Page 820 - Atlas of Creation Volume 3

We will make those who disbelieve suffer a severe punishment and repay them for the worst of what they
did. That is the repayment of the enemies of God – the Fire. They will have it for their Eternal Home as re-
payment for their renunciation of Our Signs. (Surah Fussilat: 27-28)

The same thing applies to heaven. Everything a person enjoys or which gives him pleasure is a percep-
tion that forms in his mind. Someone enjoying a conversation with his best friend, for instance, is in reality
doing so in his mind. Or someone enjoying the magnificent sight of a waterfall, and listening to the roaring
of the water, is actually seeing sights and hearing sounds in his mind. There is no question about that. Yet
that does not stop him enjoying that image. That is why God reveals in the Qur’an that heaven represents

supreme achievement for people, and that it contains everything their souls will take pleasure from:
But those who heed their Lord will have Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them time-

lessly, for ever: hospitality from God. What is with God is better for those who are truly good. (Surah Al
'Imran: 198)
Their Lord gives them the good news of His mercy and good pleasure and Gardens where they will enjoy
everlasting delight, remaining in them timelessly, for ever and ever. Truly there is an immense reward with

God. (Surat at-Tawba: 21-22)
As for him whose balance is heavy, he will have a most pleasant life. (Surat al-Qari'a: 6-7)
Furthermore, someone who knows that it is God Who allows him to see these delightful images will

take even greater pleasure from the fact. For example, someone who picks an apple from a tree, with its
lovely smell and pleasing appearance, and thinks of God Who has created that smell and appearance for
him, will enjoy that image even more than other people. God will prepare different images of heaven for
each believer, and the best examples of whatever a believer's soul craves will be given to him there. In this
world and in the hereafter, a person's only friend, protector and Creator is God. All the prophets, apostles,

devout believers, houris and others that he will see with him in heaven are beings that form the clearest
manifestation of God's friendship, love and closeness.
It is quite evident that God allows us to receive this totality of perceptions throughout our lives. An

honest person who realizes this can feel no doubt about His justice, flawless creation, and that He creates
the best and most beautiful of everything. God will also create heaven and hell as perceptions. Yet that fact
does not change the promises God makes in the Qur’an. While a person is offered the greatest joys and plea-
sures for all eternity in heaven, the terrible suffering in hell will also last for all eternity. God's creation is
flawless, and He keeps His promises.

Those are people from whom We accept the best of what they have done and pass over their evil deeds. They are
among the Companions of the Garden, in fulfillment of the true promise made to them. (Surat al-Ahqaf: 16)

As verses make clear, heaven exists at this very moment in the sight of God. He has created heaven and
hell, and both of them exist, in time and form, in His sight.

Objection: "Can we never directly experience absolute existence? I am uneasy at knowing that I exist only in
a world of perceptions."

Reply: Only God exists absolutely. Whatever else we see is a manifestation of God. People generally as-
sume that they and others do physically exist, and that God permeates them, a bit like radio waves. (God is
surely beyond that) Yet the truth is the exact opposite of that. In other words it is only God Who exists. We
must not be deceived by the fact that we cannot directly see His Being. Wherever anyone turns, whoever he

looks at, whatever he is actually seeing is the manifestations of God.
Furthermore, far from making someone uneasy, this fact should give even greater happiness to anyone
who believes in God. It is a great honor that God is all that exists and that we, His servants, are illusions. That
fact is cause for rejoicing. It multiplies the awe we feel for our Lord, and our submission to His infinite might.

It is also an important statement that people will naturally be freed from their worldly desires, and that
will allow them to worship God without attributing any partners to Him. That is because saying
"Something else must exist besides God," is actually attributing an equal to Him, and claiming that there is

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