MUHAMMAD SAW THE MESSENGER OF ISLAM (515 pages, 18/41)
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ay of one fourth of one’s possessions in Zakat, the cutting off of a defiled piece of clothing; swift punishment for crimes committed, and similar punishments. For instance, something that was permitted to them before was forbidden to them as a punishment for their crimes; if they committed a sin during the night, it would be written upon their foreheads or
above their doors, in express letters, stating the crime and the punishment due to the perpetrator: “This man has committed a crime during the night and as a punishment, he must kill himself (for instance, by burning or by cutting off certain limbs).” Thus the sins they committed were out in the open and on that account they suffered public disgrace.
The obligation to always pray in their churches was also imposed on them; it was not lawful for them to pray in any other place. On a day of fasting, it was forbidden to them to take any food or drink after the onset of the night, or to approach their women after that hour.
To continue with the Holy Prophet’s narration:
“I made supplication for my nation that they might not be burdened with all the weight that previous nations had to bear. My Lord then said to me, ‘I have granted ease to your nation and made their burdens light. So ask of Me what you want, it will be granted.’ Then I said, (in reference to disasters and calamities):
Our Lord, do Thou not burden us beyond what we have the strength to bear.
(The Cow, 286)
“The Lord answered, ‘I will not place upon you and your nation burdens which exceed their strength to carry them. But ask more of Me, I will grant it.’ ‘I replied, ‘Pardon us!’ (The Cow, 286); ‘ and He replied, ‘I have pardoned you and your nation.’ ‘Forgive us!’ (The Cow, 286).’ ‘I have forgiven you and your nation.’”
According to another version, the Holy Prophet here explicitly asked for pardon for each and every act of disobedience, to each of which the Lord Almighty replied, “I have forgiven them.”
The Prophet continues,
“At last I said, ‘Have mercy on us’, (The Cow, 286), and the Lord answered, ‘I have mercy on you.’ Then I said, ‘Thou art our Protector;’ (The Cow, 286) and the Lord said, ‘The Friend and Protector of all believers is Allah Almighty, Lord of Might and Glory; the unbelievers have no Protecting Friend.’ Then I said, ‘And help us against the people of the unbelievers’. (The Cow, 286) And the Lord replied, ‘Up to the Day of Judgment, I have made you and your nation to be victorious over the unbelievers.’ The Lord then asked again,
saying, ‘Oh My Beloved, other than this, if there is anything you should wish for, ask it of Me, for I will grant it to you.’ Thereupon I said, ‘Oh my Lord, you have chosen Ibrahim to be Your intimate friend, and have spoken to Musa without intermediary. To Da’ud You granted great possessions, and made iron to be soft as wax in his hand; You have made the mountains and its stones and the birds of the air to be subservient to his command, so that they joined him in singing Your praises. Idris You have transferred to a high place. To Sulayman You gave a kingdom and such possession as no one after him will ever come to possess and enjoy. And You made subservient to him mankind and Jinn, the demons and wild beasts, the birds and the winds. And You also taught him the tongues of the birds and the beasts. To ‘Isa You gave knowledge of the Torah and the Injil, and by his prayer, You made the blind see, the afflicted whole, and the ailing to regain their health; You made him revive the dead, and You made him and his mother safe from the wiles of the devil and gave them protection. What will be the equivalent gift You will make to me?’
“The Lord Almighty replied to this in all His Grandeur and Majesty, saying, ‘Oh Muhammad, I have chosen you as My Beloved, just as I chose Ibrahim as My faithful friend. To be the Beloved of Allah is even more excellent than being His bosom friend. I have also privileged you with the vision of My Divine Beauty, and I have spoken to you without intermediary, even as I spoke to Musa.’
“‘Beyond this, I have given you the chapters of the Quran, ‘al-Fatiha’ (The Opening) and the end of ‘al-Baqara’ (The Cow), which are both from the treasure troves of My Divine Throne. These were not given to any Prophet before you, but reserved for you and your nation.’
“‘Also, I have sent you as My Messenger to all the peoples of the world, to mankind and to Jinn, be they black or white or of any other description; never before have I sent a Prophet with so universal a mission.’
“‘I have made the whole earth a means of cleansing for your nation. When you find water and are sound enough to perform your ablutions, make Wudu and take your Ghusl. But when you do not find water or you have not the strength to wash, you may perform tayammum and cleanse yourself by means of the dust of the earth.’
“‘I have made the whole Earth to be as a Masjid, a place for prayer, so
that wherever you may find yourselves, you may pray and perform your worship.’
“‘I have made lawful to you and your nation the spoils of war, so that you may profit from them. To previous nations these were not lawful.’
“‘And I have strengthened you in that I have cast fear into the heart of your enemy, even if there is a distance of one month’s journey between you and them.’
“‘I have granted you the right of intercession for whomever you desire. I have sent down to you the greatest and most august of all revealed scriptures, the Glorious Quran. And I have split your breast and removed from you all sinfulness.’
“I have elevated your name, for wherever My Name is mentioned, there your name is pronounced as well.’
Did He not find thee an orphan, and shelter thee? Did He not find thee erring, and guide thee? Did He not find thee needy, and suffice thee? (The Forenoon, 6-8)
“When the Lord Almighty had spoken to me thus, all I could answer was, ‘Yes, my Lord, all these great favors You have bestowed upon me and honored me beyond all measure.’
“Then the Lord spoke again and said, ‘Among all the people belonging to your nation, I have made one group in whose hearts resides the Holy Quran. (The Holy Quran is easy to memorize, to be learned by heart and recited from memory.) This was not given to other nations before yours; they did not commit to memory the books their prophets brought to them. This privilege I have reserved for your nation alone. I have made your nation more excellent than all previous nations; your nation is a nation of the middle way, and a nation of justice.’
“‘You I have created before anything else, and I have sent you on your prophetic mission as the last of all the Prophets. I have given you to drink from the waters of Kawthar (abundance), and I have given you eight shares; these are: Islam, the Hijra (migration), war against ignorance, Salat (ritual prayer), Zakat (obligatory donations to the poor), the fast of Ramadan, enjoining good and discouraging evil (amr-bil-ma’ruf wa nahiy-’an-il-munkar).’
