Question:
What are the stages in Jannah for the righteous?
Which people will enter Jannah first and which station are for those people?
Please also provide references. I am very thankful for your help.
Respected scholars I pray that Allah grant you the best in both worlds.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
You enquired about the stages in Jannah. Hereunder are three Ahadith regarding same:
Hadith 1
17 – (2834) حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، قَالَ: هَذَا مَا حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَذَكَرَ أَحَادِيثَ مِنْهَا، وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَوَّلُ زُمْرَةٍ تَلِجُ الْجَنَّةَ، صُوَرُهُمْ عَلَى صُورَةِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ، لَا يَبْصُقُونَ فِيهَا وَلَا يَمْتَخِطُونَ وَلَا يَتَغَوَّطُونَ فِيهَا، آنِيَتُهُمْ وَأَمْشَاطُهُمْ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ، وَمَجَامِرُهُمْ مِنَ الْأَلُوَّةِ، وَرَشْحُهُمُ الْمِسْكُ وَلِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ زَوْجَتَانِ، يُرَى مُخُّ سَاقِهِمَا مِنْ وَرَاءِ اللَّحْمِ، مِنَ الْحُسْنِ، لَا اخْتِلَافَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَلَا تَبَاغُضَ، قُلُوبُهُمْ قَلْبٌ وَاحِدٌ، يُسَبِّحُونَ اللهَ بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا») صحيح مسلم (4/ 2180((
Translation:
Hammam b. Munabbih reported:
These are some of the ahadith which Abu Huraira reported from Allah’s Messenger Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam and one is this that he is reported to have said:
“The (members of the) first group that would be admitted to Paradise would have their faces as bright as full moon during the night. They would neither spit nor suffer catarrh, nor void excrement. They would have their utensils and their combs made of gold and silver and the fuel of their braziers would be aloes and their sweat would be musk and every one of them would have two spouses (so beautiful) that the marrow of their shanks would be visible through the flesh. There would be no dissension amongst them and no enmity in their hearts. Their hearts would be like one heart, glorifying Allah morning and evening.(Sahih Muslim)
Hadith 2
116 – (1884) حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو هَانِئٍ الْخَوْلَانِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْحُبُلِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ، مَنْ رَضِيَ بِاللهِ رَبًّا، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيًّا، وَجَبَتْ لَهُ الْجَنَّةُ»، فَعَجِبَ لَهَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ، فَقَالَ: أَعِدْهَا عَلَيَّ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، فَفَعَلَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «وَأُخْرَى يُرْفَعُ بِهَا الْعَبْدُ مِائَةَ دَرَجَةٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، مَا بَيْنَ كُلِّ دَرَجَتَيْنِ كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ»، قَالَ: وَمَا هِيَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ؟ قَالَ: «الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ، الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ») صحيح مسلم (3/ 1501((
Translation:
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Sa’id Khudri, that the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, said (to him): “Abu Sa’id, whoever cheerfully accepts Allah as his Lord, Islam as his religion and Muhammad as his Apostle is necessarily entitled to enter Paradise.”
He (Abu Sa’id) wondered at it and said: “Messenger of Allah, repeat it for me.”
He (the Messenger of Allah) did that and said: “There is another act which elevates the position of a man in Paradise to a grade one hundred (higher), and the elevation between one grade and the other is equal to the height of the heaven from the earth.”
He (Abu Sa’id) said: “What is that act?”
He replied: “Jihad in the way of Allah! Jihad in the way of Allah!”
Hadith 3
225 – (488) حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْأَوْزَاعِيَّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ الْمُعَيْطِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي مَعْدَانُ بْنُ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ الْيَعْمَرِيُّ، قَالَ: لَقِيتُ ثَوْبَانَ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقُلْتُ: أَخْبِرْنِي بِعَمَلٍ أَعْمَلُهُ يُدْخِلُنِي اللهُ بِهِ الْجَنَّةَ؟ أَوْ قَالَ قُلْتُ: بِأَحَبِّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللهِ، فَسَكَتَ. ثُمَّ سَأَلْتُهُ فَسَكَتَ. ثُمَّ سَأَلْتُهُ الثَّالِثَةَ فَقَالَ: سَأَلْتُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ: «عَلَيْكَ بِكَثْرَةِ السُّجُودِ لِلَّهِ، فَإِنَّكَ لَا تَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً، إِلَّا رَفَعَكَ اللهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً، وَحَطَّ عَنْكَ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً» قَالَ مَعْدَانُ: ثُمَّ لَقِيتُ أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي: مِثْلَ مَا قَالَ لِي: ثَوْبَانُ )صحيح مسلم (1/ 353((
Translation
Ma’dan b. Talha reported:
I met Thauban, the freed slave of Allah’s Messenger Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, and asked him to tell me about an act for which, if I do it, Allah will admit me to Paradise, or I asked about the act which was loved most by Allah. He gave no reply. I again asked and he gave no reply. I asked him for the third time, and he said: “I asked Allah’s Messenger Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam about that and he said: Make frequent prostrations before Allah, for you will not make one prostration without Allah raising you a degree because of it, and removing a sin from you, because of it.”
Ma’dan said that then he met Abu al-Darda’ and when he asked him, he received a reply similar to that given by Thauban.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Saeed Ahmed Golaub
Islamic Solutions
Jamaica