Allah, the Exalted, mentioned in the Noble Qur'an a number of paradises, such as Jannat al-Firdaws, Jannat 'Adn, and Jannat al-Ma'wa.

The questioner : The questioner:The questioner : He says: Allah, the Exalted, mentioned in the Noble Qur'an a number of paradises, such as Jannat al-Firdaws, Jannat 'Adn, and Jannat al-Ma'wa. Is Sidrat al-Muntaha the highest rank of the heavens of the Lord of the Worlds? And which paradise should the Muslim ask for, since Allah loves the Muslim who is persistent in supplication?

The Shaykh : The answer to this question, or to part of what is in this question, has come in his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . As for Sidrat al-Muntaha, the apparent indication from the story of the Night Journey and the Ascension of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that it is there, the last thing of the Paradise. I say this is the apparent indication because I do not have at hand an explicit text on the subject. As for the paradise he is asking about, it is Jannat al-Firdaws, for it is explicitly stated in the hadith: .

The questioner : Our Shaykh—may Allah know best—meaning, according to my understanding of the brother's words, did Allah count Jannat al-Firdaws, Jannat 'Adn, and Jannat al-Ma'wa as one paradise or not?

The Shaykh : This, too, has come explicitly in "al-Bukhari": . Yes, these are many paradises. And therefore he said in the previous hadith: .