“After the Lord stopped speaking, I asked Him, ‘Oh my Lord, after I
had passed and seen all of creation, I experienced a moment of extreme terror. At that moment, I heard a voice that sounded to me exactly like the voice and inflection of Abu Bakr, and it said to me, ‘Oh Muhammad , stay your step! For Allah is praying (raining His blessings).’ When I heard this, two questions arose in my mind. One was this: Has Abu Bakr overtaken me and come here before I have? The second question on my mind was this: My Lord has no need to pray, and yet I am told He is praying, what can that mean?’
“The Lord then answered me, ‘Indeed, I have no need to turn to any in prayer, but recite the verse which I have revealed unto you:
It is He who blesses you, and His angels, to bring you forth from the shadows into the light. He is All Compassionate to the believers.
(The Confederates, 43)
This verse will teach you that the meaning of My prayer is nothing but Mercy for you and for your nation.’
‘As for Abu Bakr, oh Muhammad, it is as with the staff of the Prophet Musa, your brother among the Prophets. Musa always had his staff with him and it was for him something familiar and friendly. Therefore, when on the mountain of Tur (Sina’i) he was nearly overcome with awe as the Divine Call came to him, We addressed him, saying, ‘What is that in your hand, oh Musa?’ and Musa answered Me and said, ‘It is my staff.’ When he remembered the name of this familiar object, the excessive dread and awe he felt at the Divine Call departed from him. In this instance you are like Musa, oh Muhammad. The most familiar being in this world and the closest to you is your friend Abu Bakr. When you were in the grip of awesome terror, We created an angel for you in the shape and form of your familiar friend Abu Bakr and gave him his voice and tone with which to speak to you, so that you might feel the comfort of that familiarity when you heard him speak. Then the awesomeness and terror left you entirely, and so that you were not totally overcome by the majesty of this revelation and were able to ask what you wish from the Divine Essence. By means of this familiarity you were able to speak normally and without dread. I have in My Divine Majesty made Myself free from all defect and weakness, and My Mercy outstrips My Wrath. Therefore, state your wishes, and ask of Me whatever you need and desire.’
“After these words, the Lord added, ‘What of the Angel Jibra’il’s
request, which he asked you to make?’ I replied, ‘Oh my Lord, You are the All-Knowing; there is no need to speak of it, as You know already, all Bounty and Munificence being Thine.’ The Lord replied to this, ‘I do grant his request and fulfill his wish. On the Day of Judgment when your nation prepares to cross the Bridge of Sirat, let them take a hold of his wing and cross with ease. Only the ones who loved you and your companions will cross with ease; I grant My Divine Sanction.’
“To this I rejoined, ‘Oh Lord, you have sent punishment upon the nations that went before mine in many and varied forms. There were some upon whom You sent a rain of stones to destroy them; while others you drowned in the waters. Some were destroyed by Jibra’il’s shout, and some You caused the Earth to swallow. Some perished when You sent against them a rain of fire, and others died in a harsh, bitter wind. Oh Lord, what will become of my nation after I have gone?’
“The Lord of Mercy and Munificence, the Lord of the Universe then intoned in all His Majesty and Splendor, ‘My Wrath has been spent on those nations before thine; upon your nation I will shower only Mercy. I will transform their badness into good actions. To the corrupt among them I will grant the gift of repentance, and bring them into a good state of being. I will deliver them from their bad traits and help them acquire good characteristics. I will rid them of their ignorance and change their minds to understanding and perfect knowledge. Whoever calls upon Me, saying, ‘Oh My Lord!’ and turns to Me with true humility in his heart, to him I will answer, ‘I am at your service, oh My servant; tell Me what it is that you desire, and I will create it.
‘To you I give the right of intercession for your nation, oh Muhammad, you may be the advocate on their behalf, and I pledge to accept all your intercession.’
“And then He Almighty said, ‘Oh Muhammad, I have not made your nation excessively wealthy, so that their accounts will not be overly long. And I have not made their bodies very great, so that they might not require much of worldly food and drink and dress. I have not made their lives to be exceedingly long, so that their hearts might not be blackened by pride in reliance upon a long lifespan and that they might always be aware of death and make their preparations for the afterlife that follows. I have not made death to come to them suddenly, but I
have made illness precede it and provide a cause, so that they might not meet with a sudden death when they have plunged and sunk in the sea of heedlessness. When they fall ill, they repent of their sins, they pay their debts, they try to make up for past mistakes and shortcomings, and they make their last will and testament. I have brought them into the world after every other nation, so that their time in the grave might be of short duration; they will remain trapped in their tombs only until all the people of their nation have come and gone. When that is done, their time is up and they will attain to their blissful stations in Paradise, enjoying its undying delights.’
“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Oh Muhammad, sometimes your nation will be obedient to Me, at other times they will be rebellious. Their obedience to Me meets with My Pleasure, and to Me are acceptable all their works, which accord to My Good Pleasure; I forgive them their minor misdoings and accord to them generous recompense. For I am the All-Bountiful, and I show Myself to them in My aspect of Bounty. The disobedient among them are subject to My Judgment; but because it is the Judgment of past eternity, I forgive them their disobedience, for I am the All-Merciful, and I show them My Mercy.’
“And then He said, ‘Oh Muhammad, say to your nation: ‘The Lord Almighty says to you: just as you love a person for that he shows you loving kindness and generosity, I am much more deserving of your love and affection than any other in this world. For I have created you when you were naught and I have given you a pleasing form and fine limbs and I continue to ceaselessly shower you with innumerable blessings. Not a moment passes in which I do not bestow upon you a new form of goodness. Therefore you ought to love Me more than any other, obeying My Commands and submitting to My Law.’
“And again, He Almighty says to you, ‘If you are going to fear anything that dwells between Heaven and earth, it is I whom you ought to fear more than any, for My Power pervades all and everything. My chastisement is violent and swift, no one can flee or hide from it, or run to another master in order to save himself from Me, for no one has such powers. As this is the reality, you must beware of acting contrary to My wishes and commands.’
“And the Lord said, ‘If you are going to ask of any, I am most worthy of being asked, for it is I alone who accepts all prayers of need and
fulfills all wants.’ And He says: ‘You feel shame and regret when you have ill-treated someone or been unkind, whereas I am the most deserving of your shame and remorse, for I have brought you into being when you were naught and to this very moment I have heaped upon you endless gifts and blessings. I have made you safe from all manner of affliction, and yet you disregard My injunctions and do what I have forbidden to you. Therefore, contrition is your due and restraint from actions that I have prohibited. Obey Me and My Commands!’
