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Doors of Heaven is a Qur'anic concept that some exegetes have interpreted as the degrees of Heaven. According to numerous traditions from Shia and Sunni sources, the number of the doors of Heaven is eight. Some researchers have considered the main doors of Heaven to be eight and its sub-doors to be more than that.

The doors of Heaven are named with names such as Rayyan, Sabr, and Jihad, and the inhabitants of Heaven enter through them according to their deeds. In some traditions, Imam 'Ali (a) and the Ahl al-Bayt (a) are introduced as a door among the doors of Heaven. In some hadiths, places (such as al-Rukn al-Yamani) and times (such as the month of Ramadan) are also considered to be related to the doors of Heaven.

In the hadiths, physical characteristics have been stated for the doors of Heaven; including that there is an inscription for the doors of Heaven on which the phrase "There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and 'Ali is the brother of the Messenger of Allah" is written.

The book Abwab al-Janna fi l-dunya wa l-akhira, a work by Hashim Musawi Jaza'iri, has been written and published on the topic of the doors of Heaven.

Meaning of the Doors of Heaven

In the verses of the Qur'an, doors for Heaven have been reported.[1] Exegetes have different explanations in describing the reality of the doors of Heaven. Muhammad Sadhiqi Tihrani, the author of Tafsir al-Furqan[2] and Sayyid Kamal al-Haydari, among the Shia exegetes,[3] stating that the door of everything is proportional to it, have interpreted the doors of Heaven as the degrees of Heaven. According to the belief of Nasir Makarim Shirazi, the author of Tafsir-i nimuna, heavenly doors are not like worldly doors that are located at the entrances of places like houses; rather, the doors of Heaven are in fact deeds and factors that cause entry into Heaven.[4]

Number

Although the number of the doors of Heaven is not mentioned in the Qur'an,[5] based on numerous traditions from Shia and Sunni sources, the number of the doors of Heaven is eight.[6] Some authors have considered this number of doors to correspond to the number of Heavens mentioned in the Qur'an (1. Jannat al-Na'im[7] 2. Firdaws[8] 3. Jannat al-Khuld[9] 4. Jannat al-Ma'wa[10] 5. Jannat 'Adn[11] 6. Dar al-Salam[12] 7. Dar al-Qarar[13] 8. A Heaven as vast as the heavens and the earth[14]).[15]

In a tradition from Imam 'Ali (a), the number of the doors of Heaven is considered to be 72.[16] Makarim Shirazi has suggested the possibility that all the numbers mentioned were not for expressing the quantity of the doors of Heaven, but rather denote the multiplicity of the doors.[17] Sayyid Kamal al-Haydari, to resolve the discrepancy of traditions in stating the number of the doors of Heaven, has considered the main doors of Heaven to be eight and its sub-doors to be more than that number.[18]

Why the Doors of Heaven Are More Than the Doors of Hell

Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi believes that the greater number of the doors of Heaven compared to the Doors of Hell signifies the precedence of divine mercy over His wrath and the greater number of the causes of felicity over the causes of misery.[19] According to Murtada Mutahhari, based on hadiths, one of the doors of Heaven is allocated to those who, although not Muslim, believe in monotheism and do not have enmity with the Ahl al-Bayt (a).[20]

Mulla Sadra, the Shi'a philosopher and mystic, has said that the doors of Hell are equal to the seven organs with which man performs his duties, and the doors of Heaven are also the same number plus the door of the heart (Bab al-Qalb), which is closed to the inmates of Hell.[21]

Names

Naskh script with the content that Jihad is a door from the doors of Heaven.

In some traditions, the names of the doors of Heaven are mentioned as follows: 1. Repentance 2. Zakat 3. Prayer 4. Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil 5. Hajj 6. Piety 7. Jihad 8. Patience.[22] Based on a Sunni tradition, in Heaven, there is a special door for the people of every deed, through which they are called with that deed.[23] In Shia hadiths, it is also stated that for those who perform Jihad, there is a door called Mujahidin,[24] and for those who fast, there is a door called Rayyan (quenched) through which they enter.[25] In a hadith from the Prophet (a), some of the names of the doors of Heaven are mentioned as: the Door of Mercy, the Door of Patience, the Door of Trial, the Door of Gratitude, and the Greatest Door.[26]

According to some traditions, one of the doors of Heaven is allocated to the Prophets and the Truthful, one door for the Martyrs and the Righteous, five doors for the Shias and the lovers of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), and one door is allocated to other Muslims.[27]

Based on some traditions, the doors of Heaven have been equated with certain individuals. In a hadith from the Prophet (a), Imam al-Husayn (a)[28] and in a hadith from Imam al-Kazim (a), Imam 'Ali (a)[29] and according to a tradition from Imam 'Ali (a), the Ahl al-Bayt (a) are introduced as the doors of Heaven.[30] Ja'far Shushtari in the book al-Khasa'is al-Husayniyya has enumerated the Prophet (a) and the Imams (a) as the doors of Heaven and specified that the door of Imam al-Husayn (a) is wider than the other doors.[31] Based on a tradition in the book al-Kafi, one of the doors of Heaven is located in al-Rukn al-Yamani, the entry through which is dedicated to the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (a), but according to another hadith from this book, the Shias will enter through that door.[32]

