Chapter 83: THE LOWEST OF THE RANKS IN PARADISE
Bk 1, Number 0362:
It is transmitted from Abu Sa'id al−Khudri that, verily, the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Amongst the
inhabitants of Paradise the lowest in rank will be the person
whose face Allah would turn away from the Fire towards the
Paradise, and make a shady tree appear before him. He would
say: O my Lord! direct my steps to this tree so that I (should
enjoy) its shade; and the rest of the hadith is like that
narrated by Ibn Mas'ud, but he did not mention:" He (Allah)
would say: O son of Adam! what will bring an end to your
making requests to Me" to the end of the tradition. In it, he
added: Allah will remind him: Ask such and such, and when his
expectations would be realised, Allah would say: That is for
you, and ten times as much. He said that he would then enter
his house and his two wives with large and dark eyes would
enter after him. They will say: Praise be to Allah, Who has
created you for us and us for you. He will say: No one has
been given the like of what I have been given.
Bk 1, Number 0363:
It is reported on the authority of al−Mughira b. Shu'ba that
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Moses
asked his Lord: Who amongst the inhabitants of Paradise is the
lowest to rank? He (Allah) said: The person who would be
admitted into Paradise last of all among those deserving of
Paradise who are admitted to it. I would be said to him: Enter
Paradise. He would gay: O my Lord! how (should I enter) while
the people have settled in their apartments and taken the
shares (portions)? It would be said to him: Would you be
pleased if there be for you like the kingdom of a king amongst
the kings of the world? He would say: I am pleased my Lord. He
(Allah) would say: For you is that, and like that, and like
that, and like that, and that. He would say at the fifth
(point): I am well pleased. My Lord. He (Allah) would say: It
is for you and, ten times like it, and for you is what your
self desires and your eye enjoys. He would say: I am well
pleased, my Lord. He (Moses) said: (Which is) the highest of
their (inhabitants of Paradise) ranks? He (Allah) said: They
are those whom I choose. I establish their honour with My own
hand and then set a seal over it (and they would be blessed
with Bounties) which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no
human mind has perceived: and this is sub− stantiated by the
Book of Allah, Exalted and Great:" So no soul knows what
delight of the eye is hidden for them; a reward for what they
did" (xxxii. 17).
Bk 1, Number 0364:
Sha'bi reported he had heard al−Mughira b. Shu'ba say on the
pulpit that Moses (peace be upon him) had asked Allah, Exalted
and Great, about the reward of the lowest of the inhabitants
of Paradise, and the remaining part of hadith is the same (as
narrated) above.
Bk 1, Number 0365:
Abu Dharr reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
him) said: I know the last of the inhabitants of Paradise to
enter it and the last of the inhabitants of Hell to come out
of it. He is a man who would be brought on the Day of
Resurrection and it will be said: Present his minor sins to
him, and withhold from him his serious Sins. Then the minor
sins would be placed before him, and it would be said: On such
and such a day you did so and so and on such and such a day
you did so and so. He would say: Yes. It will not be possible
for him to deny, while he would be afraid lest serious sins
chould be presented before him. It would be said to him: In
place of every evil deed you will have good deed He will say:
My Lord! I have done things I do not see here. I indeed saw
the Messenger of Allah laugh till his front teeth were
exposed.
Bk 1, Number 0366:
This hadith is also narrated by another chain of narrators, i.
e. Ibn Numair, Abu Mu'awiya, Waki', Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaiba,
Abu Kuraib, A'mash.
Bk 1, Number 0367:
It is reported on the authority of Abu Zubair that he heard
from Jabir b 'Abdullah, who was asked about the arrival (of
people on the Day of Resurrection). He said. We would come on
the Day of Resurrection like this, like this, and see.
carefully. that which concerns" elevated people". He (the
narrator) said: Then the people would be summoned along with
their idols whom they worshipped, one after another. Then our
Lord would come to us and say: Whom are you waiting for? They
would say: We are waiting for our Lord. He would say: I am
your Lord. They would say: (We are not sure) till we gaze at
Thee, and He would manifest Himself to them smilingly, and
would go along with them and they would follow Him; and every
person, whether a hypocrite or a believer, would be endowed
with a light, and there would be spikes and hooks on the
bridge of the Hell, which would catch hold of those whom Allah
willed. Then the light of the hypocrites would be
extinguished, and the believers would secure salvation. and
the first group to achieve it would comprise seventy thousand
men who would have the brightness of full moon on their faces,
and they would not be called to account. Then the people
immediately following them would have their faces as the
brightest stars in the heaven. This is how (the groups would
follow one after another). Then the stage of intercession
would come, and they (who are permitted to intercede) would
intercede, till he who had declared:" There is no god but
Allah" and had in his heart virtue of the weight of a barley
grain would come out of the Fire. They would be then brought
in the courtyard of Paradise and the inhabitants of Paradise
would begin to sprinkle water over them till they would sprout
like the sprouting of a thing in flood water, and their burns
would disappear. They would ask their Lord till they would be
granted (the bounties) of the world and with it ten more
besides it.
Bk 1, Number 0368:
Jabir reported that he had heard with his ears the Apostle
(may peace be upon him) saying: Allah will bring out people
from the Fire and admit them into Paradise.
Bk 1, Number 0369:
Hammad b. Zaid, reported: I said to 'Amr b. Dinar: Did you
hear Jabir b. 'Abdullah narrating from the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) that Allah would bring out people from
the Fire through intercession. He said: Yes.
Bk 1, Number 0370:
Jabir b. 'Abdullah repotted: The Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) said: Verily people would be brought out from the
Fire, and they would be burnt except the exterior (surfaces,
fronts) of their faces; and they would enter Paradise.
Bk 1, Number 0371:
Yazid al−Faqir said: This view of the Khwarij (i. e. those who
commit major sins and would be eternally doomed to Hell) had
obsessed me, and we set out in a large group intending to
perform the hajj and then going to the people (for the
propagation of the views of the Khwarij). He (the narrator)
said: We happened to past by Medina and found there Jabir b.
'Abdullah sitting near a column narrating to the people (the
ahadith of) the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him). When he
mentioned the inhabitants of Hell, I said: O companion of the
Messenger of Allah what is this that thou narrateth, whereas
Allah sayeth:" Verily whomsoever Thou shall commit to the
Fire, Thou indeed humillateth him" (al−Qur'an, iii. 192) ; and
All those who endeavoured to get out of that would be thrown
back into it" (al−Qur'an, xxxi i. 20)? So what is it that you
say? He said: Have you read the Qur'an? I said: Yes. He said:
Have you heard about' the (exalted) position of Muhammad (may
peace be upon him), i. e. to which Allah would raise, him? I
said: Yes. He said: Verily the position of Muhammad (may peace
be upon him) is that of great glory and that is by which Allah
would bring out whornsoever He would wish to bring out. He
then described the Path (the Bridge) and the passing of the
people over it, and said: I am afraid I may not have
remembered (other things) but this much is still in my memory
that people would come out of the Hell after having gone into
it, and he said: They would come out of it as if they were the
wood of the ebony tree. He (the narrator said: They would
enter a river, one or the rivers of Paradise, and would bathe
in it, and then come out as if they were (white like) paper.
