tors debated whether or not they would actually
be able to see him. hadith literature describes
paradise as having eight gates, each named after
a different virtue. Some accounts speculate that
there may actually be eight paradises, not just
one. Each one would have its own name, taken
from the Quran, such as dar al-salam (House of
Peace), jannat al-khuld (Garden of Eternity), and
jannat Adin (the Garden of Eden). The hadith also
elaborate on the nature of life in paradise: people
will have beautiful bodies, they will never age, and
they will be able to enjoy carefree sexual relations.
The quranic paradise is the exact counterpart of
hell, which is a multileveled realm of Fire, pain,
and suffering.
Ideas of paradise inspired rulers, writers,
artists, and architects, enriching the heritage
of Islamicate civilization. The grand mosque
of damascUs, the Alhambra palace in granada
(Spain), and royal garden pavilions in Iran were
decorated with paradisal motifs. The capital of the
abbasid caliphate (8th–14th centuries), baghdad,
was regarded as an earthly paradise, as reflected
in its alternate name, Madinat al-Salam (City
of Peace), alluding to dar al-salam, one of the
quranic names of paradise. Persian and Turk-
ish manuscripts depicting Muhammad’s night
JoUrney and ascent include scenes of paradise
and the fire. The garden grounds of the exquisite
Taj Mahal of Mughal India (17th century) were
designed according to the four-garden (chahar
bagh) plan of Persian royal gardens, wherein
the waterways represented the four rivers of
paradise. Also, many Muslim homes and palaces
bear inscriptions and decorations that create a
symbolic relationship between the abodes of this
world and those of the afterlife.
See also eschatology; hoUses; martyrdom; per-
sian langUage and literatUre.
Further reading: Sheila Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom,
eds., Images of Paradise in Islamic Art (Hanover, N.H.:
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 1991); Juan
Eduardo Campo, The Other Sides of Paradise: Explora-
tions into the Religious Meanings of Domestic Space in
Islam (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press,
1991); Muhammad Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, The Remem-
brance of Death and the Afterlife, Kitab dhikr al-mawt
wa-ma badahu, Book XL of The Revival of the Religious
Sciences, Ihya ulum al-din. Translated by T. J. Winter
(Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 1995).pbuh
The four letters p-b-u-h combine to form an acro-
nym for the phrase “Peace be upon him,” which
is the English rendering of the Arabic alayhi
al-salam. It is used in English-language Islamic
publications and written texts whenever men-
tion is made of mUhammad as the prophet (nabi
or rasul) of islam. It is not used by non-Muslims
or in Western scholarship about Muhammad and
Islam.
Invoking peace on another is the signature
greeting used by Muslims. According to the
qUran, angels use it when greeting the blessed
in paradise (for example, Q 16:32) and people
should use it in greeting God’s servants (Q
27:59). The peace blessing is also invoked by
the Quran for the prophets, including abraham,
moses, Aaron, and Elias (for example, Q 37:109,
114, 120, 130, 181). It is required in the perfor-
mance daily prayers, when the peace blessing is
recited for the Prophet (nabi) Muhammad, the
person performing the prayer, and believers in
general.
The peace blessing (salam) for Muhammad
as the prophet of Islam is an abbreviated render-
ing of an Arabic formula known as the tasliyya.
It consists of the invocation salla Allah alayhi wa
sallam (May God bless him and grant him peace),
which is used with reference to Muhammad (and
other prophets) in Arabic-language Islamic texts,
publications, sermons, recitations, and speeches.
There are several variations on this formula used
in everyday speech, including the popular expres-
sions “Bless the Prophet!” (salli ala al-nabi) and
“Bless the beauty of the Prophet!” (salli ala jamalpbuh 547 J