seek a means of drawing near to their Lord, striving to be closest to Him, and hope for His mercy and fear His punishment”—to the end of the verse. He also says:

“Indeed, those who have believed and those who have emigrated and striven in Allah’s cause—it is they who hope for Allah’s mercy.”

“His mercy” encompasses every good, and “His punishment” encompasses every evil. The abode of unalloyed mercy is Paradise, and the abode of unalloyed punishment is Hell. This world, however, is an abode in which the two are mingled.

Even when hope is directed toward entering Paradise, Paradise encompasses every delight, the highest of which is gazing upon the Face of Allah. Thus, in Sahīh Muslim, ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn Abī Laylā relates from Suhayb that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, a caller will proclaim, ‘People of Paradise! Allah has made you a promise that He wishes to fulfil for you.’ They will say, ‘What is it? Has He not brightened our faces, made our scales heavy, admitted us to Paradise, and saved us from the Fire?’ Then,” he said, “the veil will be lifted, and they will gaze upon Him. Nothing He has given them will be dearer to them than gazing upon Him.”

This is the “additional reward.”

This dispels the confusion surrounding the statement of someone who says, “I have not worshipped You out of longing for Your Paradise or fear of Your Fire; rather, I have worshipped You out of longing to see You.” This speaker and those who follow him assumed that Paradise comprises nothing but eating, drinking, clothing, sexual relations, auditory pleasures, and similar enjoyment of created things. Those Jahmiyya who deny that Allah will be seen agree with him on this, as do those who acknowledge that He will be seen but claim that there is no enjoyment in seeing Allah itself—a view held by some who study jurisprudence. Thus, they all agree that what is meant by Paradise and the Hereafter