We then turned back and said: Woe be upon you! How can this
old man tell a lie against the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him)? We turned back (from the views of the Khwarij),
and by God every one of us abandoned this (band of Khwarij)
except one man. A similar statement has been made by Abu
Nu'aim.
Bk 1, Number 0372:
It is narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Four persons
would be brought out from the Fire and would be presented to
Allah. One of them would turn (towards the He) ) ) and say: O
my Lord, when Thou hast brought me out from it, do not throw
me back into it, and Allah would rescue him from it.
Bk 1, Number 0373:
Anas b Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) said: Allah would gather people on the Day of
Resurrection and they would be concerned about it, and Ibn
Ubaid said. They would get a Divine inspiration about it, and
would say: If we could seek intercession with our Lord, we may
be relieved from this predicament of ours. He (the Holy
Prophet) said: They would come to Adam andsay, Thou art Adam,
the father of mankind. Allah created thee with His own hand
and breathed unto thee of His Spirit and commanded the angels
and they prostrated before thee. So intercede for us with thy
Lords, that He may relieve us from this position of ours. He
would say: I am not in a position to do this, and would recall
his error, and would fight shy of his Lord on account of that;
go to Noah the first messenger (after me) sent by Allah. He
(the Holy Prophet) said: So they would come to Noah (peace be
upon him). He would say: I am not in a position to do that for
you, and recall his fault which he had committed, and would
fight shy of his Lord on account of that, (and would say): You
better go to Ibrahim (peace be upon him) whom Allah took for a
friend. They would come to Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and he
would say: I am not in a position to do that for you, and
would recall his fault that he had committed and would,
therefore, fight shy of his Lord on that account (and would
say): You better go to Moses (peace be upon him) with whom
Allah conversed and con− ferred Torah upon him. He (the Holy
Prophet) said: So they would come to Moses (peace be upon him)
He would say: I am not in a position to do that for you, and
would recall his fault that he had committed and would fight
shy of his Lord on account of that (and would say): You better
go to Jesus, the Spirit of Allah and His word He would say: I
am not in a position to do that for you; you better go to
Muhammad (may peace be upon him), a servant whose former and
later sins have been forgiven. He (the narrator) said: The
Messenger or Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: So they
would come to me and I would ask the permission of my Lord and
it would be granted to me, and when I would see Him, I would
fall down in prostration, and He (Allah) would leave me thus
as long as He would wish, and then it would be said: O
Muhammad, raise your head, say and you would be heard; ask and
it would be granted; intercede and intercession would be
accepted. Then I would raise my head and extrol my Lord with
the praise which my Lord would teach me. I shall then inter−
cede, but a limit would be set for me I would bring them out
from the Fire and make them enter Paradise (according to the
limit). I shall return then ard fall down in pros− tration and
Allah would leave me (in that position) as long as He would
wish to leave me it would be said: Rise, O Muhammad, say and
you would be heard; ask and it would be conferred; intercede
and intercession would be granted. I would raise my head and
extrol my Lord with praise that He would teach me. I would
theft intercede and a limit would be set for me. I would bring
them out of the Fire (of Hell) and make them enter Paradise.
He (the narrator) said: I do not remember whether he (the Holy
Prophet) said at tLe third time or at the fourth time: O my
Lord, none has been left in the Fire, but thise restrained by
the Holy Qur'an, i e. those who were eternally doomed. Ibn
Ubaid said in a narration: Qatada observed: whose everlasting
stay was imperative".
Bk 1, Number 0374:
Anas reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
said: The believers would gather on the Day of Resurrection,
and they would be concerned about it, or would be made mindful
of it (i. e. the trjuble for it), (and the remaining part of
the hadith w, ) uld be narrated) like the one transmitted by
Abu Uwana, and he said in the hadith: Then I would come for
the fourth time, or I would return the fourth time, and would
say: O my Lord, no one has been left but he whom the Holy
Qur'an has restrained.
Bk 1, Number 0375:
Anas b. Malik reported: The Prophet of Allah (may peace be,
upon him) said: Allah will gather the believers on the Day of
Resurrection and they would be made mindful of it; and the
rest (of the hadith) is like the one narrated above; and then
he mentioned the fourth time: And I (the Holy Prophet) would
say: O my Lord, no one is left in the Fire except he whom the
Qur'an has restrained, i e. eternally doomed.
Bk 1, Number 0376:
Anas b. Malik reported: Verily the Apostle (may peace be upon
him) said: He who professed: There is no god but Allah, would
be brought out of the Fire even though he has in his heart
virtue equal to the weight of a barley grain. Then he who
professed: There is no god but Allah, would come out of the
Fire, even though he has in his heart virtue equal to the
weight of a wheat grain. He would then bring out from the Fire
he who professed: There is no god but Allah, even though he
has in his heart virtue equal to the weight of an atom. Ibn
Minhal has made an addition (of these words) in his narration:
Yazid said: I met Shu'ba and narrated to him this hadith.
Shu'ba said: Qatada transmitted to us this hadith from Anas b.
Malik who heard it from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be
upon him) with this alteration that he substituted the word
Zurra (grain) in place of Zarra (atom). Yazid said: Abu Bistam
has made a change in it.
Bk 1, Number 0377:
Ma'bad b. Hilal al 'Anazi reported: We went to Anas b. Malik
through Thabit and reached there (his house) while he was
offering the forenoon prayer. Thabit sought permission for us
and we entered, and he seated Thabit with him on his bedstead.
He (Thabit) said to him (Anas b. Malik): O Abu Hamza (kunya of
Anas b. Malik), your brothers from among the inhabitants of
Basra ask you to narrate to them the hadith of intercession.
He said: Muhammad (may peace be upon him) narrated to us: When
it would be the Day of Resurrection, some of the people would
rush to one another in bewilderment. They would come to Adam
and say: Intercede (with your Lord) for your progeny. He would
say: I am not fit to do this, but go to Ibrabim (peace be upon
him) for he is the Friend of Allah. They would come to
Ibrahim, but he would say: I am not fit to do this, but go to
Moses, for he is Allah's Interlocutor. They would come to
Moses, but he would say: I am not fit to do this, but you
should go to Jesus, for he is the Spirit of Allah and His
word. They would come to Jesus, and he would say, I am not fit
to do this; you better go to Muhammad (may peace be upon him).
