Those Who Will Be Deprived of The Fragrance of Paradise: A Survey of Hadith Literature

Abstract

This worldly life of ours is a test from Allah swt. We are required to live this life as vicegerents of Allah swt. This means that we should run our lives as well as the systems of this world according to how their True Ruler wants them to be run. He has given us the code of conduct for this life in His book and through the life of His messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم . Those who fulfill this responsibility will be rewarded with the Paradise which is so beautiful that no eye has ever seen anything like it nor any mind has mind ever imagined. It would be a great loss for the ones who live a lifestyle contrary to the commands of their Creator and get deprived of the great rewards that He has prepared for the successful ones. There are certain people about whom it is mentioned in the ahadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that they would be the ones who would not even smell the fragrance (or perfume) of Paradise. It is accordingly very important to identify all the reasons that lead to this outcome and avoid them in our lives. With this objective in mind, we have surveyed hadith literature to identify all narrations that are linked to this topic. As a result, twenty-five types of actions and behaviors have been identified and reported in this paper. May Allah swt enable us to avoid these behaviors, attributes, actions, and attitudes and enable us to live a life of purity and righteousness.