What will we do in paradise? What is Rai? In what houses do they live in paradise

In 1999, the Miramax film company presented the comedy film Dogma to the general public. The plot of this picture is built around two fallen angels, Loki and Bartleby, expelled by God from paradise. And this couple lives on earth among people and dreams of forgiveness and return to the Garden of Eden. According to the plot, apostates find a technical loophole among various church dogmas, allowing them to become sinless again. After that, they should have died immediately - then they automatically go to heaven. And now the angels go all out in order to fulfill their dream. This comedy film touches upon a question that worries many people, although not everyone can admit it even to themselves: “How to get to heaven?” Today we will try to understand this, despite the fact that this topic is, so to speak, in the department of faith and religion. To date, science has not been able to provide evidence of the existence of paradise, however, as well as evidence of its absence. Well, let's hit the road...

What is "paradise"?

We propose to begin our study with an analysis of the concept itself. If you delve into this topic, you can see that paradise is different. And in each religion, the vision of this place is completely different, each denomination describes it in its own way. For example, the main book of Christianity, the Bible, gives us the following information about it: this word refers to the Garden of Eden, which was home to Adam and Eve, the progenitors of mankind. The life of the first people in paradise was simple and carefree, they knew neither disease nor death. One day they disobeyed God and succumbed to temptation. The immediate expulsion of people from paradise followed. According to the prophecies, it will be restored, people will live in it again. The Bible states that paradise was originally created on earth, so Christians believe that it will be restored there as well. Now only the righteous can get there, and even then only after death.

What does the Quran say about paradise? In Islam, this is also a garden (Jannat), in which the righteous will live after the Day of Judgment. The Qur'an describes this place in detail, its levels and features.

In Judaism, everything is somewhat more complicated, however, after reading the Talmud, Midrash and the Zohar, one can conclude that paradise for the Jews is here and now, it was given to them by Jehovah.

In general, each religion has its own idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe "cherished garden". One thing remains unchanged. No matter what object is considered, whether it is the Buddhist Nirvana or the Scandinavian Valhalla, paradise is perceived as a place where eternal bliss reigns, bestowed after death. Probably, it makes no sense to delve into the beliefs of African or Australian natives - they are too alien to us, and therefore we will limit ourselves to the largest religious denominations. And let's move on to the main topic of our article: "How to get to heaven?"

Christianity and Islam

With these religions, everything is more or less clear: lead a righteous life, that is, live according to the commandments of God, and after death your soul will go to the “cherished garden”. However, for those who do not want to limit their freedom and are looking for easier ways, there are so-called loopholes to avoid the hellfire. True, there are some nuances here. A very striking example is jihad in Islam - diligence on the path to Allah. IN Lately this concept is associated with armed struggle and self-sacrifice, although it is much broader and is a struggle with one's social or spiritual vices. We will consider a special case of jihad advertised by the media, namely suicide bombers. World news feeds are full of reports of suicide bombings around the world. Who are they and why do they decide to take such actions? It is worth thinking about whether these people are doing a charitable deed or are they victims of behind-the-scenes manipulators who do not hesitate to shed other people's blood in the struggle for power? After all, as a rule, it is not enemy soldiers who suffer from the actions of suicide bombers, but civilians. So their actions can at least be called doubtful, the murder of women and children is not a fight against vices, but a violation of the main commandment of God - do not kill. By the way, in Islam killing is also not welcome, as in Christianity. On the other hand, history remembers the wars committed in the name of God: the Church blessed the crusaders, the Pope personally sent the soldiers on their bloody campaign. So the actions of Islamic terrorists can be understood, but cannot be justified. Murder is murder, no matter for what purpose it is committed.

Incidentally, in Orthodox Christianity military service It is also considered a charitable deed, however, it concerns the protection of the Russian land from an external enemy. And in the distant past, and today, priests blessed the soldiers going on a campaign; there are many cases when church ministers themselves took up arms and went to war. It is difficult to say unequivocally whether a soldier who died in battle will go to heaven or not, whether all his sins will be written off from him or, on the contrary, they will be pulled down into hellfire. So this method can hardly be called a ticket to the Garden of Eden. Let's try to find other, more reliable methods.

Indulgence

How do people get to heaven? In the first half of the 13th century, Hugh Saint-Chersky in his writings developed the theological justification for indulgence, recognized a hundred years later by Pope Clement VI. Many sinners of that time perked up, because they had a great chance to get rid of their sins that stood in the way of eternal bliss. What is meant by this concept? Indulgence is a liberation from temporary punishment for committed sins, of which a person has already repented, and the guilt for them has already been forgiven in the sacrament of confession. It can be either partial or complete. A believer can receive an indulgence for himself or for the deceased. According to Catholic teaching, complete forgiveness is possible only if specific requirements are met: confession, communion, it was necessary to pray in the intention of the Pope, and also to perform a number of certain actions (testimony of faith, ministry of mercy, pilgrimage, etc.). The Church later compiled a list of "super-due good deeds" that allowed indulgences to be granted.

In the Middle Ages, the practice of issuing forgiveness often led to significant abuses, which can be characterized by the modern concept of “corruption”. The furry hydra became so entangled that it served as an impetus for the reform movement. As a consequence, Pope Pius V in 1567 "closes shop" and forbids the issuance of pardons for any financial settlements. The modern procedure for granting them is regulated by the document "Guide to indulgences", which was released in 1968 and supplemented in 1999. For those who wonder: "How to get to heaven?" it should be understood that this method can only work if you are on your deathbed (so you will not have time to sin again). Although a person often manages to make unforgivable mistakes in his dying state.

sacrament of baptism

How to get to heaven? This can help. The fact is that, according to Christian teaching, during this ceremony, the human soul is freed from all sins. True, this method is not suitable for the bulk, because a person can go through it only once, and in most cases parents baptize their children in infancy. Only representatives of the royal dynasty underwent the ceremony twice, and then only at the coronation. So, if you are already baptized and do not belong to the royal family, then this method is not for you. Otherwise, you have a chance to get rid of all your sins, but just don’t fall into all serious troubles and finally do something that you will later be ashamed to tell your grandchildren about. By the way, some representatives of Judaism prefer to accept Christianity in old age. So, just in case, because - according to their belief - paradise is here on Earth, but what will happen after death? So you can insure yourself, and at the end of your earthly existence, go over to another camp and secure eternal bliss already in the Christian paradise. But, as you can see, this path is available only to the elite.

Egyptian, Tibetan and Mesoamerican "Books of the Dead"

How does the soul get to heaven? Few people know, but for this there are exact instructions that serve as a guide for the deceased in the afterlife. Many people have heard of them, Hollywood has made several films about these treatises, and yet almost no one is familiar with their content. But in ancient times they were studied with great zeal by both noble people and servants. In fact, from the standpoint of a modern person, The Book of the Dead resembles a computer game like a quest. It describes step by step all the actions of the deceased, indicates who is waiting for him at one or another level of the underworld, and what needs to be given to the servants of the underworld. The yellow press is full of interviews with survivors. People who have seen heaven and hell talk about their feelings and experiences about this. But few people know that the studies of these visions, conducted by R. Moody, showed a colossal coincidence of such narratives with what the “Books of the Dead” describe, or rather, those parts of them that are devoted to the initial moments of posthumous existence. However, all “returnees” reach a certain stage, the so-called point of no return, and they cannot say anything about the further path. But the ancient texts speak, and in great detail. And the question immediately arises: how did the ancient civilizations that lived on different continents know about this? After all, the content of the texts is almost identical, there are minor differences in details, names, but the essence remains the same. Either it can be assumed that all the "Books of the Dead" were rewritten from one, more ancient source, or this is knowledge given to people by the gods, and everything that is written there is true. After all, people who have “seen paradise” (survived clinical death) are talking about the same thing, although most of them have never read these manuscripts.

