Paradise: Questions & Answers

In an abode of eternal bliss, however, man is a being with infinite capacities, who knocks at the door of infinite mercy with the language of his limitless needs and with the hand of his boundless desires. Therefore, it is entirely reasonable, true, and just that the divine bounties described in the hadiths should be granted to him.

We will now observe this exalted truth through the lens of a comparison:

Just like this garden by the stream, all the orchards and gardens of BarlaA village in Isparta Province, where Said Nursi lived in exile from 1926 to 1934 and wrote many parts of the Risale-i Nur Collection. each have their own separate owner. Yet every bird, sparrow, or bee, although it needs only a mouthful of food, may say: “All the gardens and orchards of BarlaA village in Isparta Province, where Said Nursi lived in exile from 1926 to 1934 and wrote many parts of the Risale-i Nur Collection. are my places of recreation and benefit.” In this way, they may consider BarlaA village in Isparta Province, where Said Nursi lived in exile from 1926 to 1934 and wrote many parts of the Risale-i Nur Collection. as their own domain. The fact that others also benefit from it does not diminish their use and enjoyment of it.

Likewise, a human being may say: “My Creator has made this world a home for me. The sun is my lamp, the stars are my lights, and the earth is my cradle, adorned with flowers like carpets.” And he thanks Allah for this. The fact that others also benefit from it does not diminish his experience of it. On the contrary, the presence of others in his home serves as an adornment and enrichment of his house.

If, even in this limited world, a bird can claim a kind of use and enjoyment over such a vast domain and receive such an immense blessing, why should it be considered inconceivable that, in a vast and eternal bliss, a human being should be granted a possession extending over a distance of five hundred years—as vast as the world?

Just as the sun, in this dense, dark, and limited world, can be reflected at the same moment in countless mirrors, so too a luminous being can be present in many places at the same time. For example, JibrīlOne of the four great angels, entrusted with conveying Allah’s revelation to the prophets. (as) can be present simultaneously on a thousand stars, at the Throne of Allah, in the presence of the Prophet (pbuh), and at the same time in the Divine Presence.

Likewise, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) will be able, on the Day of Judgment, to meet most of his righteous followers at the same time, and in this world he is manifested in countless spiritual realms and domains. Some awliyā(sing. walī) Those who seek the pleasure of Allah and attain elevated spiritual ranks through worship, obedience, and sincerity., known as abdal, can also appear in several places at the same time.

Furthermore, ordinary people sometimes experience and witness in their dreams, within a single minute, events that seem to last an entire year. It is also well known and observable that every person, through his heart, soul, and imagination, can simultaneously be connected with and concerned about many different places.

Therefore, in Paradise—which is luminous, boundless, vast, and eternal—it is entirely fitting and fully in accordance with infinite mercy that the people of Paradise, whose bodies will possess the strength and lightness of the soul and reach the speed of imagination, can be present at the same time in hundreds of thousands of different places, converse with hundreds of thousands of hūrīA pure maiden of Paradise., and experience joy in hundreds of thousands of different ways. This is, of course, fully fitting for that eternal Paradise, for that infinite mercy, and it is exactly as the Prophet, the Truthful Informer (pbuh), has declared: a truth and reality.