Respected teacher, in your recommendations in The Ramadan Gift, under item 35, you wrote:
35—Ask God not to close the gates of Paradise once they have been opened.
Does this mean that the gates of Paradise can be opened to its people even before the Day of Resurrection? Could you explain this a little further? Thank you.
َّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ
The Ramadan Gift advises us to ask God not to close the gates of Paradise once they have been opened. Can the gates of Paradise be opened to its people even before the Day of Resurrection?
The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)
During Ramadan, the gates of Paradise are open to those destined for it. This means that Paradise is ready to receive them and that God is inviting them toward it. The gates of Hell are also closed, and the devils are chained. We should ask God to let this state continue until the end of the month.
Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)
Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural CenterAt the transcendent, timeless level, Paradise and Hell encompass those destined for them. Within the temporal order, the opening of Paradise’s gates means that Paradise awaits its people, ready to receive them, and that God invites them to enter His Paradise. Seen from another perspective, it means that the way to Paradise has been made easy for all creation.
ِ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ أَبْوَابَ الْجِنَانِ فِي هَذَا الشَّهْرِ مُفَتَّحَةٌ فَاسْأَلُوا رَبَّكُمْ أَنْ لَا يُغَلِّقَهَا عَلَيْكُمْ وَ أَبْوَابَ النِّيرَانِ مُغَلَّقَةٌ فَاسْأَلُوا رَبَّكُمْ أَنْ لَا يُفَتِّحَهَا عَلَيْكُمْ وَ الشَّيَاطِينَ مَغْلُولَةٌ فَاسْأَلُوا رَبَّكُمْ أَنْ لَا يُسَلِّطَهَا عَلَيْكُم
الأمالي( للصدوق)، النص، ص: 95
يا ايها الناس ان ابواب الجنان في هذا الشهر مفتحة فاسألوا ربكم ان لا يغلقها عليكم و ابواب النيران مغلقة فاسألوا ربكم ان لا يفتحها عليكم و الشياطين مغلولة فاسألوا ربكم ان لا يسلطها عليكم