The guide of souls to the land of celebrations

The Guide of Souls to the Land of Joys is a book authored by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, in which he describes Paradise in a way that is enjoyable for the reader and captivating for the observer. It describes its inhabitants, their food, drink, and their houris, their qualities, as well as various gates of Paradise, its wide entrances, levels, and the early believers among this nation who will enter it, describing their characteristics and mentioning the types of people in Paradise who are granted it exclusively, along with descriptions of Paradise’s soil, light, palaces, trees, the drinks and food of its inhabitants, their clothing, tents, cushions, servants, young boys, as well as the women of Paradise, their types, beauty, and apparent and hidden attractiveness. The most significant chapter of the book is about the sight of the inhabitants of Paradise when they see their Lord openly, relying throughout on the Holy Qur'an and the Prophetic traditions. The book is divided into seventy chapters. It begins with an introduction about the purpose of creating mankind and clarifies the state of people regarding this, between those who are aware of it and those who are heedless. Then, the book is divided into seventy chapters, covering various issues related to Paradise. It starts with establishing the existence of Paradise now and that it is created, then discusses the Paradise in which Adam and his wife were placed—whether it is the eternal Paradise or another. It then mentions chapters describing the characteristics of Paradise’s gates, their location, number, size, and descriptions. It discusses the levels of Paradise, focusing on the highest levels. It also covers the names of Paradise, their meanings, and derivations, as well as the number of Gardens. Further chapters describe the guardians of Paradise from the angels, the first to knock on its door, the first nations to enter it, the qualities of those rushing to Paradise, and those who enter without reckoning. It describes the soil, clay, and construction of Paradise, as well as its chambers and palaces. It discusses the characteristics of the people of Paradise, their ages, their ranks, the trees, orchards, shade, springs, food, drink, vessels, clothing, jewelry, cushions, and beds. It also describes their servants, the women of Paradise and the houris, their marriages, their mounts and vehicles, their visits, the markets of Paradise, and their hearing the speech of their Lord, as well as their visits to Him. A precious chapter is about the vision of the inhabitants of Paradise when they see their Lord, including proofs for this, and reports from the Companions and those after them regarding this vision in Paradise. Another chapter discusses the everlasting nature of Paradise, that it does not perish or fade, and details the scholarly disagreement on this matter. The book also contains various chapters about what is mentioned in the Qur'an and Prophetic traditions concerning Paradise that was not previously discussed, concluding with discussions about the supplication of the people of Paradise and their praise of their Lord. The book "The Guide of Souls" has held a prominent place among scholars, many of whom have cited it and transmitted from it, including Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in his "Fath al-Bari," where he referenced it in multiple places; al-Safarini in his "Idha al-Albab"; and Ahmad ibn Ibrahim ibn Isa in his "Tawdih al-Maqasid" in many sections.