that would cut off the delight of their intimacy; however, should any of them wish for a child, it will come about exactly as he desires. Allah the Exalted says: “Therein they shall have whatever they desire” (Q 16:31), and He says: “Within it are all that the souls may crave and that delight the eyes” (Q 43:71).
[It is mentioned that the people of Paradise never die—for their lives are perfect—and that everything they possess only increases in youthful strength, facial radiance, graceful appearance, and pleasant living.]
For this reason some reports state that they do not sleep, lest sleep distract them from the delights, joys, and blissful life, or divert them from the sweetest pleasure in Paradise: remembering the Lord, praising Him, and extolling Him—glorified be He—for we can never adequately extol Him. We ask Allah for the highest ranks of Paradise.
Allah, exalted is He, says: “They will not taste death therein, save the first death; and He has shielded them from the punishment of the Blaze” (Q 44:56). And He says: “No weariness shall touch them therein, nor shall they ever be driven out from it” (Q 15:48). And He says: “Indeed, those who believed and did righteous deeds—the Gardens of Firdaws will be their lodging (107), abiding therein forever; they will never seek to leave it” (Q 18:107–108).
That is, they will not choose anything else in preference to it; rather, it is what they most yearn for. They would neither exchange it for something else nor desire to move away, and no boredom or tedium will ever overtake them—unlike the people of this world, who sometimes grow weary even of their pleasant circumstances, elegant homes, and beautiful spouses.
Instead, the dwellers of Paradise are, as the poet said:
She has settled in the very core of my heart;
I long for none but her, nor will I ever turn from her love.
The ḥadith concerning the slaughtering of Death between Paradise and Hell has already been cited, wherein a herald proclaims: “O people of Paradise, everlastingness without death! O people of the Fire, everlastingness without death!”—so each party abides eternally in its respective state.
Imam Aḥmad said: Yaḥyā ibn Ādam narrated to us; Ḥamzah narrated to us; Abū Isḥāq narrated to us, from al-Agharr Abū Muslim, from Abū Hurayrah and Abū Saʿīd, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said:
“A caller will then announce: You shall live and never die; you shall enjoy perfect health and never fall ill; you shall remain forever young and never grow old; and you shall delight and never be miserable.” He added: “These four proclamations will be made.” ⦗1⦘
Aḥmad also said: ʿAbd al-Razzaq narrated to us—al-Thawri said—Abū Isḥāq related to me that al-Agharr told him, from Abū Saʿīd and Abū Hurayrah, that the Prophet ﷺ said: “A herald will call out: You shall live and never die; and you shall—”