Paradise is Oh So Nice

Paradise is Oh So Nice is an Islamic picture book for children aged 4 to 9 in which a mother tells her children at bedtime about Jannah, the Paradise that the Qur'an describes as a very beautiful place where we will have whatever we want.

It is time for bed, but the children will not sleep until Mama tells them about Paradise. She describes a place with no sadness and no scratches or bruises, with gardens, rivers of milk and honey, and homes built for each person with bricks of silver and gold. Allah made it, she says, to reward those who believe and those who are patient.

Then the children join in. Manu wants rivers of apple juice, an ice cream mountain to ski down and a gigantic strawberry milkshake. Aya wants a chocolate castle, kittens and the chance to fly with the birds. Mama ends with the greatest gift of all: to see Allah. So the family asks Allah for forgiveness, thanks Him each day and makes dua to be invited to Jannah.

The book opens with an ayah of the Qur'an (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:82). The children's wishes are playful, and the app's note says the book's pictures are imaginary and for learning only: what Allah has prepared is beyond what any mind can grasp. Written by Halimah Bashir and illustrated by Laila Ramadhani Ritonga, it takes about six minutes to read aloud and is music-free.

Time for bed

The book began with an ayah of the Qur'an: those who believe and do good will be the people of Paradise, and they will stay there forever.

It was bedtime. Mama tucked the children in tight, told them to say their duas and bent down to kiss them goodnight. "But wait, Mama, wait," they said. "We can't go to bed yet. Tell us about Paradise. We don't want to forget."

"Oh, that's right, I almost forgot," said Mama. She told them about a place she liked to imagine and dream about a lot, a place that made her so excited, and a place she hoped they would all be invited to. It was called Jannah, and every Muslim child should know about it.

A place with no sadness

Jannah, Mama said, was a place of perfection, the place we all wish to go. There was no sadness there, not a teardrop in sight, and no ouchies, scratches or bruises. There were only winners and nobody lost. There was only happiness, with smiles all around, and it was so clean and majestic that you would want to kiss the ground.

Allah created Jannah to reward those who believe, she said, and those who are patient, and anyone who believes and does good can hope to reach it. It has beautiful gardens, rivers of milk and honey, and colourful creatures to enjoy without paying any money. And if you did not like something one way, you could change it.

Rivers of juice and ice cream mountains

Manu's eyes opened wide. Did that mean that if he would rather have rivers of apple juice and grape soda, Allah would change them for him?

"Of course, in an instant," said Mama. "For Him, that is not hard to do." And if Manu wanted an ice cream mountain to ski down, Allah could easily make that for him too.

Manu kept going. What about a tree that grew kebabs, curly fries growing from his head, or a gigantic strawberry milkshake with a cherry on top? There was no bedtime in Jannah either, Mama said: you could stay up day and night and enjoy every game and every sweet treat.

Once you enter Jannah, she told them, you will know exactly where you live: in beautiful mansions and castles made just for you, with bricks of silver and gold. Everything you wish for will come true. You will look out of your window, admire its beauty, and thank Allah again for creating it, grateful to be part of His plan.

Aya's wishes

Then Aya joined in with a smile. What if she wanted a castle made of chocolate and peanut butter, and cute kittens to keep safe under her bed? She would love to fly with the birds, high up in the sky. She would like flowers in her garden that grew beautiful shoes, so that each day she could choose a pair. She would eat French toast and pancakes with syrup and honey, and her friends would laugh at all her jokes.

"You're right, Aya," Mama said with a smile, and Manu added that Allah would make all their patience worthwhile. Then he told his own wishes: dinosaurs as pets that he would feed with jelly beans, the biggest muscles, and being so tall that he could reach the candyfloss clouds and munch them with both hands. He would invite all his family over to play hide-and-seek and have a barbecue.

The greatest gift

"You're right, my son," said Mama. "This isn't make-believe. Allah has promised us what we want," as the Qur'an says: the believers will have whatever they desire (41:31). In Jannah, she said, the tree trunks are made of gold, people wear the softest silk, and there are rivers of pure white milk. There are levels in Jannah, each one better than the last, and the highest of all is called Jannatul Firdaus.

"We ask Allah for forgiveness and thank Him each day," Mama said, "and we pray that He invites us to the place where we will stay forever." The greatest gift that Allah can give us, she told them, is to let us see His face. So they should make dua and hope that He invites them to that wonderful, magnificent place.

• Surah Al-Baqarah 2:82: Those who believe and do good deeds will be the people of Paradise; they will abide in it forever.
• Surah Muhammad 47:15: In Paradise are rivers of water, of milk and of pure honey.
• Surah Fussilat 41:31: In it you will have whatever your souls desire.
• Surah Al-Hajj 22:23: Their clothing there will be silk.
• Surah Al-Qiyamah 75:22-23: Some faces that Day will be radiant, looking at their Lord.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 2790: When you ask Allah, ask Him for Al-Firdaus, the highest part of Paradise.