stories of the unseen by prophet muhammad (saw)

This is a part of the STOTRIES OF THE UNSEEN IN THE AUTHENTIC PROPHETIC

TRADITIONS (51 Stories)

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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and may the Blessings and Peace of Allah be upon the Seal of Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah (�), his Family, and the Companions, and those who follow his footsteps till the Day of Judgment. Allah (�) said,

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�…So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.� (Qur’an 7: 176)

Allah (�) ordered Prophet Muhammad (�) to relate the stories he knew to the people because of the valuable lessons that could be learned from these stories and that could change their lives and their destinies.

Stories of the Unseen in the Authentic Traditions is a collection of stories that have been proven and authenticated as originally narrated by Prophet Muhammad (�) or by his Companions (�).

The stories Professor ‘Umar al-Ashqar has chosen to compile within this book are among the most interesting stories related by Prophet Muhammad (�). These stories reveal many extraordinary, exciting useful facts and prophecies about the Day of Judgment, signs of the Hour, and ancient nations as well as the future. They contain numerous morals that could really assist in preventing future trials and could possibly encourage someone to turn over a new leaf to lead a better life full of piety and happiness.

May Allah (�) reward the author for his efforts to educate and entertain all Muslims with Stories of the Unseen in the Authentic Traditions. May Allah (�) reward all those associated with this work, and may He (�) cause this book to be a source of benefit to all readers.

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. General Manager Al-Nafaes House for Publishing and Distribution, Amman, Jordan

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All praise be to Allah, the Knower of the Seen and the Unseen. Belief in the unseen is a pillar of faith without which faith remains incomplete. The significance of this book stems from the fact that it presents the authentic texts of the stories of the unseen events which will happen in the future. The author of this book followed a very rigorous methodology in presenting the stories of the unseen future as they were stated in the true Prophetic traditions. Each story was given a title followed by a short introduction to familiarize the reader with the theme of the story. The second part of each story included the text of the Prophetic tradition relating the story. Each story was explained in an elegant and attractive style that is easy to understand. At the end of each chapter, the morals and contemporary implications of each story are listed.

Discussing stories of the unseen future is very interesting as well as useful to believers. The topics presented in this book can easily be used in teaching and in raising people’s awareness of the need to be well-acquainted with the events that will occur in the future. It is a religious duty to learn about these future events in order to implement the correct behavior if they occur while we are still alive. The Qur’anic and Prophetic stories are very inspiring and motivating to believers because they guide them to righteousness and deter them from committing sins and evil deeds. These stories include those of the Dajj�l (False Messiah) in addition to the stories that will occur on the Day of Resurrection.

The stories selected by the author in this book encouraged me, as a translator, to proceed more quickly in translating them, because the more stories I translated, the more eager and anxious I became.

I believe that reading this book is a must for every believer in Allah (�).

Dr. Shehdeh Fareh

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All praise be to Allah, the Knower of the unseen, the One whose knowledge encompasses everything, the One from Whom nothing can be hidden in the earth and in the heavens. He knows what was and what will be, and He knows how things that do not exist will be when they are created.

May Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon His Prophet and Messenger, the illiterate Prophet, Muhammad to whom Allah taught the tidings of people in the past and the future. In fact, the Prophet had been taught things that the previous Prophets and Messengers did not know.

May Allah’s Peace and Blessings also be upon the Prophet’s Companions, who maintained his Sunnah and transmitted it to their followers. This Sunnah includes the Prophetic traditions about the stories of the unseen that disclose the news of the future events in this world, the intervening stage after death, the Hereafter, as well as the news of Paradise and Hell. May the Blessings of Allah also be upon those who followed the footsteps of the Prophet’s Companions until the Day of Judgment.

While writing a book about the stories the Prophet related to us on the subject of the earlier Prophets, Messengers, and pious and evil people, I noticed that there is another type of unseen stories which is the stories of the future that have not yet occurred. There are two categories of unseen stories. The first is manifest in the stories of the earlier people whom we are not familiar with, and the second is the stories of the future that have not occurred yet. The stories of the first type have been collected in my book titled: �a�� al-Qa�a� an-Nabaw� (Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad [�]), whereas the stories of the second type have currently been compiled in this book.

One’ s faith would remain incomplete if one did not believe in the unseen as a pillar of faith. These unseen entities include Allah (�), the angels,

�� Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions the portents of the Last Hour, the Barzakh (life after death until the Day of Resurrection), the details of Barzakh, Resurrection, Paradise, Hell-fire, and belief in the Messengers and Holy Books. Belief in the Messengers and the books means that the Messengers were sent by Allah (�) and the Books were revealed by Him as well. Whoever disbelieves in the Messengers and the Holy Books is not believer in Allah (�) nor is he believer in what the Prophet (�) conveyed to us from Allah (�).

Allah (�) is the Knower of the seen and the unseen and to Him there is no difference between the seen and the unseen. The unseen is all recorded in the al-Law� al-Ma�f�� (the Preserved Tablet) which contains everything without loss or addition including the stories stated in the Qur’ an as well as the ones conveyed to His Messenger (�). Unlike legends and fictional stories, the stories of the Qur’ an are true.

