> Ar-Riqa^iq - The Heart Softeners

[PK_Aali]

The Heart Softeners


"Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allâh's Reminder (this Qur’ân) and that which has been revealed of the truth, lest they become as those who received the Scripture before, and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of them were rebellious, disobedient (fâsiqoon)"

[Qur'an, 57:16]

[PK_Aali]

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face - free from any resemblance or likeness to anything - as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: 'O People of Paradise! Your Lord - Blessed and Exalted - requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!' So they will say: 'We hear and obey!' Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet - and none of them will turn down the request of the caller - the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will order His Chair to be brought there.

Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: 'O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allah in which He wishes to reward you!' So they will say: 'And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?'

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller - Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names - has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: 'O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!' So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: 'O Allah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!' So the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will laugh to them and say: 'O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!' So, they will all give the same response: 'We are pleased, so be pleased with us!' So, He will say: 'O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!' So, they will all give the same response: 'Show us your Face so that we may look at it!' So, the Lord - Mighty and Majestic - will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allah - the Exalted - had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord - the Exalted - will speak to him and say: 'Do you remember the day that you did this and that?' and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: 'O Lord! Will you not forgive me?' So, He will say: 'Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.'

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife...

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, looking at their Lord...} (al-Qiyamah:22-3)

[from the amazing and beautiful book Hadi al-Arwah ila Bilad il-Afrah by Ibn al-Qayyim, pg. 193]

[PK_Aali]

The delights of Paradise surpass the imagination and defy description. They are like nothing known to the people of this world; no matter how advanced we may become, what we achieve is as nothing in comparison with the joys of the Hereafter. As is mentioned in several reports, there is nothing like Paradise:

"It is sparkling light, aromatic plants, a lofty palace, a flowing river, ripe fruit, a beautiful wife and abundant clothing, in an eternal abode of radiant joy, in beautiful soundly-constructed high houses".
[Ibn Majah, as-Sunan, Kitab az-Zuhd, Bab Sifat al-Jannah, 2/1448, no. 4332. Ibn Hibban narrated it in his sahîh]

The Sahabah asked the Prophet about the buildings of Paradise and he replied with a wonderful description:

"Bricks of gold and silver, and mortar of fragrant musk, pebbles of pearl and sapphire, and soil of saffron. Whoever enters it is filled with joy and will never feel miserable; he will live there forever and never die; their clothes will never wear out and their youth will never fade."
[Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, ad-Darimî, Mishkat al-Masabîh, 3/29, sahih].

Allah indeed spoke the truth when He said:

"And when you look there [in Paradise] you will see a delight [that cannot be imagined]. And a great dominion" [76:20]

What Allah has kept hidden from us the delights of Paradise is beyond our ability to comprehend: al-Bukhari reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said that Allah said

"I have prepared for My slaves what no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human heart can imagine". Recite if you wish, "No person know what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do." (32:17).

In the version reported by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, there is the addition,

"Never mind what Allah has told you; what He has not told you is EVEN greater".



...

[PK_Aali]

"O son of Aadam! Fear Allah, and let two things not happen to you at the same time: the hardships and agony of death, plus sorrow and regret. Beware of agonies and regrets, for death will come to you suddenly and no one can describe to you what you will face and see. Beware, so as not to die while in a state of disobedience, otherwise you will meet Allah with no excuse."

- Al Hasan

[PK_Aali]

Imam ash-Shafi`ee - rahimahullah - said:

"O my soul! It is not, except a few days of patience;
As if the extent were but a few dreams.
O my soul! Pass quickly on through this world;
And leave it, for indeed life lies ahead of it."

[Related by Ibn Rajab in Fadl `Ilmus-Salaf (p.63)]

[PK_Aali]

It was said:

Are you pleased to weep while your tears are of water? * Verily, the tears of the sinners are of blood

For sins are the disease * And weeping is the cure

Beware of your desires, and you will find pleasure * For the basis of all misguidance is the desire

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[PK_Aali]

It was narrated:

"Verily, the people of the Fire will be tortured for one thousand years, then they will say: "During our lives, if we were patient, we were eventually given a way out of our troubles." So, they will be patient for one thousand more years without their punishment being lightened for them. Then, they will say: {"It does not matter whether we rage or patiently endure; we have no place of refuge."} [Ibrahim; 21]

Then, they will call upon Allah - the Exalted - for one thousand years to send some rain upon them out of their extreme thirst and intense torture so that they would be relieved of the intense temperatures and extreme thirst. So, after they supplicate for one thousand years, Allah - the Exalted - will say to Jibril: "What do they ask for?" Jibril will answer: "O Lord, You are more Knowing of them. They ask for rain."

So, red clouds will appear above them, and they will think that rain will pour from these clouds. Instead, blackened scorpions will pour down upon them, one sting of which throbs with pain for over one thousand years. Then, they will again ask Allah - the Exalted - for one thousand years to provide them with rain, and then black clouds will appear above them. They will say: "These are rain clouds!" But instead, snakes like the necks of camels will pour out of the clouds, one bite of which throbs with pain for over one thousand years, and this is the meaning of the saying of the Exalted: {"We will add torment upon torment for them because of the corruption that they used to perform."} [an-Nahl; 88]."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[PK_Aali]

On the authority of Abdullah bin Abbas who said: One day I was behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and he said to me,

“Young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.”

[At-Tirmidhi]

[PK_Aali]

Al Qasim bin Muhammad said,

"Whenever I went out in the morning, I used to visit `Aishah radhiallahu `anha (his aunt and the wife of the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and greet her.

One day I found her performing Ad Duha prayer, reciting this Ayah repeatedly, crying and invoking Allah: 'So Allah has been gracious to us, and has saved us from the torment of the Fire.' (52:27) I stood there until I felt bored, so I left and went to the market to do something and said to myself that when I finish what I have to do, I will go back (to`Aishah radhiallahu `anha).

When I finished and went back to her, I found her still standing in prayer, reciting the same Ayah, crying and invoking Allah.'"

[Al Ihya 4/436]

[PK_Aali]

Abu Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to me, "Shall I not guide you to a treasure from the treasures of Jannah?'' I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!'' Thereupon he (PBUH) said, "(Recite) `La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (There is no change of a condition nor power except by Allah).''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]



Hadith Qudsi

Allah, the Almighty, has said: O Son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O Son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O Son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins as great as the earth, and were you then to face Me ascribing no partners to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.