Ancient knowledge and equipment of the deceased

IN Ancient Egypt the priests prepared and trained the citizens of their country for the afterlife. In what way? During his lifetime, a man studied “magical techniques and formulas” that helped the soul overcome obstacles and defeat monsters. In the grave of the deceased, relatives always put items that he would need in the afterlife. For example, it was necessary to leave two coins - this is a payment to the boatman for transportation across the river of death. People who "have seen paradise" often mention that they met dead friends there, good acquaintances or relatives who helped them with advice. And this is easily explained by the fact that modern man knows nothing about the afterlife, because they don’t talk about it at school, you won’t get such information at institutes either. In the church, the priests will not help you much either. What remains? This is where people close to you appear who care about your fate.

court of the gods

Almost all religions say that after death a person will be judged, where all the good and evil deeds of the defendant will be compared, weighed, as a result of which his future fate will be decided. Such a judgment is also spoken of in the Books of the Dead. The soul, wandering in the afterlife, having passed all the trials, at the end of the path meets with the supreme King and judge Osiris, who is sitting on the throne. A person must address him with a certain ritual phrase in which he lists how he lived and whether he followed the commandments of God throughout his life. According to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the soul, after turning to Osiris, had to justify itself for each of its sins before the other 42 gods responsible for certain sins. However, no words of the deceased could save him. The main god placed a feather, which is a symbol (truth, justice, world order, truth), on one side of the scales, and the heart of the defendant on the second. If it outweighed the feather, it meant that it was full of sins. And such a person was devoured by the monster Amait.

If the scales remained in balance, or the heart turned out to be lighter than a feather, then a meeting with loved ones and relatives, as well as “eternal bliss”, awaited the soul. People who saw heaven and hell never described the court of the gods, and this is understandable, because it is beyond the “point of no return”, so one can only guess about the reliability of this information. But we should not forget that most religious denominations speak about such an “event”.

And what do people do in paradise?

Oddly enough, few people think about it. According to the Bible, Adam (the first person in paradise) lived in the Garden of Eden and did not know any worries, he was not familiar with illnesses, physical labor, he did not even need to use clothes, which means that the climatic conditions there were quite comfortable. That's all, nothing more is known about his stay in this place. But this is a description of an earthly paradise, and as for heaven, even less is known about it. Scandinavian Valhalla and Islamic Jannat promise the righteous eternal bliss, they will be surrounded by full-breasted beauties, and wine will pour into their goblets, the Koran tells that the goblets will be filled with eternally young boys with bowls. The righteous will be spared the torment of a hangover, they will be all right with male power. Here is such an idyll, however, the status of boys and buxom beauties is not clear. Who are they? Deserving paradise or exiled here as a punishment for past sins? Somehow it's not entirely clear.

Slaves of the gods

The Books of the Dead tell of a completely different idyll. In accordance with these ancient treatises, "eternal bliss" comes down only to the fact that there are no crop failures, and, accordingly, hunger and wars. People in paradise, as in life, continue to work for the good of the gods. That is, man is a slave. This is evidenced by the books of both the Mesoamerican Indians and the ancient Egyptians, and, of course, the Tibetan manuscript. But among the ancient Sumerians, the ideal picture of the afterlife looks much gloomier. Having crossed to the other side, the soul of the deceased passes through seven gates and enters a huge room in which there is neither drink nor food, but only muddy water and clay. Here begins the main afterlife torment. The only indulgence for her can be regular sacrifices, which will be carried out by living relatives. If the deceased was a lonely person or his relatives treated him badly and did not want to perform the ceremony, then a very bad fate awaits the soul: she leaves the dungeon and roams the world in the form of a hungry ghost and harms everyone she meets. This is the idea of ​​the afterlife among the ancient Sumerians, but the beginning of their works also coincides with the "Books of the Dead". Unfortunately, people who "were in paradise" are not able to lift the veil over what is beyond the "point of no return." Representatives of the main religious denominations are not able to do this either.

Pater Diy on religions

In Russia, there are many religious directions of the so-called pagan direction. One of these is the Old Russian Church of Orthodox Old Believers-Ynglings, whose leader is Khinevich A. Yu. In one of his video speeches, Pater Diy recalls the assignment received from his teacher-mentor. The essence of his “mission” was as follows: to find out from representatives of the main religious denominations what they know about hell and heaven. As a result of such surveys, Khinevich learns that Christian, Islamic, Jewish clergymen have comprehensive information about hell. They can name all its levels, dangers, trials awaiting a sinner, almost by name list all the monsters that will meet with a lost soul, and so on, so on, so on ... However, absolutely all the ministers with whom he had a chance to talk know amazingly little about heaven. They have only superficial information about the place of eternal bliss. Why is that? Khinevich himself draws the following conclusion: they say, whom they serve, they know about it ... We will not be so categorical in our judgments, and we will leave it to the reader. In this case, it would be appropriate to recall the words of the classic, the brilliant M. A. Bulgakov. In the novel The Master and Margarita, he puts into Woland's mouth the phrase that there are many theories regarding the afterlife. There is one among them, according to which each will be given according to his faith...

Is there enough space?

Various information resources often discuss topics related to the Garden of Eden. People are interested in various issues. And how can you get there, and how many people are in paradise, and much more. A couple of years ago, the whole world was in a fever: everyone was waiting for the “end of the world”, which was supposed to come in December 2012. In this regard, many predicted that the same “Judgment Day” was about to come, when God would descend to earth and punish all sinners, and grant eternal bliss to the righteous. And here the most interesting begins. How many people will go to heaven? Is there enough space for everyone? Or will everything happen as in the plans of the globalists who want to leave a "golden billion" on the planet? These and similar questions haunted many, making it difficult to sleep at night. However, the year 2013 came, the "end of the world" did not come, and the expectation of "Judgment Day" remained. Increasingly, Jehovah's Witnesses, evangelists, etc. turn to passers-by with a call to repent and let God into their souls, because soon all things will come to an end, and everyone must make their choice before it is too late.

Heaven on Earth

According to the Bible, the Garden of Eden was on Earth, and many theologians are sure that in the future it will also be restored to our planet. However, a reasonable person may ask: why wait for the Day of Judgment, maybe you can build a paradise on your own? Ask any fisherman who met the dawn with a fishing rod somewhere on a quiet lake: where is paradise? He will confidently answer that he is on Earth, here and now. Maybe you should not sit in a stuffy apartment? Try to go to the forest, to the river or to the mountains, wander in silence, listen to the birds singing, look for mushrooms, berries - and, quite possibly, you will discover this "eternal bliss" during your lifetime. However, a person is arranged in such a way that he always waits for a miracle ... Like, some kind uncle will appear and solve all his problems - he will wean sluts from throwing garbage past the trash can, rude people - to swear, boors - to park in the wrong place, corrupt officials - to take bribes and so on Further. A person sits and waits, and life passes by, it cannot be returned ... Muslims have a parable called "The last person who entered paradise." It most accurately conveys the essence of human nature, which always remains dissatisfied with the true state of things. A person always remains unsatisfied, even if he gets what he dreams of. I wonder if he will be happy in paradise, or maybe some time will pass - and he will begin to be burdened by "eternal bliss", he will want something more? After all, Adam and Eve also could not resist the temptations. This should be something to think about...