“And the Lord addresses Himself to you, saying, ‘If you choose for reasons of personal and covetous choice, I am the most deserving of your preference, for I am your Creator, and your Provider, and the only object of your worship. Therefore, turn to Me, worshipful, in your actions and with meritorious conduct.’ All this He Almighty commanded me to expound to you.’
Allah Complains About the Ummah
“Then Allah Almighty complained to me about my nation. One of His objections was this: ‘I do not ask of them to perform anything ahead of time, all I ask is for them to do what they should in its own time. But, by contrast, they ask of Me to provide them ahead of time. While I have provided them perfectly for so many years, they are not satisfied, even though they do not know whether their lives will last long enough to use up what they have been given. Even so, their greed for the things of this world is ever increasing, and they complain of not having the wherewithal of a livelihood, always asking for more. Do they not regard the birds in the skyways? Every morning the birds of the fields leave their nests with empty crops to return in the evenings having eaten their fill, though the whole world be covered in snow. Does not your nation take a lesson from this? While the whole world is covered in snow and not a speck of earth is to be seen, He who provides the birds with their shares, will He not provide them also with their own portions? Why does your nation not place their reliance on Him who has forever guaranteed their subsistence?
“‘The second complaint is this: ‘I do not give their provisions to any other than them; in spite of this, they perform actions for the sake of other than Me (that is to say, they behave hypocritically and occasion
false appearances).
“‘My third complaint is this: While they are consuming the portions that I have provided for them, their gratitude goes out to someone else. They will say, for instance, ‘In my vineyard I had a harvest such an amount and from my fields such an amount, from my trade so much.’ But was it not I who caused the vines to grow in his vineyard and the crops in his field, and who gave him success in his commerce? Why do they remember Me not and mention not My Name when they speak of the yields of their vineyards and fields, and the profits of their trade? Wherefrom is this heedlessness; do they feel no shame?’
“‘And My fourth complaint is this: Mine is all Might and Glory; it is I who grants Honor in this world, in the grave and in the world to come. Even so, they still look to honors coming from other sources. They will say, for instance, ‘Were I only to occupy high office, I would surely grow very rich.’ Thus they expect honor to come to them through riches and high office, whereas all these are only of a passing nature. When death comes to them, all connection ceases. Does that signal true honor? It is My Command, by which they must abide, it is I who gives them Honor and Dignity in this world and the next.’
“‘My fifth complaint against them is this: I have created Hell for the unbelievers. Why is it that they persist in performing actions that will land them in Hellfire?’
“To these charges against my nation, I replied, ‘Oh my Lord, Your Word is true, my nation is guilty of all that You have laid against it. But You are He who covers all shame and forgives all sins; You are the Supremely Rich and Generous, the Clement and All-Forgiving Lord (ar-ra’uf wa-r-rahim). In Your Infinite Grace and Kindness, forgive them their failings, conceal their disgrace, and in Your Endless Benevolence, pardon their great and small sins! Let them be overtaken by Your Boundless Mercy and with Your All-Gracious Compassion lead them into the Paradise, oh My Lord!’
“In answer to this supplication, the Lord Almighty said to me, ‘Had your nation not been so sinful, I would have created a nation of sinners, so that I might make Myself known as the Forgiver of Sins in that I granted them forgiveness. Oh Muhammad, You are My Beloved, as you are My servant. All Creation I have brought into being for your sake alone. Because of your nation’s sins, I have created My Mercy
Oceans. Oh Muhammad, regard the high station of honor and dignity you have been granted, in that you are honored by an encounter with My Divine Beauty. I have granted you direct intercourse with My Divine Person, without interpreter or intermediary. Whoever is acceptable to you is also acceptable to Me, and he who refuses you, is refused by Me, too.’
“Then He said, ‘Indeed, you will be the first of all the Prophets to enter Paradise, and no Prophet can enter it before you. Your nation will be the first nation to enter Paradise and no other nation will be admitted before they have gone in.’
“After this He said, ‘Oh Muhammad, set not your hopes on any nation of mankind, for they have nothing at all. Let your hopes always be pinned on Me and let your converse be with Me, for to Me is your return. Do not become attached to this world in your heart, for I have not created you for this world.’
“Then He Almighty said, ‘Oh Muhammad, of your nation I have forgiven one third for your sake; another third I will forgive on the Day of Judgment, so that the high regard and station you occupy in My Regard may become clear to all creation on the Day of Gathering, oh Muhammad.’
“After this, the Almighty informed me of a great many weighty and important matters, but He denied me permission to divulge this knowledge to you.
“It was made obligatory upon my nation to pray fifty times during one day and one night and to make ablutions for major impurity seven times, and to wash a defiled piece of clothing seven times. He commanded me to make these conditions known to my nation in His Name. I then replied, ‘Everyone who comes home from a journey, brings presents for those who remained at home; therefore, give me something to take back to my nation as a present.’ The Lord Almighty then said, ‘One of the gifts to your nation is this: as long as they reside in the world, I will be their Helper; I will protect them from disaster and calamity and I will grant success to their good actions. I will grant them various favors. When they pray to Me, I will accept their prayers, I will protect them from what they fear and I will grant them what they desire.
“‘Another gift to your nation is this: When their lives come to an end, I will be their Helper. I will protect them from the wiles of Shaytan and I will give them tidings of Paradise and show them their stations within it. I will make it easy for them to draw their last breath and I will help them pass over into the Hereafter in safety.
“‘Another gift to your nation is this: When they are placed within their graves, I shall be their only Helper. I will release them from the darkness and oppression of the grave; I will lighten their tombs and make them spacious and wide. I will assist them in answering the questions of the angels Munkar and Nakir and I will make their tombs to be as a Garden of Paradise.
“‘Another gift to your nation is this: When they arise from their graves, I will be their sole Helper. I will raise them from their tombs and make them light of face and clothe them in garments from Paradise. I will help them mount upon their steeds and lead them to the site of the Gathering with an entourage of angels in a display of splendor and grace. I will spare them the terror of that Dire Day. I will lead them underneath your banner and give them to drink of the waters of the Pool of Kawthar. I will make them to be close associates and companions of the prophets, messengers, saints and martyrs and the righteous whom I have favored with a place beneath the shadow of My Divine Throne. After having been given many special favors from Paradise, their books of reckoning will be placed in their right hands, and their accounts will be made light and their scales of the balance made heavy for them. I will help them cross the Bridge of Sirat with lightness and ease and lead them into the highest gardens of Paradise in the Boundlessness of My Grace.’”
