Windows to the Unseen
At the end of Surat al-Anbiya, Allah talks about the people of Jannah.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ سَبَقَتۡ لَهُم مِّنَّا ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰٓ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ عَنۡہَا مُبۡعَدُونَ (١٠١) لَا يَسۡمَعُونَ حَسِيسَهَاۖ وَهُمۡ فِى مَا ٱشۡتَهَتۡ أَنفُسُهُمۡ خَـٰلِدُونَ (١٠٢) لَا يَحۡزُنُهُمُ ٱلۡفَزَعُ ٱلۡأَڪۡبَرُ وَتَتَلَقَّٮٰهُمُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕڪَةُ هَـٰذَا يَوۡمُكُمُ ٱلَّذِى ڪُنتُمۡ تُوعَدُونَ (١٠٣)
But those for whom We have decreed Paradise will be kept far from Hell- they will not hear a murmur from it- and endlessly they will enjoy everything their souls desire. They will have no fear of the great Terror: the angels will receive them with the words, ‘This is the Day you were promised!’ [21:101-103]
Allah opens these windows to the unseen for us in several places in the Quran, helping us to visualise both the good and bad sides of the akhirah.
These ayahs don’t yet show Jannah itself, but how the believers will feel on the Day of Judgement. We can contrast them with the ayahs at the opening of the next surah, Surat al-Hajj, which shows a terrifying scene where even a breastfeeding mother will suddenly not recognise her own child, and people will be so disoriented that they will appear drunk.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّڪُمۡۚ إِنَّ زَلۡزَلَةَ ٱلسَّاعَةِ شَىۡءٌ عَظِيمٌ۬ (١) يَوۡمَ تَرَوۡنَهَا تَذۡهَلُ ڪُلُّ مُرۡضِعَةٍ عَمَّآ أَرۡضَعَتۡ وَتَضَعُ ڪُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمۡلٍ حَمۡلَهَا وَتَرَى ٱلنَّاسَ سُكَـٰرَىٰ وَمَا هُم بِسُكَـٰرَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنَّ عَذَابَ ٱللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ۬ (٢)
People, be mindful of your Lord, for the earthquake of the Last Hour will be a mighty thing: on the Day you see it, every nursing mother will think no more of her baby, every pregnant female will miscarry, you will think people are drunk when they are not, so severe will be God’s torment. [22:1-2]
Your destiny is written before you are even born
There is part of a long hadith which says that while a baby is in the womb, an angel writes down their destiny: their rizq, their lifespan, their actions, and their final destination – if it will be Jannah or Jahannam.
These things were written for you before you were even born, because Allah knows everything about everything. However this does not mean that your destiny will force you to do things: your actions will still be by your own choice, even though Allah knows what they are going to be.
`Abdullah bin Mus’ud narrated that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said:
قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهْوَ الصَّادِقُ الْمَصْدُوقُ قَالَ “ إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ مَلَكًا، فَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ، وَيُقَالُ لَهُ اكْتُبْ عَمَلَهُ وَرِزْقَهُ وَأَجَلَهُ وَشَقِيٌّ أَوْ سَعِيدٌ. ثُمَّ يُنْفَخُ فِيهِ الرُّوحُ، فَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ مِنْكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ إِلاَّ ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ كِتَابُهُ، فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، وَيَعْمَلُ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ النَّارِ إِلاَّ ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ، فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ”.
“(The matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four things. He is ordered to write down his (i.e. the new creature’s) deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into him. So, a man amongst you may do (good deeds till there is only a cubit between him and Paradise and then what has been written for him decides his behaviour and he starts doing (evil) deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire. And similarly a man amongst you may do (evil) deeds till there is only a cubit between him and the (Hell) Fire, and then what has been written for him decides his behaviour, and he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise.” (Bukhari)
Those ayahs in Surat al-Anbiya talk about people ‘whom We have decreed Paradise’ – i.e. those whom it has already been written for. The ayah also uses the word ‘al-husna’ to refer to Jannah – literally ‘the good news’.
Earning Allah’s protection on the Day of Judgement
Allah talks about how these people will be so far away from Hell that even though the sound of the blazing fire can be heard for miles, they won’t be disturbed even by a slight hissing, hasees.
This protection from any fear on the Day of Judgement is Allah’s reward for all the good they did in the dunya. Scholars have also said that the use of ‘al-husna’ to mean Jannah also implies the actions that the people had to do to get to this point. This protection does not come free of charge: they had to earn it with their imaan and good deeds, and they will receive what they deserve for their hard work and patience.
We ask Allah to make us among the people of Jannah, and we ask Him to enable us to control our desires and channel them in a way that pleases Him. Ameen.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on Ramadan Night 22, 6th March 2026. Transcribed by Hana Khan.
Related posts
70 things the Prophet sought protection from