They would come to me, and I would say: I am in a position to
do that, I would go and ask the permission of my Lord and it
would be granted to me. I would then stand before Him and
would extol Him with praises which I am not able to do now,
but with which Allah would inspire me, then I would fall in
prostration and it would be said to me: O Muhammad, raise thy
head, and say and it would be listened to; ask and it would be
granted, intercede and it would be accepted. I shall say: My
Lord, my people, my people It would be said: Go, and bring
forth from it (Hell) him who has in his heart faith equal to
the weight of a wheat grain or a barley seed. I would go and
do that; then I would return to my Lord and extol Him with
those praises (taught to me by Allah), then I would fall in
prostration. It would be said to me: O Muhammad, raise your
head, and say and it would be heard; ask and it would be
granted; intercede and intercession would be accepted. So I
would say: My people. my people. It would be said to me: Go
and take out from it (Hell) him who has in his heart faith
equal to the weight of a mustard seed. I would go and do that.
I would again return to my Lord and extol Him with those
praises. I would then fall in prostration. It would be said to
me: O Muhammad, raisevour head: say, and you would be listened
to; ask and it would be granted; intercede and intercession
would be accepted. I would say: My Lord, my people, my people.
It would be said to me: Go, and bring out of the Fire him who
has in his heart as much faith as the smallest, smallest,
smallest grain of mustard seed. I would go and do that. This
is the hadith which Anas narrated to us. We went out of his
(house) and when we reached the upper part of Jabban
(graveyard) we said: Would that we meet Hasan and salute him
and he was hiding in the house of Abu Khalifa. He (Ma'bad b.
Hilal, the narrator) said: We went to him and greeted him and
we said: O Abu Sa'id, we come from your brother Abu Hamza
(kunya of Anas), and we have never heard a hadith like this
relating to intercession, which he has narrated to us. He
said: Narrate it, we narrated the hadith. He said: Narrate it
(still further). We said: He did not (narrate it) before us
more than this. He said: He (Anas) had narrated it to us
twenty years back, when he was strong and healthy. He has in
fact missed something. I cannot make out whether the old man
has forgotten or he has (intentionally) avoided to narrate it
to you lest you should rely (absolutely) upon it (and abandon
doing good deeds). We said to him: Relate that to us, and he
laughed and said: There is haste in the nature of man. I did
not make mention of it to you but for the fact that I wanted
to narrate that to you (and added that the Holy Prophet said):
I would then return to my Lord for the fourth time and extol
Him with these praises. I would then fall in prostration. It
would be said to me: O Muhammad, raise your head: say and it
will be listened to; ask and it will be granted; intercede and
intercession would be accepted. I would say: O my Lord, permit
me regarding him who professed: There is no god but Allah. He
(the Lord) would say: That is not for thee or that is not what
lies with thee, but by My Honour, Glory, Greatness and Might,
I would certainly take him out who professed it: There is no
god but Allah. He (the narrator, Ma'bad) said: I hear
testimony to the fact that the hadith transmitted to us−by
Hasan was heard by him from Anas b. Malik and I can see that
he reported it twenty years back, when he was hale and hearty.
Bk 1, Number 0378:
Abu Huraira reported: Meat was one day brought to the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and a foreleg was
offered to him, a part which he liked. He sliced with his
teeth a piece out of it and said: I shall be the leader of
mankind on the Day of Resurrection. Do you know why? Allah
would gather in one plain the earlier and the later (of the
human race) on the Day of Resurrection. Then the voice of the
proclaimer would be heard by all of them and the eyesight
would penetrate through all of them and the sun would come
near. People would then experience a degree of anguish,
anxiety and agony which they shall not be able to bear and
they shall not be able to stand. Some people would say to the
others: Don you see in which trouble you are? Don't you see
what (misfortune) has overtaken you? Why don't you find one
who should intercede for you with your Lord? Some would say to
the others: Go to Adam. And they would go to Adam and say: O
Adam, thou art the father of mankind. Allah created thee by
His own Hand and breathed in thee of His spirit and ordered
the angels to prostrate before thee. Intercede for us with thy
Lord Don't you see in what (trouble) we are? Don't you see
what (misfortune) has overtaken us? Adam would say: Verily, my
Lord is angry, to an extent to which He had never been angry
before nor would He be angry afterward. Verily, He forbade me
(to go near) that tree and I disobeyed Him. I am concerned
with my own self. Go to someone else; go to Noah. They would
come to Noah and would say: O Noah, thou art the first of the
Messengers (sent) on the earth (after Adam), and Allah named
thee as a" Grateful Servant," intercede for us with thy Lord.
Don't you see in what (trouble) we are? Don't you see what
(misfortune) has overtaken us? He would say: Verily, my Lord
is angry today as He had never been angry before, and would
never be angry afterwards. There had emanated a curse from me
with which I cursed my people. I am concerned with only
myself, I am concerned only with myself; you better go to
Ibrahim (peace be upon him). They would go to Ibrahim and say:
Thou art the apostle of Allah and His Friend amongst the
inhabitants of the earth; intercede for us with thy Lord.
Don't you see in which (trouble) we are? Don't you see what
(misfortune) has overtaken us? Ibrahim would say to them:
Verily, my Lord is today angry as He had never been angry
before and would never be angry afterwards. and (Ibrahim)
would mention his lies (and then say): I am concerned only
with myself, I am concerned only with myself. You better go to
someone else: go to Moses. They would come to Moses (peace be
upon him) and say: O Moses, thou art Allah's messenger, Allah
blessed thee with His messengership and His conversation
amongst people. Intercede for us with thy Lord. Don't you see
in what (trouble) we are? Don't you see what (misfortune) has
overtaken us? Moses (peace be upon him) would say to them:
Verily. my Lord is angry as He had never been angry before and
would never be angry afterwards. I, in fact, killed a person
whom I had not been ordered to kill. I am concerned with
myself, I am concerned with myself. You better go to Jesus
(peace be upon him). They would come to Jesus and would say: O
Jesus, thou art the messenger of Allah and thou conversed with
people in the cradle, (thou art) His Word which I−Ie sent down
upon Mary. and (thou art) the Spirit from Him; so intercede
for us with thy Lord. Don't you see (the trouble) in which we
are? Don't you see (the misfortune) that has overtaken us?
Jesus (peace be upon him) would say: Verily, my Lord is angry
today as He had never been angry before or would ever be angry
afterwards. He mentioned no sin of his. (He simply said: ) I
am concerned with myself, I am concerned with myself; you go
to someone else: better go to Muhammad (may peace be upon
him). They would come to me and say: O Mahammad, thou art the
messenger of Allah and the last of the apostles. Allah has
pardoned thee all thy previous and later sins. Intercede for
us with thy Lord; don't you see in which (trouble) we are?