May Allah Almighty gladden our hearts with these gifts, which He granted us all for the sake of His Holy Prophet Muhammad , Amin! Oh Most Merciful of those who show Mercy!
The Holy Prophet continues:
“The Lord then said to me, ‘Oh Muhammad, of all created beings, you are the one who has reached the highest honors. On the Day of Resurrection I will give you such great honors as will stupefy the whole world with wonderment. Oh Muhammad, do you wish to behold what I have prepared for your nation?’ I replied, ‘Oh Lord, I wish to
see it, yes.’ He then said, ‘My trusted servant, the angel Jibra’il will show it to you.’
“As soon as I returned from there, Rafraf came into view. I seated myself upon him and he carried me down. I descended as far as the Sidrat-al-Muntaha where I met with Jibra’il who said to me, ‘Good tidings to you, oh Muhammad , for you have been chosen as the best of all Creation and the foremost of all Prophets and Messengers. The Lord Almighty has greeted and honored you as He has not honored any other created being, neither from among His Prophets or His Messengers, nor from among His Angels brought Nigh.’
“Then Jibra’il said to me, ‘Come with me, for I am to show you Paradise.’”
Paradise
The Seal of Prophethood continued:
“So Jibra’il brought me to Paradise. On its gates I saw written these words:
For one gift of Sadaqa, ten rewards are granted.
To one who gives on loan, eighteen rewards are granted.
“I asked Jibra’il, ‘What is the secret wisdom of these lines, that one gift of Sadaqa carries ten merits, while a loan given carries eighteen merits after it?’ Jibra’il told me, ‘Oh Rasulullah , sometimes Sadaqa is given to one who is in need, sometimes to one who is not. Not so, however with a loan: a loan is given only to him who is in need of it.’
“Upon the highest rim of the gates of Paradise I read these three lines. In the first line was written:
LA ILAHA ILLALLAH, MUHAMMADUN RASULULLAH
In the second line was written:
MA QADDAMNA, WAJADNA; WA MA AKALNA, RABAHNA; WA MA TARAKNA, KHASIRNA.
(What we have sent before us, here we have found; what we have eaten has remained with us as gain; and what we have left behind, is our loss.)
“In the language of the People of Paradise, this means to say: ‘Of what we owned, that which we spent in the way of goodness, what we gave to the poor and the needy as Sadaqa, today we have found it here waiting for us. As for that part of our property which we used up and expended, we have already had the good use of it; as for that, which we have left behind us when we died, we were misled and now count it as our loss.’
“In the third line was written:
‘THE NATION OF MUHAMMAD IS A NATION OF GREAT AND ABOUNDING SINFULNESS. THEREFORE THEY ARE SO PLACED AS TO BE THE NATION OF MUHAMMAD , SO THAT THEY MIGHT FIND THE LIGHT OF GUIDANCE AND BECOME ENLIGHTENED. HEREWITH THE LORD WHO IS THE ALL-FORGIVING MANIFESTS THE BLISS OF LIGHT UPON LIGHT. HE FORGIVES ALL THEIR SINS AND TRANSGRESSIONS, GREAT AND SMALL, SECRET AND OBVIOUS, COMMITTED KNOWINGLY OR UNKNOWINGLY, ALL VICE AND DISGRACE. THROUGH HIS FAVOR AND GRACE AND BOUNTY, HE AIDS THEM IN ATTAINING HIS ALL- ENCOMPASSING MERCY, GRATUITOUSLY, AND HE BRINGS THEM INTO THE HIGHEST OF THE GARDENS OF PARADISE. HE MAKES THEM TASTE THE GREATEST DELIGHTS AND THE HIGHEST JOYS OF ALL, AND HE MAKES THEM ENDLESSLY SATISFIED. THIS IS WHAT DISTINGUISHES THE NATION OF MUHAMMAD AND ENDOWS THEM MORE HIGHLY THAN ANY OTHER NATION.’
As it is written in these verses of the Holy Book of the Quran:
Say: ‘Oh my people who have been prodigal against yourselves, do not despair of God’s mercy; surely God forgives sins altogether; surely, He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Compassionate. (The Companies, 53)
You are the best nation ever brought forth to men, bidding to honor, and forbidding dishonor, and believing in God. Had the People of the Book believed, it was better for them; some of them are believers, but the most of them are ungodly.
(The House of Imran, 105)
To continue in the words of Prophet Muhammad :
“The gate of Paradise was made of red gold, and the thick-ness of the doors was five hundred years’ of traveling. The gate had four hundred columns, which were of pearl, of topaz, of ruby and of emerald. In the middle of each of these pegs there was a great ring of red ruby stone of immense dimensions. In it were contained forty thousand cities, and each city had forty thousand domes. Within each of these domes dwelt forty thousand angels holding two platters each in their hands. One was filled with celestial raiment; the other was filled with light. I asked Jibra’il about them and he told me, ‘Oh Rasulullah, these angels were created eighty thousand years before Adam, and since that time they are waiting in this very place, bearing platters of light. Their sole purpose is to plead for you and for your nation. On the Day of
Resurrection, when you appear before your nation in honor and bliss, the moment your foot touches the threshold, these angels will welcome you and your nation and bestrew them with the contents of their platters as they pass through the gates of Grace and Bounty.’
“Then Jibra’il knocked on the gates of Paradise. The guardian angel of the Garden, Ridwan called out asking, ‘Who is it?’ Jibra’il answered, ‘It is I, Jibra’il.’ ‘And who is it with you?’ asked the Keeper. ‘He is Muhammad ,’ answered Jibra’il. ‘Has his time of prophethood arrived then?’ asked the angel from within. ‘Yes, it has come,’ replied Jibra’il. ‘Alhamdulillah!’ said Ridwan and opened the gates. I then saw that the hinges of the door were of silver, its threshold was of pearl and its casings were of precious jewels.