"Terraria": how to get to heaven

Finally, this issue will also have to be covered, although it is difficult to tie it to the topic of the article. "Terraria" is computer game genre "sandbox" in the style of 2D-format. It features customizable characters, dynamic daytime changes, randomly generated worlds, the ability to deform terrain, and a crafting system. Many gamers are scratching their heads, asking a similar question: "Terraria": how to get to heaven? The fact is that in this project there are several biomes: "Jungle", "Ocean", "Land World", "Dungeon", "Hell", etc. In theory, "Paradise" should also exist, only can't find it. It is especially difficult for beginners. This is the biome that is torn out of the logical chain. Although experienced players claim that it exists. To get there, you need to craft the wings of the harpy and the spheres of power. You can get the necessary components near the "Floating Islands". These are areas of land floating in the air. Their appearance not much different from the ground surface: there are the same trees, resource deposits as on earth, and only lonely standing temple with a chest inside stands out from the rest of the landscape. Nearby, harpies will surely appear, dropping feathers we need so much, and other monsters. Be alert!

This is where we end our journey. Let's hope that the reader will find his way to "eternal bliss".

The Lord created the first people - Adam and Eve - perfect and sinless. He created them in His own image and likeness. That is, endowed with the properties that He Himself possesses: freedom, creativity, reason. The lot of the first people was holiness and heavenly bliss, and the meaning of life was the knowledge of God and becoming like Him.

The earthly paradise, or beautiful garden, in which God settled Adam and Eve, was located in the east of the earth and was called Eden.

The life of people in paradise was filled with joy. Their conscience was calm, their hearts were pure, their minds were bright. Their highest perfection consisted in moral innocence. The very thought of something unclean and sinful was alien to them. "And they were both naked, Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25).

They were not afraid of disease or death, they did not need clothing. Living in paradise, they used all its gifts and enjoyed all its joys. Eating the fruits of the Garden of Eden, especially the fruits of the "tree of life", they received bodily strength and health. And they were immortal.

There was no enmity among the animals: the strong did not touch the weak, everyone lived together and ate grass and plants. None of them was afraid of people, and everyone loved and obeyed them. But the highest happiness of Adam and Eve was in communion with God. The Lord appeared to them in paradise in a visible way, like a father to children, and talked with them.

This living, direct connection of man with God was the first and perfect religion of the human race. Our communion with the Lord is now what we call prayer.

God created people so that they would love Him and each other and enjoy the great joy of life in the love of God. Just like the Angels, He gave them complete freedom, without which there can be no love. So that Adam and Eve could show their freedom and establish themselves in goodness, God gave people a commandment. She forbade eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. "And the Lord God commanded the man, and said, Of every tree in the garden thou shalt eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for on the day that thou eatt of it, thou shalt die the death" (Gen. 2- 16.17).

Fulfilling this command, or desire of God, Adam and Eve showed their love for Him. Gradually, moving from obedience to an easy commandment to more complex ones, they would be strengthened in love and perfected in it. Adam and Eve gladly obeyed God. And in paradise in everything there was the will of God and God's order. Holy Scripture does not tell us how long the blessed life of the first people in Paradise lasted. But it aroused the malicious envy of the devil, who, having lost it himself, looked with hatred at the bliss of others. After the fall, envy and lust for evil became characteristics of his being. Every good, peace, order, innocence, obedience became hateful to him. Therefore, from the very first day of the appearance of man, the devil sought to terminate the grace-filled union of people with God and drag man along with him into eternal perdition. And so he appeared in paradise - in the form of a serpent, which "was more cunning than all the animals of the field" (Gen. 3, 1). An evil and deceitful spirit approached the woman and said to her: "Did God truly say: do not eat from any tree in paradise?" (Gen. 3:1). “No,” Eve answered the serpent, “we can eat fruits from all trees, only fruits from a tree that is in the middle of paradise, God said, do not eat or touch them, so that you do not die.” (Gen. 3, 2-3). Then the devil aroused distrust in God in the wife. He told her: "No, you will not die, but God knows that on the day you eat them, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5).

The serpent's seductive speech had an effect on Eve. She looked at the tree and saw that the tree was pleasing to the eye, good for food, and gave knowledge; and she wanted to know good and evil. She plucked the fruits from the forbidden tree and ate, "and gave also to her husband, and he ate" (Genesis 3:6).

The greatest revolution in the history of mankind has taken place - people have violated the commandment of God and have lost what the Lord so lovingly and generously endowed them with. Eternal and insatiable longing for the lost paradise, sorrows and death have now become their lot.

But the Lord is boundless and infinite, just as His mercy and love are infinite and boundless. The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who appeared in the world, again gave to man that which he had once rejected. He gave him the opportunity to communion with God, bliss and immortality. And now a person, curbing his will, which is more inclined to sin than to do good, overcoming the imperfection of the mind, which has lost its desire for divine things, can correct the evil that Adam committed in his life. And then he will gain much more than what our progenitor, expelled from paradise, lost - he will gain the everlasting and eternal Kingdom of Heaven.

What was man like in Paradise, and how did the biology of the exiled Adam change, as well as the physics of the universe?

Adam and Eve in Paradise. Image from liveinorthodoxy.com

By comparing the human and chimpanzee genomes, science draws conclusions about their evolutionary relationship. Religion says: the man was not, but BECAME like a monkey - after being expelled from Paradise.

Archpriest Oleg Mumrikov, theologian, biologist, lecturer at PSTGU and the Department of Biblical Studies of the MDAiS:

Optionally immortal

A person in Paradise was incorruptible, immortal, not in need of sensual food, not burning in fire, not drowning in water, and even with an inexhaustible potential for immortality and self-improvement, provided that he voluntarily followed the divine will, as the patristic tradition says.

Only the disobedience of Adam and Eve, despite the fact that God warned them about the possible danger, becomes the cause of the appearance of corruption and mortality.

It is interesting that even in antiquity there were writers who spoke about the perfection of the first people, for example, Philo of Alexandria (1st century) in his treatise “On the Creation of the World”: “This first man born from the earth<…>arose, it seems to me, the best in both respects - body and soul, and in many respects differed from his descendants in terms of both. After all, he was truly beautiful and truly virtuous.<…>

Together with symmetry, He [the Creator - Fr. O. M.] put [in a person] and perfectly arranged flesh,<…>desiring that the first man in particular should look the fairest. It is clear that in regard to the soul, he was the best. After all, God, for its creation, apparently, did not use any other model from emerging entities, but only<…>With your own Logos. Therefore He says that man arose as the image and likeness of the Logos, which was given to him by inhalation through the face.

However, the immortality of man in Paradise was not necessary, "mandatory." What does it mean?

