#hell #paradise #hadiths
This hadith commands us to abstain from unlawful desires because they lead us to hellfire and to be patient over difficulties because it leads us to paradise. In order to obtain the great rewards with Allah, it is not sufficient to just wish for them in the mind, rather, the person must actively strive for them by overcoming one’s unlawful desires and doing whatever is loved and pleasing to Allah. In this hadith, the Prophet ﷺ informed us that the hellfire is hidden behind unlawful desires, which teaches us that actively pursuing such desires will make us end up at that cursed destination. We should not be blinded or mesmerized just because we cannot ‘see’ the hellfire but it is what is behind the curtain, thus, we should take precautions to safeguard ourselves and our families from following unlawful desires.

The Prophet ﷺ also informed us in this hadith that paradise is hidden behind difficulties. The ‘difficulty’ here is in reference to whatever we have been commanded to do by Allah in this world and other noble acts, such as, striving to do acts of worship, patience over fulfilling His commands, abstaining from the prohibited, controlling anger, forgiving others, being forbearing, giving charity, being patient over unlawful desires, etc. The reason such things are called ‘difficult’ is because they are hard on the doer and not easy especially in a society where most people frequently violate Allah’s commands.