The Ultimate Prize of Allah Almighty

بِسْــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِالرَّحْمَنِ اارَّحِيم

In Ayah No. 12 of Surah Mulk, Allah Almighty tells believers that after his forgiveness, they will receive a great reward from him. This reward is referred to as “Wa Ajarun Kabir.” But what is this great reward (Ultimate Prize of Allah Almighty) that Allah Almighty is talking about?

We learn from Surah Yasin, that the greatest reward given by Allah (SWT) to those who enter Jannah is his salaam, when he lifts his veil and reveals himself for the first time.

The Ultimate Prize of Allah Almighty

“Salaam un Qaulan Mir Rabbir Rahim” (They will be greeted with the word peace) from the lord of mercy [Allah] (The Quran 36:58). What a blessed moment that would be! On the day of increase, when Allah Almighty lifts his veil, it is interesting to note how the concepts of “Ghaib” and love are tied to “Ajar.”

In the duniya, Allah Almighty is the “Al-Ghaib” (the unseen), and it is out of his love and mercy for us that he has veiled himself from us.

If he were to reveal himself to us, we would be destroyed by the very rays of his light. Hazrat Musa (AS) requested Allah Almighty to reveal himself to him, and we all know what happened. The mountains on which Allah’s light shone got destroyed, and Musa (As) was almost killed as well.

But in Jannah, as per Allah’s promise and love for its worthy inhabitants, the will will be removed—the best reward ever to be expected for anyone! I would like to draw your attention to a famous Hadith in which it was reported that Hazrat Gibraeel (AS) came to Rasool Allah Almighty in the form of a man and asked him to describe what Islam, Eemaan, and Ihsaan are.

The interesting thing about his Hadith is that we all know what Islam and Eemaan are, the former being the five pillars of Islam and the latter being the articles of faith.

But it begs the question: why did Gibreel (AS) equate Ihsaan with the other two? What is Ihsaan, and why was Gibraeel (AS) giving it so much importance? Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم beautifully described Ihsaan as:

“To worship Allah as if you see him, and if you do not see him, He sees you.”

For the believer, practicing Islam is at a basic level, as these are tangible things that we do as we are commanded to perform them. Eeman is at the highest level, as it requires belief in all that we cannot or have not seen. Ihsaan, on the other hand, is at the highest level, the soul level, as we have been asked to visualize Allah Almighty in everything we do.

This level ties in all the teachings of our Deen: Tauheed, Taqwa, Tawakkul, Ikhlas, Haya, Shukr, Sabr, and many others. All our deeds toward others will encompass these fundamental teachings. The Hadith mentioned earlier essentially tells us that Ihsaan is a virtuous component of our “Deen” [way of life as prescribed by Allah Almighty and his Rasool (SAW)], and the Deen is incomplete without it. So, imagine the ultimate rewards from Allah (SWT).

Although he has veiled himself from us in the Duniya, we can at least try to visualize being mindful of being in his worship at all times, in every action performed.

This high status, when achieved allows us to die before dying, experiencing annihilation in Allah Almighty (Fana’ Fillah). This is the final stage on the journey of Return to Allah (SWT), where the lover is annihilated and absorbed into the being of the Beloved.

This is the ultimate prize, as we can then see Allah Almighty through the highest level of Ihsaan in the Duniya.

Also Read:

• What are the concepts of critical thinking in Surah Mulk?
• The Reflections of Aziz and Ghafoor in Surah Mulk
• What is the Concept of Death and Life in Surah Mulk?

Let us try to bring the essence of Ihsaan into our daily lives. Imagine how much Allah Almighty love us when we have faith in him as the Unseen.

In a hadith reported by the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, he (SAW) loves those believers who believe in him (SAW) and his message after his death more than this own companions who were far more devout followers. This is because you and I have not seen Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, but we hear and obey (The Quran- Surah Noor 24:51).

Conclusion

If Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم holds us in a higher rank, imagine the daraja (Level). Allah Almighty may put us in if we do righteous and believe in him, even though we cannot physically see him. Let us try to achieve this ultimate prize in our lifetime.

Let us strive towards it. Let the saleh in us become ever so persistent in trying. Let us not wait for the anticipation of Allah’s salaam There; Let us try our best to receive it here. Let us try, really try. Aameen.

As our famous poet and philosopher Allama Iqbal once said:

“Elevate thyself to such heights, that before every decree God himself shall ask, What is thy Wish?”