, sacrifice his time and energy and make efforts to earn her affection, our love for Allah can motivate us to overcome difficulties in worship.
When we nurture this love, the effort of performing our five daily prayers feels lighter, the hunger we experience while fasting becomes more bearable and giving a portion of our wealth in Zakat becomes easier. Even resisting our desires becomes worthwhile when we seek the love, mercy and pleasure of Allah, the Most Merciful.
When we begin to love what Allah loves, dislike what He dislikes, obey His commands, avoid what He has prohibited, hope for His blessings and fear His displeasure, we are fulfilling our role as servants of Allah.
The ease of repentance in Islam
Another manifestation of Allah’s mercy is the ease with which we can seek His forgiveness through repentance. The Quran recounts how the people of Prophet Musa a.s, after worshipping the golden calf, were commanded to repent through a severe act of atonement (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:54).
For the followers of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, the path to forgiveness is open through sincere repentance (tawbah). When we genuinely regret our sins, turn away from wrongdoing and seek Allah’s forgiveness with the intention not to repeat our mistakes, we can hope for His mercy and forgiveness.
Such is the generosity of Allah, who welcomes those who sincerely turn back to Him.
Allah rewards our effort and intention
During the time of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, a companion who had entered the state of ihram for Haj passed away before completing his pilgrimage. The Prophet s.a.w. instructed that he be shrouded in his ihram garments and said that he would be raised on the Day of Resurrection reciting the Talbiyah. (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
Allah s.w.t. says in the Quran,
وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِنۢ بَيْتِهِۦ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ ٱلْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُۥ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۗ
وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
“Those who leave their homes and die while emigrating to Allah and His Messenger, their reward has already been secured with Allah. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
(Surah An-Nisa’, 4:100)
These accounts remind us that our sincere intentions and efforts are not in vain, even when circumstances beyond our control prevent us from completing a good deed.
The rewards are multiplied
The Prophet s.a.w. taught us that whoever intends to do a good deed but does not carry it out will still receive the reward of one good deed. If they perform it, Allah multiplies the reward from ten to seven hundred times or more. On the other hand, whoever intends to commit a sin but does not act upon it will not have the sin recorded against them. If they commit it, only one sin is recorded. (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
This reflects the immense generosity and mercy of Allah. While good deeds are rewarded many times over, sins are recorded without such multiplication. Even when we fall into wrongdoing, we should never lose hope in Allah’s mercy. Instead, we should continue seeking forgiveness and striving to do good, knowing that Allah is Most Just and Most Merciful.
The DO IT attitude
As a key takeaway from the lecture, Ustaz Fatris shared four principles to help us remain steadfast in seeking Allah’s pleasure:
- D – Dua (supplication): Never stop turning to Allah in prayer. Continue seeking His guidance, mercy and blessings.
- O – Own effort: Keep striving to earn Allah’s pleasure, even through small acts of goodness.
- I – Intention: Purify our intentions and ensure our deeds are done sincerely for the sake of Allah alone.
- T – Tawakkul (trust in Allah): After making sincere efforts and seeking His guidance, place our trust in His wisdom and mercy, knowing that He knows what is best for us.
Conclusion: Never lose hope in Allah’s mercy
Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. taught us a supplication to seek purity and piety of the soul,
اللَّهُمَّ آتِ نَفْسِي تَقْوَاهَا، وَزَكِّهَا أَنْتَ خَيْرُ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا، أَنْتَ وَلِيُّهَا وَمَوْلَاهَا
“O Allah, grant my soul its piety and purify it, for You are the best to purify it. You are its guardian and master.”
(Sahih Muslim)
The path to Paradise is open through Allah’s boundless mercy. Our responsibility is to keep striving, remain hopeful and encourage others to seek His forgiveness.
May Allah purify our hearts, strengthen our faith and guide us towards what pleases Him. Amin.
Santunan Emas is a collaborative programme that promotes active and meaningful ageing by nurturing seniors’ spiritual, physical, cognitive and social well-being.
Santunan Emas @ Al-Muttaqin Mosque
300 Hadith Bimbingan with Ustaz Mohamed Fatris Bakaram
Day: Every Wednesday
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Venue: Al-Muttaqin Mosque
Active Ageing Activities - from 11:00 AM
- Week 1: Light Exercises — Health Promotion Board (HPB)
- Week 2: Handicraft Workshop — Methodist Welfare Services (MWS)
- Week 3: Mental & Cognitive Exercises — Allkin Singapore
- Week 4: Adaptive Sports — Sun Love Active Ageing Centre (AAC)
Santunan Emas @ Darul Ghufran Mosque
Menggapai Akhiran Yang Mewangi with Ustaz Jamaluddin Abdul Wahab
Venue: Darul Ghufran Mosque
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Active Ageing Activities - Senaman Ibadah (Faith-Based Exercises) from 11:30 AM
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