وَالَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ بِاِيْمَانٍ اَلْحَـقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَمَاۤ اَلَـتْنٰهُمْ مِّنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِّنْ شَىْءٍ كُلُّ امْرِیءٍۢ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِيْنٌ (21)
Quran Ayah Data not found….for Surah:52, Ayah:21 and Translation:24
Quran Surah:52 Ayah:21
“And those who believed and theirchildren followed them in belief, Wewill join their children with them, andwill not curtail (the reward of) any oftheir deeds at all. Every person will bepledged for what he earned.”
Certainly, the believers will be bestowed with many favours in Paradise. Describing the very favours, it is said in the verse appearing above that if the offspring of believers and righteous people follows into the foot-prints of their ancestors in this mortal world, Allah, the Almighty will favour them with the company of their offspring in Paradise even if they (offspring) don’t deserve it as compared to their deeds. It will not even make any slight difference to their ranks, status and reward in Paradise.
Another thing we come to learn through this verse is that living with one’s family and offspring is really a blessing. It is something that causes coolness to one’s eyes and comfort to one’s heart. One who is deprived of this blessing, his life becomes dull and dready to such extent that even when he will enter Paradise, he will desire the company of his family and offspring in it.
There appears a tradition in Tibrani narrated on the authority of HazratSaeed bin Juber (R.T.A.) he says: ‘When a dweller of Paradise will enter in it, he will ask as where are his parents, family and offspring. He will be informed that since they did not reach your rank in deeds they have been given another grade in Paradise. He will again address Allah saying: “O my Lord! Whatever I did in the world was for the sake of my family and offspring too.” Hearing it, Allah, the Almighty will order their company with him.
Another tradition comes to this effect, HazratIbne Abbas (R.T.A.) reports that the Holy Prophetﷺ said: ‘Allah, the Almighty will send the offspring of pious believers in their company even if they will not deserve it due to their difference it deeds – so that they prove to be coolness to their eyes.’ (Hakim Baihaqi)
Besides the glad-tidings of this blessing, its condition too had been added to it in the same verse, that is, first and foremost, their ancestors themselves should be true believers, worthy of entering Paradiseand elevated on high ranks. Thus, in other words, being true believers and pious is a prerequisite for their ancestors, only then they will be worthy of being in company of their offspring. Hence, if the parents really desire the company of their offspring in Paradise, they first themselves need to be true believers and righteous one.
The second condition is that even the offspring must possess true belief and be true followers into the footprints of their ancestors as also pointed out in the verse:وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّــتُهُمْ بِاِيْمَانٍ
“And their children followed them in belief.”
Now if the offspring deviate from the true belief and cease to follow into footprints of their ancestors, how can they deserve this favour from Allah, the Almighty? Hence, if the parents desire to be favoured with the company of their offspring in Paradise, they must be rather concerned about their belief, rather, they must make all-out efforts to make their offspring true believers, make them steadfast on the right path and recommend them to follow into their footprints.
Making efforts to make one’s offspring pious will benefit not only to be favoured with their company in Paradise, but also cause to elevate the ranks of their parents in Paradise, since the pious offspring is considered to be perennial charity(Sadqa-e-Jariyah).It appears in Musnand Ahmad, Hazrat Abu Hurairah narrates that when a pious man would enter Paradise and see his rank being elevated, he would surprisingly ask that how it was possible. Allah, the Almighty will reply that it was by the virtue of the prayer supplicated by his pious offspring.
As for the reason of prerequisite to be a believer for everyone is that it is only belief which is considered to be the base of salvation and attaining Allah’s favours in Hereafter. Without it nothing is possible. Only if one possesses this wealth, there would be a difference only of his ranks according to his deeds while Allah, the Almighty, for the completion of His favours and belessings, would elevate his ranks by His virtue through bestowing with manifold rewards on one act of piety.
It is only the condition of belief which rejects the notion that merely the lineal relation will work out there as the corrupted nations are supposed to be in such type of wrong conception. The Jews and pagans of Arab defaced the religion brought by Hazrat Ibrahim and Ismail (A.S.) and immersed totally in disbelief but remained in a wrong notion that they would be rewarded with high ranks based on their lineal relation. The same shortcoming is found in the minds of today’s Sayyid and saint’s progeny while the fact is that mere lineal relation will be of no avail.