On the Day you see the men and women of the believers, with their light streaming out in front of them, and to their right: "Good news for you today of Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, forever. That is the Great Victory." (Surat al-Hadid, 12)
The believers will be protected against the fear of this Day, and their faces will be radiant with the joy and trust of receiving their reward. They will be "laughing, rejoicing" (Surah ‘Abasa, 39). The Qur'an describes the different facial expressions of the believers and the unbelievers, as follows:
Those who do good will have the best and more! Neither dust nor debasement will darken their faces. They are the Companions of the Garden, remaining in it timelessly, forever. But as for those who have earned bad actions—a bad action will be repaid with one the like of it. Debasement will darken them. They will have no one to protect them from Allah. It is as if their faces were covered by dark patches of the night. Those are the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, forever. (Surah Yunus, 26-27)
The unbelievers will beg the believers for some of the light, although they had fought them while alive. The meaning of this light is illumination, safety, and joy. This light radiating from those who have earned Paradise will not benefit the unbelievers, regardless of how much they want it. As its source is the good deeds done on Earth, the unbelievers, who have no store of such deeds, will not have any of it. For this reason, they will be told to go back to Earth in order to find some. The Qur'an informs us:
That Day the men and women of the hypocrites will say to those who believe: "Wait for us so that we can borrow some of your light." They will be told: "Go back and look for light!" And a wall will be erected between them with a gate in it, on the inside of which there will be mercy, but before whose exterior lies the punishment. (Surat al-Hadid, 13)
The believers will receive the reward for their efforts to win Allah's good pleasure while alive, and they will be well-pleased with it (Surat al-Ghashiya, 9). Allah will respond to their efforts most generously. That was what they were hoping and expecting, and they will be grateful for it and say: "... Praise be to Allah Who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us the inheritors of this land, letting us settle in the Garden wherever we want…" (Surat az-Zumar, 74).
The Believers' Reward
To those who do not believe, the life of this world is painted in glowing colors and they laugh at those who believe. But on the Day of Resurrection, those who do their duty will be over them. Allah provides for whoever He wills without any reckoning. (Surat al-Baqara, 212)
As we can see from the verses, the believers who fulfilled their duty to their Lord without seeing Him, who waited for the judgment in apprehension will be under His protection. Another verse that gives the good news of the believers being protected on that Day is the following:
… on the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed along with him. Their light will stream out ahead of them and on their right. They will say: "Our Lord, perfect our light for us and forgive us! You have power over all things." (Surat at-Tahrim, 8)
Whereas the unbelievers will be debased as never seen before, the believers will know no fear. They will live the joy and pleasure of receiving what Allah has promised them, and will be given their books in their right hands and wait in peace to be directed to Paradise. Allah responded to them with endless rewards, took their lives pleasantly, and protected them from the Day of Reckoning. Allah reveals that He gives blessings and prosperity to the believers in particular, for:
Say: "Who has forbidden the fine clothing Allah has produced for His servants and the good kinds of provision?" Say: "On the Day of Resurrection such things will be exclusively for those who believed during their life in this world." In this way We make the Signs clear for people who know. (Surat al-A‘raf, 32)
Once judgment has been passed and Hellfire has been shown to them, the believers will be directed to Paradise:
And those who have heeded their Lord will be driven to the Garden in companies. When they arrive there, finding its gates open, its custodians will say to them: "Peace be upon you! You have done well, so enter it timelessly, forever." (Surat az-Zumar, 73)
The Qur'an details the rewards that the believers will receive in the eternal life of the Hereafter. One example is given below, as follows:
The heedful will be in Gardens of Delight, savoring what their Lord has given them. Their Lord will safeguard them from the punishment of the Blazing Fire: "Eat and drink with relish for what you did." They will recline on couches ranged in rows, and We will marry them to dark-eyed maidens. We will unite those who believed with their offspring, who followed them in faith, and We will not undervalue their own actions in any way. Every man is in pledge for what he earned. We will supply them with any kind of fruit and meat that they desire. They will pass around there a drinking cup to one another with no foolish talk and no wrong action in it. Circulating among them there will be youths like hidden pearls. Some of them will come up to others and they will question one another. They will say: "Beforehand we used live in fear among our families. But Allah was gracious to us and safeguarded us from the punishment of the searing wind. Beforehand we certainly used to call on Him because He is the All-Good, the Most Merciful." (Surat at-Tur, 17-28)
The Trial Of The Two Groups
The trial of the unbelievers, who did not follow Allah's path and pursued either their own desires and cravings or the twisted values or beliefs of their societies, will be very hard indeed. On that Day, there will be no mercy or compassion for them, and no power will be able to end their suffering. The main reason for this is that they did not respect Allah's boundaries, even though they were sent reminders, and that they would not have done so even if they were sent back to Earth. This truth is revealed in the following verses:
The trial of the unbelievers, who did not follow Allah's path and pursued either their own desires and cravings or the twisted values or beliefs of their societies, will be very hard indeed. On that Day, there will be no mercy or compassion for them, and no power will be able to end their suffering. The main reason for this is that they did not respect Allah's boundaries, even though they were sent reminders, and that they would not have done so even if they were sent back to Earth. This truth is revealed in the following verses:
If only you could see when they are standing before the Fire and saying: "Oh! If only we could be sent back again, we would not deny the Signs of our Lord and we would be among the believers." No, it is simply that what they were concealing before has been shown to them; and if they were sent back they would merely return to what they were forbidden to do. Truly they are liars. (Surat al-An‘am, 27-28)
While they are accounting for their deeds, the blazing Hell is awaiting them. They will be sent to Hell in return for what they did while alive, for:
When the Pages are opened up, when the Heaven is peeled away, when the Fire is set ablaze, when the Garden is brought up close: then each self will know what it has done. (Surat at-Takwir, 10-14)
Other verses reveal that the believers will have an easy trial:
O Man! You are toiling laboriously toward your Lord, but meet Him you will! As for him who is given his Book in his right hand, he will be given an easy reckoning and return to his family joyfully. (Surat al-Inshiqaq, 6-9)
The believers who have lived their lives according to the will of our Lord, Who created and guided them onto the right path, will have their sins forgiven by Allah the Most Merciful, Who has revealed that He will forgive sins and turn them into goodness for those who believe and do good. On that Day, our Lord will address the believers, who will already have received what was promised:
"O self at rest and at peace, return to your Lord, well-pleasing and well-pleased! Enter among My servants! Enter My Garden." (Surat al-Fajr, 27-30)
In this way, they will be saved from the eternal Hellfire by His grace and favor and enter Paradise full of endless reward. Their reply to "enter Paradise" is revealed in the Qur'an:
They will say: "Praise be to Allah, Who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us the inheritors of this land, letting us settle in the Garden wherever we want. How excellent is the wage of those who work!" (Surat az-Zumar, 74)
