Download
0 / 0
2274021/08/2016

Is it permissible to ask Allah to grant me all degrees of Paradise from the lowest to the highest degree?

Question: 248223

Is it permissible to ask Allah to grant me and make me worthy of all degrees of jannah from lowest of the low to the highest of high that I can get.

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

Firstly: 

Al-Bukhaari (2790) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: “In Paradise there are one hundred degrees that Allah has
prepared for those who strive in the cause of Allah; the distance between
each two degrees is like the distance between heaven and earth. So if you
ask of Allah, then ask Him for al-Firdaws, for it is the middle of Paradise
and the highest part of Paradise. I think that above it is the Throne of the
Most Merciful, and from it spring the rivers of Paradise.” 

Al-Haafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

This indicates that al-Firdaws is above all the gardens of
Paradise, therefore the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said – teaching his ummah and making them aspire for greater things – “So if
you ask of Allah, then ask Him for al-Firdaws.” End quote. 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Jannat al-Firdaws is the highest of the gardens of Paradise,
the noblest, the most light-filled, and the best, because of its closeness
to the Throne. End quote. 

Al-Fawaa’id
(p. 27) 

So al-Firdaws is the highest of the degrees of Paradise, and
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) urged the Muslims to
seek al-Firdaws and ask Allah to help hem attain this lofty degree in
Paradise. That can only be achieved by striving hard in seeking it and
taking measures that will help one reach it, not merely wishful thinking and
wanting. 

See the answer to question no. 135085

Secondly: 

The hadith quoted above indicates that it is encouraged to
ask for the highest, al-Firdaws, which is the highest degree of Paradise, as
mentioned above. Neither this hadith – nor any other, as far as we know –
indicates that it is encouraged to ask Allah to let one attain all of the
degrees and statuses of Paradise, so that the believer may dwell in all of
them, one by one. 

Muslim (384) narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas,
that he heard the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say:
“When you hear the muezzin, say what he says, then send blessings upon me,
for whoever sends blessings upon me, Allah will send blessings upon him
tenfold. Then ask Allah to grant me al-waseelah, for it is a station in
Paradise which only one of the slaves of Allah will attain, and I hope that
I will be the one. Whoever asks for al-waseelah for me, intercession will be
permissible for him.” 

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Al-waseelah: the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) explained it as being a status in Paradise. End quote. 

Sharh an-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim
(4/86) 

At-Tirmidhi (3612) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Ask
Allah to grant me al-waseelah.” They said: O Messenger of Allah, what is al-waseelah?
He said: “The highest degree in Paradise which no one will attain except one
man, and I hope that I will be the one.” 

Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh at-Tirmidhi

Ahmad (11783) narrated that Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri said: The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: Al-waseelah
is a degree with Allah above which there is no other, so ask Allah to grant
me al-waseelah.” 

From these reports it is clear that al-waseelah is a degree
in Paradise, and it is the highest degree therein, above which there is no
other. No one will attain it except one man, namely the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him). 

The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the
leader of the sons of Adam, the best of them and the highest in status
before Allah, and the closest of them to Him, may He be glorified. Yet
despite that he did not ask Allah for anything but this sublime status; he
did not ask Him for all the degrees of Paradise, from the lowest to the
highest. 

Based on that, it is not prescribed for a person to ask his
Lord to grant him every degree of Paradise. Rather it is prescribed for him
to ask Him for the highest Firdaws, then to strive to attain what he has
asked for by fearing Allah and doing righteous deeds. 

That is because, if he attains the highest level in Paradise,
he will not miss out on any blessing that he hopes to attain in any of the
lower degrees, so there is no need to ask for the lower degrees. 

But it will be possible for him to go down to a lower degree
in order to visit a brother of his there – as some of the scholars said – so
that he may acknowledge the blessing that Allah has bestowed upon him and
His great generosity. 

See the answer to question no. 126349

See also the answer to question no.
148176

And Allah knows best.

Source

Islam Q&A

Was this answer helpful?

at email

Our newsletter

To join our newsletter please add your email below

phone

IslamQA App

For a quick access to our content and offline browsing

download iosdownload android