—where a person can do whatever he wishes, surrounded by beautiful, youthful women while he himself is an unmarried young man. There is no doubt that he will suffer great hardship in turning away from fornication, for it is readily available and its avenues are many. Yet if he forces himself to abandon it, that very act becomes a cause for entering Paradise.

Listen to the Prophet’s words—may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Seven types of people will be shaded by Allah in His shade on the Day when there is no shade but His.” That Day is the Day of Resurrection, when the blazing, mighty sun—whose heat we feel even now though hundreds of thousands of miles lie between us and it—will draw near until it hovers above people’s heads at a distance of only a mile. Some scholars said this mile (mīl) refers to the kohl-stick, which is smaller than a finger, while others said it is the ordinary mile of distance. Either way, the sun will be terrifyingly close to the heads. Yet there will be people whom Allah shelters in His shade on the Day when there is no shade but His—may Allah make me and you among them.

Allah will shade them, meaning He will create for them a covering that protects them on that Day when no shade exists except His. On that Day there will be no buildings, no trees, and no mountains to offer shade; there is only the shade of the Lord of all worlds. I implore Allah, Lord of the worlds, to include me and you among those He shelters. That shade is granted by Allah to whomever He wills among His servants, and among them are the seven the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—mentioned when he said: “Seven will be shaded by Allah in His shade on the Day when there is no shade but His: a just leader…”