Jannah or Jahannam: The Inevitable Destinations | Tafseer Surah Yaseen | Inan Nadim Bashir

The 15th Night of Sha'ban: Clarifying the Confusion

Some people believe that this is in reference to the 15th night of Sha'ban, and it is not. It is clearly in reference to the night of Laylatul Qadr. So we go to the hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ, and what we find is not any authentic hadith about the 15th night of Sha'ban. However, based on the usool of hadith, the laws of hadith, we do find that if there are numerous hadith that are at the level of da'if, they are weak, but there are many hadith that state the same message, then you can combine all those messages and it can come to the level of a hasan or something that is acceptable.

So with that in mind, there are many hadith that are classified as da'if related to the subject of the 15th night of Sha'ban. And so we compile all those and it comes to a level of acceptability. So what we learn is that Rasulullah ﷺ said that it is on this night that Allah forgives in abundance, except for two people: one who is engaged in shirk, and we know what shirk means, and the other person, as the hadith refers to it as a mushahin, a person who harbors enmity in their heart.

So therefore, if there is anything to do on this night, it is a night that we can do du'a, make some dhikr insha'Allah, pray nawafil. That is something that we can do what we have learned from Rasulullah ﷺ. As we have learned from the Prophet ﷺ also that the month of Sha'ban is a month in which the deeds are presented before Allah, and our mother Aisha radiAllahu anha, she says that if there was any month after Ramadan in which Rasulullah ﷺ would fast the most, it was the month of Sha'ban. So that is why he would say that I would rather have my deeds presented to Allah in a way or in a manner that I am in a state of fasting.

Special Practices and Clarifications

Now, is there any kind of very special nawafil, salat, that is associated with this night? Absolutely not. There is no special salat associated with this night. If you want to go pray any nawafil in general, you can pray. As you all know, Salat al-Fajr comes in quite late as it is. So if you want to wake up for tahajjud, want to wake up for qiyam insha'Allah, then do so. As it is, the month of Sha'ban is a preparation for Ramadan. So if we wake up for qiyam, we wake up for tahajjud, then we are preparing ourselves for Ramadan.

The last thing I want to also mention, that is there any particular practices that are associated with this night? Like culturally speaking, some people believe that it was on this night that you go and you visit the graveyard. There is nothing that we find from Rasulullah ﷺ. If he went on a 15th night of Sha'ban to the graveyard, it is not because of this night. It was the general practice of Rasulullah ﷺ that he would go to the graveyard. I mean, Baqi' at the time of the Prophet ﷺ, think about it, if you think about Masjid Nabawi in your mind, where the house of the Prophet ﷺ was, where Baqi' is, he would go there often. In fact, we find a hadith that where our mother Aisha radiAllahu anha, she would say that I was looking for the Prophet ﷺ and I found him where? In Baqi'. So this was the nature of the Prophet ﷺ that he would go often. It was nothing specific for the 15th night of Sha'ban.

Fasting and Proper Intentions

Additionally, is there any fasting that is specific with the 15th night of Sha'ban? And the answer is no. Now if a person has a habit, they are in the nature of fasting on the three white days of the month, which is the 13th, 14th and 15th of every month, and they are fasting on the 15th, no problem insha'Allah. We also find from the Prophet ﷺ that he would fast abundantly in the first half of the month. The 15th comes in the first half of the month. So if you are fasting continuously, applying the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, and you fast on the 15th, no problem. But to believe that there is a very specific fasting associated with this day, that is completely wrong and false.

Now if you want to fast tomorrow, because many people hold on to their culture very much, and there are many countries that make this into a very special night. So if you want to fast, the only niyyah you should be fasting with is: if you are doing the three white days, then it is the three white days. Otherwise, it is the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ to fast abundantly in Sha'ban, so I am just applying the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Or lastly, it is just a nafl fast. It is an optional fast. I am fasting, and Allah will give me the reward for fasting. But to make the niyyah that I am fasting because there is a special reward associated with the 15th day of Sha'ban, there is nothing that we find in the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.