Through time, people have shown great interest in legends and folk tales portraying mythical and sometimes real events, modified by human minds, to the extent that they become larger than life.

Authors of fiction write about future events which they called science fiction. In fact, it is not really science because it is full of fantasy and illusions that reflect the author’ s philosophies and opinions regarding the unseen future. These fantasies are an extension of those presented in the stories of One Thousand and One Nights. Furthermore, they represent the metaphysical views of philosophers. Contrary to this are the stories stated in the Prophetic traditions about the unseen future which are true and will be realized exactly as the Prophet described because they are inspirations from Allah (�). The Prophet (�) used to tell his Companions and his enemies about what they hid in their hearts before they divulged their secrets to anybody. He also used to tell them about specific future events that would occur in their lives and all those prophecies were realized just as the Prophet (�) predicted.

It was narrated that two people came to ask the Messenger of Allah (�) about detailed matters of interest to them. The Prophet (�) told each one of them, “I can tell you what you came to ask me about, or you can ask

�� Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions me and I will answer you.” The two men opted for the first option. When the Prophet told them about what each one came to ask him about, each one said, “By Allah who sent you in truth, you told me exactly what I came to ask you about.” [Maw�rid a�-�am’�n, 2/406, No. 801]

After the Battle of Badr, ‘Umayr bin Wahb al-Juma�� met �afw�n bin Umayyah at a vacant place in Mecca. �afw�n told ‘Umayr that he would pay back his debts and cover the living costs of his family if he would go to the Prophet and kill him. He would pretend he came to ransom his son who was held captive by the Muslims after the Battle of Badir. When ‘Umar bin al-Kha��b (�) saw ‘Umayr, he caught him from his collar and stopped him in front of the Prophet (�), who asked ‘Umar to release him. When the Prophet (�) asked him about the reason for his visit, ‘Umayr stated he wanted to ransom his son. However, the Prophet (�) surprised him when he informed him about the secret agreement between �afw�n and him. At that moment, ‘Umayr realized that Muhammad (�) was truly the Messenger of Allah, and as a result, he declared his Islam. [S�rat Ibn �ish�m, 2/316, and Ibn �ajar’ s Al-I��bah, 3/37]

Among the other things the Prophet (�) predicted to his Companions were the wars that would occur between the disbelievers who also believed in the prophecies of the Prophet (�) and the Muslims.

Unlike my previous book in which I collected stories about the unseen past, this book contains most of the stories of the unseen future; otherwise, the two books have the same goal and methodology. In what follows, I will reiterate the similarities between the two.

“In terms of significance, the stories that are mentioned in the Prophetic traditions come after the Qur’ anic stories. The Qur’ an is the Word of Allah and the Prophetic stories are mostly inspired to the Prophet (�) by Allah (�). Therefore, both classes of stories share the same goal and source. Both aim at providing teachers and callers for the sake of Allah with information and spiritual support which is derived from the moral of each story; thus, nourishing the minds and hearts of believers. The Qur’ anic and the Prophetic stories are very inspiring and motivating to

�� Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions believers because the stories guide them to righteousness while deterring them from committing sins and evil deeds.

This book contains true Prophetic traditions, apart from a handful of stories which were narrated by a Companion who might have heard it from the Prophet (�) or from another Companion.

I quoted only true traditions and avoided using any traditions with weak narrations as that would be tantamount to lying to the Prophet (�) which amounts to an unforgivable sin.

We believe in the true unseen which was stated in the Qur’ an and the true Sunnah. Anything other than this would be a deviation from the Right Path. Furthermore, quoting stories mentioned in weak traditions would propagate many false values and beliefs among people.

False stories are pervasive and can be readily used to misguide Muslims. In order to avoid this, scholars warned against the falsities and misguidance that may result from the propagation of such stories. They also admonished Muslims not to believe in narrators who do not differentiate between true and weak traditions. In fact, they wrote books to this effect to assist Muslims in avoiding the negative consequences of such false stories that have become fallacies. Examples of the storytellers would be those who wrote about the Prophet’ s s�rah (life) as if it were full of superstitions, and thus they misguided many people and corrupted their religion.

In writing this book, the author indicated the source of all traditions used especially those quoted from the two �a�� Books (�a�� Al-Bukh�r� and �a�� ). However, he did not exhaustively verify the transmissions or narrations of the Prophet’ s traditions. Instead, he stated the most comprehensive forms of such stories, indicating the significant points in other minor narrations wherever needed.

This book includes only the stories of the unseen future and excludes the traditions describing future events related to the creation of the earth and the heavens, the angels and jinn, the pious and bad people because these

�� Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions traditions do not constitute stories and thus they are beyond the scope of the book.

The methodology of writing this book is clear, straight forward, and consistent throughout all stories and Prophetic traditions. Each story consists of an introduction followed by the text of the tradition itself, its explanation, and finally the lessons that can be derived from the Prophetic tradition. The chain of narrators of each tradition and its documentation will be provided in an appendix whereas the meanings of difficult words will be provided in parentheses within the text itself.

