people of unveiling and verification, by certain Hadith,1 and by the Qur’an that a thousand years of happy life in this world is not worth one hour of life in Paradise, and that a thousand years of heavenly life is not worth one hour’s vision and contemplation of the All-Glorious One, Who possesses incomparable beauty and perfection.
Everyone may perceive in his conscience a great longing for the vision of a personage famous for his magnificence and perfection, like the Prophet Solomon (Peace be upon him), and a great yearning to behold a personage distinguished by his beauty, like the Prophet Joseph (Peace be upon him). And so, if you can, compare how longed-for, sought after, and desire-arousing is the vision of One, one manifestation of Whose beauty and perfection are all the virtues and perfections of Paradise, which are thousands of times more elevated than all the virtues and perfections of this world.
O God, bestow upon us in this world love for You and love for that which will draw us closer to You, and the right-guidedness that You have commanded, and, in the next world Your mercy and the vision of You.
Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; You are indeed All-Knowing, All-Wise.2
O God, grant blessings and peace to the one whom You sent as a mercy to all the worlds, and to all his Family and Companions. Amen.
Reminder
Do not consider over-lengthy the detailed explanations in the last section of this Word; they are short in relation to their importance and require further explanation.
It is not I who speaks in any of the Words; it is reality in the name of ‘INDICATIONS FROM THE QUR’AN.’ As for reality, it speaks the truth. Should you see anything incorrect, then you can be certain that without my being aware of it my own ideas interfered and caused the error.
Included in the Hadith is the following: “That vision far surpasses all the other delights of Paradise, so much so that it causes them to be forgotten. And after the vision the loveliness and beauty of those who experience it will have increased to such a degree that when they return, it will be only with difficulty and scrutiny that their families in their mansions will recognize them.”*
* al-Munziri,al-Targhib wa’l-Tarhib, iv, 541, 556.
Qur’an, 2:32.