Don't you see what (misfortune) has overtaken us? I shall then
set off and come below the Throne and fall down prostrate
before my Lord; then Allah would reveal to me and inspire me
with some of His Praises and Glorifications which He had not
revealed to anyone before me. He would then say: Muhammad,
raise thy head; ask and it would be granted; intercede and
intercession would be accepted I would then raise my head and
say: O my Lord, my people, my people. It would be said: O
Muhammad, bring in by the right gate of Paradise those of your
people who would have no account to render. They would share
with the people some other door besides this door. The Holy
Prophet then said: By Him in Whose Hand is the life of
Muhammad, verify the distance between two door leaves of the
Paradise is as great as between Mecca and Hajar, or as between
Mecca and Busra (379) It is reported on the authority of Abu
Huraira that there was placed before the Messenger of Allah a
cup of soft bread, soup and meat. He took part of the foreleg
which he liked most. He sliced (with his teeth) a slice (out
of that) and said: I would be the leader of mankind on the Day
of Resurrection. He then sliced (that meat) for the second
time and said: I am the leader of mankind on the Day of
Resurrection. When he saw that his companions did not ask him
(about this assertion) he said: Why don't you say: How would
that be? They said: How would be it, Messenger of Allah? He
said: People would stand before the Lord of the worlds. And
the rest of the hadith was narrated like the one transmitted
by Abu Hayyan, on the authority of Abu Zur'a, and in the story
of Ibrahim, this addition was made. He said and made mention
of his words with regard to the star: This is my Lord. And his
words with regard to their gods: But the big among them has
done that. And his words: I am ailing. He (the Holy Prophet)
said: By Him in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, the
distance between two leaves of the door from their supporting
frames is as the distance between Mecca and Hajar or Hajar and
Mecca. I do not remember how he said it (whether Mecca and
Hajar or Hajar and Mecca).
Bk 1, Number 0380:
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira and Hudhaifa
that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, would gather people. The
believers would stand till the Paradise would be brought near
them. They would come to Adam and say: O our father, open for
us the Paradise. He would say: What turned ye out from the
Paradise was the sin of your father Adam. I am not in a
position to do that; better go to my son Ibrahim, the Friend
of Allah. He (the Holy Prophet) said: He (Ibrahim) would say:
I am not in a position to do that. Verily I had been the
Friend (of Allah) from beyond, beyond; you better approach
Moses (peace be upon him) with whom Allah conversed. They
would come to Moses (peace be upon him), but he would say: I
am not in a position to do that; you better go to Jesus, the
Word of Allah and His Spirit. Jesus (peace be upon him) would
say: I am not in a position to do that. So they would come to
Mubammad (may peace be upon him). He would then be permitted
(to open the door of Paradise). Trust worthiness and kinship
would be despatched, and these would stand on the right and
left of the Path and the first of you would pass with (the
swiftness) of lightning. He (the narrator) said: I said, O
thou who art far dearer to me than my father and my mother I
which thing is like the passing of lightning? He said: Have
you not seen lightning, how it passes and then comes back
within the twinkling of an eye? Then (they would pass) like
the passing of the wind, then like the passing of a bird, and
the hastening of persons would be according to their deeds,
and your Apostle would be standing on the Path saying: Save, O
my Lord, save. (The people would go on passing) till the deeds
of the servants would be failing in strength, till a man would
come who would find it hard to go along (that Path) but
crawlingly. He (the narrator) said: And on the sides of the
Path hooks would be suspended ready to catch anyone whom these
would be required (to catch). There would be those who would
somehow or other succeed in trasversing that Path and some
would be piled up in Hell. By Him in Whose Hand is the life of
Abu Huraira it would take one seventy years to fathom the
depth of Hell.
Chapter 84: PERTAINING TO THE WORDS OF THE APOSTLE OF ALLAH
(MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM):" I WOULD BE THE FIRST AMONG PEOPLE TO
INTERCEDE IN THE PARADISE AND AMONG THE APOSTLES I WOULD HAVE
THE LARGEST FOLLOWING"
Bk 1, Number 0381:
Anas b. Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) said: I would be the first among people to intercede
in the Paradise and amongst the apostles I would have the
largest following (on the Day of Resurrection).
Bk 1, Number 0382:
Anas b. Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) said: Amongst the apostles I would have the largest
following on the Day of Resurrec tion, and I would be the
first to knock at the door of Paradise.
Bk 1, Number 0383:
Anas b. Malik said: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said: I would be the first intercessor in the Paradise
and no apostle amongst the apostles has been testified (by
such a large number of people) as I have been testified. And
verily there woald be an apostle among the apostles who would
be testified to by only one man from his people.
Bk 1, Number 0384:
Anas b. Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) said: I will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day
of Resurrection. and would seek its opening. and the keeper
would say: Who art thou? I would say: Muhammad. He would then
say: It is for thee that I have been ordered, and not to open
it for anyone before thee.
Bk 1, Number 0385:
Abu Huraira reported: Verity the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) said: There is for every apostle a (special)
prayer with which he would pray. I wish I could reserve, my
prayer for intercession of my Ummah on the Day of
Resurrection.
Bk 1, Number 0386:
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) said: There is for every apostle a prayer, and I
intend (if Allah so willed) that I would reserve my prayer for
the intercession of my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection.
Bk 1, Number 0387:
'Amr b. Abu Sufyan transmitted a hadith like this from Abu
Huraira who narrated it from the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him).
Bk 1, Number 0388:
Amr b. Abu Sufyan reported: Abu Huraira said to Ka'b al−Ahbar
that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said:
For every apostle there Is a (special) prayer by which he
would pray (to his Lord). I, however, intend (if Allah so
willed) that I would reserve my prayer for the intercession of
my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection. Ka'b said to Abu Huraira:
Did you hear this from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him)? Abu Huraira said: Yes.
Bk 1, Number 0389:
Abu Huraira said: The Prophet of Allah (may peace be upon him)
said: There is for every apostle a prayer which is granted,
but every prophet showed haste in his prayer. I have, however,
reserved my prayer for the intercession of my Ummah on the Day
of Resurrection, and it would be granted, if Allah so willed,
in case of everyone amongst my Ummah provided he dies without
associating anything with Allah.
Bk 1, Number 0390:
Abu Huraira said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said: Every Messenger is endowed with a prayer which is
granted and by which he would (pray to his Lord) and it would
he granted for him. I have, however, reserved my prayer for
the intercession of my Ummab on the Day of Resurrection.