While reading the book, readers will notice the author did not go far from the text of the tradition in stating the events of the story. This makes it a full-fledged story with a plot and other narrative complications.

“The approach of some contemporary writers who have deleted or added to the story events is unacceptable because such additions or deletions are mere lies. What writers can do is to deduce the morals and lessons from the text of the tradition in accordance with the approach adopted by scholars and authorities in this field.” [�a�� al-Qa�a� an-Nabaw�, 5-7]

The stories compiled in this book have been divided into three categories preceded by an introduction. The purpose of the introduction is to introduce the group of stories, highlight the importance of the stories in general and the Qur’ anic and Prophetic stories in particular. These stories are quoted from �a�� al-Qa�a� an-Nabaw�. The first group of stories are devoted to the ones which will occur on the Day of Resurrection, whereas the second group will include stories that occurred after the Prophet’ s prediction of those stories or the stories that are still happening as is the case in the journey of death.

I invoke Allah to make this book useful to all human beings and to reward its author, who has exerted strenuous efforts in writing it,

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�Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! [He is free] from what they attribute unto Him! And peace be on the Messengers! And all the praise and thanks be to Allah, Lord of the ‘�lam�n [mankind, jinn and all that exists].� (Qur’an 37: 180-182)

‘Umar S. ‘Abdullah al-Ashqar

College of Shar�’ah, Az-Zarq�’ Private University

Sha‘b�n 6, 1426 A.H.

September 10, 2005

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- Definition of Stories - Significance of Stories in General - Significance of the Qur’ anic and Prophetic Stories

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In this introduction, the author will define the term (qi�a�) stories and highlight their significance especially the Qur’ anic and the Prophetic stories.

Definition of Qi�a� (stories):

Qi�a� is the plural of qi��ah which means narrated news or events as used in the Qur’ an while Allah (�) was informing us about the past nations,

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�Thus We relate to you [O’ Muhammad ��] some information of what happened before… � (Qur’an 20: 99)

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�And all that We relate to you [O’ Muhammad ��] of the news of the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your heart thereby… � (Qur’an ��: 120)

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�We relate unto you [O’ Muhammad ��] the best of stories … ��

��(Qur’an 12: 3)

Allah (�) used the word, qa�a�� when He explained the story of Ms� (�) with the two women for whom Ms� (�) watered the flocks,

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�… So when he came to him and narrated the story… � (Qur’an 28: 25)

The original meaning of the word qa�a� in Arabic is tracking or following the footprints of someone in order to locate him. Relating tales

�� Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions and events is also called qa�a� because the storyteller traces the events of the story as they occurred. He also explores its words and their meanings in their context. Tracking one’ s footprints is called qa�a� in the Qur’ an,

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�… So they went back retracing their footsteps.� (Qur’an ��: 64)

Here, the narrators are Ms� (�) and his servant when they realized that they had passed a place Allah (�) ordered Ms� (�) to locate in order to meet al-Kha�ir (�). Therefore, they set out to retrace their way back in order to find the location they had missed.

Another verse in which Allah (�) used the word qa�a� in the sense of trace is,

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�And she said to his [Ms�’ s] sister: ‘Follow him.’ … � (Qur’an 28: 11)

The speaker in this verse is Ms�’ s mother. She ordered her daughter, Ms�’ s sister, to follow him after she placed him in a basket and cast him into the river.

Killing a person in retaliation has also been referred to as qa�� because the relatives of the victim trace the actions of the murderer in order to retaliate.1

Arabs make the narration of each event a story. However, a story is a special kind of relating events and thus each story is an account of events. However, an account is not necessarily a story. For example, Allah (�) conveyed information about the creation of the heavens, the earth, the angels and the jinn which are accounts of things but not stories.

1 For more details on the linguistic meaning of qa�a� see: Al-Mufrad�t f� Ghar�b

al-Qur’�n, p. 404; Ibn al-Ath�r, An-Nih�yah, 4/70; Lis�n al- Arab 3/106; Al-Kulliy�t, p. 734.

�� Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions Furthermore, Allah (�) related information about the names of His Prophets, Messengers, and their fathers which are also accounts but not stories. Nevertheless, the accounts about the Messengers, their peoples, and their conflicts are both stories and accounts.

A story is defined as “ The art of relating events and deeds, using a certain linguistic style that has a particular purpose.

Stories constitute an ancient literary genre that has been used through the ages until the present. Stories enjoy an outstanding position in literature due to their flexibility, elegant style, various themes, and attraction to people. The Holy Qur’ an, with this art, has reached its pinnacle and perfection.” 1

The Stylistic Features of Stories

Researchers were able to identify the following stylistic features that distinguish stories from other literary genres:

1. A narrative is a sequence of events that progressively develop towards a certain end. This feature creates a build up moment of suspense for the reader who remains eager to reach the end of the story.

