Those Whom The Angels Take

Peace, one and all…

‘They shall enter the Gardens of Eden with rivers running below. Therein shall they have whatsoever they will. Thus does God recompense the reverent, those whom the angels take while they are in a state of goodness. They will say, ‘Peace be upon you! Enter the Garden for that which you used to do’ (Quran 16:31-32)

In a recent post, we looked briefly at a beautiful Quranic description of the truly God-conscious.  As I read a little further along, I came across these two verses, which enhance and deepen our understanding of contentment.  These verses describe the ultimate destination of those who are content with all that God does: namely, the Gardens of Paradise. Paradise is described twice in these verses. It is first described as ‘the Garden of Eden’. In other words, living a truly content life returns us to our origin. We are returned to the place we began, but with fully conscious awareness. Through contentment we come to understand that all things unfold to our betterment, and to our completion.  Paradise is described more simply as a garden in the final passage.  If we are able to live deeply, we are already in a beautiful garden. We have attained paradise in this world. And then, when this life is over, we are promised an eternal garden.  If we are able to live a fully contented life, a life of patience, gratitude and loving-kindness, we will always be conscious of God regardless of what we are doing. We will always be ready to depart, knowing that whenever that moment comes, it will be perfect.  We will always be ready to greet Love’s messengers, the beloved angels; whenever they come, we will always be in a state of goodness.

And my last prayer is in praise of God, Sustainer of All the Worlds.

Ask olsun! May love increase!