Bk 1, Number 0391:
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) said: There was for every apostle a prayer with
which he prayed for his Ummah and it was granted to him; but I
wish, if Allah so wills, to defer my prayer for the
intercession of my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection.
Bk 1, Number 0392:
Anas b. Malik reported: Verily the Apostle of Allah (may peace
be upon him) said: There is for every apostle a prayer with
which he prays (to Allah) for his Ummah. I have reserved my
prayer for the intercession of my Ummah on the Day of
Resurrection.
Bk 1, Number 0393:
This hadith is narrated with the same chain of narrators by
Qatada.
Bk 1, Number 0394:
Mis'ar transmitted it with the same chain of narrators from
Qatada except that in the hadith narrated by Waki' (the
Prophet) said:" He was endowed," and in the hadith reported by
Abu Usama (the words are):" It is reported from the Apostle of
Allah (may peace be upon him)."
Bk 1, Number 0395:
Muhammad b. 'Abd al−A'la reported it to me: Mu'tamir narrated
to us on the authority of his father who transmitted it liom
Anas that verity the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him)
said, and then narrated the hadith like the one transmitted by
Qatada on the authority of Anas.
Bk 1, Number 0396:
Abu Zubair heard Jabir b. Abdullah reporting it from the
Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him): For every apostle
was a prayer with which he prayed (to his Lord) for his Ummah,
but I have reserved my prayer for the intercession of my Ummah
on the Day of Resurrection.
Chapter 85: PRAYER OF THE APOSTLE (MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM) FOR
HIS UMMAH AND HIS BEING MOVED TO TEARS ON ACCOUNT OF HIS
AFFECTION FOR THEM
Bk 1, Number 0397:
'Abdullah b. Amr b. al−'As reported: Verily the Apostle of
Allah (may peace be upon him) recited the words of Allah, the
Great and Glorious, that Ibrahim uttered. My Lord! lo! they
have led many of mankind astray:" But whoso followeth me, he
verily is of me" (al−Qur'an, xiv. 35) and Jesus (peace be upon
him) said:" If thou punisheth them, lo! they are Thy slaves,
and if Thou forgiveth them−verily Thou art the Mighty, the
Wise" (al−Qur'an, v 117). Then he raised his hands and said: O
Lord, my Ummah, my Ummah, and wept; so Allah the High and the
Exalted said: O Gabriel, go to Muhammad (though your Lord
knows it fully well) and ask him: What makes thee weep? So
Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to him and asked him, and the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) informed him what
he had said (though Allah knew it fully well). Upon this Allah
said: O Gabriel, go to Muhammad any say: Verily We will please
thee with regard to your Ummah and would not displease thee.
Chapter 86: HE WHO DIED WITH UNBELIEF WOULD BE (THROWN) INTO
THE FIRE, INTERCESSION WOULD BE OF NO AVAIL TO HIM AND THE
RELATIONSHIP OF HIS FAVOURITES WOULD NOT BENEFIT HIM
Bk 1, Number 0398:
Anas reported: Verily, a person said: Messenger of Allah,
where is my father? He said: (He) is in the Fire. When he
turned away, he (the Holy Prophet) called him and said: Verily
my father and your father are in the Fire.
Chapter 87: REGARDING THE WORDS OF ALLAH:" AND WARN THY
NEAREST KINDRED"
Bk 1, Number 0399:
Abu Huraira reported: When this verse was revealed:" And warn
thy nearest kindred (al−Qur'an, xxvi. 214), the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) called the Quraish; so they
gathered and he gave them a general warning. Then he made a
particular (reference to certain tribes) and said: O sons of
Ka'b b. Luwayy, rescue yourselves from the Fire; O sons of
Murra b. Ka'b, rescue yourselves from the Fire: O sons of Abd
Shams, rescue yourselves from the Fire; 0 sons of Abd Manaf
rescue yourselves from the Fire; O sons of Hashim, rescue
yourselves from the Fire; 0 sons of Abd al−Muttalib, rescue
yourselves from the Fire; O Fatimah, rescue thyself from the
Fire, for I have no power (to protect you) from Allah in
anything except this that I would sustain relationship with
you.
Bk 1, Number 0400:
The same hadith is narrated by Ubaidallah b. Umar al−Qawariri
from Abu 'Uwana, who transmitted it to 'Abd al−Malik b. 'Umair
on the same chain of transmitter and the hadith of Jarir is
more perfect and comprehensive.
Bk 1, Number 0401:
It is narrated on the authority of 'A'isha that when this
verse was revealed:" And warn thy nearest kindred," the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) stood up on Safa'
and said: O Fatima, daughter of Muhammad. O Safiya, daughter
of 'Abd al−Muttalib, O sons of 'Abd al−Muttalib. I have
nothing which can avail you against Allah; you may ask me what
you want of my worldly belongings.
Bk 1, Number 0402:
Abu Huraira reported: When (this verse) was revealed to him:"
Warn your nearest kinsmen." the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) said: O people of Quraish, buy yourselves from
Allah, I cannot avail you at all against Allah; O sons of Abd
al−Muttalib. I cannot avail you at all against Allah; 0 Abbas
b. 'Abd al− Muttalib, I cannot avail you at all against Allah;
O Safiya (aunt of the Messenger of Allah), I cannot avail you
at all against Allah; 0 Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, ask me
whatever you like, but I cannot avail you at all against
Allah.
Bk 1, Number 0403:
This hadith is narrated from the Apostle (may peace be upon
him) by another chain of narrators, 'Amr al−Naqid, Mu'awiya b.
'Amr, Abdullah b. Dhakwan, A'raj on the authority of Abu
Huraira.
Bk 1, Number 0404:
Qabisa b. al−Mukhariq and Zuhair b. 'Amr reported: When this
verse was revealed:" And warn thy nearest kindred," the
Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) set off towards a
rock of the hill and ascended the highest of the rocks and
then called: 0 sons of 'Abd Manaf! I am a warner; my
similitude and your similitude is like a man who saw the enemy
and went to guard his people, but, being afraid they might get
there before him, he shouted: Be on your guard!
Bk 1, Number 0405:
This hadith is narrated from the Apostle of Allah (may peace
be upon him) by another chain of narrators, Muhammad b. Abd
al−A'la, Mu'tamir, Abu 'Uthman, Zuhair b. 'Amr, Qabisa b.
Mukhariq.