So I just want to just take this moment to clarify and explain this matter, insha'Allah. We ask Allah more than anything else that He grants us the ability to witness the month of Ramadan. That is the most important du'a that we should be making.

Tafseer of Surah Yaseen: The Day of Judgment and the Hereafter

So continuing, let's get to the tafsir of Surah Yaseen, insha'Allah. We were at verse number 55. Before verse number 55, Allah talks about the Day of Judgment.

Allah mentioned the blowing of the trumpet not once but twice. Now Allah shifts, and He begins to talk about the akhirah. And there are many stages of the akhirah. There is jannah is a stage of the akhirah. Jahannam is a stage of the akhirah. There is accountability which will happen in the akhirah. There is the resurrection that will happen in the akhirah. So Allah begins to address each of these stages in some detail.

The People of Jannah: Their Eternal Bliss

Allah begins with jannah. And He says:

Now this ayah is very beautiful. First of all, Allah begins with an emphasis, إِنَّ. And if you know anything about the Arabic language, the word إِنَّ or أَنَّ is used for emphasis purposes. Indeed without any shred of doubt. So Allah begins a sentence by saying إِنَّ. And the only grammatical difference between إِنَّ and أَنَّ is that إِنَّ comes at the beginning of a sentence and the word أَنَّ comes in the middle of a sentence. So إِنَّ starts at the beginning of a sentence.

إِنَّ and then He says أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ - The companions of jannah. Now why does Allah say the people of jannah? He doesn't just say the people of jannah. He says the companions, the dwellers of jannah. Because the word أَصْحَابَ carries the sense of belonging and settled companionship. Allah is saying that this jannah is not just a place where you're visiting for a short period of time. You know when you go on vacation and you go and you sit or you stay at a very fancy hotel, a lot of times your kids will say, mom, dad, can we just stay here forever? Okay, no. It's just a place of temporary stay. And so Allah is saying أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ removes any kind of idea that this is a place of just temporary stay. This is a place where people will stay forever.

Number two is the fact that Allah is mentioning أَصْحَابَ is because imagine if you went to a place of enjoyment. You have everything you want but you have no one to enjoy that blessing with. It's of no good. So that's why Allah brought the word أَصْحَابَ. أَصْحَابَ means companionship. You need to have people there to enjoy your jannah. So that's why this word أَصْحَابَ has been mentioned. And it is also been mentioned because jannah promises are not just pleasure. It is community, it is belonging. You feel like that this is my place.

Endless Engagement and Joy

But then Allah adds more to that. He says, فِي شُغُلٍ. The word شُغُل means that they are going to be engaged. They're going to be doing something at all time that is going to engage their heart. Like I had a brother who came to me and he says that, okay, imagine you go into jannah, you're eating, you're drinking, you're enjoying your life. Just like today imagine if you went somewhere and you met someone after a very long time. Or you had a class reunion from a long time ago. And you're meeting with all your people. Or you went overseas and you're sitting with all your family. This is شغل. There's just enjoyment after enjoyment.

But what happens with the enjoyment of this dunya is that it becomes bored after some time. After a while it's like, okay, it's the same thing over and over again. The fact that Allah is saying فِي شُغُلٍ means that there is endless amount of joy. And there's never a situation where you feel like I have nothing to do. There's never a moment of boredom in jannah.

Like I said, a brother came to me, he says that, we're going to do all this then I'm going to be bored in jannah. And I'm like, what do you want then? You want to come back on earth? And he goes, no, but it's going to be bored in jannah. And I said, no, it's not going to be bored in jannah because the beauty of jannah, brothers and sisters, is that even if there's one food, you taste that food, the next time you taste that food is going to be even more delicious. So if you're having biryani, the next time you have that biryani is going to be even more delicious. Or if you're having mansaf, the next time you have that mansaf is going to be even more delicious.

