‘What if they had seen it?’ They reply: ‘Had they seen it, they would seek refuge from it even more earnestly.’ Then He says: ‘I call you to witness that I have given them what they seek and granted them refuge from what they seek refuge from’—or words to that effect. Then they say: ‘Among them is so-and-so, a habitual sinner who came for something he needed and sat with them.’ Then He says: ‘They are people in whose company no one will be wretched.’”

These people, who are among the best of Allah’s close friends, sought Paradise and sought to escape the Fire.

When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, accepted the pledge of the Ansār on the night of al-ʿAqabah, those who pledged allegiance to him were among the foremost early believers, who were better than all these shaykhs. They said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Stipulate your conditions on behalf of your Lord, yourself, and your Companions.” He said:

“For myself, I stipulate that you protect me from whatever you protect yourselves and your families from. For my Companions, I stipulate that you share your means with them.”

They asked: “If we do that, what will we receive?”

He said: “Paradise will be yours.”

They said: “Extend your hand! By Allah, we will neither release you from this pledge nor ask you to release us.”

During the pledge, they had also said to him: “There are bonds and covenants between us and those people, and we are going to break them.”

Those who pledged allegiance to him were among the greatest of Allah’s creation in their love for Allah and His Messenger and in sacrificing their lives and wealth to please Allah and His Messenger—so much so that none of these later people can match them. Yet the ultimate thing they sought through this was Paradise. Had there been any higher goal, they would have sought it. But they knew that Paradise contains everything beloved and sought after. Indeed, Paradise contains things unknown to souls, which they therefore do not seek. For