rightly conceived. The term bliss or beatitude may appropriately be
applied to this frame of mind. However, man can have, at best, a
very imperfect idea of this state of existence. It is radically different
from the experience of this life, and it cannot be described in words
since they can connote only the latter. It is imperative, however, to
have some notion of the bliss that awaits a developed self of a man
when he dies. This can be done only through symbols. The higher
plane of existence cannot be described, but it can be symbolised.
That is why the Qur'an has recourse to metaphorical language in
regard to Jannah:
A similitude of the Jannah which is promised unto those who keep their
duty to Allah: underneath it streams flow; its fruit is everlasting and its
shade (13:35; 47:15).
"Similitude" is the key word in the above verse. It is significant and
highly suggestive. We are clearly warned against insisting on the
literal meaning of the words in which the pleasures and comforts of
Jannah are described. We must heed the admonition that they are
merely metaphors which hint at but do not convey an exact idea of
the state of consciousness which is termed Jannah. In fact, Jannah
cannot be described: it can only be symbolised. The higher plane of
existence can neither be visualised nor imagined by the denizens of
the lower plane. The Qur'an is explicit on this point, as the following
verse shows:
No one knows what joy of the eye is reserved for them as a reward for
what they do (32:17).
Another verse of the Qur'an guides us to the true conception of
Jannah. We are told that Jannah is not to be regarded as a strictly
circumscribed region but as coterminous with existence, provided
existence is in unison with the Divine:
The Jannah is as wide as are the heavens and the earth (3:132; 57:21).
Being a state of mind, Jannah is not unapproachable and
inaccessible to men on earth. The good man, living in harmony with
the Will of God (i.e., His Laws), has foretaste of Jannah. The Qur'an
speaks of life lived in accordance with its teaching as ''heavenly." We
catch glimpses of Jannah in this life and this fact makes Jannah real to
us. Jannah is tied to our present experience and, therefore, it is not a
mere figment of imagination.
The question is often asked: Why in the Qur'an Jannah is depicted
in sensuous terms? It is not difficult to answer it if we bear in mind
Islam: A Challenge to Religion 189