Jannat al-’adn (جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ) or al-Karar (الكَرَار) is the seventh and lowest of the Seven Heavens of the Arabs, the Garden of Eden or the Abode of Permanence. In Islamic cosmology, it is the final and most exalted paradise, where the blessed reside eternally after the Day of Judgment. The name ‘Adn derives from a root meaning “to dwell” or “to settle,” emphasizing its nature as a permanent home, while al-Karar underscores its unchanging, everlasting character.

Position on the Tree of Life

This heaven is assigned to Malkuth (10), the Kingdom, the final sphere of the Tree of Life. As the lowest heaven in the Arab system, it mirrors Malkuth’s role as the physical and manifest world, yet here it is a perfected, paradisiacal manifestation—the material world redeemed and made eternal.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

In the Arab heavens, Jannat al-’adn is not directly linked to a planet but is the sphere of the fixed stars and the lunar mansions, corresponding to the outermost visible heaven in pre-Islamic cosmology. Its planetary analogue in the Western Qabalistic scheme is Earth (as the sphere of Malkuth), but in this context it represents the celestial vault itself, the boundary between the created universe and the divine throne.

Historical context

The concept of Jannat al-’adn appears in the Quran (e.g., Surah 9:72, 13:23, 16:31, 18:31, 19:61, 20:76, 35:33, 38:50, 40:8, 61:12) as one of the names of Paradise, often paired with descriptions of rivers flowing beneath gardens and eternal bliss. In Islamic eschatology, it is the highest level of Jannah, reserved for the prophets, martyrs, and the most righteous. The phrase “al-Karar” (the Abode of Permanence) is less common but appears in Quran 40:39, contrasting the fleeting world with the eternal home. Medieval Arab cosmographers like al-Qazwini and al-Dimashqi described the seven heavens as concentric spheres, with Jannat al-’adn as the innermost or lowest (depending on perspective), containing the Throne of God (al-‘Arsh) in some traditions. In Sufi thought, it symbolizes the state of complete union with the divine, where the soul rests in the presence of God.

In Liber 777, Jannat al-’adn or al-Karar appears at step 9 (Yesod) in the column “Seven Heavens of the Arabs,” but this is a scribal anomaly—its true correspondence in the system is Malkuth (10), as reflected in the sibling cells. It stands as the final, perfected state of the material world, the garden where the soul finds its eternal rest.