“We stepped inside and I beheld Ridwan, seated upon a carved throne, surrounded by a host of angels who stood in attendance. They gave me honor and saluted me with respect. I greeted them and gave my Salams. Ridwan answered me and welcomed me with joy, giving me these good tidings, ‘Most of the People of Paradise are from your nation.’ I asked him, ‘Tell me about my nation.’ He said, The Lord Almighty has divided the Jannah into three parts, two of which are appointed for your nation, while one is for all other nations.’ In front of Ridwan there were a great number of keys, and I asked him, ‘What are these keys?’ He told me, ‘When a person of
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ay of one fourth of one’s possessions in Zakat, the cutting off of a defiled piece of clothing; swift punishment for crimes committed, and similar punishments. For instance, something that was permitted to them before was forbidden to them as a punishment for their crimes; if they committed a sin during the night, it would be written upon their foreheads or
above their doors, in express letters, stating the crime and the punishment due to the perpetrator: “This man has committed a crime during the night and as a punishment, he must kill himself (for instance, by burning or by cutting off certain limbs).” Thus the sins they committed were out in the open and on that account they suffered public disgrace.
The obligation to always pray in their churches was also imposed on them; it was not lawful for them to pray in any other place. On a day of fasting, it was forbidden to them to take any food or drink after the onset of the night, or to approach their women after that hour.
To continue with the Holy Prophet’s narration:
“I made supplication for my nation that they might not be burdened with all the weight that previous nations had to bear. My Lord then said to me, ‘I have granted ease to your nation and made their burdens light. So ask of Me what you want, it will be granted.’ Then I said, (in reference to disasters and calamities):
Our Lord, do Thou not burden us beyond what we have the strength to bear.
(The Cow, 286)
“The Lord answered, ‘I will not place upon you and your nation burdens which exceed their strength to carry them. But ask more of Me, I will grant it.’ ‘I replied, ‘Pardon us!’ (The Cow, 286); ‘ and He replied, ‘I have pardoned you and your nation.’ ‘Forgive us!’ (The Cow, 286).’ ‘I have forgiven you and your nation.’”
According to another version, the Holy Prophet here explicitly asked for pardon for each and every act of disobedience, to each of which the Lord Almighty replied, “I have forgiven them.”
The Prophet continues,
“At last I said, ‘Have mercy on us’, (The Cow, 286), and the Lord answered, ‘I have mercy on you.’ Then I said, ‘Thou art our Protector;’ (The Cow, 286) and the Lord said, ‘The Friend and Protector of all believers is Allah Almighty, Lord of Might and Glory; the unbelievers have no Protecting Friend.’ Then I said, ‘And help us against the people of the unbelievers’. (The Cow, 286) And the Lord replied, ‘Up to the Day of Judgment, I have made you and your nation to be victorious over the unbelievers.’ The Lord then asked again,
saying, ‘Oh My Beloved, other than this, if there is anything you should wish for, ask it of Me, for I will grant it to you.’ Thereupon I said, ‘Oh my Lord, you have chosen Ibrahim to be Your intimate friend, and have spoken to Musa without intermediary. To Da’ud You granted great possessions, and made iron to be soft as wax in his hand; You have made the mountains and its stones and the birds of the air to be subservient to his command, so that they joined him in singing Your praises. Idris You have transferred to a high place. To Sulayman You gave a kingdom and such possession as no one after him will ever come to possess and enjoy. And You made subservient to him mankind and Jinn, the demons and wild beasts, the birds and the winds. And You also taught him the tongues of the birds and the beasts. To ‘Isa You gave knowledge of the Torah and the Injil, and by his prayer, You made the blind see, the afflicted whole, and the ailing to regain their health; You made him revive the dead, and You made him and his mother safe from the wiles of the devil and gave them protection. What will be the equivalent gift You will make to me?’
“The Lord Almighty replied to this in all His Grandeur and Majesty, saying, ‘Oh Muhammad, I have chosen you as My Beloved, just as I chose Ibrahim as My faithful friend. To be the Beloved of Allah is even more excellent than being His bosom friend. I have also privileged you with the vision of My Divine Beauty, and I have spoken to you without intermediary, even as I spoke to Musa.’
“‘Beyond this, I have given you the chapters of the Quran, ‘al-Fatiha’ (The Opening) and the end of ‘al-Baqara’ (The Cow), which are both from the treasure troves of My Divine Throne. These were not given to any Prophet before you, but reserved for you and your nation.’
“‘Also, I have sent you as My Messenger to all the peoples of the world, to mankind and to Jinn, be they black or white or of any other description; never before have I sent a Prophet with so universal a mission.’
“‘I have made the whole earth a means of cleansing for your nation. When you find water and are sound enough to perform your ablutions, make Wudu and take your Ghusl. But when you do not find water or you have not the strength to wash, you may perform tayammum and cleanse yourself by means of the dust of the earth.’
“‘I have made the whole Earth to be as a Masjid, a place for prayer, so
that wherever you may find yourselves, you may pray and perform your worship.’
“‘I have made lawful to you and your nation the spoils of war, so that you may profit from them. To previous nations these were not lawful.’
“‘And I have strengthened you in that I have cast fear into the heart of your enemy, even if there is a distance of one month’s journey between you and them.’
“‘I have granted you the right of intercession for whomever you desire. I have sent down to you the greatest and most august of all revealed scriptures, the Glorious Quran. And I have split your breast and removed from you all sinfulness.’
“I have elevated your name, for wherever My Name is mentioned, there your name is pronounced as well.’
Did He not find thee an orphan, and shelter thee? Did He not find thee erring, and guide thee? Did He not find thee needy, and suffice thee? (The Forenoon, 6-8)
“When the Lord Almighty had spoken to me thus, all I could answer was, ‘Yes, my Lord, all these great favors You have bestowed upon me and honored me beyond all measure.’
“Then the Lord spoke again and said, ‘Among all the people belonging to your nation, I have made one group in whose hearts resides the Holy Quran. (The Holy Quran is easy to memorize, to be learned by heart and recited from memory.) This was not given to other nations before yours; they did not commit to memory the books their prophets brought to them. This privilege I have reserved for your nation alone. I have made your nation more excellent than all previous nations; your nation is a nation of the middle way, and a nation of justice.’
“‘You I have created before anything else, and I have sent you on your prophetic mission as the last of all the Prophets. I have given you to drink from the waters of Kawthar (abundance), and I have given you eight shares; these are: Islam, the Hijra (migration), war against ignorance, Salat (ritual prayer), Zakat (obligatory donations to the poor), the fast of Ramadan, enjoining good and discouraging evil (amr-bil-ma’ruf wa nahiy-’an-il-munkar).’
