• Author: Islamweb

The Noble Quran is a book of guidance and enlightenment for all people “There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book.” [Quran 5: 15]. In it, Allah made distinct to His servants the path of good from the path of evil, and the path of success and salvation from the path of loss and misguidance “And, [moreover], this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way.” [Quran 6: 153]. He commanded man to do what is good and profitable for him and to leave and avoid what is bad for him “So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.” [Quran 99: 7-8]. Among these people are ones who have been successful and followed the straight path, and others who have strayed from the right path “Among them were those whom Allah guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed.” [Quran 16: 36]

Among the noble verses instructing people to follow the path of righteousness is Allah’s saying, “And Allah invites to the Home of Peace and guides whom He wills to a straight path.” [Quran 10: 25]

The Mantuq (explicit or direct meaning) of the verse calls people to head for Dar-us-Salam ‘the Home of Peace,’ and its Mafhum (implicit or indirect meaning) calls them to avoid the path of misguidance. What is Dar-us-Salam, and who is calling for it?

Before answering this question, we should note that the verse came after verses that show the reality of the life of this world and that it is a transient life with no sustainability or stability. This is understood from Allah’s saying, “The example of [this] worldly life is but like rain which We have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb - [those] from which men and livestock eat - until, when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its people suppose that they have capability over it, there comes to it Our command by night or by day, and We make it as a harvest as if it had not flourished yesterday.” [Quran 10: 24]

The reality of the life of this world is that it is a life of testing and trials. Some people pass the test successfully and peacefully and win in this world and the Hereafter, but others fail and lose in this world and the Hereafter.

Then Allah, after revealing the reality of this life, followed that with the call to real life, which people should aspire to, prepare for, work hard to attain, and diligently endeavor to reach and become worthy of it.

Most of the Quran exegetes held that Dar us Salam (the Home of Peace) is Paradise, as evidenced by Allah’s saying, “For them will be the Home of Peace with their Lord.” [Quran 6: 127]. Ibn Kathir and others said: It is Paradise.

The Quran exegetes mentioned three reasons for calling Paradise the ‘home of peace’: Some of them said: It was named so because ‘As-Salam’ [The Peace, i.e. The Giver of Peace] is Allah, the Almighty, and Paradise is His Home. This view is attributed to Qatadah and others.

Others said: It is called so because whoever enters it shall be safe from trouble. Peace [Salam], in this sense, means safety. People shall be safe from all evils, such as death, disease, pain, calamities, Satan's temptations, unbelief, heresy, toil, and fatigue.

According to a third view, Paradise is called “Dar-us-Salam,” because Allah, the Almighty, greets its people with Salam [peace], as Allah, the Almighty, said, “[And] "Peace," a word from a Merciful Lord.” [Quran 36: 58]. The angels greet them as well, as Allah said, “And the angels will enter upon them from every gate, [saying], ‘Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is the final home.’” [Quran 13: 23-24]. The people of Paradise also greet each other with Salam, as He, Glory be to Him, informed about them saying, “…and their greeting therein will be, ‘Peace.’” [Quran 10: 10]. Their greeting of Salam reaches the fortunate people of the world, as Allah, the Almighty, said, “And if he was of the companions of the right, then [the angels will say], ‘Peace for you; [you are] from the companions of the right.’” [Quran 56: 90-91]

In the Hadith narrated on the authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: Some angels came to the Prophet () while he was sleeping. Some of them said …"His example is that of a man who has built a house and then offered therein a banquet and sent an inviter (messenger) to invite people. So, whoever accepted the invitation of the inviter shall enter the house and eat of the banquet and whoever did not accept the invitation of the inviter shall not enter the house, nor shall he eat of the banquet." Then the angels said, "Interpret this example to him so that he may understand it." … Then, they said, "The house stands for Paradise, and the one who issues the invitation is Muhammad; and whoever obeys Muhammad, obeys Allah; and whoever disobeys Muhammad, disobeys Allah.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari as Mu’allaq, i.e. a Hadith in which one or more narrators are omitted from the beginning end of the chain of transmission close to the Muhaddith [compiler of the book of Hadith])

It is worthwhile for us, while we are commenting on this verse, to point out two things that should not be overlooked:

First, Allah’s call to the servants, Glory be to Him, to Dar-us-Salam, indicates that such Dar-us-Salam is not like any other house that people have. Instead, it is a home that is different from the homes of the world in every respect; as in it, there are blessings that no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no human mind has ever conceived.

If the Greatest holds something as great, encourages people to seek it, and even exaggerates that encouragement, it indicates the perfect state of that thing, especially when Allah numerously described Paradise in the Quran, as He, the Almighty, says, “Then [for him is] rest and bounty and a garden of pleasure.” [Quran 56: 89

Second, the omission of the object of the verb ‘invites’ denotes generality; Allah did not say, “Allah invites the believers” or “Allah invites the Muslims;” instead, the object is omitted to draw attention that the invitation is addressed to everyone.

Linguistically speaking, invitation [Da’wah] signifies demand and incitement. In this verse, it means the obligations that involve commands and prohibitions. So, Allah commanded His Messenger () to order all people to be good and righteous. Therefore, this generality covers the disbelievers initially, as they are the cause of the command issued in such a general sense.

The critical thing to be pointed out here is the vast difference between the abode of the mortal world and the eternal Dar-us-Salam; it is between the transient home of vanity and the home of eternity and happiness; it is between a home that vanishes in a moment, and disappears all of a sudden, leaving no traces behind, and between a home of stability and continuity that never comes to an end “And as for those who were [destined to be] prosperous, they will be in Paradise, abiding therein as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except what your Lord should will - a bestowal uninterrupted.” [Quran 11: 108]

How great the difference is between the two! They are never alike; those whose concern is the vanishing abode and those who are concerned with the eternal abode.

The conclusion of the verse, “… and guides whom He wills to a straight path,” explains that Allah, Glory be to Him, guides whomever He wills of His creation to the straight path, which is Islam, that leads to Allah’s Pleasure, and eventually to Paradise.