In narrative sources, some places have been named as the location of the doors of Heaven; among these places are Hijr Isma'il,[33] the Pulpit of the Prophet (a),[34] the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a)[35] and also the city of Qom.[36]

There are also traditions that consider some times to be the time of the opening of the doors of Heaven; times such as the month of Ramadan,[37] the time of the birth of the Prophet (a),[38] the time of the noon prayer,[39] Monday, and Thursday are among these times.[40]

Physical Characteristics

The Holy Prophet (a)

During the Mi'raj, I observed Heaven and its blessings and Hell and its punishments. Heaven had eight doors, and on each door of it, four sentences were written, each sentence being better than the world and whatever is in it for the one who knows it and acts upon it... On the first door of Heaven it was written: "There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, 'Ali is the vicegerent of Allah; everything has a remedy and the remedy for life is four traits; contentment, forgiving one's right, abandoning malice, and associating with the righteous." On the second door it was written: "There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, 'Ali is the vicegerent of Allah. For everything there is a remedy and measure, and the remedy for joy in the hereafter is four traits: caressing the heads of orphans, kindness to widows, striving to fulfill the needs of believers, and attending to the poor and destitute..."[41]

In Shia hadiths, characteristics have been stated for the doors of Heaven; including that the width of each of the doors of Heaven is equal to a forty-year journey.[42] Based on a tradition from the Prophet (a), the knocker of the doors of Heaven is made of red ruby, and when it is knocked on the door, it makes the sound of "Ya 'Ali".[43]

In another hadith, Bilal al-Habashi has narrated from the Prophet (a) that the Door of Mercy and the Door of Patience are of red ruby; but the Door of Patience is small and has one leaf; the Door of Gratitude is of white ruby and has two leaves and is very wide, and the Door of Trial is of yellow ruby and has one leaf; the Greatest Door is also a door through which the righteous servants and benefactors enter.[44]

Muhi al-Din 'Arabi in the interpretation of "its gates are opened" in Qur'an 39:73 says: The doors of Heaven are open before the arrival of the inhabitants of Heaven; because the doors of divine mercy and grace are always open, and God's grace is always flowing so that anyone who has the capability can receive it; but the doors of Hell are closed and are only opened for anyone who is prepared to enter Hell.[45] Al-Alusi in Tafsir ruh al-ma'ani has likened the openness of the doors of Heaven for the entry of the pious to a host who is waiting for a guest and has prepared everything to welcome him and for his entry into the house.[46]

Keys

In Shia narrative sources, prayer,[47] swords (an allusion to Jihad in the way of God),[48] the dhikr of La ilaha illa Allah[49] the Prophet (a)[50] and Imam 'Ali (a) have been introduced as the keys to Heaven.[51] According to a tradition in Tafsir Furat al-Kufi, the Prophet (a) and Imam 'Ali (a) are the first to knock on the door of Heaven[52] and Imam 'Ali (a) assists the Prophet (a) in opening the door of Heaven.[53]

Inscriptions

The book "Doors of Heaven" written by Muhammad Waniqi

Based on numerous traditions from Shia and Sunni sources, the phrase "There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and 'Ali is the brother of the Messenger of Allah" is written on the doors of Heaven.[54] According to a tradition from the Prophet (a), Gabriel during the Mi'raj showed him the doors of Heaven, where in addition to the phrase "There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and 'Ali is the vicegerent of Allah", there were also separate moral phrases on each door.[55] In a hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a) it is also stated that it is written on the door of Heaven: for every charity, there is a tenfold reward, and for an interest-free loan there is an eighteenfold reward.[56]

Monographs

Some of the books written on the subject of the doors of Heaven are:

  • Abwab al-Janna fi l-dunya wa l-akhira written by Hashim Musawi Jaza'iri; in this work, 318 traditions from Shia and Sunni sources on the subject of the doors of Heaven are mentioned, and Naji Publications in Qom printed it in 2016-17.[57]
  • Abwab al-Janna written by Muhammad Waniqi; this book was printed by Arman Roshd Publications in 2018-19 in 252 pages.[58]

