Paradise is closer than your bootlaces

In a very famous Hadith, narrated by Imam Bukhari, our Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, draws our attention to a very important concept that we all tend to disregard in our lives. The hadith says: ‘The Paradise is closer to you than your bootlaces and so is the Hellfire.’

The purpose of Allah’s guidance in this world is to encourage our belief in Him, recognise His infinite mercy, to find our own paths to His Paradise and avoid the errors that lead us into Hellfire.

It is a very concise and meaningful guidance for us all. Unfortunately we sometimes regard the smallest of good acts as unimportant and similarly disregard the smallest acts of wrongdoing, thinking that neither will have any impact on our lives.

However, Islam encourages all men to do good and whether we recognise it or not, no act of goodness, however small, goes to waste in the sight of Allah. Islam also warns people to avoid wrongdoing and even if such acts appear trivial or are regarded as negligible in the eyes of men, everything is accountable in the Law of accountability by Allah.

The Quran puts this rule of accountability and recompense in these words: ‘So, whoever does an atom’s weight of good shall see it. And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil shall see it’. S99 V7-8

This rule applies equally to our life in this world and to the life in the Hereafter.

Ibn al-Jawzi, commenting on the Hadith says: ‘The hadith explains that attaining the Paradise is easier when the intention is purer and the purpose is to obey Allah. In the same way, the path to the Hellfire gets easier if we choose to follow our vain desires and disobey Allah’.

Life offers many opportunities for us, whether we offer goodness to people or we limit our ability to be charitable to others with an intention of pleasing Allah and getting rewarded by Him. Indeed, life is described in the Quran as a continual trial as to whether we are seekers of goodness or we pursue a path of evil and wrongdoing.

The Quran says: ‘Every living being shall taste death and We shall subject you to ill and good by way of trial, and to Us shall all of you be eventually sent back.’ S21 V35

People are placed on this earth to make personal choices as to the manner in which they wish to live their lives. Some of the decisions we take will affect not only the person making them but will affect the lives of others as well.

The Quran further says: ‘Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion of the universe, and Who has power over everything; Who created death and life that He might try you as to which of you is better in deed, He is the Most Mighty, Most Forgiving’.

Many of us appear to be oblivious, most of the time, to the effects of our own actions on our daily lives, but even worse, some of us fail to recognise the consequences of our actions, large or small, on the Day of Judgment and on our life in the Hereafter.

In a hadith, authenticated by Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet Mohammad said: ‘There is no one from amongst you but your Lord will speak to him, without having any interpreter between you. He would look to his right side and all he would see is what he has sent forth, and would look to his left side and all that he would see is what he had sent forth. And he would look in front of him and all that he would see is hellfire in front of him. So save yourselves from the hellfire even be it by a piece of a date, and if anyone doesn’t find a piece of a date then by  (speaking) ‘good word’.

The advice from the Prophet is to take every opportunity to safeguard oneself from the Hellfire, even by donating a small piece of date, not even a whole date, as such a small act of charity will help people to enter Paradise and be saved from the Hellfire. The Prophet further elaborated the point by saying if a person is deprived of a piece of date he should speak a good word, a word that is comforting, reassuring, respectful, raising the morale of a person. A good word has a positive impact and provides a nurturing factor in the life of a suffering person.

Hafiz ibn Al-Hajr says: The hadith encourages charitable deeds, be it large or small, and no one should ever look down on his charity as the smallest act of charity could save the charitable person from the Hellfire’. 

Charity is not just the distribution of wealth. Indeed, Islam equates the charity by wealth with the charity of good words and both are rewarded by Allah. A good word creates happiness and hope in the hearts of people. It can change their life for the better and in turn may create a chain of life changing events for many other people.

Islam is keen that we take every opportunity to earn rewards from Allah and no one should look down on even the smallest act of goodness. We should continually look for opportunities in the society in which we live or within the circle of our own family and friends when seeking to offer our assistance to others.

Islam also directs us to avoid all negativity in our lives and abstain from any idleness that bears no goodness. An evil deed results in an evil outcome no matter how insignificant that deed might appear. We all should cultivate a positive mindset, embracing the service of Allah and humanity, becoming more aware and alert as to the consequences of our actions and deeds and to what we can offer and contribute to the lives of others. The hadith affirms that Paradise is as close to us as our bootlaces. It also forewarns us that the Hellfire is just as close!  It is our duty to be aware and alert in everything we do.