—whereupon they raise their heads and behold their Lord—mighty and majestic—looking down upon them from above. He says, “Peace be upon you, O people of Paradise.” The Prophet ﷺ added, “That is His word—exalted is He: ‘Peace!—a word from a Merciful Lord’ (Q 36:58).” He will look at them and they at Him, and for as long as they gaze upon Him they will pay no attention to any other delight. Then He will draw the veil, yet His light and His blessing will remain upon them in their abodes.

Al-Bayhaqī transmitted the report at greater length through this same line of narration. He said: ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdān ⦗1⦘ narrated to us; Aḥmad ibn ʿUbayd narrated to us; al-Kudaymī narrated to us; Yaʿqūb ibn Ismāʿīl Abū Yūsuf al-Sallāl narrated to us; Abū ʿĀṣim al-ʿAbbādānī narrated to us, from al-Faḍl ibn ʿĪsā al-Raqāshī, from Muḥammad ibn al-Munkadir, from Jābir, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“While the people of Paradise are seated in a gathering of theirs, suddenly a light will shine at the gate of Paradise. They will lift their heads, and there the Lord, Most High, will appear to them and say, ‘O people of Paradise, ask of Me.’ They will reply, ‘We ask You for Your good pleasure with us.’ He will say, ‘My good pleasure with you has lodged you in My abode and granted you My honor; the time for that has come, so ask of Me.’ They will say, ‘We ask You for increase.’

“Then noble mounts of red ruby will be brought to them, whose bridles are of green emerald and red ruby. They will mount them, and the animals’ hooves will alight wherever their riders’ gaze ends. Allah will command trees laden with fruit, and the trees will present their fruits to them. Maidens from among the ḥūr al-ʿayn will arrive saying, ‘We are the blissful ones who never suffer; we are the everlasting ones who never die; the spouses of honorable, believing folk.’

“Allah will command dunes of pure, fragrant musk, and a breeze called al-Muthīrah will stir it over them until they reach the Garden of Eden, the capital court of Paradise. The angels will say, ‘Our Lord, the people of blessing have arrived—these very ones.’ He will reply, ‘Welcome, O truthful ones; welcome, O obedient ones; welcome, O God-fearing ones.’

“The veil will then be lifted for them, and they will look upon Allah—mighty and majestic—and delight in the light of the Most Merciful, so that they do not see one another. Then He will say, ‘Return them to their palaces with gifts,’ and they will return, once again able to behold each other.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ concluded, “That is the saying of Allah—exalted is He: ‘Peace!—a word from a Merciful Lord’ (Q 41:32).”

Al-Bayhaqī went on to say: “What has previously appeared in this book, in the Book of the Beatific Vision, supports what is reported in this ḥadith, and Allah knows best.”

Abū al-Maʿālī al-Juwaynī stated in “al-Radd ʿalā al-Sijzī” that when the Lord—Most High—lifts the veil and reveals Himself to the people of Paradise, the rivers surge, the trees sway, the birds, couches, chambers and everything within them respond in melody, magnification and glorification; the flowing streams murmur; the stirring wind wafts fragrant musk and camphor through the dwellings and palaces; the birds trill and the maidens look out.

Al-Faḍl ibn ʿĪsā is weak, yet al-Ḍiyāʾ narrated—through the route of ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUbayd Allah—that