The early Christian apologist St. Theophilus of Antioch writes: “Man was created by nature neither mortal nor immortal. For if God had made him immortal at the beginning, he would have made him God; if, on the contrary, he created him mortal, then he himself would be the cause of his death.

So He made<…>him capable of both, so that if he strives for that which leads to immortality, fulfilling the commandment of God, he would receive immortality from Him as a reward for this and would become God; but if he turns away to the works of death, disobeying God, he himself would be the cause of his own death.” . We encounter similar thoughts in St. John Chrysostom, Blessed Augustine.

Adam. Fragment of an ivory panel from a casket with the story of Adam and Eve. 10 - 11 centuries, Constantinople. Image from wikipedia.org

Rev. Simeon New Theologian clarifies:

“Adam was created with an incorruptible body, however material, and not yet spiritual, and was appointed by the Creator God as an immortal king over the incorruptible world, and not only over paradise, but also over all creation that exists under heaven.”
According to St. Maximus the Confessor, the composition of the body of primitive man was "light and incorruptible", and therefore Adam "could not burden himself with the care of maintaining his sensual nourishment."

There is no contradiction here with Gen. 2:16 - « And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You shall eat of every tree in the garden. although Adam and Eve were created perfect spiritually and bodily, these are only the first degrees of perfection, open to further deification, spiritual growth and, as a result, spiritualization, transformation even of that imperishable, primordial bodily nature.

What is the Tree of Life?

Not what, but Who, and the paradise tree of Life, according to the patristic tradition, expressed, in particular, by the Byzantine theologian St. Nikita Stifat (XI century), is called

"God himself, the Creator of all...having...life, and bringing edible fruit only to those who are worthy of life, as not subject to death”, giving “indescribable sweetness to those who have a part in His divine communion and gives them from immortal life”.

A complete analogy of the Paradise tree from the book of Genesis, which nourishes the human race, we also meet in the Revelation of St. Apostle John the Theologian (Rev. 22:2, 14). Such an exalted interpretation, based, we note, on real spiritual experience, does not negate the literal-historical understanding, just as the most exalted understanding of the sacrament of the Eucharist, timeless "The Marriage Supper of the Lamb" does not cancel the material and space-time component of everything that surrounds him when committing Divine Liturgy in the temple.

Man is a macrocosm

Creation of Adam; Mosaic of the Cathedral in Montreal. 12th century Image from ruicon.ru

Man is more than once called the king of the universe in patristic tradition. In what sense? Adam was called to keep and cultivate paradise, and his descendants bear full responsibility for the created material world, which is a kind of continuation of the human corporeality.

The Monk Maximus the Confessor, reflecting on the Gospel text (John 19:23), which speaks of the division of the clothes of the crucified Savior by the soldiers, writes: The Lord, and how He is exposed because of our non-doing good, and the demons divide the passions through us to serve, as if [His] garments are His creature.<…>

If, in addition to what has been said, you wish to understand the world of incorporeal and intelligible essences as a tunic woven from above, and to think of nature as outer clothing, which Scripture divided into four parts, as into elements, then you will not sin against the truth. Of these two worlds, the body [the demons] destroyed by corruption, having received power against us in the transgression of the law of the commandment, but they did not tear the soul, as akin to the heavenly world.

Commenting on these words, patrologist prof. A.I. Sidorov remarks: “Rev. Maxim proceeds here from the idea of ​​man as a "microcosm", which is similar and closely related to the "macrocosm", consisting of the intelligible and sensual worlds corresponding to the human soul and body.

It is also interesting that a number of holy fathers (St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Simeon the New Theologian, St. Nikita Stifatus, St. Gregory Palamas) considered man as a "macrocosm" in relation to the world - "microcosm". This approach is due to the approach to man as to the image of God, placed in the "center of the universe" and responsible for the entrusted universe.

Paradise didn't rain and there were no hurricanes

"Paradise"; Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis. 1909 Image from wikipedia.org

Today, natural science states that the modern universe exists, completely obeying the so-called Second Law of Thermodynamics - the principle that establishes the dynamics and irreversibility of macroscopic processes characterized by entropy - a function of the state of systems that describes the free interconversion of various types of energy.

Simply put, the Second Law of Thermodynamics speaks of the "arrow of time", "fluidity" and "perishability" as ontological properties of the universe. But to what extent did the state of the surrounding cosmos correspond to the physical state of man before the fall?

Were animals and plants corruptible in the universe before the fall of man? Was there a time in paradise?

Turning to Holy Tradition, we can find a variety of patristic opinions on this issue. A number of fathers completely identify the state of man and the whole creation. St. Simeon the New Theologian teaches that “In the beginning, before God planted paradise and gave it to the primeval, in five days He arranged the earth and what is on it, and heaven and what is in it, and on the sixth day He created Adam and made him master and king of all visible creation.

Paradise didn't exist then. But this world was from God, as it were, a kind of paradise, although material and sensual. God gave him into the power of Adam and all his entourages, as the Divine Scripture says.<…>(Gen. 1:26-30). [after the fall of the forefathers] “God did not curse paradise<…>, but cursed only all the rest of the earth, which was also incorruptible and grew everything by itself, so that Adam would no longer have a life free from tedious labors and sweats.<…>

So, he who became corruptible and mortal because of the transgression of the commandment, in all justice it was necessary to live on the corruptible earth and eat corruptible food.<…>.

Then all the creatures, when they saw that Adam was expelled from paradise, no longer wanted to obey him, the criminal<…>But God<…>He restrained all these creatures by His strength, and in His goodness and goodness did not allow them to immediately rush against man, and commanded that the creature remained in subjection to him, and having become corruptible, served the corruptible man for whom it was created.

So that when a person is renewed again and becomes spiritual, incorruptible and immortal, all creation, subordinated by God to man in his work, will be freed from this work, renewed together with him and become incorruptible and, as it were, spiritual. All this was predetermined by the all-merciful God before the foundation of the world.”

Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) was of almost the same opinion:

“The earth, created, adorned, blessed by God, had no flaws. She was full of grace.

Now the earth appears to our eyes in a completely different form. We do not know her condition in holy virginity; we know her in a state of corruption and damnation, we know her already doomed to be burned;

it was created for eternity.

The God-inspired Writer of Genesis says that the earth, in its original state, did not need to be cultivated: it itself produced abundantly and of excellent value grain and other nutritious herbs, vegetables and fruits.

There was no change in the weather: it was always the same - the clearest and most favorable. There was no rain: the spring came out of the earth, and soldered her face.

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Paradise. 1530. Image from germany-art.com

Beasts and other animals were in perfect harmony with each other, eating vegetation (Gen. 1:30). The wrath of the Creator changed the earth. "Cursed is the earth in thy deeds"(Gen. 3:17), He said to the man who trampled on His commandment: and the taking away of the blessing from the earth immediately expressed itself in a diverse general disorder of it.

Winds whistled, storms raged, lightning flashed, thunder roared, rains, snows, hail, floods, an earthquake appeared.

Animals have lost obedience and love for man, who has lost obedience and love for God<…>leaving food that was originally intended for them, feeling changes in their very nature, which joined the curse that struck the earth, they rebelled against each other, began to devour each other.<…>

The destruction of the world has become a necessity: its destruction is a natural consequence of its mortal illness.<…>The small features of the original state of the earth, preserved for us by the book of Genesis, show what a huge, what a sad, incomprehensible change for us took place over the earth after the fall of man.

