A Treasure of Paradise

PARADISE IS FULL OF JOY. We will never be able to comprehend what Allah prepared for his servants there. "... in it is what an eye never saw, what an ear never heard, and what never came to a any human's mind." The Prophet said in one of his Hadith. Therefore, Allah describes it in the Quraan and the Prophet describes it in the Hadith with things that we understand. Properties, trees, palaces, soil, pebbles, couches, beds, fruits, fountains, rivers, gold trays, gold cups, and silver bracelets are examples of such a description.
But what really amazes me is when Allah relates things we do in this life with certain types of pleasure in Paradise (I will have a separate blog for that). I would like you to think of a place full of pearls, palaces, gold and silver and suddenly someone (in this place) is telling you that he found a treasure. What kind of treasure it will be? "Everything is so valuable. It must be something really worthy." You will tell yourself. Here is one of these treasures. "Do you want me to tell you about a treasure from the treasures of Paradise?" The prophet asked Abu Hurairah, one of his great companions. "To say la hawla wa la qowata illa bellah. (There is neither might nor power but with Allah)." The prophet answered. I though, "How is that a treasure? Why is it a treasure? What does this word bring to one's life to make him able to get such a treasure?"
I came across a beautiful saying of Ibn Al-Qaiyem, one of the great scholars of Islam in his best of a kind book, Madarij Assalikeen, in which is described our deen as two things, 1) obedience and 2) seeking Allah's help (3ebadah and isti3anah). Here is how I describe it in a few points

1. Our purpose in this life is to obey Allah and live according to the guidance he sent us. (Obedience - 3ebadah)
2. It is not always easy to do so.
3. Our ability, power, and might is so limited.
4. If we rely on it, we might fail.
5. If we move from our might to Allah's might (isti3anah - seeking help)
6. He will support us and help us.
7. We will succeed and achieve.
8. We will be able to do things we never dreamed of doing.
9. The more we are obedient (3ibadah), the more support we get (isti3anah). The more support, the more obedience, and so forth.
10. We go to Paradise and guess what is waiting for you there? A treasure!

Now I understood clearly why the core of our deen, the core of our prayer, and the core of the Quraan is this beautiful verse that we repeat at least 17 times a day "إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين" "It is you whom we worship and it is you whom we seek help."

Let us keep saying it "la hawla wa la qowata illa bellah."