Can a person be sure of
his eternal destiny while he is here on earth?
It is reported in Sahih Muslim (71/2816) from Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, that she used to say: The Messenger of God said, “Do your best, draw near, and receive good news, for no one will enter Paradise by his deeds” They said, “Not even you, O Messenger of God?” He said, “Not even I unless God envelops me with His mercy, and know that the most beloved deeds to God are those done most consistently, even if they are few.”
And an authenticated narration: “Abu Kurayb told us; he said: Ibn Yaman [narrated] from Malik ibn Mughul, from Abu Ishaq, who said: When Abu Maysarah would retire to his bed, he would say, ‘I wish my mother had not borne me,’ then he would weep. It was said, ‘What makes you weep, O Abu Maysarah?’ He said: ‘We have been informed that we will come to it, but we have not been informed that we will come out of it.’ Then the verse was revealed: ‘Then We shall save those who were God-fearing, and We shall leave the wrongdoers therein, kneeling.’”
And what confirms the soundness of these two narrations even more is what appears in Surat Maryam:
19:{71} And there is none of you except that he will come to it; with your Lord this is a decree inevitably fulfilled.{72} Then We shall save those who were God-fearing, and We shall leave the wrongdoers therein, kneeling.
So if deeds (righteous deeds) do not admit a person into Paradise—even the greatest of the prophets and the Seal of the Messengers, about whom it was said, “And We did not send you except as a mercy to the worlds”—then what is the fate of the ordinary Muslim? And what is the benefit of inviting people to Islam if Islam does not guarantee them Paradise? And what is the solution? Redemption is the solution.
When God gave Moses the prophet the Law and established that everyone who keeps the Ten Commandments and lives by them would live forever and not die. And when every human being failed to keep these commandments, God placed in the Gospel the way of acceptance before God in the Epistle to the Romans and the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5–7 . So what is the Qur’an’s teaching for obtaining Paradise and eternal life? Is it mercy? And how do you receive it without satisfying the justice of God? Is the justice of God fulfilled by the lamb slaughtered at the feast? No, because the human being who is guilty of breaking the commandments of God—who was created in the image and likeness of God—has exceedingly great value in God’s sight, and God is unlimited and infinitely great; His greatness cannot be fathomed. Therefore, the lamb that is slaughtered at Eid al-Adha cannot be of sufficient worth as a ransom for a human being; rather, it is a sign of what appears in Surat al-Saffat 37: 107 “And We ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice.”.، and therefore a Muslim should study sincerely and understand how to obtain the redemption, which is the central theme that connects the Holy Bible from Genesis to Revelation, so that he may be assured how his sins are forgiven and that he is accepted before God (O you who are very dear to the heart of God).
And the question now: did the other prophets and the true believers have assurance of entering Paradise (al-Firdaws for now until the world ends and the last day comes, and they move from the paradise to heaven, which is the dwelling of God with human beings)? Yes, and these are some of the people about whom the Holy Bible bears witness:
Paul the apostle:
Philippians 2: 21 For to me, life is Christ and death is gain.
2 Timothy 4: 6-8 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who love His appearing.
John the apostle:
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God , and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He is revealed we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.
Butrus the Apostle:
But I consider it right—as long as I am in this tent—to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the putting off of my dwelling is near, as our Lord Yasua al-Masih also made clear to me.
Akhnukh the Prophet:
Genesis 5:24 And Akhnukh walked with God, and he was not found because God took him.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Akhnukh was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found because God had taken him. For before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.
Musa the Prophet:
Deuteronomy 34:5-6 So there Musa the servant of the Lord died in the land of Mu'ab according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in the valley in the land of Mu'ab, opposite Bayt Faghur. And no man knows his grave to this day.
Deuteronomy 34:10 And there has not arisen a prophet in Isra'il like Musa, whom the Lord knew face to face,
Iliya the Prophet:
2 Kings 2:11-12 And as they went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elija went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
And it is known in the Torah and the Gospel that those who will enter heaven (Paradise) are one kind of people namely those whose sins have been forgiven, so how can this be obtained? And does redemption avail, and what is the value of redemption? For in Surah al-Saffat 37:107 “We ransomed him with a great sacrifice”. And this is affirmed by the Torah and the Gospel. So what is redemption in Islam ?
I ask the reader of this article to consider carefully that after our days here on earth come to an end, you will stand before the Lord God, the righteous Judge, on the last day to hear from Him which of the two places you will spend the unending eternity in.
Revelation 20: 11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it, from whose face earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them! And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one according to his works. And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I, Yuhanna, saw the holy city, the new Urushalim, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying: “Behold, the dwelling of God is with mankind, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away”.
The topic of the redemption of the human being and his deliverance from HELL is found in one of the mentioned articles, and I hope you will not delay reading it, understanding it, and acting upon it, so that you may live happy and assured.