وعد الله المؤمنين والمؤمنات جنات تجري من تحتها الانهار خالدين فيها ومساكن طيبة في جنات عدن ورضوان من الله اكبر ذلك هو الفوز العظيم

وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَـٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِى جَنَّـٰتِ عَدْنٍ ۚ وَرِضْوَٰنٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ

SubhanAllah these verses reminded me of the people of Gaza. 
These verses truly reminds us why Allah SWT often talks about homes in Jannah. For those displaced, driven out to live in refugee camps, Allah SWT will surely provide them with better homes in  Akhirah. 
eternal homes of peace and harmony. 
Allah’s promise will be true for the people of Gaza in sha Allah and any Muslim on the face of earth who is facing injustice and persecution. 
Today these people are driven out of their homes in sha Allah in Akhirah they will have the best houses in the eternal gardens of Jannah and above all the blessing of Akhirah will be the Pleasure of Allah SWT. 
in sha Allah the oppressed people will be Thé successful ones. 

Bismillah 

I am an architect, yet the greatest project is not on my desk but in my soul. Why should I waste my hours sketching fears about people, worrying over careers, or measuring fleeting situations that shift like sand? These anxieties build nothing—they collapse before they are even complete.


But Allah has promised: 'Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide, and good homes in gardens of eternity.' (Qur’an 9:72)


That is the blueprint I should live for. Every verse I recite becomes a lantern fixed to its walls, every prayer a stair rising higher, every act of patience a foundation stone. My time is too precious to trade for shadows. As an architect, my greatest honor is to build a home in Jannah, and to decorate it with the verses of Allah, until the day it welcomes me in peace.

Ramadan shows us that the bliss, pleasure, sweetness, and the love of Allah that we experience during this month is a very, very, super small 'taste' of the actual pleasure of Allah that we will experience in the Hereafter, insha'Allah.


It reminds us that the taste of Allah's pleasure will be greater than anything that we have ever tasted in this life, whether it be food or anything else. Allah says:


‎وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ جَنَّٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِى جَنَّٰتِ عَدْنٍ وَرِضْوَٰنٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ


'Allah has promised the believers, both men and women, Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there forever, and splendid homes in the Gardens of Eternity. But the pleasure of Allah is greater; that is the ultimate success.' (9:72)


In that verse, we are told that the pleasure (ridwaan) of Allah SWT will be even greater than the rivers, homes, and everything that we are given in Paradise.


And if we can also feel Allah's pleasure in our hearts in this life - in however small amounts - then that may be a good sign, because we are experiencing the 'Paradise' of this world, and as expressed beautifully by Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah:


'Verily, there is a Paradise in this world and whoever does not enter it now will not enter the Paradise of the Hereafter.'


So, the increased hunger that we feel for Allah's pleasure after Ramadan is a good sign, because that means that we have just tasted some of it (in this life), alhamdulillah, and so now we are more hungry for the ultimate pleasure of Allah in the next life.


May Allah make us among those who will be in the shade of Allah SWT's pleasure both in this life and the next. Ameen.


#RamadanTaughtMe
#ThePleasure

Pause for a moment and reflect: what do you value most about Paradise? Your answer reveals much about your heart’s inclinations—whether toward the material or spiritual. While the Quran describes many delights of Paradise, one blessing stands above all:

'And—above all—the pleasure of Allah is greater.' (Surah At-Tawbah: 72)

This profound promise shifted my perspective. To be pleased by Allah means reaching a state where your actions, intentions, and desires align completely with His will, and your nafs (self) is free from ego or insincerity. 

Constantly questioning your nafs—whether your worship is for Allah alone or tainted by the need for validation—is an essential spiritual exercise.  Such  exercise brings about certainty which requires rigorous self-monitoring.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned:
'What I fear most for my Ummah is minor shirk—riya' (showing off).'( Musnad Aḥmad 23636)

Even Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) prayed:
'My Lord, protect me and my descendants from worshiping idols.' (Surah Ibrahim: 35)
Here, idols can also symbolize the nafs, which may turn worship into a pursuit of praise or self-gratification. This peril is evident in the downfall of Iblis, whose worship, rooted in ego and pride, led to his ultimate rejection.

This self-doubt about the purity of one’s intentions has made me value Allah’s promise of His pleasure even more. To hear, 'I am pleased with you,' is the ultimate reward—a divine guarantee that one’s actions are accepted and one’s nafs is safe from deviation henceforth!

Let this reflection guide you to always monitor your intentions, striving for sincerity in every act. For in Allah’s pleasure lies the truest essence of Paradise.

May Allah grant us the resolve to seek His pleasure than any one else's..... Ameen

Reflections: At-Tawbah 9:72