So any food you have is not the same thing like, you know, I know Ramadan is coming. And the one thing you'll talk to a lot of people after Ramadan or especially at the end of Ramadan is like, I don't want to see biryani. I'm just sick of it. There's no point, there's no place in jannah, or there's no time in jannah where a person will say, I'm just sick of all the enjoyment. فِي شُغْلٍ - There's just one pleasure after another, one enjoyment after another enjoyment.

Freedom from Worry and Time Constraints

And not only that, but then it is also the word شُغْل implies that there is a disappearance of any kind of worry or any kind of concern. And this is also highlighted in the word فَاكِهُونَ. Because the word فَاكِهُونَ tells us that imagine if you are indulged in some kind of moment of happiness. Everything that you are doing, anything that brings you pleasure in this dunya, that pleasure comes to an end, whether it is because of responsibilities, whether it is because of like some kind of guilty conscious that you have, because if it's a sin for example, or let's just say you are enjoying yourself but there are time constraints, you get tired, all these things we find in this dunya.

There's never a moment in the akhirah where you say that, okay, I'm enjoying this happiness, but now because of time constraints I have to cut off that enjoyment. There is never a situation like this. There is enjoyment and you stay in that enjoyment until you probably get tired if you want to, or you want to do something else. But there is never a situation where something like we have in this dunya that is going to take away that happiness, even when it comes to vacations. No matter how happy or how enjoyable that vacation is, every vacation comes to an end. Every good time comes to an end.

Those who go for Hajj and Umrah, when they're coming back, they're saying, you know, they're so sad. Why? Because they're leaving Makkah and Medina, but they're sad also. Why? Because they have to go back to normal life, they have to go back to work. So every happiness comes to an end in the akhirah, this happiness will never ever come to an end.

The Companions of Jannah

Then Allah says, In this jannah, who are those as'hab? Who are those people who are going to be around you? And I know this ayah may upset some people, but it is the reality. Because the next ayah says:

Them and their spouses.

The Beauty of Marriage in Jannah

I remember there was a sheikh who was giving a lecture, and he was saying that in jannah this man will get all these women and so forth, and he's so happy. He's like, "Ya Allah, I want jannah." Then the sheikh said, "The queen of all those women are going to be your wife." And he's like, "Why did you ruin this lecture? Why did you have to do this?"

But the reality is that women and whether it's husband to a wife or wife to a husband, Allah created this relationship because we find if truly, if a husband and wife, they care for each other, they look after each other, Allah will put sakinah in that relationship. You will find peace and happiness in that relationship. No matter how much you're going through misery, if you have a spouse that brings happiness to you, and that brings comfort to you, and it helps you escape from your misery and your difficulties, then that is something that Allah can give us in this dunya.

That's why He says:

One of the objectives of the relationship is Allah brings peace and happiness in that relationship. And there are truly some people in this dunya because they take care of each other, they look after each other, Allah does give them sakinah in their life. Now Allah is saying that these are the kind of people who are gonna be with you in Jannah.

But at the same time, someone can ask that what about a husband or a wife when they have grudges, when they have hate, what about all that? Will that not happen in Jannah? Allah answers that question in Surah Al-Hijr. He says:

Allah will remove anything that is considered as hatred, jealousy, malice, anything that does exist within our hearts that is a cause of conflict between a husband and a wife, Allah will remove all that. And then we go into Jannah. So we enter into Jannah with clean hearts.

Understanding Human Nature

Now, the next thing, of course, people have always asked this question, that why is it there's so much emphasis on spouses in Jannah? And the reality is that it's a psychological matter. Because let me explain. If you ever ask a man that give me your most wild fantasy, like what is in the most wild imagination. Tell me what is the most perfect life that you can possibly imagine. Somewhere, some place, there is a woman involved. Somewhere, some place, there is a woman involved.

That's why Allah says in Surah Al-Imran:

The very first thing that Allah mentions is nisa, women to men. So Allah mentions this. So this is Allah's way of encouraging.