Was there a time in Paradise, or about the polyphony of the Holy Fathers

Studying more deeply the interpretive heritage, we also come across other patristic opinions in this area, and sometimes from the same authors.

Blessed Theodoret of Cyrrhus speaks of the initial creation of predatory animals by God with a twofold purpose: firstly, in anticipation of the fall of man (as well as the division of the primordial into two biological sexes); secondly, with a pedagogical goal, in order to “bring to the need to call on God to help oneself.”

Blessed Augustine also speaks of primordial mortality among animals: “God was pleased to carry this blessing [Gen. 1:22 – Fr. O. M.] to productivity, which is found in the succession of offspring, so that, being created weak and mortal, [animals] maintain their kind by birth by virtue of this very blessing.

St. Basil the Great in his “Conversations on the Six Days” especially touches on such inherent, fundamental properties of created matter, originally laid down by God, as dynamism and variability in time :

“And when it became necessary to add to the existing [intelligible world of incorporeal spirits – Fr. O. M.] and this world is mainly a school and a place for the formation of human souls, and then a seat for everything that is subject to birth and destruction;

then a succession of time, akin to the world and to the animals and plants in it, is produced, always hastening and flowing, and nowhere interrupting its flow.

Is not time such that in it the past has passed, the future has not yet come, but the present escapes the senses before it is known? And such is the nature of those who are in this world; it either increases or diminishes, and obviously has nothing fixed and permanent.

Therefore, the bodies of animals and plants, which are necessarily connected, as it were, with a certain stream, and are carried away by the movement leading to birth and destruction, it was fitting to be enclosed in the nature of time, which received properties akin to things that change.

The theological and philosophical understanding of the inseparable ontological unity of matter and space-time allows a deeper understanding of the fact of the reflection of ancestral sin on everyone world being, incl. on the primordial heavenly space-time, which were originally measures of improvement, and not decay in the pursuit of non-existence:

“This inheritance is ours, or our share ... i.e. what spoken about us from above destined or awarded... the lot of our weakness and our superiority, the gift of god-like creativity, is time-space" , notes Fr. Pavel Florensky.

Leather robes - clothes of death

"Creation of Eve", book miniature. 13th century, England. Image from wikipedia.org

The task of the first people was to transform the entire created world to a heavenly state, because. the deification of the cosmos is possible according to the Creator's plan only through man - the king of the universe, the bearer of the divine image and likeness.

“For a person in a state of original perfection, every point on the earth's surface could be a place of bliss, since it depended not on the external environment, but on the internal, spiritual state. At first, from the outside, paradise was centered around the Tree of Life.

But if a person refrained from sin and, multiplying, would spread throughout the earth, then indeed the whole earth would become for sinless people the same as paradise in Eden was for the primordial couple, ”wrote prof. Ya.A. Bogorodsky.

Growing in love involves sacrifice. The first lesson of such sacrifice was the commandment not to eat from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17).

But even in paradise, in his sinless, passionless state, man could not fulfill this commandment, and his fall into sin changed both him and the whole world around him.

Of particular importance for understanding how man and the world have changed are the biblical words: “And the Lord God made leather garments for Adam and his wife, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21).

Without denying their literal meaning, the fathers also pointed to a deep symbolic and ontological meaning:

dressing in leather robes after transgression of the divine commandment, a person takes on the “bestial nature”, his biological nature changes qualitatively, the body becomes mortal and perishable.

Saint Gregory the Theologian writes: “But when<…>a man tasted prematurely of the sweet fruit, and put on leather robes - heavy flesh, and became a corpse-bearer, because by death Christ put limits to sin; then he went out of paradise to the earth from which he was taken, and received a hard-working life as his inheritance ...

When, due to the envy of the devil and the deceitfulness of the woman, to which she herself was subjected as the weakest, and which she carried out as skillful in persuasion<…>, a man has forgotten the commandment given to him, and is overcome by a bitter taste: then through sin he becomes an exile, removed at the same time from the tree of life, and from paradise, and from God; clothed in leather robes (perhaps in the coarsest, mortal and opposing flesh), for the first time he knows his own shame, and hides from God.

Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. Fresco of the vestibule of the Refectory Church of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Image from stsl.ru

If St. John Chrysostom, as noted above, mainly adhered to the view that before the fall the whole world was incorruptible, then St. Gregory of Nyssa, following Basil the Great, defends the opinion of the incorruptibility and immortality of only one primordial man, who, after the fall, assimilated the perishable nature of animals, which is symbolically indicated by dressing him in leather vestments:

“So, since all that was mixed with human nature from the life of the dumb, before we did not exist until humanity fell into passion due to vice;<…>so then we will also put off this deadly and vile chiton, imposed on us from the skins of dumb animals (and when I hear about the skin, I think to understand the appearance of a dumb nature, in which we have clothed ourselves, having mastered with passion);

then everything that was in us from the skin of the dumb, we will overthrow from ourselves after taking off the chiton.

And what we have received from the skin of the dumb is carnal mixing, conception, birth, impurity, nipples, food, eruption, gradual coming to perfect age, maturity of age, old age, illness, death.<…>

For wrinkledness and corpulence of the body, leanness and fullness, and everything else that happens to the fluid nature of bodies, what do they have in common with life, which is alien to the fluid and transient pasture of real life?

St. Ephraim the Syrian, although he attaches more importance to the literal meaning (like St. John Chrysostom), however, does not ignore the symbolic side of Genesis. 3:21:

“These robes were either made from the skin of animals, or created again, because, according to Moses, the Lord created these robes and clothed Adam and Eve with them. It can be thought that the ancestors, having touched their girdles with their hands, found that they were clothed in vestments made of the skin of animals, slaughtered, perhaps before their own eyes, so that they would eat their meat, cover their nakedness with their skins, and in their very death they saw death. own body."

St. Gregory of Sinai (XIV century) also says that after the tragedy of the fall, man became like corruptible animals by physical nature:

“Smoldering is a product of the flesh. To eat food and vomit superfluous food, proudly hold your head and lie down to sleep, is the natural property of animals and cattle, in which we, having become like cattle through disobedience, fell away from the God-given blessings inherent in us and became bestial from rational and bestial from divine.<…>

When the soul was created rational and mental through inspiration, then together with it God did not create rage and bestial lust, but put one desirable force into it and the courage to fulfill desires. In the same way, having created the body, He did not put into it at the beginning anger and unreasonable lust, but afterward, through disobedience, it received into itself deadness, corruption and bestiality.

The body, the theologians say, was created incorruptible, which it will be resurrected, just as the soul was created impassive; but just as the soul had freedom to sin, so the body had the opportunity to undergo corruption. And both of them, i.e. the soul and body were corrupted and dissolved, according to the natural law of their combination with each other and mutual influence: moreover, the soul became endowed with passions, more so with demons; but the body became like foolish beasts and sank into corruption.”

Here we can note another important aspect. According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Maximus the Confessor, John of Damascus and other St. fathers,

man was not originally subject to the law of "bestial birth from seed": the original intention of God did not include the multiplication of people in the "familiar" way for us, although man was created as a man and a woman.

