“The description of Paradise which the pious have been promised in it are rivers of water the taste and smell of which are not changed, rivers of milk of which the taste never changes, and rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of clear and pure honey; therein for them is every kind of fruit and forgiveness from their Lord.” (Quran; 47:15)[1].

This Quranic verse explains that beyond feeling the Mercy of Allah (SWT) in the unseen Eternal Path of Charity, those who please Allah (SWT) during their social and professional activities will experience eternal gardens with flowing rivers as the last destination for their eternal soul. Therefore, in light of the Quranic verse “Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of the world. But the good righteous deeds that last are better for your Lord for rewards and better in respect of hope.” (Quran; 18:46)[1].  We should not be happy or sad about the material things we have (finance, beauty and social position, children) because they are simply decoration and there to test and distract us in life. The wisdom is to share what Allah (SWT) provided for us by helping people, animals and plants and prepare ourselves for the Eternal Spring.

Notably, traditional jurisprudence (fiqh) in Islam distinguishes between two principal branches of law, which are divine obligations for Allah (SWT). One is (ibādāt) and our actions with people, and the other is our actions with animals and plants (muʿāmalāt). However, according to the Quranic verse “Therein they will cry: O Lord Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds not the evil deeds that we used to do.” (Quran; 35:37)¹, the wrongdoers will cry and beg Allah (SWT) to get them out of Fire and bring them back to life to do good deeds.  My understanding is that the good deeds mentioned in this Quranic verse relate to our divine duties of charity by helping others (muʿāmalāt).  It therefore follows that worshiping Allah (SWT) with our good actions and interactions with people, animals and plants during our social and professional activities is much appreciated by Allah (SWT) and results in our best Path to the Eternal Spring. Following this line of thought, we could conclude those who spend their lives helping others, will be happy in this life by feeling the Mercy of Allah (SWT) in the Eternal Path of Charity, and deserve to live eternally in the Eternal Spring. The Prophet (PBUH) explained: “Allah (SWT) says: ‘I have prepared for My righteous slaves that which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and it has never crossed the mind of man. All of that is reserved, besides which all that you have known is as nothing.’ Then he recited: “No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do” (Quran; 32:17) [5].

As said by this Quranic verse “Tell them, (O Prophet): “My servants who have committed excesses against themselves, do not despair of Allah’s Mercy. Surely Allah forgives all sins. He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful” (Quran; 39:53)[1], I came to understand that it could also be an Eternal Path of Forgiveness. However, the precondition for forgiveness is in the following part of the verse “Turn to your Lord and surrender yourselves to Him before the chastisement over-takes you; for then you will receive no help” (Quran; 39:54).  In conclusion, it could be one Eternal Path of Charity related to our good deeds to please Allah (SWT) and one Eternal Path of Forgiveness for our bad deeds to obtain forgiveness from Him. The Day of Judgment is a Balance between the accepted good deeds and the unforgiven bad deeds. As mentioned in the Quranic verse “See, how We have exalted some above others in this world, and in the Life to Come they will have higher ranks and greater degrees of excellence over others” (Quran; 17:21) [1], the Eternal reward in Paradise will be different for everyone depending on the result of the Balance.