Bk 1, Number 0406:
It is reported on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that when this
verse was revealed:" And warn thy nearest kindred" (and thy
group of selected people among them) the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) set off till he climbed Safa' and
called loudly: Be on your guard! They said: Who is it calling
aloud? They said: Muhammad. They gathered round him, and he
said: O sons of so and so, O sons of so and so, O sons of 'Abd
Manaf, O sons of 'Abd al−Muttalib, and they gathered around
him. He (the Apostle) said: If I were to inform you that there
were horsemen emerging out of the foot of this mountain, would
you believe me? They said: We have not experienced any lie
from you. He said: Well, I am a warner to you before a severe
torment. He (the narrator) said that Abu Lahab then said:
Destruction to you! Is it for this you have gathered us? He
(the Holy Prophet) then stood up, and this verse was
revealed:" Perish the hands of Abu Lahab, and he indeed
perished" (cxi. 1). A'mash recited this to the end of the
Sura.
Bk 1, Number 0407:
This hadith was narrated by A'mash on the authority of the
same chain of narrators and he said: One day the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) climbed the hill of Safa' and
said: Be on your guard, and the rest of the hadith was
narrated like the hadith transmitted by Usama; he made no
mention of the revelation of the verse:" Warn thy nearest
kindred."
Chapter 88: INTERCESSION OF THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH (MAY PEACE
BE UPON HIM) FOR ABU TALIB AND SOME REMISSION FOR HIM ON THIS
ACCOUNT
Bk 1, Number 0408:
It is reported on the authority of 'Abbas b. Abd al−Muttalib
that he said: Messenger of Allah, have you benefited Abu Talib
in any way for he defended you and was fervent in your
defence? The Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) said:
Yes; he would be in the most shallow part of the Fire: and but
for me he would have been in the lowest part of Hell.
Bk 1, Number 0409:
Abdullah b. al−Harith reported: I heard Abbas say: I said:
Messenger of Allah, verily Abu Talib defended you and helped
you; would it be beneficial for him? He (the Holy Prophet)
said: Yes; I found him in the lowest part of the Fire and I
brought him to the shallow part.
Bk 1, Number 0410:
This hadith is narrated from the Apostle (may peace be upon
him) like one narrated by Abu 'Uwana on the authority of the
chain of transmitters like Muhammad b. Hatim, Yahya b. Sa'id,
Abu Sufyan, 'Abbas b. 'Abd al−Muttalib and others.
Bk 1, Number 0411:
Abu Sa'id al−Khudri reported: A mention was made of his uncle
Abu Talib before the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) He said: My intercession may benefit him on the Day of
Resurrection and he may be placed in the shallow part of the
Fire which would reach his ankles and his brain would be
boiling.
Bk 1, Number 0412:
Abu Sa'id al−Khudri reported: Verily, the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) said: The least tormented of the
inhabitants of the Fire would be he who would wear two shoes
of Fire and his brain would boil on account of the heat of the
shoes.
Bk 1, Number 0413:
Ibn 'Abbas reported: The Prophet (may peace be upon him) said:
Among the inhabitants of the Fire Abu Talib would have the
least suffering, and he would be wearing two shoes (of Fire)
which would boil his brain.
Bk 1, Number 0414:
Nu'man b. Bashir was delivering an address and saying: I heard
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: the least
suffering for the inhabitants of Hell on the Day of
Resurrection would be for the man under whose soles would be
placed two embers and his brain would boil on account of them.
Bk 1, Number 0415:
Nu'man b. Bashir reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) said: Verily the least suffering for the
inhabitants of Fire would be for him who would have two shoes
and two laces of Fire (on his feet), and with these would boil
his brain as boils the cooking vessel, and he would think that
he would not see anyone in a more grievous torment than him,
whereas he would be in the least torment.
Chapter 89: PROOF IN SUPPORT OF THE FACT THAT HE WHO DIED IN
UNBELIEF HIS DEED WOULD NOT BE OF ANY AVAIL TO HIM
Bk 1, Number 0416:
'A'isha reported: I said: Messenger of Allah, the son of
Jud'an established ties of relationship, fed the poor. Would
that be of any avail to him? He said: It would be of no avail
to him as he did not ever say: O my Lord, pardon my sins on
the Day of Resurrection.
Chapter 90: FRIENDSHIP WITH BELIEVERS AND DISSOCIATION WITH
NON−BELIEVERS AND SEVERANCE FROM THEM
Bk 1, Number 0417:
'Amr b. 'As reported: I heard it from the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) quite audibly and not secretly:
Behold! the posterity of my fathers, that is, so and so, are
not my friends. Verily Allah and the pious believers are my
friends.
Chapter 91: THE ADMITTANCE INTO PARADISE OF A GROUP OF MUSLIMS
WITHOUT RENDERING ANY ACCOUNT AND SUFFERING PUNISHMENT
(TORMENT)
Bk 1, Number 0418:
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the
Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Seventy
thousand (persons) of my Ummah would enter Paradise without
rendering an account. Upon this a person said: Messenger of
Allah. pray to Allah that He make me one of them. He (the Holy
Prophet) said: O Allah! make him one of them. Then another
stood up and said: Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah that He
make me one of them. He (the Holy Prophet) said: 'Ukkasha has
preceded you in this matter.
Bk 1, Number 0419:
Muhammad b. Ziyad reported: I heard Abu Huraira narrate this:
I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
saying a hadith like one narrated by al−Rabi'.
Bk 1, Number 0420:
Abu Huraira reported: I heard it from the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) saying: A group of my Ummah consisting
of seventy thousand persons would enter Paradise; their faces
would be as bright as the brightness of the full moon. Abd
Huraira said: 'Ukkasha b. Mihsan al−Asadi then stood up
wrapping the blanket around him and said: Messenger of Allah,
supplicate (before) Allah that He should make me one among
them. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
said: O Allah, make him among them. Then stood up a man from
the Ansa and said: Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah that He
should make me one among them. The Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) said: 'Ukkasha has preceded you in this
matter.
Bk 1, Number 0421:
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) said: Seventy thousand (persons) would enter
Paradise as one group and among them (there would be people)
whom faces would be bright like the moon.
Bk 1, Number 0422:
It is reported on the authority of 'Imran that the Apostle of
Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Seventy thousand people of
my Ummah would be admitted into Paradise without rendering any
account. They (the companions) said: Who would be of those
(fortunate persons)? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Those who do
not cauterise and practise charm, but repose trust in their
Lord, 'Ukkasha then stood up and said: Supplicate (before)
Allah that He should make me one among them. He (the Holy
Prophet) said: Thou art one among them He (the narrator) said:
A man stood up and said: Apostle of Allah, supplicate (before)
Allah that He should make me one among them. He (the Holy
Prophet said: 'Ukkasha has preceded you (in this matter).
Bk 1, Number 0423:
'Imran b. Husain reported: Verily the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) said: Seventy thousand men of my Ummah
would enter Paradise without rendering account. They (the
companions of the Holy Prophet) said: Who would be those,
Messenger of Allah? He (the Holy Prophet) said: They would be
those who neither practise charm, not take omens, nor do they
cauterise, but they repose their trust in their Lord.