But at the same time, women like to be in charge too. You know when you have a woman, when she gets married, and she has children, and she raises all these children, and especially they're mostly boys. And then now all these boys are getting married, and they're bringing all their wives, or the bahus in the house. The very well-known stories of the bahus and the saas. The saas, the mother-in-law, she asserts her dominance. "I'm the one who's in charge here. You've taken my son. I was the only woman in his life. Now another woman has come into his life." There's some jealousy there at times. But then the saas asserts her dominance - "I'm the one who's in charge." And anyone who questions my authority will receive my wrath. Now every single family, that wrath looks different. But that woman, she wants that assertiveness and her authority.

So Allah is saying that the queen, the one who's in charge of all those other ladies in Jannah is who? Is the woman. And if you ask any woman just like I said, if you ask a man, what is in his most wildest imagination? If you ask a woman, what is involved or what were the components when it comes to the most wild imagination of her? Usually a man is not involved in that. It's not usually a man. It is materialism. "I want a big house. I want this. I want that."

So that's why Allah repeatedly in the Quran, He talks about these kind of things. How easy your life will be. He talks about that, how she will be in charge. When you talk about all these verses of the Quran that how big these palaces of Jannah are going to be. For the man, it's okay. As long as he has a very beautiful wife, that is the most important thing. That's why Allah emphasizes on this over and over again. So Jannah is for both. This idea that Jannah is only for the men and not for the women, no, that's not true. So that's why Allah says:

A Glimpse of Paradise

Let me give you another example. You know when you see these commercials of those romantic getaways? You want to go to paradise. And what's the definition of paradise? This worldly paradise. What's the definition? It's a beach. You have, you can sit down or you can lie down on your hammock and there's a shade there and you're sipping on a pina colada. And you have fruits around you and you don't have to do anything. You escape from all your worries and your miseries in this dunya. You could be sitting on a $100,000 debt but when you're lying down in that hammock, you forget about everything, all the problems that you have. And it's a brief and momentary escape from the worldly miseries is very temporary.

Now, Allah is giving us some kind of a picture like that. هُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُمْ - you are gonna be, and because all these romantic getaways, like if you go, what's the most amazing romantic getaway that they always keep on hyping up? Maldives. And all these other places. Your own personal pool, you have a slide that goes all the way into the water and you have all your servants, you can just order whatever you want, you don't have to do anything, it's paradise on earth.

Allah says, هُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُمْ - first of all, you'll be with your spouse. There's no hatred, malice, jealousy, nothing like that. Then you're with these people that brings sukoon to your life, peace and happiness in your life. And then فِي ظِلَالٍ, a shade. And then what are you doing in that shade? عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ مُتَّكِئُونَ - you're just lying down and you are enjoying life.

Allah is giving us a glimpse. Now this Jannah, what they call Jannah here on paradise on earth, Allah can destroy this paradise in no time. Allah is telling us that this is a place that when you go to this paradise, there's never an ending to this paradise. May Allah grant us that paradise.

The Fruits and Pleasures of Jannah

So Allah, He tells us all this. Then He says:

And therein, there is fruit. فَاكِهَةٌ here is in the common sense - in the common noun. There's a common noun and there's a proper noun. This is common noun. It means that all types of fruits. There is no end to all these fruits. Whatever fruit you want, there is going to be there available for you.

وَلَهُمْ مَا يَدَّعُونَ - and whatever they request. Imagine not even moving and you have servants bringing this, bringing that. And there is no shortage of food. There is no shortage of anything that you want over there. You order it and it happens. You want it and it comes right before you.

Whatever your heart desires, that is what you will get. I had a kid who came to me one time and he says, "I heard that if you say SubhanAllah, Allah will give you a tree." You've heard this before. And I said, "Yeah." He goes, "I don't want a tree. Why would I want so many trees? I want a place where I can have fun. I'm going to run around the tree over and over again."

