The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 457
Heaven and Hell lights. Allāh the Glorious refers to them in the verse: نُورُهُمْ يَسْخى بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِايْمَانِهِمْ | 235 457. In the same way, there are great disbelievers in whose hearts a fire is kindled before they enter completely into hell, as Allāh the Glorious says: 236 نارُ اللَّهِ الْمُوْقَدَةُه الَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الأَفْئِدَةِ 0 36. Above this second grade is a third grade, which is the last of the grades which people will enter after the Day of. Judgement and will enjoy or suffer in a complete and perfect manner. In these three grades a person is in a type of heaven or hell, and in none of these grades is he excluded from heaven or hell. From one grade he progresses into another. . One of the ways of such progress is that, for instance, a person dies in a low condition of faith and action and a small hole is made for him towards heaven as his capacity for the manifestation of heaven is limited to that much. Thereafter, if he leaves behind righteous progeny, who supplicate earnestly for his forgiveness and for that purpose give alms to the poor or, if he had love for a man of God who supplicates earnestly for his forgiveness, or he has left behind him some project which is of public benefit, then by the blessing of these good actions that are carried on his behalf, the window that is opened for him towards heaven widens daily and this process is accelerated by the Divine pronouncement: My mercy outruns My wrath; till the window becomes a wide gate 235 Their light will run before them and on their right hands. '-AlTaḥrīm, 66:9 [Publisher] 236 'It is Allāh's kindled fire which leaps at hearts. '-Al-Humazah, 104:7-8 [Publisher]