“After the Lord stopped speaking, I asked Him, ‘Oh my Lord, after I
had passed and seen all of creation, I experienced a moment of extreme terror. At that moment, I heard a voice that sounded to me exactly like the voice and inflection of Abu Bakr, and it said to me, ‘Oh Muhammad , stay your step! For Allah is praying (raining His blessings).’ When I heard this, two questions arose in my mind. One was this: Has Abu Bakr overtaken me and come here before I have? The second question on my mind was this: My Lord has no need to pray, and yet I am told He is praying, what can that mean?’
“The Lord then answered me, ‘Indeed, I have no need to turn to any in prayer, but recite the verse which I have revealed unto you:
It is He who blesses you, and His angels, to bring you forth from the shadows into the light. He is All Compassionate to the believers.
(The Confederates, 43)
This verse will teach you that the meaning of My prayer is nothing but Mercy for you and for your nation.’
‘As for Abu Bakr, oh Muhammad, it is as with the staff of the Prophet Musa, your brother among the Prophets. Musa always had his staff with him and it was for him something familiar and friendly. Therefore, when on the mountain of Tur (Sina’i) he was nearly overcome with awe as the Divine Call came to him, We addressed him, saying, ‘What is that in your hand, oh Musa?’ and Musa answered Me and said, ‘It is my staff.’ When he remembered the name of this familiar object, the excessive dread and awe he felt at the Divine Call departed from him. In this instance you are like Musa, oh Muhammad. The most familiar being in this world and the closest to you is your friend Abu Bakr. When you were in the grip of awesome terror, We created an angel for you in the shape and form of your familiar friend Abu Bakr and gave him his voice and tone with which to speak to you, so that you might feel the comfort of that familiarity when you heard him speak. Then the awesomeness and terror left you entirely, and so that you were not totally overcome by the majesty of this revelation and were able to ask what you wish from the Divine Essence. By means of this familiarity you were able to speak normally and without dread. I have in My Divine Majesty made Myself free from all defect and weakness, and My Mercy outstrips My Wrath. Therefore, state your wishes, and ask of Me whatever you need and desire.’
“After these words, the Lord added, ‘What of the Angel Jibra’il’s
request, which he asked you to make?’ I replied, ‘Oh my Lord, You are the All-Knowing; there is no need to speak of it, as You know already, all Bounty and Munificence being Thine.’ The Lord replied to this, ‘I do grant his request and fulfill his wish. On the Day of Judgment when your nation prepares to cross the Bridge of Sirat, let them take a hold of his wing and cross with ease. Only the ones who loved you and your companions will cross with ease; I grant My Divine Sanction.’
“To this I rejoined, ‘Oh Lord, you have sent punishment upon the nations that went before mine in many and varied forms. There were some upon whom You sent a rain of stones to destroy them; while others you drowned in the waters. Some were destroyed by Jibra’il’s shout, and some You caused the Earth to swallow. Some perished when You sent against them a rain of fire, and others died in a harsh, bitter wind. Oh Lord, what will become of my nation after I have gone?’
“The Lord of Mercy and Munificence, the Lord of the Universe then intoned in all His Majesty and Splendor, ‘My Wrath has been spent on those nations before thine; upon your nation I will shower only Mercy. I will transform their badness into good actions. To the corrupt among them I will grant the gift of repentance, and bring them into a good state of being. I will deliver them from their bad traits and help them acquire good characteristics. I will rid them of their ignorance and change their minds to understanding and perfect knowledge. Whoever calls upon Me, saying, ‘Oh My Lord!’ and turns to Me with true humility in his heart, to him I will answer, ‘I am at your service, oh My servant; tell Me what it is that you desire, and I will create it.
‘To you I give the right of intercession for your nation, oh Muhammad, you may be the advocate on their behalf, and I pledge to accept all your intercession.’
“And then He Almighty said, ‘Oh Muhammad, I have not made your nation excessively wealthy, so that their accounts will not be overly long. And I have not made their bodies very great, so that they might not require much of worldly food and drink and dress. I have not made their lives to be exceedingly long, so that their hearts might not be blackened by pride in reliance upon a long lifespan and that they might always be aware of death and make their preparations for the afterlife that follows. I have not made death to come to them suddenly, but I
have made illness precede it and provide a cause, so that they might not meet with a sudden death when they have plunged and sunk in the sea of heedlessness. When they fall ill, they repent of their sins, they pay their debts, they try to make up for past mistakes and shortcomings, and they make their last will and testament. I have brought them into the world after every other nation, so that their time in the grave might be of short duration; they will remain trapped in their tombs only until all the people of their nation have come and gone. When that is done, their time is up and they will attain to their blissful stations in Paradise, enjoying its undying delights.’
“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Oh Muhammad, sometimes your nation will be obedient to Me, at other times they will be rebellious. Their obedience to Me meets with My Pleasure, and to Me are acceptable all their works, which accord to My Good Pleasure; I forgive them their minor misdoings and accord to them generous recompense. For I am the All-Bountiful, and I show Myself to them in My aspect of Bounty. The disobedient among them are subject to My Judgment; but because it is the Judgment of past eternity, I forgive them their disobedience, for I am the All-Merciful, and I show them My Mercy.’
“And then He said, ‘Oh Muhammad, say to your nation: ‘The Lord Almighty says to you: just as you love a person for that he shows you loving kindness and generosity, I am much more deserving of your love and affection than any other in this world. For I have created you when you were naught and I have given you a pleasing form and fine limbs and I continue to ceaselessly shower you with innumerable blessings. Not a moment passes in which I do not bestow upon you a new form of goodness. Therefore you ought to love Me more than any other, obeying My Commands and submitting to My Law.’
“And again, He Almighty says to you, ‘If you are going to fear anything that dwells between Heaven and earth, it is I whom you ought to fear more than any, for My Power pervades all and everything. My chastisement is violent and swift, no one can flee or hide from it, or run to another master in order to save himself from Me, for no one has such powers. As this is the reality, you must beware of acting contrary to My wishes and commands.’
“And the Lord said, ‘If you are going to ask of any, I am most worthy of being asked, for it is I alone who accepts all prayers of need and
fulfills all wants.’ And He says: ‘You feel shame and regret when you have ill-treated someone or been unkind, whereas I am the most deserving of your shame and remorse, for I have brought you into being when you were naught and to this very moment I have heaped upon you endless gifts and blessings. I have made you safe from all manner of affliction, and yet you disregard My injunctions and do what I have forbidden to you. Therefore, contrition is your due and restraint from actions that I have prohibited. Obey Me and My Commands!’