2. A narrative is logically organized, precise, and concise.

3. A narrative has a moral or lesson that can be indirectly deduced from the context.

4. The sentences are simple and straight forward because the reader is interested in the story events.

5. Expressions in the story range from being mild to strong according to situations and characters.

6. The style can be narrative, descriptive, or dialogue.

7. Sometimes, exaggeration is used to draw the attention of readers to

1 Al-Ashqar, Dr. Muhammad Sulaym�n ‘Abdullah, Mu‘jam ‘Ul�m al-Lughah al

‘Arabiyyah, p. 320.

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certain important points, surprises, or symbols in order to open the reader’ s mind to imagination.

8. Love may play a secondary role in narratives, because it is common to all human beings.1

The Significance of Stories

A story is an art form that is more popular than any other literary genre. People love to read and listen to stories because of the relaxation, amusement and entertainment that they offer. Many people read stories for pleasure and entertainment because stories are created from the author’ s imagination and do not represent reality. Many of these stories are unrealistic and can never be realized because they are just a figment of the imagination or illusions like the ancient Persians and Romans folktales that were referred to as legends. Examples of those stories are One Thousand and One Nights, the story of ‘Antarah, and the story Ab� Zayd al-Hil�l�, etc. Such stories are still common these days but under a new name: science fiction in which writers describe what they believe could happen to mankind in the future.

Due to their significance in our life, stories are presented in various styles such as novels that have many characters, events, and situations, short stories, fictional and non-fictional stories, symbolic stories, and allegories that may have symbolic animal characters.

Nowadays, there are many prolific story writers whose stories and novels have been converted into movies and plays that represent the events of the original story as they happened or as they were imagined by the author. These plays or movies usually represent the beliefs, ideals, morals, and values of the author.

Presently, many countries try to propagate their cultures and values through novels, movies, books and magazines in order to attract people to

1 Al-Ashqar, Dr. Muhammad Sulaym�n ‘Abdullah, Mu‘jam ‘Ul�m al-Lughah al-

‘Arabiyyah, p. 320.

�� Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions adopt their culture and make them subservient to it.

Significance of the Qur’anic and Hadith Stories

The best stories are those of the Qur’ an because they are revealed from Allah, the All-Knower, the All-Aware. Allah (�) says:

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�We relate unto you [O’ Muhammad (�)] the best of stories through Our Revelations unto you, of this Qur’ an… �

(Qur’an ��: 3)

After the stories of the Qur’ an are the stories stated in the Prophetic hadith.

The stories of the Qur’ an and those of the authentic traditions are all true because they relate events that really happened,

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�We narrate unto you [O’ Muhammad (�)] their story with truth… � (Qur’an ��: 13)

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�Verily! This is the true narrative… �� (Qur’an 3: 62)

Stories can only be true when they are related as they occurred without any addition or deletion. Verily, Allah is Exalted and Glorified above all imperfections including lying or relating stories that never happened. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Hearing, and All-Seeing when He relates any event to us,

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�Then surely, We shall narrate unto them [their whole story] with knowledge, �� (Qur’an 7: 7)

Once human beings believe the related stories in the Qur’ an and the

�� Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions Prophetic traditions are true, they will feel these stories rectify their behavior and provide precious lessons to learn from.

Allah (�) ordered His Prophet (�) to relate the stories that he knew so that people could contemplate what happened to past nations and learn from it. These stories will help Muslims avoid the transgression of past nations, and thus save themselves from any tribulations that may befall them. Furthermore, these stories will expose Muslims to the virtuous aspects of past nations in order to adopt them, �

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�… So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.� (Qur’an �: 176)

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�Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding. It [the Qur’ an] is not a forged statement… � (Qur’an 12: 111)

Messengers and pious people used the stories of the past people to learn lessons. The stories of the Qur’ an and those of the Prophetic traditions are an inspiration to these people as they strengthen their hearts and make them firm as Allah (�) says, �

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�And all that We relate to you [O’ Muhammad ��] of the news of the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your heart thereby… �� (Qur’an 11: 120)

The behavior of human beings is the same in terms of being either righteous or deviant. Patterns of these behaviors are recurrent through time. Upon reading stories of the Qur’ an and those of the Prophetic traditions, one can easily notice the parallels between these stories and current patterns of behavior being practiced among people today. When these stories describe tyrants or despots, we feel that such people are living with us; and when extravagant or miserable styles of living are

�� Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions described, we also feel that we are experiencing such living conditions. The behavior patterns mentioned in the Qur’ an or the Sunnah can manifest themselves in a pious farmer, an honest tradesman, or a merciful person whom we know or deal with in our daily life.

The stories of the Qur’ an and the Sunnah represent the practical and realistic image of the Qur’ anic stories in our real life. Many people realize the truth when practiced on a practical level rather than when represented in abstract terms. It is for this reason the behavior of a person who follows the Right Path and who sets a good example through deeds and actions may have more influence on people than with words.

GROUP ONE

The Stories of the Day of Resurrection

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Introduction

On the Day of Resurrection, Allah (�) will reprimand a man several times because he promised Allah (�) with a covenant not to request anything again. However, after his first request was granted to him, he continued to make requests from Allah (�) again and again. This man will be the last one to exit Hell and enter Paradise.