Bk 1, Number 0424:
Abu Hazim narrated it on the authority of Ibn Sa'd that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Seventy
thousand persons or seven hundred thousand persons (Abu Hazim
does not remember the exact number) would enter Paradise
holding and supporting one another, and the first among them
would not enter till the last among them would enter (therein)
; (they would enter simultaneously) and their faces would be
bright like the full moon.
Bk 1, Number 0425:
Husain b. 'Abd al−Rahman reported: I was with Sa'id b. Jubair
when he said: Who amongst you saw a star shooting last night?
I said: It was I; then I said: I was in fact not (busy) in
prayer, but was stung by a scorpion (and that is the reason
why I was awake and had a glimpse of the shooting star). He
said: Then what did you do? I said: I practised charm. He
said: What urged you to do this? I said: (I did this according
to the implied suggestion) of the hadith which al−Shu'ba
narrated. He said: What did al−Shu'ba narrate to you? I said:
Buraida b. Husaib al−Aslami narrated to us. The charm is of no
avail except in case of the (evil influence) of an eye or the
sting of a scorpion. He said: He who acted according to what
he had heard (from the Holy Prophet) acted rightly, but Ibn
'Abbas narrated to us from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be
upon him) that he said: There were brought before me the
peoples and I saw an apostle and a small group (of his
followers) along with him, another (apostle) and one or two
persons (along with him) and (still another) apostle having no
one with him. When a very large group was brought to me I
conceived as if it were my Ummah. Then it was said to me: It
is Moses and his people. You should look at the horizon, and I
saw a very huge group. It was again said to me: See the other
side of the horizon, and there was (also) a very huge group.
It was said to me: This is your Ummah, and amongst them there
were seventy thousand persons who would be made to enter
Paradise without rendering any account and without (suffering)
any torment. He then stood up and went to his house. Then the
people began to talk about the people who would be admitted to
Paradise without rendering any account and without (suffering)
any torment. Some of them said: They may be those who (have
had the good fortune of living) in the company of the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and some of them
said: They be those who were born in Islam and did not
associate anything with Allah. Some people mentioned other
things. Thereupon came forth the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) before them and he said: What was that which you
were talking about? They informed him. He said: They are those
persons who neither practise charm, nor ask others to practise
it, nor do they take omens, and repose their trust in their
Lord. Upon this 'Ukkasha b. Mihsan stood up and said:
Supplicate for me that He should make me one among them. Upon
this he (Messenger of Allah) said: Thou are one among them.
Then another man stood up and said: Supplicate before Allah
that He should make me one among them. Upon this he said:
'Ukkisha has preceded you.
Bk 1, Number 0426:
Ibn 'Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said: Peoples would be presented to me (on the Day of
Resurrection), and then the remaining part of the hadith was
narrated like the one transmitted by Hushaim, but he made no
mention of the first portion.
Chapter 92: THIS UMMAH (UMMAH OF ISLAM) WOULD CONSTITUTE HALF
OF THE INHABITANTS OF PARADISE
Bk 1, Number 0427:
Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) addressing us said: Aren't you pleased that you
should constitute one−fourth of the inhabitants of Paradise?
He (the narrator) said: We glorified (our Lord, i. e. we
called aloud Allah−o Akbar, Allah is the Greatest). He, then,
again said: Aren't you pleased that you should constitute
one−third of the inhabitants of Paradise? He (the narrator)
said: We glorified (our Lord) and he (the Holy Prophet) then
again said: I hope that you would constitute half of the
inhabitants of Paradise and I shall explain to you its
(reason). The believers among the unbelievers would not be
more than a white hair on (the body of a) black ox or a black
hair on (the body of a) white ox.
Bk 1, Number 0428:
'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported: We, about forty men, were with
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) in a camp when
he said: Aren't you pleased that they should constitute
one−fourth of the inhabitants of Paradise? He (the narrator)
said: Yes. He (the Holy Prophet) again said: Aren't you
pleased that you should constitute one−third of the
inhabitants of Paradise? They said: Yes. Upon this he again
said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, I hope that you would
constitute one−half of the inhabitants of Paradise and the
reason is that no one would be admitted into Paradise but a
believer and you are no more among the polytheists than as a
white hair on the skin of a black ox or a black hair on the
skin of a red ox.
Bk 1, Number 0429:
Abdullah b Mas'ud reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) addressed us and then supported his back (by
reclining) against a leather tent and said: Behold, no one but
a believing person would enter Paradise. O Allah, (see) have I
conveyed (it not)? 0 Allah, be witness (to it that I have
conveyed it). (Then addressing the companions) he said: Don't
you like that you should constitute one−fourth of the
inhabitants of Paradise? We said: Yes, Messenger of Allah. He
again said: Don't you like that you should constitute
one−third of the inhabitants of Paradise? They said: Yes,
Messenger of Allah. He said: I hope that you would constitute
one− half of the inhabitants of Paradise and you would be
among the peoples of the world, like a black hair on (the body
of) a white ox or like a white hair on the body of a black ox.
Bk 1, Number 0430:
Abu Sa'id reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said: Allah, the High and Glorious, would say: O Adam I
and he would say: At Thy service, at thy beck and call, O
Lord, and the good is in Thy Hand. Allah would say: Bring
forth the group of (the denizens of) Fire. He (Adam) would
say: Who are the denizens of Hell? It would be said: They are
out of every thousand nine hundred and ninety−nine. He (the
Holy Prophet) said: It is at this juncture that every child
would become white−haired and every pregnant woman would abort
and you would see people in a state of intoxication, and they
would not be in fact intoxicated but grievous will be the
torment of Allah. He (the narrator) said: This had a very
depressing effect upon them (upon the companions of the Holy
Prophet) and they said: Messenger of Allah, who amongst us
would be (that unfortunate) person (who would be doomed to
Hell)? He said: Good tidings for you, Yajuj Majuj would be
those thousands (who would be the denizens of Hell) and a
person (selected for Paradise) would be amongst you. He (the
narrator) further reported that he (the Messenger of Allah)
again said: By Him in Whose Hand is thy life, I hope that you
would constitute one−fourth of the inhabitants of Paradise. We
extolled Allah and we glorified (Him). He (the Holy Prophet)
again said: BY Him in Whose Hand is my life, I wish you would
constitute one−third of the inhabitants of Paradise. We
extolled Allah and Glorified (Him). He (the Holy Prophet)
again said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, I hope that you
would constitute half of the inhabitants of Paradise. Your
likeness among the people is the likeness of a white hair on
the skin of a black ox or a strip on the foreleg of an ass.
