No Entry to Paradise Without This Trial

Number six speaks to those who thought that Islam is a free ride — that Islam is convenient, that Islam will give a person Paradise without demanding too much: a few prayers here and there, and that is it, Paradise is granted. Allah (swt) addresses such people:

Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while Allah has not yet made evident those of you who fight jihād fī sabīlillāh, and made evident those who are steadfast? Do not think that Paradise can be reached without jihād fī sabīlillāh. The believers had to go through this stage — Paradise cannot be claimed without going through the test of jihād fī sabīlillāh, and, consequently, it shows steadfastness, for that is where ṣabr is shown. This is the Islamic way: not a mystic religion, where a few devotions are done here and there and a person thinks his part is done. No — Allah is going to test in the field. Allah (swt) has some serious demands, because Allah (swt) is giving Jannah; it is not going to be had for free. It has to be earned; it has to be worked for. When it is said that it must be earned, that is not literal, because no matter the deeds done, Paradise is more than anyone's deeds. Even the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "I will only get into Jannah by the mercy of Allah (swt)."^*** But Allah wants the utmost effort a person is humanly capable of in this world.

Number seven: after the Battle of Badr and its outstanding victory, those who had missed it were looking forward to meeting the enemy again, and they were asking for shahādah, asking to meet death — but that was all desire held in the heart. How it would play out in the real world was something else: the intention might be there, but was that intention real?

And they had certainly wished for death — that is, martyrdom — before they encountered it, and they had now seen it before them while they were looking on. In other words, actual fighting was necessary to verify whether their wishes were true or not, whether their intentions were true or not — and it may be that even they themselves did not know it. Anyone can hold intentions in the heart, but whether, faced with the opportunity to fulfil those intentions, they would really be fulfilled, is something only Allah knows — and that is why Allah made them face these circumstances, to make evident what was in their hearts. So Allah is telling them: "You wanted to face martyrdom? Here you go. Here is your chance. Go ahead, show Me."

So these are seven lessons that can be learned from verses 140 to 143 of Sūrah Āl ʿImrān.