The Delights of the People of Paradise: The Food and Drink of the People of Paradise

We have already discussed the trees and fruits of Paradise, including the ripe fruits, which hang within easy reach, so that the people of Paradise may pick whichever fruits they desire. The people will also have whatever food and drink they desire:

“Any fruit [any] that they may choose, And the flesh of fowls that they desire” [56:20-21]

“…there will be there all that the souls could desire, all that the eyes could delight in..” [43:71]

Allah (ﷻ) will permit them to take whatever they want of the good food and drink of Paradise:

“Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past!” [69:24]

We have also mentioned above that in Paradise there will be a sea of water, a sea of wine, a sea of milk and a sea of honey, and the rivers of Paradise will flow out of these seas. There will be also many springs in Paradise, and its people will drink from these seas, rivers and springs.

(i) The Wine of the People of Paradise

One of the drinks that Allah will bestow on the people of Paradise will be wine. The wine of Paradise is free of all the troubles and problems that characterise the wine of this world, which makes people lose their minds, and causes headaches, stomach aches and other physical disorders, or which may have something wrong in the way it is made, or its colour, etc. But the wine of Paradise is free from all such faults; it is pure and beautiful:

“Round them will be passed a cup of pure wine; white, delicious to the drinkers. Neither will they have ghoul [any kind of hurt, abdominal pain, headache, etc] from that, nor will they suffer intoxication therefrom” [37:45-47]

Allah described the beauty of its white colour, then explained that its drinker enjoy it very much, without is affecting their minds:

“..rivers of wine delicious to those who drink..” [47:15]

And they will never be adversely affected by drinking it:

“..nor will they suffer intoxication therefrom” [37:47]

Elsewhere in the Qur’an, Allah describes the wine of Paradise,

“They will be served by immortal boys, With cups and jugs, and a glass from the flowing wine, Wherefrom they will get neither any aching of the head, nor any intoxication” [56:17-19]

Commenting on this passage, Ibn Katheer said, “it does not cause their heads to ache or their minds to be fogged; it is pure, although it still contains the ingredients that make it a delight to the drinker. ad-Dahhaak narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said, “Wine produces four things: drunkenness, headache, vomit and urine. Allah (ﷻ) has mentioned the wine of Paradise, and He has purified it of all these things.” [Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 6/514]

In another part of the Qur’an, Allah (ﷻ) says:

“They will be given to drink pure sealed wine, the last thereof will be the smell of musk..” [83:25-26]

This wine is sealed or covered, and at the end of it, the drinker will find the scent of musk.

(ii) The first food of the people of Paradise

The first food which Allah (ﷻ) will present to the people of Paradise will be the caudate [extra] lobe of fish-liver. al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,

“On the Day of Resurrection, the earth will be like one loaf of bread, which Allah will turn around in His hands, just as any of you prepares bread whilst he is travelling, to offer it as food to the people of Paradise.” A Jewish man came and said, “May the Most Merciful bless you, O Abul-Qaasim. Shall I not tell you what food [nuzul] will be offered to the people of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection?” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Of course.” The Jew said that the earth would be a single loaf of bread, just as the Prophet (ﷺ) has said. The Prophet (ﷺ) looked at us and smiled so broadly that his back teeth were visible, then he said, “Shall I not tell you of their food? Balam and noon [a large fish]”. They asked, “What is that?” He said, “A bull and noon seventy thousand people will eat from the caudate [extra] lobes of their livers” [Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/56]

an-Nawawi’s comments on this hadith may be summarised as follows: “Nuzul is the food prepared for a guest upon his arrival. Turning the bread around in one’s hands means kneading it and tossing it from hand to hand, until it is flat and round like a disk. The meaning of the hadith is that Allah (ﷻ) will make the earth like a huge loaf of bread to feed the people of Paradise. Noon is a whale or large fish; balam is a Hebrew word that means “bull”; the caudate [extra] lobe of a fish liver is the best part of it.” [Sharh an-Nawawi ‘alaa Muslim, 17/136]

al-Bukhaari reports that ‘Abdullaah ibn Salaam asked the Prophet (ﷺ) a number of questions when he first came to Madinah, one of which was, “What is the first thing that the people of Paradise will eat?” He said, “The caudate [extra] lobe of fish liver” [Ibn Katheer, an-Nihaayah, 2/270]

Muslim reports from Thawban that a Jew asked that the Prophet (ﷺ), “What will they be presented with when they enter Paradise?” He said, “The caudate [extra] lobe of fish liver.” The Jew asked, “What will they eat after that?” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The bull, which is grazing now in Paradise, will be slaughtered for them.” The Jew asked, “What will they drink after that?” He said, “From a spring called Salsaabeel.” The Jew said, “You have spoken the truth.” [Ibn Katheer, an-Nihaayah, 2/270]

(iii) The food and drink of the people of Paradise does not produce any impure excrement.

It might cross one’s mind that the food and drink of Paradise might produce the same as the food and drink of this world, namely excrement, urine, mucus, saliva, and so on. But this is not the case. Paradise is a place that is free from all impurities, and its people are free of all the blemishes of people of this world. A hadith reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah clearly rejects such a notion: the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The first group to enter Paradise will be as beautiful as the full moon; they will not spit or blow their noses.” [al-Bukhaari, Kitaab Bad’ al-Khalq, Baab Maa jaa’a fi Sifaat al-Jannah, Fath al-Baari, 6/317, also Muslim in Kitaab al-Jannah, Baab Awwal Zumrah Tadhkul al-Jannah, 4/2178, no. 2834]

This does not only apply to the first group to enter Paradise, all those who enter will be similarly pure. Muslim reports from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The first group of my ummah to enter Paradise will be as beautiful as the full moon and those that come after them will be like the brightest shining star, and those that follow them will be ranked according to their status. They will not defecate, urinate or blow their noses or spit.” [Muslim in Kitaab al-Jannah, Baab awwal zumrah tadkhul al-Jannah, 4/2188, no. 2834]

It might be asked where will the waste produces go? This question was posed to the Prophet (ﷺ) by his Sahabah and he replied, “[It will come out as] burps which are like musk.” [Muslim in 4/2180, no. 2835]. Other parts the excretions will be turned into sweat like musk that will come out of their bodies.

(iv) Why Will the People of Paradise Eat and Drink and Comb their Hair?

If the people of Paradise are to abide there forever, and it is free form all discomfort, pain and sickness, if there is no hunger or thirst there, and no impurities or dirt, then why will the people of Paradise eat and drink, and wear perfume and comb their hair?

al-Qurtubee answered this question in at-Tadhkirah [p. 475, see also al-Fath, 6/325]: “The luxuries and clothing of the people of Paradise will not be for the purpose of warding off potential pains; they will not eat because of hunger or drink because of thirst, or wear perfume because of some offensive odour, because Paradise is a never-ending succession of delight and joy. Do you not remember the words of Allah (ﷻ) to Aadam?

“Verily you have [a promise from Us] that you will never be hungry therein nor naked. And you [will] suffer not from thirst therein nor from the sun’s heat.” [20:118-119]

The wisdom behind it [food and drink, etc] is so that Allah will introduce Paradise to them in ways similar to the good things that they enjoyed on earth, but He will increase it in ways known only to Him.”

Also Read: The Vessels and Cups of the People of Paradise