Text of the Hadith

Ab Hurayrah (�) narrated that the Prophet (�) described what happens on the Day of Judgment when people pass over the Bridge of Hell-fire (��ir��). The Prophet said, “ When Allah will be finished with the judgments among the people, and there will remain one man facing the (Hell) Fire. He will be the last person among the people of Hell to enter Paradise. He will say, ‘O’ my Lord! Please turn my face away from the fire because its air has hurt me and its intense heat has burnt me.’ Thus, he will invoke Allah in the way Allah will wish him to invoke Him, and then Allah will say to him, ‘If I grant you your request, will you then ask for anything else?’ He will reply, ‘No, by Your Power (Honor), I will not ask You for anything else.’ He will give his Lord whatever promises and covenants Allah will demand. Then Allah will turn his face away from Hell (Fire). As he stands facing and looking at Paradise, he will remain quiet for as long as Allah will wish him to remain quiet, then he will say, ‘O’ my Lord! Bring me near to the gate of Paradise.’ Allah will say to him, ‘Didn’ t you give your promises and covenants that you would never ask for anything more than what you had been given? Woe to you, O’

Adam’ s son! How treacherous you are!’ He will say, ‘O’ my Lord,’ and will keep on invoking Allah till He says to him, ‘If I give you what you are asking for, will you then ask for anything else?’ He will reply, ‘No, by Your (Honor) Power, I will not ask for anything else.’ Again, he will give covenants and promises to Allah and then Allah will bring him close to the proximity of the gate of Paradise. As he stands at the gate of Paradise, Paradise will be opened and spread before him. He will see its splendor and pleasures whereupon he will remain quiet as long as Allah will wish him to remain quiet, and then he will say, ‘O’ my Lord! Admit me into Paradise.’ Allah will say, ‘Didn’ t you give your covenants and promises that you would not ask for anything more than what you had been given? Woe to you, O’ Adam’ s son! How treacherous you are!’ ‘The man will say, ‘O’ my Lord! Do not make me the most miserable of Your creation,’ and he will keep on invoking Allah till Allah laughs because of his appeals. After Allah laughs because of him, He will say to him, ‘Enter Paradise,’ and when he will enter it. Finally, Allah will say to him, ‘Wish for anything,’ and he will ask and wish from his Lord for a great number of things, for Allah Himself will remind him to wish for specific things by saying, ‘(Wish for) so-and-so.’ When there is nothing more to wish for, Allah will say, ‘This is for you and its equal as well.’ ”

Explanation of the Hadith

This is the story of a man who will be the last person to come out of Hell and be granted entrance into Paradise. He will exit Hell-fire creeping or crawling with his face turned towards it. The sight of Hell will terrify him and burn his face. Thus, he will invoke his Lord in the way He will wish him to in order to turn away his face from Hell-fire to save himself from the effects of the fire on his face. He will say, “ O’ my Lord! Please turn my face away from the fire because its air has hurt me and its intense heat has burnt me.” Consequently, he will invoke Allah (�) in the way Allah (�) will

wish him to invoke Him, and then Allah (�) will say to him, “ If I grant you that, will you then ask for anything else?” He will reply, “ No, by Your Power, (Honor) I will not ask You for anything else.” He will give his Lord whatever promises and covenants Allah (�) will demand and Allah (�) will turn his face away from Hell (Fire).

Allah (�) will protect him from the fire and turn his face towards Paradise.

The man then remains silent and quiet as long as Allah (�) will wish him to remain quiet and still remembers his promises to Allah (�) not to ask him anything else. However, his burning desire to be closer to Paradise and its people instigates him to invoke Allah (�) to bring him closer to the gate of Paradise.

Allah (�) will blame him for not keeping his promises and reprimands him for that. Allah will say, “ Didn’ t you give your promises and covenants that you would never ask for anything more than what you had been given? Woe to you, O’ Adam’ s son! How treacherous you are!” But the man continues to invoke Allah (�) and ask Him as he did the first time until Allah (�) asks him, “ If I give you what you are asking, will you then ask for anything else?” The man will reply, “ No, by Your (Honor) Power, I will not ask for anything else.” Then he will give covenants and promises to Allah (�) and Allah (�) will bring him nearer to the gate of Paradise.

Once the man stands before the gate of Paradise and witnesses its pleasures, delights, flowing rivers, beautiful gardens, fresh air, and luxury of its people, he will remain quiet as long as Allah (�) wishes him to remain silent, but in the end, he gets impatient and invokes His Lord, the All-Hearing, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful to allow him to enter Paradise.

Allah (�) will say to him, “ Woe to you, O’ Adam’ s son! How treacherous you are!” The man will say, “ O’ my Lord! Do not

make me the most miserable of Your creation.”

Finally, because of the man’ s insistence on invoking Allah (�) and on breaking his promises and covenants in order to get what he wished for, Allah laughs. Any man for whom Allah (�) laughs will be a winner. At this point, Allah will say, “ Enter Paradise.” And thus, he accomplished his aspirations, found relief from his agony, and gained Allah’ s Satisfaction,

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�… And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful… � (Qur’an �: 185)

When the man enters Paradise, Allah Himself will remind him to wish for specific things by saying, “ (Wish for) so-and-so.” When there is nothing more to wish for, Allah (�) will say, “ This is for you and its equal as well.”