So I explained to him that the reason why the Prophet ﷺ said or he gave this example of the trees is because he was talking to people who were farmers, people who were in the business of agriculture. For them, trees is something amazing. So that's why the Prophet ﷺ in order to motivate them, he said, "If you say SubhanAllah, Allah will plant a tree for you." But I told him, if you don't want trees, you don't have to have trees. I told him then this ayah, وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنفُسُكُمْ - whatever your heart desires, Allah will give you that in Jannah. He walked away really happy after that. So this is what Allah says in the Qur'an.

The Crown Jewel: Allah's Salam

And then He says:

This is the crown jewel of the entire Jannah scene. سَلَامٌ - Allah is saying salam. This is Allah saying assalamu alaikum to you.

And not only that, in most places in the Qur'an when Allah talks about Jannah, He usually brings the word salam. For example:

Salam - first you come in this Jannah, it is peaceful. And then amine - you're safe here. There is nothing for you to worry about in this dunya. You have to worry about so many different things. In this place, there are no bills, there is no worry about getting old, there is no worry about medication, there is no worry about doctors, there is nothing to be worried about. This is what Allah is saying, سَلَامٌ.

In Surah Az-Zumar, Allah says:

Good tidings to you. Stay in this place forever.

The fact that Allah also mentions مِن رَّبٍّ - there's two things here, رَبٍّ and رَّحِيمٍ. The word رَبٍّ here is crucial. Why? Because it is that Allah who created us, sustained us, guided us, forgave us in the akhira, had mercy upon us. And that is why we are in Jannah. And that is why He says مِن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ - because without Allah's mercy we cannot go into Jannah. And that is why we always ask Allah for His mercy. May Allah grant us His mercy in the akhira.

The Separation of the Wrongdoers

Then comes the next part. And we're gonna finish on this part inshaAllah. Allah talks about the people of Jannah. Now He talks about the people of Jahannam:

He will then say that separate everyone today. All you criminals, all you wrongdoers, separate today.

I want you to picture the scene of the Day of Judgment. Every single person from the time of Adam all the way to the last person. You go for hajj and you're like this is just way too many people. Can you imagine the akhira from the time of Adam until the last person. And all these criminals and wrongdoers they will see the reality and they will know they are the wrongdoers. And they will try to hide on the Day of Judgment. They will try to stand behind others. They will try to conceal themselves.

Allah is saying وَامْتَازُوا الْيَوْمَ أَيُّهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ - I know where all of you are. Separate, separate, separate. The fact that even Allah mentioned this, there are some ulama they say that this implies that the angels will come and drag these people out from everyone else. Because they will try to hide. Allah will drag them out.

وَامْتَازُوا الْيَوْمَ أَيُّهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ - in this dunya, you all were collected. You all were living together. The wrongdoers, the rightdoers. The person who is the truthful, the person who is the liar. The person who falsifies information, the person who says the truth. There is good people, there are bad people. In this dunya they all were living together. They were in the same city, going to the same masjid perhaps. In the same community, same society, same country. But in the akhirah, they all are gonna be separated.

And then Allah will say:

Did I not tell you, O son of Adam, because now everyone is there, that do not obey, do not worship shaitan. By the way, worshiping shaitan does not only necessarily mean that you do sajda to Iblis. It also implies that you obey him, you follow his footsteps, you follow his path, you follow his whispers. All of that is in the word أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ that do not follow him, do not obey him.

He is a clear enemy. He is indeed a clear enemy. And then Allah says:

So Allah says in the previous ayah that I told you not to worship shaitan because he is a clear enemy. But who should you worship? وَأَنِ اعْبُدُونِي That you worship me, you worship Allah. And then He says, هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ The fact that the word هَٰذَا, هَٰذَا means this, ذَٰلِكَ means that, اسم إشارة قريب واسم إشارة بعيد The fact that Allah is saying هَٰذَا and He is talking about صراط المستقيم it implies that this right path is right there in front of us. It's right there clear, as clear as light of day. But it is those people that their arrogance, go back to the beginning of the surah:

They allow their arrogance to get the best of them. That is why Allah is saying that this right path is right there in front of you but you did not obey. هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ This is the right path.