"Dressing in" leather clothes " meant that<…>man was not only deprived of the incorruption of his nature, but also condemned to a passionate birth from the seed in the image of animals.

His body was completely subordinated to the laws of a voluntarily chosen bestial life,” wrote St. Maxim the Confessor.

Will the animals be resurrected?

Adam names the animals. Fresco in the church of the monastery of St. Nicholas the Comforter in Meteora (Greece). 16th century, master Theophan of Crete. Image from wikipedia.org

In general, the Orthodox tradition does not recognize the immortality of not only the bodily, but also the spiritual nature of animals. Saint Basil the Great says about this:

Why does the earth bring forth the living soul? That you may know the difference between the soul of cattle and the soul of man. You will soon learn how the human soul was created, and now listen to the soul of the dumb. According to the Scripture The soul of every animal is its blood (Lev. 17:11), and congealed blood usually turns into flesh, and decayed flesh decomposes into the ground; then, in all fairness, the soul of cattle is something earthly.<…>

Consider the connection of the soul with blood, blood with flesh, flesh with earth; and again in reverse order, go from earth to flesh, from flesh to blood, from blood to soul; and you will find that the soul of the cattle is the earth. Do not think that it is older than their bodily composition, and that it remains after the destruction of the body. St. Gregory Palamas writes: “The sensual and speechless creatures of the animal world have only the spirit of life in themselves, and even that, by itself, is not able to exist, but they are completely devoid of an immortal mind and the gift of speech;

beings that exist above the entire sensual (material) world - Angels and Archangels - although they are spiritual and reasonable, have an immortal mind and word (mind), but do not have a life-giving spirit in themselves, and therefore do not possess a body that receives life from a life-giving spirit;

man, the only one created in the image of the Trinitarian Nature, has an immortal mind and the gift of speech and a spirit that gives life to the body (associated with it) ”;

“The soul of each of the unintelligent living beings is the life of the body, animated by it, and having this life not in essence, but in action, as life in relation to another, but not in itself.”

Indeed, it is difficult to imagine that after the fall of man, the nature of animals changed so much that it led to the death of the immortal souls of "speechless" living beings. Apparently, they were created initially as transient and limited in existence in time.

At the same time, it can be assumed that before Adam's crime, their transition to non-existence was not associated with the same physical sensations and suffering as in the present era.

Which Adam is compared to a chimpanzee?

Adam. Ivory, 10th - 11th century. Constantinople. Image from wikipedia.org

The cited patristic texts, revealing the theology of the "leather garments", lead us to the conclusion: when studying the related genetic, physiological and anatomical continuity of animals and people, science deals only with a person who has already been expelled from Eden.

Studying its bodily nature, clothed in "leather clothes", natural science quite naturally and "legitimately" speaks of an evolutionary, historical relationship with primates. However, from the point of view of Orthodox theology, these conclusions essentially, ontologically do not apply to the primordial Adam and his descendants, but in themselves are one of the paradoxical consequences of the fall of the forefathers:

the likeness of God is not destroyed, but, as it were, fades into the background before the likeness of "the cattle of the field."
The created world exists in accordance with the good divine meaning, plan (logos), but the image of its existence ( tropos- according to prep. Maximus the Confessor) may not correspond to this plan. Having realized his freedom as a resistance to the Divine will, Adam receives the bitter right to an “autonomous” existence ( And the Lord God said, Behold, Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil– Gen. 3:22).

Accordingly, both the history of formation and the current existence of the world, as well as its own existence, appear before it, being in a fallen state, as a random, blind, meaningless, dead, chaotic process, where there is a place not only for competition, natural selection, death, cruelty, suffering.

Ephemerally existing "autonomously from the Creator", it is impossible, based on rational and sensual experience, to "see" one's own origin otherwise.

“So, the demons divide the visible creation [consisting of] the four elements into parts, preparing us to see [it only] by feeling to arouse passion, not knowing the divine logoi contained in it,” says St. Maxim the Confessor.

Since ancient times, probably successively - from the ancestors themselves - humanity has preserved in various mythological images and hymns the mournful memory of the lost Eden as the past "Golden Age". Ethnographers, religious scholars, culturologists, and archaeologists who have been studying history since the Paleolithic have constantly paid attention to this feature. We see the difference only in worldview interpretations.

So, the first quarter of the twentieth century. (1923), the famous English ethnographer and historian of religion J. Fraser, considering the biblical narrative of the creation of man and the fall, disputed the uniqueness and inspiration of the first chapters of the book of Genesis and the entire Holy Scripture as a whole on the basis of the similarity of some of their details with other monuments of literature and mythology ancient world.

Archpriest Oleg Mumrikov, theologian, biologist, lecturer at PSTGU and the Department of Biblical Studies of the MDAiS. Photo from mpda.ru

Meanwhile, modern Christian scholars and apologists see this similarity as one of the most important proofs of the historicity of biblical texts.

"For them in Paradise there will be everything they want."

Paradise is a house of pleasures, unprecedented and unheard of blessings, created by the Almighty for the believing slaves, genies and angels. Those who enter Paradise will forever remain in it. According to most scholars and theologians, Paradise is above the seven heavens and below ‘Arsh. Paradise is an eternal home, there is no end to its existence.

There are blessings that a person has never seen, heard about and could not even imagine. Believers go there only by the grace of Allah. There is no uncleanness (najas) in Paradise. What is eaten there turns into a pleasant fragrant sweat and hiccups. There is joy without sorrow, rest without fatigue, wealth without need, beauty without flaws, youth without old age.

Allah Almighty in a holy hadith (al-hadith al-qudsi) says:

"For them in Paradise there will be everything they want".

In this hadith, in a concise form, a description is given of the endless and innumerable benefits intended for the inhabitants of Paradise. There they will get whatever they want. May the Almighty make us from among these lucky ones!

Paradise has different levels: Jannat al-‘adn, Jannat al-huld, Dar an-na‘im, Jannat al-ma'wa, Dar as-salam, Dar al-jalal. Most highest level Raya is called al-Firdaws. In each level of Paradise, people are also divided according to their deeds and the strength of their beliefs. There, people will have the same age - 33 years and the same height - approximately 37.5 meters.

Words cannot describe the beauty of Paradise. For example, the taste of one grape in Paradise is much better than the taste of all grapes grown on Earth. In a hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim, it is said that if one heavenly maiden (guriya) appears on Earth, then she will illuminate the whole world with her radiance (nur), fill it with her fragrant aroma. Her headdress (kerchief) is better than the whole world and everything in it. Women who have behaved righteously in this world are better there than the houris. Every time their husbands come to them, they will be virgins.

He who is in the lowest level of Paradise will receive as many benefits as the richest king in the world had and five times more than that. First he will say, "O my Lord, I am pleased." Then the Almighty will increase it all tenfold. This is what is said in a hadith narrated by Muslim. However, it must be remembered that a person will receive blessings in Paradise in accordance with his good deeds committed in this world. Most of all, the inhabitants of Paradise will regret there in vain, uselessly spent time in the underworld, and they will envy with white envy those who have gained more blessings and pleasures. Although now it seems to us that it is enough just not to go to Hell, but in the next world we will think differently. Therefore, one should not rest on what has been achieved, it is necessary to make all your efforts on the path of serving the religion of Allah, in the name of His contentment.