“And the Lord addresses Himself to you, saying, ‘If you choose for reasons of personal and covetous choice, I am the most deserving of your preference, for I am your Creator, and your Provider, and the only object of your worship. Therefore, turn to Me, worshipful, in your actions and with meritorious conduct.’ All this He Almighty commanded me to expound to you.’
Allah Complains About the Ummah
“Then Allah Almighty complained to me about my nation. One of His objections was this: ‘I do not ask of them to perform anything ahead of time, all I ask is for them to do what they should in its own time. But, by contrast, they ask of Me to provide them ahead of time. While I have provided them perfectly for so many years, they are not satisfied, even though they do not know whether their lives will last long enough to use up what they have been given. Even so, their greed for the things of this world is ever increasing, and they complain of not having the wherewithal of a livelihood, always asking for more. Do they not regard the birds in the skyways? Every morning the birds of the fields leave their nests with empty crops to return in the evenings having eaten their fill, though the whole world be covered in snow. Does not your nation take a lesson from this? While the whole world is covered in snow and not a speck of earth is to be seen, He who provides the birds with their shares, will He not provide them also with their own portions? Why does your nation not place their reliance on Him who has forever guaranteed their subsistence?
“‘The second complaint is this: ‘I do not give their provisions to any other than them; in spite of this, they perform actions for the sake of other than Me (that is to say, they behave hypocritically and occasion
false appearances).
“‘My third complaint is this: While they are consuming the portions that I have provided for them, their gratitude goes out to someone else. They will say, for instance, ‘In my vineyard I had a harvest such an amount and from my fields such an amount, from my trade so much.’ But was it not I who caused the vines to grow in his vineyard and the crops in his field, and who gave him success in his commerce? Why do they remember Me not and mention not My Name when they speak of the yields of their vineyards and fields, and the profits of their trade? Wherefrom is this heedlessness; do they feel no shame?’
“‘And My fourth complaint is this: Mine is all Might and Glory; it is I who grants Honor in this world, in the grave and in the world to come. Even so, they still look to honors coming from other sources. They will say, for instance, ‘Were I only to occupy high office, I would surely grow very rich.’ Thus they expect honor to come to them through riches and high office, whereas all these are only of a passing nature. When death comes to them, all connection ceases. Does that signal true honor? It is My Command, by which they must abide, it is I who gives them Honor and Dignity in this world and the next.’
“‘My fifth complaint against them is this: I have created Hell for the unbelievers. Why is it that they persist in performing actions that will land them in Hellfire?’
“To these charges against my nation, I replied, ‘Oh my Lord, Your Word is true, my nation is guilty of all that You have laid against it. But You are He who covers all shame and forgives all sins; You are the Supremely Rich and Generous, the Clement and All-Forgiving Lord (ar-ra’uf wa-r-rahim). In Your Infinite Grace and Kindness, forgive them their failings, conceal their disgrace, and in Your Endless Benevolence, pardon their great and small sins! Let them be overtaken by Your Boundless Mercy and with Your All-Gracious Compassion lead them into the Paradise, oh My Lord!’
“In answer to this supplication, the Lord Almighty said to me, ‘Had your nation not been so sinful, I would have created a nation of sinners, so that I might make Myself known as the Forgiver of Sins in that I granted them forgiveness. Oh Muhammad, You are My Beloved, as you are My servant. All Creation I have brought into being for your sake alone. Because of your nation’s sins, I have created My Mercy
Oceans. Oh Muhammad, regard the high station of honor and dignity you have been granted, in that you are honored by an encounter with My Divine Beauty. I have granted you direct intercourse with My Divine Person, without interpreter or intermediary. Whoever is acceptable to you is also acceptable to Me, and he who refuses you, is refused by Me, too.’
“Then He said, ‘Indeed, you will be the first of all the Prophets to enter Paradise, and no Prophet can enter it before you. Your nation will be the first nation to enter Paradise and no other nation will be admitted before they have gone in.’
“After this He said, ‘Oh Muhammad, set not your hopes on any nation of mankind, for they have nothing at all. Let your hopes always be pinned on Me and let your converse be with Me, for to Me is your return. Do not become attached to this world in your heart, for I have not created you for this world.’
“Then He Almighty said, ‘Oh Muhammad, of your nation I have forgiven one third for your sake; another third I will forgive on the Day of Judgment, so that the high regard and station you occupy in My Regard may become clear to all creation on the Day of Gathering, oh Muhammad.’
“After this, the Almighty informed me of a great many weighty and important matters, but He denied me permission to divulge this knowledge to you.
“It was made obligatory upon my nation to pray fifty times during one day and one night and to make ablutions for major impurity seven times, and to wash a defiled piece of clothing seven times. He commanded me to make these conditions known to my nation in His Name. I then replied, ‘Everyone who comes home from a journey, brings presents for those who remained at home; therefore, give me something to take back to my nation as a present.’ The Lord Almighty then said, ‘One of the gifts to your nation is this: as long as they reside in the world, I will be their Helper; I will protect them from disaster and calamity and I will grant success to their good actions. I will grant them various favors. When they pray to Me, I will accept their prayers, I will protect them from what they fear and I will grant them what they desire.
“‘Another gift to your nation is this: When their lives come to an end, I will be their Helper. I will protect them from the wiles of Shaytan and I will give them tidings of Paradise and show them their stations within it. I will make it easy for them to draw their last breath and I will help them pass over into the Hereafter in safety.
“‘Another gift to your nation is this: When they are placed within their graves, I shall be their only Helper. I will release them from the darkness and oppression of the grave; I will lighten their tombs and make them spacious and wide. I will assist them in answering the questions of the angels Munkar and Nakir and I will make their tombs to be as a Garden of Paradise.
“‘Another gift to your nation is this: When they arise from their graves, I will be their sole Helper. I will raise them from their tombs and make them light of face and clothe them in garments from Paradise. I will help them mount upon their steeds and lead them to the site of the Gathering with an entourage of angels in a display of splendor and grace. I will spare them the terror of that Dire Day. I will lead them underneath your banner and give them to drink of the waters of the Pool of Kawthar. I will make them to be close associates and companions of the prophets, messengers, saints and martyrs and the righteous whom I have favored with a place beneath the shadow of My Divine Throne. After having been given many special favors from Paradise, their books of reckoning will be placed in their right hands, and their accounts will be made light and their scales of the balance made heavy for them. I will help them cross the Bridge of Sirat with lightness and ease and lead them into the highest gardens of Paradise in the Boundlessness of My Grace.’”
