Title: The Nature of the Rewards in Paradise Question/Comments: Thank you for your response to my question about ablution. I could have written earlier, but with the horrific events that took place this morning here in New York, we have all been involved in one predicament or another. May God aid us. I wanted to solicit your thoughts on the nature of the rewards in Paradise. You write in one of your articles that a man/woman who earns Paradise will be rewarded with all that from which he refrained in the life of this world to win the pleasures of God. I find this interpretation peculiar. Before I elaborate, though, I would just like to say that I personally view all of the descriptions of Paradise and Hell as part of the allegorical verses (ayaat mustashabihaat). This seems particularly obvious to me in the case of Paradise, for all the descriptions seem to be finely suited to the Arabian mindset (i.e. verdant gardens, flowing rivers, cool shade, fountains etc.). The lush imagery comprises a metaphor for the extreme bliss experienced in Heaven. Because I have trouble reconciling God's Mercy with eternal punishment, I tend to view Hell not as an actual place, but as a condition of eternal separation from the love and Glory of God. The images of Hell as Fire -- containing boiling water, thorny trees, and shackles -- seem to be part of a large metaphor that conveys the extreme torment and pain of detachment from the Creator. In other words, existing apart from God for an eternity is torturous enough to be considered "Hell." Now to my question ... Suppose I strongly desired to murder, steal BMW's, and have sex freely with whomever I wished in this life, but that, for fear of my Lord, I refrained from such activities to gain His good will. If I were admitted to heaven, how could God reward me with these things? Would I be allowed to loot and sack all I wished in Heaven, since, after all, I had refrained from such activity in this life? How is it that He could consider them so sinful for earthly purposes but perfectly fit for His Kingdom? I do not understand how God could hold fornication to be a sin worthy of eternal punishment, yet if I refrained from it, how I could be rewarded with this "sin" in Paradise. Please clarify. As always, I look forward to your reply. Best wishes and God bless, Omar Sarwar United States of America Answer: May the Almighty protect you, and all those affected by the tragedy, and help you all. I thank you for pointing out the indistinct statement in one of my previous response. However, before presenting a clarification of my referred statement, I would like to express my agreement with the fact that all the verses of the Qur'an, which describe the events of the hereafter do, in fact, belong to the allegorical verses of the Qur'an, the details of which are known only to the Almighty. In the referred statement, I had actually implied those natural (non-criminal) desires the fulfillment of which, because of the particular nature of the life of this world, is restricted under certain circumstances by the Shari`ah , but the desire of the fulfillment of which remained alive, as a part of man's test during this life. I hope this would clear the confusion caused by my referred statement. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad September 15, 2001