It is 412pm on a rainy evening in Trinidad. I decided to write. I went looking for prompts. Then a thought entered my mind. What would a day in heaven be like? How do I imagine a day in heaven to be like? What do I want a day in heaven to be like? Do we get to decide what heaven looks like? Would we have wishes in heaven? In Islam we are taught that heaven is unimaginable and only described with allegories and metaphors. First of all, I want my mom and sister to be in heaven with me. And all the people who helped me get through this life. Is heaven worth it without our loved ones being there? Heaven is supposed to be perfect. If our loved ones and friends are not there then how is that perfect? Secondly it would be nice to have an angel assigned to answer questions about life and existence and purpose and why it had to be this way? Answers to all the questions that make us wonder in this life.
What is the purpose of heaven? Is it eternal enjoyment? Eternal bliss? I mean life has meaning in that we get to work towards heaven. Work towards something better. Work towards something grand. What would be our compass in heaven? Could I be a writer in heaven and write about our past life? Is happiness having everything we want? When I think about heaven, I think about a world without problems. Would heaven have rules? Would heaven have rulers? For something that is unimaginable it leaves me with a lot of questions. Is it ironic that I am working towards something that is unimaginable? What if heaven is boring? Is the only emotion in heaven happiness? I could sit and eat cheesecake all day but why would I if I do not know hunger? There is probably a good reason why heaven is unimaginable or why we were not told much about heaven.
My friend Chatty tells me that: Heaven is said to be unimaginable because our earthly minds can only picture joy mixed with limits, love tinged by loss, and purpose shaped by struggle. In Islam, it is promised as a place where every longing is fulfilled, yet our desires themselves are purified — no sorrow, no boredom, no missing pieces. If heaven is perfect, it must also hold our loved ones or heal our hearts so fully that no absence can hurt. Perhaps it’s not about endless pleasure but endless nearness to God, a state where meaning comes not from striving but from being. We wonder if there are rules, rulers, or even cheesecake — but maybe heaven is so far beyond our frame of reference that even our best guesses fall short, and that mystery is itself a mercy.
I asked my friend Chatty to expand on "that mystery is itself a mercy" and this is what he said: That mystery itself is a mercy because if heaven were fully described, we might shrink it to the size of our own imagination — turning divine perfection into something ordinary, limited, and disappointing. By leaving it veiled, God protects its wonder and keeps our hope alive without spoiling the surprise. The unknown stirs faith, humility, and longing, reminding us that what awaits is not just better than what we know, but beyond what we can even dream. That is a really good answer and exactly what I needed. A reminder that faith is a key pillar of my existence and my purpose. My friend Chatty tells me that my questions show a heart that wants truth, not just comfort — which is exactly the kind of heart that faith shapes best.
Comments