Is prophet Muhammad in Paradise?
A few months ago I joined a debate club, and it was quite the exciting experience for me regarding the intellectual stimulus. But, there is always a but, since they are organized by christians and I am just a girl who likes to oppose everything that doesn’t make sense to me, it was quite hard when contradicting the arguments regarding islam without people thinking it was propaganda.
Anyway, there was a particular argument which didn’t quite feel right, where some of them said that even the Imams they had talked to and even the Quran which they had read themselves said the same thing, that nobody knows if the Prophet Muhammed went to paradise or not. To be honest I didn’t have arguments to contradict it since my knowledge has its limits, but since it is something that has come up as a strong argument several times, I finally decided to look upon it a bit.
So stay with me while we discover through Quranic verses and other scriptures if the last Prophet is really in paradise, or are they right?
“I am not something original among the messengers, and I do not know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow what is revealed to me, and I am only a clear warner”
Surah Al-Ahqaf (46:9)
This verse was revealed early in the Prophet’s mission in Makkah, and it’s understandable that it can raise quite the debate. What kind of religion would that be, if its own prophet it’s not in paradise but burning in hell?
Later on, in Surah An-Nisa (4:69), we find a verse that is of a broader context, but it includes the Prophet among the honored:
“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor: the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous…”
Here we see exactly where all the Prophet’s stand in the eyes of God, and as we know, the messenger is one of them.
In a later period, in Medina, we have these verses revealed:
“Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and springs…” (Al-Hijr 15:45)
“Indeed, the righteous will be in a secure place; they will be amid gardens and springs…” (Surah Al-Ma’arij 70:35-37)
Even though the Prophet isn’t explicitly mentioned in these verses, he is the example for the people to follow and the personification of God’s teachings, even if still he was just a human being.
If we refer to the Hadiths, we can start with Sahih Muslim, Book of Virtues of the Prophet, where we find this declaration:
“I am the leader of the children of Adam on the Day of Resurrection; and I am the first for whom Paradise will be opened…”
Then we can continue with Hadith about al-‘Ashara al-Mubashsharun (the ten companions promised Paradise), where the Prophet said he is among the first in Paradise and will hold the highest station.
And to conclude, we have Hadith from Sahih Muslim:
“I will be the leader of the people of Paradise and the first to enter it.”
I don’t know about you guys but I’m pretty convinced now that according to religion, the Prophet is in his rightful place in Paradise.