When Ab Sa‘�d al-Khu�r� (�) heard this tradition narrated by people, he said, “ I testify that I remember the Prophet saying, “ This is for you, and ten times as much.”

Ibn Mas‘d narrated a slightly different story of the last man to get out of Hell-fire and enter Paradise. However, that could be a different story.

In Ibn Mas‘d’ s narration, the Prophet described a man who will pass over the Bridge of the Hell-fire, “ He sometimes walks and sometime stumbles. The heat of the fire hurts him and once he gets out of it, he looks back at it and will say, “ Glorified and Exalted is He Who saved me from you. He has given me what was not given to anyone before or after me.”

After the man is rescued from the fire, he will remain in an area between Paradise and Hell. Then suddenly he will see a big, shady tree near a spring of water. The man will say, “ O’ my Lord! Bring

me closer to that tree so that I can sit in the shade under the tree and drink water from the spring. Then Allah (�) says, “ O’ Adam’ s son! If I grant you what you asked for, will you ask for anything else? The man replies, “ No my Lord, I promise you not to ask for anything else.” Allah (�) excuses him because Allah knows that the man cannot tolerate such a situation. Finally, Allah (�) grants him whatever he asks for and enables him to sit under the tree and drink from the spring water that is there.

After a while, the man will see another larger, leafier and more beautiful tree with an abundance of water and he will ask Allah (�) to bring him closer to that tree but Allah (�) will accuse him for breaking his promises and say, “ If I bring you closer to that tree, will you continue to ask me for more?” Again, the man promises his Lord as he did earlier. Thus, Allah (�) brings him closer to that tree in order to sit under it, eat its fruit, and drink from the spring water. Then the man will see a third tree near the gate of Paradise that is better than the first two trees in all respects because it is closer to the gate of Paradise.

The man will repeat invoking Allah (�) as he did the first two times and request Allah (�) to bring him closer to that tree. Once more, Allah (�) will remind the man of his promises and blame him for not keeping them. Again the man promises again not to ask for any thing more and Allah (�) will bring him closer to the tree near the gate of Paradise. There, he will start to smell it and hear the voices of its dwellers that are enjoying its pleasures and delights. At that point, the man will ask Allah (�) to let him enter Paradise. Upon this request, Allah, the Lord of Honor will demand, “ O’ son of Adam, what will bring an end to your requests? Will it please you if I give you the whole world and the like along with it?” He will answer, “ O’ my Lord! Are You mocking me, although You are the Lord of the Worlds?” Ibn Mas‘d (�) laughed and asked (those listening), “ Why don’ t you ask me what I am laughing at?” They (then) said, “ Why did you laugh?” He explained, “ It is in

this way that the Messenger of Allah (�) laughed.” The Companions of the Prophet (�) asked, “ Why do you laugh, Messenger of Allah?” He said, “ On account of the Laugh of the Lord of the universe, when the desirer of Paradise said, ‘Are You mocking me although You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ Allah will announce, ‘I am not mocking you, but I have power to do whatever I will.” [Muslim, 187]

In another narration of the same tradition, Ibn Mas‘d (�) reported that when Allah (�) will ask the man to enter Paradise, he will imagine that it is too crowded to the extent that he will not find any room for himself. Then Allah (�) will order him again and again to enter Paradise. Each time, the man will have the same feeling he had the first time.

Ibn Mas‘d (�) also narrated that when Allah (�) asked the man to enter Paradise and told him that he would also have ten times that much, the man will exclaim, “ Are You mocking me though You are the King?” [Muslim, 186]

It is reported on the authority of al-Mugh�rah bin Shu‘bah that the Messenger of Allah (�) said, “ Moses asked his Lord, ‘Who amongst the inhabitants of Paradise is the lowest in rank?’ He (Allah [�]) replied, ‘The lowest in rank is the last person who will be admitted into Paradise from among those deserving Paradise and are admitted into it. It will be said to him, ‘Enter Paradise.’ And the man will reply, ‘O’ my Lord! How shall I enter while the people have settled in their apartments and taken their shares (portions)?’ It would be said to him, ‘Would you be pleased if there is the kingdom of a king amongst the kings of the world for you?’ He will say, ‘I am pleased my Lord.’ Allah will announce, ‘For you is that, and like that, and like that, and like that, and that.’ At the fifth (point), he will state. ‘I am very pleased, My Lord.’ Allah will say, ‘It is for you and ten times like it. For you is what you desire and your eye enjoys. The man will reply, ‘I am very pleased, my Lord.’ ” [Muslim, 189]

Morals of the Story

1. Paradise is vast and its inhabitants will receive remarkable pleasures and delights. If the portion allotted to the last man to enter Paradise is unimaginable, then how much would those receive who preceded him to Paradise? It is only Allah (�), Who can estimate their portion. The owners of the highest ranks in Paradise are those “ Whose dignity and honor are granted by Allah. They will be granted something that nobody else has ever seen, heard, or even thought of it.” The Prophet said that this is stated in the Book of Allah (�),

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�No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy… � (Qur’an 32: 17), [Narrated by Muslim from Mugh�rah, 189]

2. The traditions relating the events of the unseen future must be believed in because their chain of narrators is true originating from the Prophet (�). Whoever denies them will be in great trouble.

