The short answer
Jannah (Paradise) has a hundred levels, and the distance between any two of them is like the distance between the heaven and the earth. The highest and best is al-Firdaus. Above it is the Throne of the Most Merciful, and the rivers of Paradise flow from it. The Prophet ﷺ said: "When you ask Allah, ask Him for al-Firdaus".1 It has eight gates,2 its people live forever without illness or ageing, and its greatest joy is seeing Allah.
The levels of Jannah
إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِائَةَ دَرَجَةٍ أَعَدَّهَا اللَّهُ لِلْمُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، مَا بَيْنَ الدَّرَجَتَيْنِ كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ، فَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُ اللَّهَ فَاسْأَلُوهُ الْفِرْدَوْسَ، فَإِنَّهُ أَوْسَطُ الْجَنَّةِ وَأَعْلَى الْجَنَّةِ، وَفَوْقَهُ عَرْشُ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَمِنْهُ تَفَجَّرُ أَنْهَارُ الْجَنَّةِ
In Paradise there are a hundred levels that Allah has prepared for those who strive in His cause. Between every two levels is like the distance between the heaven and the earth. So when you ask Allah, ask Him for al-Firdaus, for it is the middle of Paradise and the highest part of Paradise. Above it is the Throne of the Most Merciful, and from it the rivers of Paradise gush forth.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2790, from Abu Hurayrah
The people of the higher levels will see those of the rooms above them the way we see a bright star on the horizon.3 Rank rises with faith and deeds. For the one who learned the Quran, it will be said: "Recite and rise".4 The Quran also speaks of degrees: "For them are degrees [of high position] with their Lord and forgiveness and noble provision" (8:4).
Is it eight levels or a hundred?
Lists online often give "the 8 levels of Jannah" in a fixed order: Firdaus, Adn, Naim, Mawa, Dar al-Salam, Dar al-Khuld, Dar al-Muqamah and Maqam Amin. These are all names the Quran uses for Paradise, but no authentic text ranks them as eight separate levels. What the sahih hadith give is eight gates2 and a hundred levels,1 with al-Firdaus at the top. Many scholars said the names describe Paradise as a whole, while some held that some of them refer to particular gardens.
Jannatul Firdaus
Al-Firdaus is named twice in the Quran. In Surah Al-Kahf it is the lodging of those who believe and do righteous deeds:
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَنَّٰتُ ٱلْفِرْدَوْسِ نُزُلًا ﴿١٠٧﴾ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًۭا ﴿١٠٨﴾
Innal lazeena aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaati kaanat lahum Jannaatul Firdawsi nuzulaa Khaalideena feeha la yabghoona 'anhaa hiwalaa
(107) Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - they will have the Gardens of Paradise as a lodging, (108) Wherein they abide eternally. They will not desire from it any transfer.
Quran 18:107-108 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Kahf
Surah Al-Muminun opens with the qualities of those who will inherit it: humility in prayer, turning away from vain talk, giving zakah, guarding their chastity, keeping their trusts and promises, and guarding their prayers (23:1-9). Then: "Those are the inheritors who will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide therein eternally" (23:10-11). When the young companion Harithah was killed at Badr and his mother asked about him, the Prophet ﷺ told her that there are many gardens in Paradise, "and he is in al-Firdaus al-Ala".5
What Jannah is like
Allah says in a hadith qudsi: "I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and has never occurred to a human heart".6 Then the Prophet ﷺ recited: "And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do" (32:17).
مَّثَلُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ٱلَّتِى وُعِدَ ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ ۖ فِيهَآ أَنْهَٰرٌۭ مِّن مَّآءٍ غَيْرِ ءَاسِنٍۢ وَأَنْهَٰرٌۭ مِّن لَّبَنٍۢ لَّمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُۥ وَأَنْهَٰرٌۭ مِّنْ خَمْرٍۢ لَّذَّةٍۢ لِّلشَّٰرِبِينَ وَأَنْهَٰرٌۭ مِّنْ عَسَلٍۢ مُّصَفًّۭى ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ وَمَغْفِرَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ كَمَنْ هُوَ خَٰلِدٌۭ فِى ٱلنَّارِ وَسُقُوا۟ مَآءً حَمِيمًۭا فَقَطَّعَ أَمْعَآءَهُمْ ﴿١٥﴾
Masalul jannatil latee wu'idal muttaqoona feehaaa anhaarum mim maaa'in ghayri aasininw wa anhaarum mil labanil lam yataghaiyar ta'muhoo wa anhaarum min khamril lazzatil lishshaaribeena wa anhaarum min 'asalim musaffanw wa lahum feeha min kullis samaraati wa maghfiratum mir Rabbihim kaman huwa khaalidun fin naari wa suqoo maaa'an hameeman faqatta'a am'aaa'ahum
Is the description of Paradise, which the righteous are promised, wherein are rivers of water unaltered, rivers of milk the taste of which never changes, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey, in which they will have from all [kinds of] fruits and forgiveness from their Lord, like [that of] those who abide eternally in the Fire and are given to drink scalding water that will sever their intestines?
Quran 47:15 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Muhammad
- No illness, ageing or death. A caller will announce: you will be healthy and never be ill, live and never die, be young and never grow old, and enjoy and never despair.7
- No hatred. "And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment" (7:43).
