Paradise is Oh So Nice

Paradise is Oh So Nice is an Islamic audiobook for young children, told in rhyme, in which a mother tells her children at bedtime about Jannah, the reward Allah has promised to those who believe and do good.

It is time for bed, but Manu and Aya will not settle until Mama tells them about Paradise. She describes a place with no sadness and no tears, no scratches or bruises, with beautiful gardens, rivers of milk and honey, and homes made just for them with bricks of silver and gold. Allah created it, she says, to reward those who believe and are patient, and anyone who believes and does good can hope to reach it.

The children's imaginations take off. Manu wants rivers of apple juice, an ice cream mountain to ski down and dinosaurs for pets. Aya wants a castle of chocolate and peanut butter, kittens to keep safe and flowers that grow shoes. Mama smiles: in Jannah we will have whatever we wish for. She tells them that Jannah has levels, the highest called Jannatul Firdaus, and that the greatest gift of all will be to see Allah.

The book ends with the family asking Allah for forgiveness and making dua to be invited to Jannah. It opens with an ayah of Surah Al-Baqarah, is written by Halimah Bashir, illustrated by Laila Ramadhani Ritonga and read by Rania Kurdi. Its pictures of Jannah are imagined, since no mind can grasp what Allah has prepared. It is music-free.

• Surah Al-Baqarah 2:82: Those who believe and do good will be the people of Paradise, abiding in it forever. Recited at the start.
• Surah Muhammad 47:15: In Paradise are rivers of milk and rivers of pure honey.
• Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:71: In Paradise is whatever the souls desire and the eyes delight in.
• Surah Al-Qiyamah 75:22-23: On that Day some faces will be radiant, looking at their Lord.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 2790: Al-Firdaus is the best and highest part of Paradise, so ask Allah for it.