Further, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the description of Paradise and the situation of its inhabitants, which is given by Imam al-Ghazali in his book “Mukashafat al-Kulub”, where it is written: “Know that that monastery, whose grief and sorrow are known, i.e. Hell , opposes the other; look, then, what kinds of pleasures and joys there are in it, for whoever strays from one of them will certainly fall into another. Meditate on the horrors of Hell, and let fear grow in your heart because of this, and let it be filled with a passionate desire to go to Paradise - for this, think about the eternal bliss promised to the inhabitants of the Gardens of Eden. Drive your nafs with the whip of fear and control it with the help of the bridle of aspiration, directing it to the straight path - only then will you gain great good and be saved from painful punishment.

Think of the inhabitants of Paradise, on whose faces there will be a glint of prosperity. They will be given wine from sealed bottles to drink, they will sit on seats made of red yakhont under a shelter of white pearls and lie leaning on beds set along the banks of the rivers, in which wine and honey will flow.

They will be surrounded by young men and boys who serve them, as well as heavenly maidens - houris, beautiful and beautiful, like yahonta and corals, which neither man nor jinn have touched before. They will walk through the Gardens of Eden, and if one of them suddenly stumbles, then 70 thousand young men will support her. They will be dressed in amazing clothes of white silk, and on their heads will be crowns adorned with pearls and corals. Flirtatious, playful, fragrant, old age will never overtake them and sadness will not touch them.

Then both men and women will be smashed in cups, jugs and goblets of wine, which will bring joy to those who drink it. They will be served by servants like guarded pearls, in recompense for what they have done. In a safe abode, among gardens and springs, they will sit in places of honor. There they see the Generous Lord, and their faces will reflect the brilliance of prosperity. They will know neither fatigue nor humiliation there, but they will be revered slaves there and receive numerous gifts from their Lord. And they will stay forever where their souls aspired. There they will experience neither fear nor sorrow, and they will not be afraid of the vicissitudes of fate. There they will enjoy and eat, drink from rivers in which milk, wine and clear water will flow.

The earth in those gardens will be of silver, and the stones will be corals. The earth there will be musk, and the plants will be saffron. Rose water will rain down on them, right on the hills covered with saffron trees.

Cups will be brought to them - what kind of cups will they be! Trimmed with pearls, yacht and corals. Goblets filled with wine from sealed bottles mixed with water from the Salsabil spring. And this goblet will shine brightly - the precious stones on it will be so pure, and it will be thin and transparent - so that its contents will be visible from the outside. It was not made by a man - after all, the hand of the servant could spoil his work; with his light he will compete with the sun, but the sun is by no means so beautiful.

It is amazing how a person who believes in the existence of such a House can know that its inhabitants will never die, that they will never be touched by trouble and the winds of change will not touch them, how can such a person be tied to the House that the Almighty associated with destruction?

How can he live in peace in it? I swear by Allah, if there were nothing in Paradise but health, immortality and the fact that its inhabitants are not afraid of hunger, thirst and the like, then only this would be enough to turn away from earthly life, difficult and transient. And in that House, people will be blissful kings, every day they will enjoy and rejoice, they will have everything they want, and every day they will, approaching the Throne, contemplate Almighty Allah in a special way.

When they see Him, they will stop paying attention to other joys of the Gardens of Eden. Their pleasure will last forever, and they will have no fear that it will ever disappear.”

“In Paradise they will cry: “O inhabitants of Paradise! It's time for you to be healthy and never get sick! It's time for you to live forever and never die! Now you will always be young and never grow old! Now you will only enjoy and never know sorrow!” This is what the words of the Almighty, He is Almighty and Great, mean:

Meaning: “It will be proclaimed to them: “This is Paradise, which you have inherited for what you did!”(Sura Al-A'raf, verse 43).

And if you want to know the description of Paradise in more detail, then read the Qur'an, for no one can describe Paradise better than Allah Almighty. Read from His words: Meaning: (Sura Ar-Rahman, verse 46) - until the end of Surah Ar-Rahman, read Surah Al-Waqi'a and other Surahs.

And if you want to know in detail how Paradise is described in the hadiths, then study them too, and we will only summarize.

Regarding the number of gardens, the Messenger of Allah (‘alayhi-salatu wa-ssalaam) said about the verse: “For those who feared to stand before their Lord, two gardens have been prepared”- the following:

“Two gardens, they themselves and their dishes are made of silver, and two gardens, they themselves and their dishes are made of gold. And between people and their gaze on their Lord, there will be nothing but a veil of majesty on him, in the garden of Paradise.

Then look at the gates of Paradise, for their number is equal to the number of foundations and sources of worship, just as the number of gates of Hell is equal to the number of sources and foundations of disobedience to the Almighty. The number of gates of Hell is seven, which corresponds to seven parts of the body (eyes, ears, tongue, stomach, arms, legs, genitals), committing sins with which a person can go to Hell. And the number of the gates of Paradise is eight, which also corresponds to the eight parts of the body (seven of the above and the eighth - the heart), being protected from the sins of which one can be rewarded with one of the levels of Paradise.

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah ('alayhi-salatu wa-salaam) said:

“The one who, for the sake of Allah, supported with his money married couple, will be called from behind all the gates of Paradise, and Paradise has eight gates. Those who have prayed will be called from behind the gates of prayer; those who have fasted will be called from beyond the gates of fasting; those who give offerings will be called from behind the gate of offering; those who fought in the path of Allah will be called out from behind the gates of jihad.” Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “By Allah, it will not matter for a person from which gate he will be called, but will there be someone who will be called from all the gates of Paradise at the same time?” The Prophet (‘alayhi-salatu wa-salaam) said: “Yes. And I ask Allah that you be one of those people.”

It was narrated from ‘Asim ibn Damrat, from ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that one day he began to talk about Hell and described all its horrors in great detail. Then he said:

Meaning: “And those who feared their Lord are led into Paradise in droves.”(Sura Az-Zumar, verse 73).

They will reach one of the gates of paradise, where they will see a tree, under which two springs will flow. They will go to one of them, as they were ordered, drink from it, and this water will cleanse their insides of everything unclean. Then they will go to another spring and bathe in it, after which the brilliance of prosperity will descend on them. After that, their hair will never be replaced by another and will never be disheveled, but will remain as if they had been oiled. And when they reach Paradise, its keepers will say to them:

Meaning: "Peace to you! You were good! Come here forever!"(Sura Az-Zumar, verse 73).

Then young men will meet them, just as in this world people meet a loved one returning from a long journey, with the words: “Rejoice! Allah has prepared for you such and such of His bounties!”

He continued: “Then one of those young men will go to one of the spouses of these people - the heavenly houris and say to her:

“So-and-so came,” calling him by the name by which he was called in earthly life. She will ask: "Did you see him?"

He will answer: "I saw him, and he is following me." Joy will seize her, and she will stand at the threshold to meet her husband. And he, having reached his dwelling, will look at its base and see that it is made of pearls, and on it there will be a palace, shimmering in yellow, red, green and other colors. Then he will raise his head, look at his roof and see that it shines brightly like lightning, and if it were not for the ability given to him by Allah Almighty, he would lose his sight. Then he lowers his eyes and sees his wives:

Meaning: “A bed is erected there, bowls are arranged, pillows are laid out and carpets are spread out”(Sura Al-Gashiya, verses 13-16).