See Also

Notes

  1. ↑ Qur'an 38:50; Qur'an 39:73; Qur'an 13:23.
  2. ↑ Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, al-Furqān, 1365 sh, vol. 25, p. 392.
  3. ↑ Ḥaydarī, al-Maʿād, 1440 q, vol. 6, p. 74.
  4. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 sh, vol. 10, p. 194; Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qurʾān, 1386 sh, vol. 6, p. 235.
  5. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qurʾān, 1386 sh, vol. 6, p. 237.
  6. ↑ Muḥammadī Ray Shahrī, Bihisht wa dūzakh az nigāh-i Qurʾān wa ḥadīth, 1390 sh, vol. 1, p. 122; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 sh, vol. 10, p. 194.
  7. ↑ Qur'an 26:85.
  8. ↑ Qur'an 23:11.
  9. ↑ Qur'an 25:15.
  10. ↑ Qur'an 53:15.
  11. ↑ Qur'an 20:76.
  12. ↑ Qur'an 6:127.
  13. ↑ Qur'an 40:39.
  14. ↑ Qur'an 3:133.
  15. ↑ Mūsawī Jazāʾirī, Abwāb al-Janna fī l-dunyā wa l-ākhira, 1395 sh, p. 8.
  16. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Amālī, 1414 q, p. 369.
  17. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qurʾān, 1386 sh, vol. 6, p. 238.
  18. ↑ Al-Ḥaydarī, al-Maʿād, 1440 q, vol. 6, p. 75.
  19. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qurʾān, 1386 sh, vol. 6, p. 237-238.
  20. ↑ Muṭahharī, Āshnāyī bā Qurʾān, 1389 sh, vol. 5, p. 85.
  21. ↑ Ṣadr al-Dīn Shīrāzī, Mafātīḥ al-ghayb, 1363 sh, p. 668-669.
  22. ↑ Khūyī, Minhāj al-barāʿa, 1400 q, vol. 9, p. 189.
  23. ↑ Ibn Abī Shayba, al-Muṣannaf, 1409 q, vol. 2, p. 274.
  24. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, Tahdhīb al-aḥkām, 1407 q, vol. 6, p. 123.
  25. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Thawāb al-aʿmāl wa ʿiqāb al-aʿmāl, 1406 q, p. 71.
  26. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, 1413 q, vol. 1, p. 295-296.
  27. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, al-Khiṣāl, 1362 sh, vol. 2, p. 408.
  28. ↑ Khwārazmī, Maqtal al-Ḥusayn (a), 1423 q, p. 212.
  29. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 q, vol. 2, p. 389.
  30. ↑ Ibn Shuʿba al-Ḥarrānī, Tuḥaf al-ʿuqūl, 1404 q, p. 115.
  31. ↑ Shūshtarī, al-Khaṣāʾiṣ al-Ḥusayniyya, 1414 q, p. 14.
  32. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 q, vol. 4, p. 409.
  33. ↑ Quṭb al-Rāwandī, Lubb al-lubāb, 1431 q, vol. 1, p. 116.
  34. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, 1413 q, vol. 2, p. 568.
  35. ↑ Ibn Qūlawayh, Kāmil al-ziyārāt, 1356 sh, p. 271.
  36. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 q, vol. 57, p. 212.
  37. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Thawāb al-aʿmāl wa ʿiqāb al-aʿmāl, 1406 q, p. 64.
  38. ↑ Qaysī Dimashqī, Jāmiʿ al-āthār, 2010 m, vol. 5, p. 2679.
  39. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, al-Amālī, 1376 sh, p. 575.
  40. ↑ Sayyid Ibn Ṭāwūs, Jamāl al-usbūʿ, 1330 q, p. 173.
  41. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 q, vol. 8, p. 144.
  42. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, al-Khiṣāl, 1362 sh, vol. 2, p. 408.
  43. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, al-Amālī, 1376 sh, p. 588-589.
  44. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, 1413 q, vol. 1, p. 295-296.
  45. ↑ Ibn ʿArabī, Tafsīr Ibn ʿArabī, 1422 q, vol. 2, p. 196.
  46. ↑ Al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, 1415 q, vol. 12, p. 288.
  47. ↑ Ibn Abī Jumhūr, ʿAwālī l-laʾālī, 1405 q, vol. 1, p. 322.
  48. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 q, vol. 5, p. 2.
  49. ↑ Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib (a), 1379 q, vol. 4, p. 312.
  50. ↑ Qummī, al-Faḍāʾil, 1363 sh, p. 33.
  51. ↑ Ṭabarī Āmulī, Bishārat al-Muṣṭafā, 1383 q, p. 68.
  52. ↑ Furāt al-Kūfī, Tafsīr Furāt al-Kūfī, 1410 q, p. 394.
  53. ↑ Furāt al-Kūfī, Tafsīr Furāt al-Kūfī, 1410 q, p. 635.
  54. ↑ Shūshtarī, Iḥqāq al-ḥaqq, 1409 q, vol. 4, p. 199-201.
  55. ↑ Ibn Shādhān al-Qummī, al-Faḍāʾil, 1363 sh, p. 152-154
  56. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, 1413 q, vol. 2, p. 58.
  57. ↑ Mūsawī Jazāʾirī, Abwāb al-Janna fī l-dunyā wa l-ākhira, 1395 sh.
  58. ↑ Wāniqī, Abwāb al-Janna, 1397 sh.

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