3. This tradition supports the belief of Ahl�as-Sunnah wal Jam�‘ah (mainstream scholars) that disobedient people who believe in the Oneness of Allah (�) will be sent to Hell for a certain period of time after which they will be rescued by the Mercy of Allah (�).

4. Man always yearns to attain more and more than what luxuries and pleasures he already has. This is exemplified with the case of the man who will be the last to be saved from the Fire and the last to enter Paradise.

5. Man is treacherous and does not keep his promises even with his Lord, but Allah (�) excuses him because He knows that man is unable to restrain himself from his desires.

6. Allah is All-Merciful to His people and responds to their

invocations and requests. This is the case with the man whose persistent requests will be continually responded to by Allah (�) until He will grant him permission to enter Paradise.

7. This tradition shows the tremendous abilities that Allah (�) granted to human beings. The man in the story argued with Allah many (�) times until he was granted everlasting Paradise.

8. This tradition proves the attribute of laughter to Allah (�), the Lord of the two worlds. It is extremely impertinent to negate an Attribute of Allah (�) that the Prophet (�) approved. The Laughter of Allah does not resemble by any means that of His creatures because He laughs in a way that fits his Majesty and Glory as He says,

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�… There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.� ��

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Introduction

Prophet Abraham (Ibr�h�m [�]), the Friend of Allah (Khal�l Ar-Ra�m�n), will meet his father on the Day of Resurrection. Abraham will blame his father because he did not obey his son when he was alive. However, on that Day, Ibr�h�m’ s father promises to obey his son. So Ibr�h�m will intercede with Allah on his father’ s behalf. Will this intercession help Ibr�h�m’ s father? This is the story in this hadith.

Text of the Hadith

On the authority of Ab Hurayrah (�), the Messenger of Allah (�) said, “ On the Day of Judgment, Ibr�h�m (Abraham [�]) will meet his father with dust and signs of depression on his father’ s face. Ibr�h�m will say, ‘Did I tell you not to disobey me?’ His father will answer, ‘Today, I will not disobey you.’ Ibr�h�m then states, ‘O’ Allah! You promised not to disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection. But what a disgrace! All because of my father!’ Consequently, Allah will reiterate ‘I made Paradise forbidden for disbelievers.’ Then it will be said, ‘O’ Ibr�h�m! What is there under your feet?’ Ibr�h�m will look down to find a slaughtered male hyena. Then the hyena will be carried and thrown into Hell.”


On the Day of Judgment, Ibr�h�m (�) will meet his father zar with dust and signs of depression on zar’ s face like the faces of other disbelievers.

During their lifetime, Ibr�h�m (�) was very keen to guide his father to the right path and he advised him to embrace Islam and believe in Allah (�). However, zar insisted on holding fast to the religion of his forefathers and worshipping idols. At the same time, zar urged his son to abandon his religion and embrace his father’ s religion,

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�And mention in the Book [the Qur’ an] Ibr�h�m [Abraham].Verily! He was a man of truth, a Prophet. When he said to his father: ‘O’ my father! Why do you worship that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything? O’ my father! Verily! There has come to me of knowledge that which came not unto you. So follow me. I will guide you to a Straight Path. O’ my father! Worship not Shayt�n [Satan]. Verily! Shayt�n [Satan] has been a rebel against the Most Beneficent [Allah]. O’ my father! Verily! I fear lest a torment from the Most Beneficent [Allah] overtake you, so that you become a companion of Shayt�n [Satan] [in the Hell-fire].’ He [the father] said: ‘Do you reject my gods, O’ Ibr�h�m [Abraham]? If you stop not [this], I will indeed stone you. So get away from me safely before I punish you.’�

(Qur’an 19: 41-46)

Those were the events that occurred between Ibr�h�m and his

father during their lifetime. However, on the Day of Resurrection, Ibr�h�m will meet his father who will have dust and signs of depression on his face. At this moment, Ibr�h�m will remind his father of his advice to abandon the worship of idols and to obey him. His father will say, “ Today, I will not disobey you, O’ Ibr�h�m.”

Allah (�) described Ibr�h�m as,

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Ibr�h�m (�) will continue to display forbearance even on the Day of Judgment and it is for this reason he invokes Allah (�) to keep His Promise to him in the first life. That is to say, not to disgrace him on the Day of Judgment,

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�And disgrace me not on the Day when [all the creatures] will be resurrected. The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail. Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from shirk (polytheism) and nif�q (hypocrisy)].� �� !��

On that Day, Ibr�h�m will request His Lord, “ O’ my Lord! You promised not to disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection. Nothing is more of a disgrace than having my father in Hell?” This means: If you send my father to Hell, people there who know him will recognize him. The inhabitants of Paradise might also see him in the fire and recognize that he is my father and this disgraces me.