Then he will stop and say: Meaning: “Praise be to Allah who brought us to this!

We would not have followed the straight path if Allah had not guided us" (Sura Al-A'raf, verse 43).

Then they will cry: “You will live forever and never die! You will always be here and never leave this place! You will always be healthy and never get sick!”

And the Messenger of Allah (‘alayhi-salatu was-salaam) said: “On the Day of Resurrection, I will go to the gates of Paradise and knock on them. The Guardian will ask: "Who are you?" I will answer: "Muhammad". Then he will say: “Welcome! I was ordered not to open to anyone until you come.”

Now look at the upper rooms in Paradise and how some of them are located above the others, for in last life differences between people are most pronounced. As people differ in outward worship and in hidden virtues, so will they differ in the reward they receive. And if you want to get the highest levels in Paradise, then try to be the most diligent in worshiping Allah Almighty, because the Creator ordered to compete in this, saying: Meaning: “Strive, ahead of each other, for forgiveness from your Lord” (surah “Al- Hadid, verse 21).

The Almighty also said: Meaning: “Let the contestants compete for this!”(Sura Al-Mutaffifina, verse 26).

And the surprising thing is that if one of your acquaintances or neighbors becomes even one dirham more than you, or he builds a taller house, then this will weigh on your heart or constrict your chest, and because of envy the white light will darken for you.

But there is something better than this - this is when you become one of the inhabitants of Paradise, in which there will certainly be those who are ahead of you in what the whole earthly world with all its beauties cannot be compared with.

Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet ('alayhi-salatu wa-salaam) said: "Indeed, the inhabitants of Paradise will see the dwellings of those who are above them, just as you see the star luminary, due to the fact that they will be one above the other. He was asked: “O Messenger of Allah (‘alayhi-salatu wa-ssalaam)! This is the dwelling of the prophets, can anyone but them get there? He replied: “Yes. People who believed in Allah and believed the Messengers. He also said: “Indeed, the inhabitants of the lower levels will see the inhabitants of the upper ones, just as you see a star that has risen on the horizon. Indeed, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar are among them.”

Jabir said: “The Prophet (‘alayhi-salatu wa-ssalaam) once said to us:“ Tell you about the heavenly rooms? I replied: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah (‘alayhi-salatu wa-ssalaam), may Allah bless you and may my father and mother be a ransom for you!” He said: “Verily, in Paradise there are chambers of all kinds of jewels, from the inside you can see what is outside, and from the outside you can see what is inside. There are only pleasures, pleasures and joys in them, such that a person has not seen, what he has not heard about and what did not even come to his mind. I asked: “O Messenger of Allah (‘alayhi-salatu wa-ssalaam)! For whom are these rooms prepared?” He replied: “For the one who spreads greetings, feeds the needy, observes constant fasting and prays at night when all people are sleeping.” We asked: “O Messenger of Allah (‘alayhi-salatu wa-ssalaam)! Who can do all this? He replied: “My community can do it, and I will tell you about it. If one meets his brother and greets him, he will thus be spreading the greeting. He who feeds his family and those who are in his care to satiety feeds the needy. Whoever fasts in Ramadan and three days of each month, he constantly fasts. He who performs night and morning prayers in a community, prays at night when people are sleeping, ”he meant Jews, Christians and pagans.”

And when the Messenger of Allah (‘alayhi-salatu was-salaam) was asked about the verse: Meaning: "...and also forever abide in beautiful dwellings in the gardens of Paradise"(Sura At-Tawba, ayat 72), - he said: “These are palaces of pearls, each of which has seventy houses of red yahont; in each house - seventy rooms of green emerald; in each room there are seventy beds, on each of which are his spouses, maidens of paradise; in each room - seventy laid tables, on each of which - seventy kinds of food; in each room there are seventy young girls, and every morning the believer will be given strength, which is enough for all this.

The Prophet (‘alayhi-salatu wa-ssalaam) also said: “There are four things in Paradise that are better than Paradise itself: 1) eternal stay in it; 2) service of angels; 3) neighborhood with the prophets; 4) the pleasure of Allah Almighty.

May the Almighty Allah, by His mercy, grant Paradise to all Muslims!

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He replied with the words of Allah:

“For the faithful, I have prepared in Paradise that which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, which no man could even think of.” One can talk endlessly about the beauty of Paradise and its grace. It is said that in Firdavs Paradise there will be all the treats and drinks that a person has seen and a thousand times more than those that he has not seen in his life. It is also said that rivers of honey and milk flow in Paradise. Paradise consists of eight levels. Each next Paradise is located above the previous one. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The inhabitants of the lower Paradises look at the inhabitants of the upper ones as we look at the stars ».

Heavenly vegetables and fruits are different from earthly ones. The Almighty called heavenly treats grapes, dates, honey, milk, meat; heavenly clothes - silk, velvet; heavenly houses - houses of silver and gold, pearls, yachts, etc., so that we understand, because these names are familiar to us. And if the Almighty called the fruits of paradise, his treats, clothes, houses by their proper names, we would not understand what is at stake, and we would not have any desire to be worthy of them. How can the fruits of this world be similar to paradise, while it is said that if the people of this world see even a grape from the lowest Paradise - Dar-us-Salam, they will forget about all earthly blessings? And if people from Dar-us-Salaam see a grape from Jannatu Na'im, they will be disgusted with all the fruits of their Paradise. The ratio of the gifts of Paradise of a higher level to Paradise of a lower level is to the same degree. Their ratio is similar to the ratio of the gifts of Paradise of the lowest level to worldly gifts.

The one who is rewarded with Paradise will have a palace made of pearls and other jewels. Each palace will have seventy thousand gates, each gate will have seventy thousand trees, each branch of these trees will have seventy thousand varieties of fruit. In each courtyard there will be seventy thousand gold shops, each shop 330 cubits long, and each shop will have seventy beds. Next to each yard there are seventy children, in their hands are golden bottles, in each bottle there are different drinks. Honey, milk and other rivers will flow in front of the palaces. When a person wants to climb onto a bench (like a couch), it will become an elbow lower, and when he sits down on it, she will rise to the sky. When people want to go somewhere, the shops will carry them. If they want to fly up to the sky, the benches will fly with them like birds.

Angels from Allah will come to each inhabitant of Paradise five times a day with various treats and fruits on golden trays. This is a gift for prayers performed on time.

There is no night or darkness in Paradise. The roof of Paradise is the Arsh of Allah, and the light will come from it. A sign by which the inhabitants of Paradise will be able to distinguish night from day will be the closing of the gates of Paradise and the lowering of the curtain on them. Then people will go into their tents along with their houris and wives that they had in this world. In the morning, the birds of paradise greet the Almighty.

If a person wants to see someone, the shop will take him there faster than lightning. And after the meeting, he will take you back to the inhabitants of Paradise. Angels visit people from time to time and greet them. At the time when the inhabitants of Paradise eat the fruits of Paradise, the birds in the trees will praise them (tasbih) with their beautiful voices. They will eat for pleasure, and not in order to quench their thirst or hunger. Also, they will not have any discharge, even if they eat continuously. Sweat will be released from their bodies, which their bathrobes will absorb, but they will never get dirty.

May Allah grant us Paradise! Amine.