The third class is ﴿those who have gone astray﴾: the Christians, who were ignorant of the truth. They sought it but were blind to it and failed to find guidance to it. Ibn Uyayna said: “Whoever among our worshippers becomes corrupt bears a resemblance to the Christians.” This is because worshippers seek good and desire to worship, but they have no knowledge, so they go astray.
﴿So enter among My servants﴾ means: among the first class, those whom Allah has blessed. ﴿And enter My Paradise﴾ means the Paradise that Allah—Mighty and Majestic—has prepared for His allies. Allah ascribed it to Himself to honor and exalt it and to make known to creation His care for it—glorified and exalted is He.
Allah—glorified and exalted—created it in a manner unlike His creation of this world. He created fruit, date palms, and pomegranates for us in this world, and in Paradise there are fruit, date palms, and pomegranates; but what is in Paradise is never like what is in this world. Allah says:
﴿No soul knows what delights of the eyes are kept hidden for them.﴾ [al-Sajda: 17].
If what is in Paradise were like what is in this world, we would know it. Thus, it resembles its earthly counterpart in name, but not in its true reality or nature. Hence He said, ﴿And enter My Paradise﴾, ascribing it to Himself to indicate its honor and Allah’s care for it. This should make a person yearn for it with the utmost longing, just as he yearns for the houses of Allah—the mosques—because Allah has ascribed them to Himself. Likewise, he should yearn for this abode that Allah has ascribed to Himself.
The matter is easy. A man said to the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—“Direct me to a deed that will admit me into Paradise and keep me far from the Fire.” He replied, “You have asked about something momentous.” And it is indeed momentous:
﴿Whoever is drawn away from the Fire and admitted into Paradise has truly triumphed.﴾ [Āl Imrān: 185].
“Yet it is easy for anyone for whom Allah makes it easy: worship Allah without associating anything with Him, establish prayer, and give zakat”—and he went on to mention the rest of the hadith (1).
Religion, then—praise be to Allah—is easy and simple, but