Bk 1, Number 0431:
The same hadith has been narrated from A'mash on the authority
of the same chain of transmitters with the exception of these
words: You would be no more among men (on the Day of
Resurrection) but like a white hair on (the body of) a black
ox, or like a black hair on (the body of) a white ox, and he
made no mention of: a strip on the foreleg of an ass.
EPILOGUE
Before we close the" Kitab−ul−Iman," it seems necessary to
bring a few facts before our readers. This book deals with the
beliefs, i. e. those unseen realities which we have a strong
yearning to comprehend, but which elude the grasp of our
senses. Every person, who is endowed with consciousness, is
instinctively impelled to know whence he came and where he
would return. What would become of him after crossing the bar
of life? Is the short span of this wordly life the culmination
of all his hopes and desires and nothing remains after it?
These are the questions which agitate the mind of every man,
whether he is a believer or a non−believer, whether he is a
monotheist or a polytheist or an atheist. We cannot silence
the echoes of our souls by simply saying that nothing can be
said with certainty about them. The mind yearns for definite
and satisfactory answers to all of them. That is what is
embedded in our very nature and so long as we are human beings
we cannot afford to ignore them. We approach scientists for
the solution of these spiritual problems of ours which have a
direct bearing on our social life, but scientists have no
definite answers to give since they are concerned only with
observable facts, that is to say, the optically present source
of sensation, which forms only a fraction of man's life and
the vast sea of" unseen world" lies hidden before them. That
is the reason why even a scientist has to fall back upon
chance−a very imortant admission as to the limits of the
so−called scientific knowledge and the possibility of another
knowledge unknown to science and altogether different from
that with the help of which we observe physical phenomena and
their laws. Moreover, the scientific method cannot help us
solve the problem of" whence" and" whither". There is always
an urge in our hearts to peep across this life hemmed in by
space and time and find out our ultimate destiny. Since
science deals with" actual," with what is here and now,
particularly what can be comprehended with the helpof senses,
there is inherent in science a natural tendency to assure that
man, too, like inanimate matter, is a bubble that bursts and a
vision that fades. If we take this view of man, which is the
inevitable conclusion of the so−called" scientific inquiry,"
the whole of human life in which man plays such a prominent
role becomes a meaningless riddle, for he is denied the
existence of spiritual yearning in him which is nothing but a
sort of cruel joke with man." Life," says Dr Muhammad Iqbal
(Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, pp 50−1)," with
its intense feeling of spontaneity constitutes a centre of
indetermination, and thus falls outside, the domain of
necessity... The biologist who seeks a mechanical explanation
of life is led to do so because he confines his study to the
lower forms of life whose behaviour discloses resemblances to
mechanical action. If he studies life as manifested in
himself, i. e., his own mind freely choosing, rejecting,
reflecting, surveying the past and the present, and
dynarnically imagining the future. he is sure to be convinced
of the inadequacy of his mechancal concepts." The observable
facts or, in other words, the physical entities form only a
part of the Reality. On how to know and comprehend the other
parts which concern us more intimately than the physical
entities. science has nothing definite to say except a
meaningful silence which betrays its natural limitation in
solving these vital problems of life. Psychology, too, is
inherently incompetent to comprehend the unseen Realities of
the universe. Life, as we all know. is a great mystery everrin
its biological aspects; how mysterious it is in its spiritual
and moral aspects, we cannot imagine. Psychology has been−able
to grope in the darkness of unconscious and, ub−conscious
chambers and has not been able to bring into light the secrets
of the human soul." Psychology," says Waiter Leibrecht
(Religion and Culture, p. 33)," can show us what man is not.
It cannot tell us what man, each one of us, is. The legitimate
aim of psychology is the negative, the removal of distortions
and illusions, but not the positive, the full and complete
knowledge of human being." The fact is that human knowledge
and intellect, in spite of their boastful claims, are by
nature so much handicapped that they, unaided by revelation,
cannot in any way comprehend the unseen Realities. What the
intellect at the most can do is to transform the sense−data
into conceptual forms, but it has to depend ultimately upon
experience and is, therefore, subjected to the same
limitations to which the knowledge of pysical sciences is
subjected." The intellect," say Ibn Khaldun, is a correct
scale. Its indications are completely certain and in no way
wrong. However, the intellect should not be used to weigh such
matters as the oneness of God, the Hereafter, the truth of
prophecy, the real character of Divine Attributes, or anything
else that lies beyond the level of the intellect. That would
mean to aspire for the impossible. One might compare it with a
man who sees a scale in which gold is being weighed, and wants
to weigh mountains in it. This (the fact that it is
impossible) does not prove that the indications of the scale
are not true (when it is used for its proper purpose).
However, there is a limit at which intellect must stop. It
cannot go beyond its own level" (The Muqaddimah, translated by
Franz Rosenthal, Vol. III. p. 38). What a man in the cold
regions of an arid intellectualism can, at his best, infer is
only the existence of a Prime Cause, but to far as His
Attributes, His will, His behaviour with humanity and His
Creation, and our relation with Him are concerned. Intellect
has nothing positive to say. It is at this stage that man
instinctively feels the need of an agency which shoure provide
him authentic information about unseen rmuties of life. This
agencv is known as Prophethoud. The Great Lord, Who has
provided man with materiaf resources for the satisfaction of
his macerial needs, has also made suitable arrangements to
acquaint us fully with the Unseen Realities which our souls
yearn to know. This knowledge of the Unseen is vouchsafed to
us through His trusted Messengers (prophets). This is an
immense savour from our Lord, immeasurably more valuable then
the material resources for, without it, human souls would have
suffered the pangs of privation and would have ultimately
died. The Qur'an says: All praise is due to Allah. Who guided
us to this. And we would not have found the way if Allah had
not guided us. Certainly the Messengers of our Lord brought
the Truth (vii. 43). Just as the information of the Holy
Prophet pertaining to our worldly life is perfectly correct
judged by any standard, in the same way his revelations
concerning the Unseen. e. g. the Day of Resurrection, Paradise
and Hell, will also be perfectly true. because he As Amin. the
Truthful. We should, however, bear in mind that since we are
living in a world of senses it is, therefore, through sensory
experiences that we comprehend it. A man's mind is so much
hemmed in by space and time and his vision is so much limited
by the material aspects of his life that it is only through
material concepts that his mind is led to the knowledge of the
Unseen. That is the reason why one can easily find frequent
use of metaphors and similes in the language of the Holy
Prophet as be explained the Unseen Realities of existence.
These are not myths, but the Great undeniable Truths which our
souls yearn to know, affirm and believe. but which our own
intelligence fails to comprehend.
