and they will abide there forever. What souls desire and eyes delight in constitutes unalloyed bliss, while abiding forever means permanence and endurance.

“No soul knows what delights of the eyes are kept hidden for them as a reward for what they used to do.” (Surah al-Sajdah 17)

For Allah has prepared for His righteous servants what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has ever imagined—quite apart from what He has disclosed to them.

This is the meaning expressed by the righteous servant when he said:

“O my people, follow me; I will guide you to the path of right guidance. O my people, this worldly life is only a passing enjoyment, whereas the Hereafter is truly the abode of permanence.” (Surah Ghāfir 38–39)

He thus explained that this world is an enjoyment we partake of on our way to another abode, whereas the Hereafter is the lasting home.

Once it is understood that the pleasures and comforts of this world are only a passing enjoyment and a means of attaining the pleasures of the Hereafter—and that this is the purpose for which they were created—every pleasure that helps one attain the pleasures of the Hereafter falls within what Allah and His Messenger have commanded. One is rewarded for seeking such pleasure because of the pleasures of the Hereafter to which it leads and which it helps one attain. Thus, the believer is rewarded for whatever he does seeking Allah’s pleasure: eating, drinking, dressing, marrying, satisfying his anger by overcoming his enemy in jihad in Allah’s cause, and enjoying his knowledge, faith, worship, and other things, as well as the pleasures of his body, soul, and spirit—whether sensory, imaginative, or intellectual.