This is a question I get a lot. And had He already led astray from among you much of creation. A lot of people ask me this question, especially the youth. That if Islam is the correct religion, why are still majority of the people on the face of the earth, why don't they believe in Allah? And this is because the fact that Allah said, وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنكُمْ جِبِلًّا The word جِبِلًّا, the root letters of جِبِلًّا is جيم, با, and لام. What are the root letters of the mountain? You know the word mountain, how do you say mountain in Arabic? جِبَال or جَبَل, right? So جَبَل and جِبَال is plural. So جيم, با, لام. Allah is saying, وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنكُمْ جِبِلًّا كَثِيرًا Majority of the creation is going to be misguided. Majority of the creation is going to be misguided. But just because majority is doing something that is wrong, does not make it right. Even today when you see people in society say, it's normal in society. Just because something is normal in society, does not make it right. That's why Allah says so beautifully, wallahi, such an amazing ayah:

Just because the khabith and that filth and that impure behavior seems so delightful, seems so appealing, does not make it right. وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنكُمْ جِبِلًّا كَثِيرًا

Don't you think, don't you understand and use your aql that Allah has given you? He says:

This is the fire of Jahannam which you were promised. Why promised? Because Allah tells us. See, the Quran is there as a warner of what is coming forward. That's why the Prophet ﷺ he was referred to as what? بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا He's given the glad tidings that if you obey Allah, Allah will give you Jannah, Allah will give you Paradise. But I'm warning you, just because you have not seen Allah does not mean that Allah does not exist. Just because you have not seen the akhirah does not mean that the akhirah does not exist. Just because you have not seen the punishment of the grave does not mean that the punishment of the grave does not exist. All these things they do exist because people said, if I have not seen it, how can I believe it? If you have not seen the akhirah, how can we believe it? That's why the Prophet ﷺ is warning these people, this is going to come. And I'm telling you, this will happen to you. هَٰذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ You were told about this, you were promised about this, yet you did not turn away from your old habits.

This is the last ayah of today. Allah says, اصْلَوْهَا الْيَوْمَ You know, in the Arabic language the word اصْلَوْهَا could mean two things. That you know when one person does not want to do something, like if you look at all these arrests are taking place and you see around the nation. When even a person is crying and screaming and they're trying to resist, what do they do? They slam them on the ground and they're handcuffing them and they're pulling them, dragging them across the ground, across the floor. Very inhumane behavior. Allah is saying, اصْلَوْهَا الْيَوْمَ That on this day, on this day. And why did Allah say this day? Like الْيَوْمَ, الْيَوْمَ means what? Today, right? In Arabic, the word الْيَوْمَ means today. Allah is saying that is as if it's so reality, as if it's happening today. اصْلَوْهَا الْيَوْمَ These people are gonna be dragged, no matter how much they're resisting. You know why? Because they see the fire of Jahannam and the angels are telling them, let's go. And now they're resisting. These people are gonna be dragged on the ground. اصْلَوْهَا الْيَوْمَ They're gonna be dragged against their will, by force. اصْلَوْهَا الْيَوْمَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ As a result of what you did, as a result of your kufr. And why does Allah say this over and over again? بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ Why? Because again Allah is saying, I'm not the one.

No person is gonna be done wrong today. If you are being thrown into fire of Jahannam, it's because of what you did. It's because of your actions, not because Allah just decided. You brought this upon yourself. You know what they say? You reap what you sow. You reap what you sow. This is exactly what it is. اصْلَوْهَا الْيَوْمَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ

Now Allah is talking about this next stage of the akhirah which is about accountability. We'll talk about this. This is where Allah talks about that how their limbs are gonna testify against them. We'll talk about this inshaAllah next week. May Allah make us from the people of Jannah. May Allah grant us Jannah and make us from amongst those that we will not be held accountable. As we know that the Prophet ﷺ says that there are so many people who will enter Jannah without any accountability. I ask Allah on this night of the 15th of Shaban, may Allah make us from amongst those who will enter into Jannah with our families without any accountability. Ameen.