Allah (�), the Lord of Honor and Majesty, will say to Ibr�h�m, “ I have made Paradise forbidden for disbelievers, and there is no

exception to this order.” However, Allah (�) saves Ibr�h�m (�) from disgrace without sending his father to Paradise, but by transforming him into a slaughtered male hyena. Then, Allah (�) will ask Ibr�h�m (�) to look down at his feet to find an ugly slaughtered hyena. Upon seeing this disgusting animal, Ibr�h�m (�) will lose all mercy towards his father because Paradise is not the place for such filth. Ibr�h�m’ s father was blotted with sins and wrongdoings during his life and the proper place for people guilty of such actions is Hell. This is exactly what was done to that animal which was Ibr�h�m’ s father. We seek refuge in Allah (�) from such a humiliating end.

Morals of the Story

1. The possibility for someone to meet his father, mother, wife and brothers on the Day of Resurrection.

2. Disbelievers will have dust and signs of humiliation and depression on their faces on the Day of Resurrection.

3. Belief on that Day is useless. Ibr�h�m’ s father’ s obedience to his son did not benefit him at all at that time.

4. The intercession of pious people for misguided ones will not do them any good because Paradise is forbidden for disbelievers. Even Ibr�h�m’ s intercession for his father did not work.

5. Allah (�) kept His Promise and did not disgrace Ibr�h�m because of his father He will transform him into a slain male hyena so that no one will recognize this animal as Ibr�h�m’ s father.

6. Allah (�) is Able to transform people into animals as He metamorphosed specific groups of people into monkeys and pigs. (Refer to Qur’ an 2: 65)

7. This story refutes the belief of some Islamic sects that Prophets’ parents will enter Paradise and will not be thrown into Hell.

These sects believe that zar is the uncle of Ibr�h�m’ s father. However, the true tradition states that zar was Ibr�h�m’ s father.

8. The transformation of Ibr�h�m’ s father into a hyena indicates that this animal is unintelligent and zar was too, because he insisted on his disbelief after he witnessed the signs that proved Ibr�h�m’ s Prophethood.

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Introduction

This tradition relates the story of a person who was heavily burdened by sins and bad deeds that filled up ninety-nine records, each of which extended as far as the eye can see. However, Allah (�) will show him a small card that outweighs all of those records of bad deeds.

Text of the Hadith

‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘ �� narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah (�) saying, “ A person from my ummah will be summoned in the presence of all creatures on the Day of Judgment. Ninety-nine records of his deeds will be unfolded, each extending as far as the eye can see. Then he will be asked, ‘Do you deny any of these deeds? Have my record writers done you any injustice?’ He will reply, ‘No, my Lord.’ He will be asked, ‘Do you have any excuse or any good deeds?’ The man will say, ‘No, my Lord.’ It will be said to him, “ Yes. You have some good deeds. No inequity will befall you. A card will then be shown to him and on it will be written, “ L� il�ha ill� All�h, Muhammadun Ras�lu All�h. (There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.) The man will be asked to attend the weighing process. He will say, ‘O’ Allah! What will this card do compared with these records?’ It will be said to him, ‘No injustice will befall you.’ The ninety-nine records will then be placed in one side of the scale and the card in the other. The card will then outweigh the records because nothing can outweigh the Name of Allah.”


This is a person for whom the honorable angels, the recorders of deeds, have filled out ninety-nine records with his bad deeds, each of which extends as far as the eye can see. Allah (�) will show him his records and ask him, “ Do you deny any of these records? Have my record writers done you any injustice to you?” He will answer, “ No, my Lord.” Then, he will be asked if he had any excuses, but he will find nothing. Thus, he will believe that he is definitely going to be sent to Hell.

At that moment, it will be said to him, “ Yes. You have some good deeds. No inequity will befall you.” A card will then be shown to him in which he testified that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger. He will be asked to attend the weighing process.

Ninety nine records of bad deeds, each of which extends as far as vision can see will be weighed against a small card on which Shah�datan (testifying that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) is written. This man would say to the Lord of Honor, “ O’ my Lord! This card against all of those records?!” It will be said to him, “ No inequity will befall you.” The surprise will be incredible when the small card outweighs the ninety-nine records. This agrees with what the Messenger of Allah (�) said, “ Nothing can outweigh the Name of Allah.”

Morals of the Story

1. The story indicates that the Muslim’ s declaration of belief in the Oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as His Prophet will be rewarded by Allah (�) as it happened with the man in the story.

2. The honorable writers of deeds record both good and evil deeds which will be collected in one book. Nothing of one’ s deeds

whether small or big will be forgotten.

3. The records of good deeds will be placed on one side of the scale and those of the bad deeds in the other,

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�Then, those whose scales [of good deeds] are heavy, they are the successful. And those whose scales [of good deeds] are light, they are those who lose their ownselves, in Hell will they abide.�

(Qur’an 23: 102-103)

4. The scale in which human beings’ deeds are weighed has two sides.

5.�Weighing people’ s deeds is done in the presence of all people, publicly, and whoever is saved will not be disgraced on the Day of Judgment.

stories of the unseen by prophet muhammad (saw)

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