- Its size. "A garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous" (3:133). There is a tree in it under whose shade a rider could travel for a hundred years without crossing it.8
- The lowest in rank. The last person to enter Paradise will be given the like of this world and ten times as much.9
- Pure spouses. "And they will have therein purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally" (2:25).
- The greatest joy: seeing Allah. "[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant, looking at their Lord" (75:22-23). The Prophet ﷺ said: "You will see your Lord as you see this moon, and you will not be crowded in seeing Him".10 Seeing Allah is the "extra" (ziyadah) promised in 10:26.11
- His pleasure. "But approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment" (9:72).
How to reach Jannah
Jannah is entered by Allah's mercy. The Prophet ﷺ said: "None of you will enter Paradise by his deeds alone." They asked: "Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Not even me, unless Allah covers me with His mercy".12 His mercy is reached through faith and the deeds He loves: "Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds, they will have the Gardens of Paradise as a lodging" (18:107). "Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and the Fire is surrounded by desires".13
Deeds the Prophet ﷺ tied to Paradise by name, from authentic hadith:
| Deed | What was promised | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tawheed | "Whoever dies knowing that there is no god but Allah will enter Paradise." | Sahih Muslim 26 |
| Fajr and Asr | "Whoever prays the two cool prayers will enter Paradise." | Sahih al-Bukhari 574; Sahih Muslim 635 |
| Twelve sunnah rakahs a day | A house is built for him in Paradise. | Sahih Muslim 728 |
| Wudu and the shahadah after it | The eight gates of Paradise are opened for him, to enter by whichever he wishes. | Sahih Muslim 234 |
| Fasting | Paradise has a gate called al-Rayyan, entered only by those who fast. | Sahih al-Bukhari 1896; Sahih Muslim 1152 |
| Seeking knowledge | "Whoever takes a path seeking knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a path to Paradise." | Sahih Muslim 2699 |
| Building a masjid | Allah builds for him a house like it in Paradise. | Sahih al-Bukhari 450; Sahih Muslim 533 |
| Guarding the tongue and chastity | "Whoever guarantees me what is between his jaws and between his legs, I guarantee him Paradise." | Sahih al-Bukhari 6474 |
| Caring for an orphan | "I and the one who sponsors an orphan will be in Paradise like this", holding two fingers together. | Sahih al-Bukhari 5304 |
| The 99 Names | "Allah has ninety-nine names; whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise." | Sahih al-Bukhari 2736; Sahih Muslim 2677 |
| Salam, food and night prayer | "Spread salam, feed people and pray at night while people sleep, and you will enter Paradise in peace." | Jami at-Tirmidhi 2485, graded sahih |
| Memorising and reciting the Quran | It will be said to the companion of the Quran: "Recite and rise", and his rank will be at the last ayah he recites. | Sunan Abi Dawud 1464; Jami at-Tirmidhi 2914, graded hasan sahih |
A dua for Jannah
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ
Allahumma inni as'alukal-jannah, wa a'udhu bika minan-nar. "O Allah, I ask You for Paradise and I seek refuge in You from the Fire." The Prophet ﷺ said of his own dua: "It is around these two that we make our dua".
Sunan Abi Dawud 792, graded sahih
The Prophet ﷺ also said that whoever asks Allah for Paradise three times, Paradise says: "O Allah, admit him into Paradise".14 Ask for al-Firdaus by name, as he taught.
Questions
What is the highest level of Jannah?
Al-Firdaus, the middle and highest part of Paradise, under the Throne of the Most Merciful (Bukhari 2790).
How many levels of Jannah are there?
The Prophet ﷺ described a hundred levels, each as far from the next as the heaven is from the earth (Bukhari 2790).
Are there 8 levels of Jannah?
No authentic text lists eight levels. Paradise has eight gates (Bukhari 3257) and a hundred levels. The eight names often listed are names the Quran uses for Paradise.
How do you get into Jannatul Firdaus?
By Allah's mercy, through faith and righteous deeds. The Quran names the qualities of those who inherit it in 23:1-11, and the Prophet ﷺ told us to ask Allah for it by name.
Will we see Allah in Jannah?
Yes. The Quran says faces will be "looking at their Lord" (75:22-23), and the Prophet ﷺ said the believers will see their Lord as clearly as they see the full moon (Bukhari 554, Muslim 633).
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2790, from Abu Hurayrah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3257, from Sahl ibn Sad.
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Abu Said al-Khudri.
- Sunan Abi Dawud 1464; Jami at-Tirmidhi 2914, graded hasan sahih.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, from Anas ibn Malik.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3244; Sahih Muslim 2824.
- Sahih Muslim 2837.
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah and Sahl ibn Sad.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6571; Sahih Muslim 186, from Ibn Masud.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 554; Sahih Muslim 633, from Jarir ibn Abdullah.
- Sahih Muslim 181, from Suhayb.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6463; Sahih Muslim 2816.
- Sahih Muslim 2822; Sahih al-Bukhari 6487.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Anas ibn Malik, graded sahih.
- Deeds table: the sources are given in each row.
- Quran translation: Sahih International.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.