The Ten Promised Paradise

"Not equal are those of you who spent (in the way of Allah) and fought before the victory (in Makkah). They are far greater in rank than those who spent and fought afterwards. Yet Allah has promised each a fine reward." {57:10} While the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) were given the glad tidings of Paradise in general, there are those promised Paradise individually such as those mentioned in Hadith of 'Al-'Ashara Mubashara'. This term is used as a designation for those ten great Companions singled out by the Prophet (ﷺ) for the privilege of being among the inhabitants of Paradise during their lifetime.

This succinct work by Imam Ibn al-Jawzi recounts the lives of those very Companions mentioned together in the well-known Prophetic narration found in Sunan al-Tirmidhi: "Abu Bakr is in Paradise. 'Umar is in Paradise. 'Uthman is in Paradise. 'Ali is in Paradise. Talhah is in Paradise. Al-Zubayr is in Paradise. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf is in Paradise. Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas is in Paradise. Sa’id ibn Zayd is in Paradise, and Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah is in Paradise."

The author focuses on these ten great personalities who owned towering courage, tenacity and ethics. They were sincerely committed in their devotion to Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) and for the supremacy of the Deen he was sent with. They spread the divine Message to the farthest lands and in doing so, left a lasting impact upon those who came after them. This work recounts anecdotes of their lives, biographical data and the major achievements they scored.

Their lives are truly spirited and powered by sheer patience and gratitude. And just as they etched triumph and achievement in the psyche of those around them, we hope this book will leave a pronounced sense of energy and drive on every reader to aspire from.

The author, Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH), was a learned scholar possessing extensive knowledge. While still young, he became known as someone who was religious and given to learning. He would not waste his time in idle activities and would scrupulously avoid any food whose source was doubtful. He was a great preacher and his fame was widespread, many people repented and accepted Islam at his hands. He was also a prolific writer and authored over one thousand works encompassing a multitude of Islamic disciplines and sciences.