May Allah Almighty gladden our hearts with these gifts, which He granted us all for the sake of His Holy Prophet Muhammad , Amin! Oh Most Merciful of those who show Mercy!
The Holy Prophet continues:
“The Lord then said to me, ‘Oh Muhammad, of all created beings, you are the one who has reached the highest honors. On the Day of Resurrection I will give you such great honors as will stupefy the whole world with wonderment. Oh Muhammad, do you wish to behold what I have prepared for your nation?’ I replied, ‘Oh Lord, I wish to
see it, yes.’ He then said, ‘My trusted servant, the angel Jibra’il will show it to you.’
“As soon as I returned from there, Rafraf came into view. I seated myself upon him and he carried me down. I descended as far as the Sidrat-al-Muntaha where I met with Jibra’il who said to me, ‘Good tidings to you, oh Muhammad , for you have been chosen as the best of all Creation and the foremost of all Prophets and Messengers. The Lord Almighty has greeted and honored you as He has not honored any other created being, neither from among His Prophets or His Messengers, nor from among His Angels brought Nigh.’
“Then Jibra’il said to me, ‘Come with me, for I am to show you Paradise.’”
Paradise
The Seal of Prophethood continued:
“So Jibra’il brought me to Paradise. On its gates I saw written these words:
For one gift of Sadaqa, ten rewards are granted.
To one who gives on loan, eighteen rewards are granted.
“I asked Jibra’il, ‘What is the secret wisdom of these lines, that one gift of Sadaqa carries ten merits, while a loan given carries eighteen merits after it?’ Jibra’il told me, ‘Oh Rasulullah , sometimes Sadaqa is given to one who is in need, sometimes to one who is not. Not so, however with a loan: a loan is given only to him who is in need of it.’
“Upon the highest rim of the gates of Paradise I read these three lines. In the first line was written:
LA ILAHA ILLALLAH, MUHAMMADUN RASULULLAH
In the second line was written:
MA QADDAMNA, WAJADNA; WA MA AKALNA, RABAHNA; WA MA TARAKNA, KHASIRNA.
(What we have sent before us, here we have found; what we have eaten has remained with us as gain; and what we have left behind, is our loss.)
“In the language of the People of Paradise, this means to say: ‘Of what we owned, that which we spent in the way of goodness, what we gave to the poor and the needy as Sadaqa, today we have found it here waiting for us. As for that part of our property which we used up and expended, we have already had the good use of it; as for that, which we have left behind us when we died, we were misled and now count it as our loss.’
“In the third line was written:
‘THE NATION OF MUHAMMAD IS A NATION OF GREAT AND ABOUNDING SINFULNESS. THEREFORE THEY ARE SO PLACED AS TO BE THE NATION OF MUHAMMAD , SO THAT THEY MIGHT FIND THE LIGHT OF GUIDANCE AND BECOME ENLIGHTENED. HEREWITH THE LORD WHO IS THE ALL-FORGIVING MANIFESTS THE BLISS OF LIGHT UPON LIGHT. HE FORGIVES ALL THEIR SINS AND TRANSGRESSIONS, GREAT AND SMALL, SECRET AND OBVIOUS, COMMITTED KNOWINGLY OR UNKNOWINGLY, ALL VICE AND DISGRACE. THROUGH HIS FAVOR AND GRACE AND BOUNTY, HE AIDS THEM IN ATTAINING HIS ALL- ENCOMPASSING MERCY, GRATUITOUSLY, AND HE BRINGS THEM INTO THE HIGHEST OF THE GARDENS OF PARADISE. HE MAKES THEM TASTE THE GREATEST DELIGHTS AND THE HIGHEST JOYS OF ALL, AND HE MAKES THEM ENDLESSLY SATISFIED. THIS IS WHAT DISTINGUISHES THE NATION OF MUHAMMAD AND ENDOWS THEM MORE HIGHLY THAN ANY OTHER NATION.’
As it is written in these verses of the Holy Book of the Quran:
Say: ‘Oh my people who have been prodigal against yourselves, do not despair of God’s mercy; surely God forgives sins altogether; surely, He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Compassionate. (The Companies, 53)
You are the best nation ever brought forth to men, bidding to honor, and forbidding dishonor, and believing in God. Had the People of the Book believed, it was better for them; some of them are believers, but the most of them are ungodly.
(The House of Imran, 105)
To continue in the words of Prophet Muhammad :
“The gate of Paradise was made of red gold, and the thick-ness of the doors was five hundred years’ of traveling. The gate had four hundred columns, which were of pearl, of topaz, of ruby and of emerald. In the middle of each of these pegs there was a great ring of red ruby stone of immense dimensions. In it were contained forty thousand cities, and each city had forty thousand domes. Within each of these domes dwelt forty thousand angels holding two platters each in their hands. One was filled with celestial raiment; the other was filled with light. I asked Jibra’il about them and he told me, ‘Oh Rasulullah, these angels were created eighty thousand years before Adam, and since that time they are waiting in this very place, bearing platters of light. Their sole purpose is to plead for you and for your nation. On the Day of
Resurrection, when you appear before your nation in honor and bliss, the moment your foot touches the threshold, these angels will welcome you and your nation and bestrew them with the contents of their platters as they pass through the gates of Grace and Bounty.’
“Then Jibra’il knocked on the gates of Paradise. The guardian angel of the Garden, Ridwan called out asking, ‘Who is it?’ Jibra’il answered, ‘It is I, Jibra’il.’ ‘And who is it with you?’ asked the Keeper. ‘He is Muhammad ,’ answered Jibra’il. ‘Has his time of prophethood arrived then?’ asked the angel from within. ‘Yes, it has come,’ replied Jibra’il. ‘Alhamdulillah!’ said Ridwan and opened the gates. I then saw that the hinges of the door were of silver, its threshold was of pearl and its casings were of precious jewels.
“We stepped inside and I beheld Ridwan, seated upon a carved throne, surrounded by a host of angels who stood in attendance. They gave me honor and saluted me with respect. I greeted them and gave my Salams. Ridwan answered me and welcomed me with joy, giving me these good tidings, ‘Most of the People of Paradise are from your nation.’ I asked him, ‘Tell me about my nation.’ He said, The Lord Almighty has divided the Jannah into three parts, two of which are appointed for your nation, while one is for all other nations.’ In front of Ridwan there were a great number of keys, and I asked him, ‘What are these keys?’ He told me, ‘When a person of
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