self-fulfilment. In the words of the Qur'an:
Lo! God hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth for
Jannah (9:111),
Like any mundane contract, this covenant comprises:
- The buyer – God.
- The seller – The Believer.
- The goods sold – The life and possessions of the believer.
- The price – Jannah.
Of these, the goods is a concrete tangible and identifiable
commodity and the seller is a living being. The other two, God and
Jannah, are abstract and intangible. How can a bargain be struck with
the buyer and the price missing, or, at best, remaining in
imagination. ''Selling one's life to Allah" is an empty phrase, a
deluding mirage. The contract would be meaningful only when it is
realised that God and Jannah are as real – nay more real – than man
and life. This can be done only by bringing God and Jannah into
intimate and vital relationship with living human experience. This is
exactly what the Qur'an does.
II. JannahMisled by the figurative language in which Jannah is described in
the Qur'an, many people have localised it in space and have
conceived of it as a glorified earthly garden. Others, dissatisfied
with this shabby view, have sedulously searched for the hidden
meaning of the relevant verses. It seems to us that both are guilty of
not paying attention to certain delicate hints in the Qur'an which
provide the clue for the correct interpretation. We will first briefly
state the view to which we are led by a close study of the verses and
then we will cite the corroboratory evidence provided by the Qur'an
itself. We have seen that the Qur'an envisages the human self as a
developing entity. When the self has successfully completed the
journey of life, death opens the door to the prospect of fresh and
more glorious possibilities. Joy at the accomplishment of a worthy
task is blended with elation at the prospect of fresh opportunities.
Having realised a certain quantum of potentialities during its earthly
career, the self becomes aware of what is still left to be actualized.
This state of mind, a blend of joy and zest for action, is Jannah
The Rububiyyah Order 188