The Book of Faith

‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The first thing the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) started to experience from the revelation was the good vision in his sleep. He never saw a vision except that it came true like the break of dawn. Then seclusion was endeared to him, and he used to retreat to the Cave of Hirā’, where he would engage in Tahannuth-which is worship—for several nights before returning to his family and taking provisions for this. He would then go back to Khadījah to take provisions again for a similar number of nights until the truth came to him while he was in the Cave of Hirā’. The Angel came to him and said: Read! He said: "I do not know how to read." He said: "He took hold of me and pressed me forcefully until I could no longer bear it and then released me, saying: Read! I said: I do not know how to read. He took hold of me and pressed me forcefully for the second time until I could no longer bear it and then released me, saying: Read! I said: I do not know how to read. He took hold of me and pressed me forcefully for the third time and then released me, saying: {Read in the name of your Lord Who created, created man from a clinging clot. Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous.}" [Surat al-‘Alaq: 1-3] The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) returned with these while his heart was trembling. He entered upon Khadījah bint Khuwaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) and said: "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him until the shock of fear was gone from him. Then he informed Khadījah of what had happened and said to her: "Indeed, I feared for myself." Khadījah said: No, by Allah, Allah will never fail you. Verily, you maintain kinship ties, help those in need, support the destitute, provide the guests with food and shelter, and assist those affected by calamities. Khadījah took him to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal ibn Asad ibn ‘Abdul-‘Uzza, who had embraced Christianity in the pre-Islamic period and used to write the Scripture in Hebrew. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadījah said to him: O my cousin, listen to what your nephew has to say. Waraqah said to him: O my nephew, what have you seen? The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed him of what he had seen. Waraqah said to him: This is the same Nāmūs (i.e., the angel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live until the time when your people would drive you out. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Would they drive me out?" Waraqah said: Yes. No one has ever come with something like what you have brought without being treated with hostility. If I should live until that day, I would support you strongly. Soon after, Waraqah passed away, and the revelation paused.

Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmān reported that Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: While narrating about the halt in revelation, he said in his Hadīth: "While I was walking, I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up, and there was the angel who had come to me at Hirā’, sitting on a chair between the heaven and the earth. I was terrified of him, so I returned and said: Cover me! Then Allah Almighty revealed: {O you covered [in your cloak], arise and warn} [Surat al-Muddaththir: 1-2] until His saying: {and shun idol worshiping.} [Surat al-Muddaththir: 5] After that, the revelation became intense and continuous."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Jibrīl came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) while he was playing with his playmates. He took hold of him, laid him on the ground, split open his chest, took the heart out and then extracted a blood clot out of it and said: "That was the devil's share in you." Then he washed it with Zamzam water in a golden basin and then joined the wounded parts together after he restored the heart to its place. The boys came running to his mother, i.e. his wet nurse, and said: "Muhammad has been killed." They rushed to him and found his color was changed. Anas said: "I used to see the scar of this stitching on his chest."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be please with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is not proper for a servant of Allah to say: “I am better than Yūnus ibn Matta." And he linked him to his father.

Masrūq reported: I was reclining in the house of ‘Ā’ishah when she said: "O Abu ‘Ā’ishah, there are three things, whoever speaks of one of them has fabricated a tremendous lie against Allah; whoever claims that Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saw his Lord, then he has fabricated a tremendous lie against Allah." I was reclining, so I sat up an said: "O Mother of the Believers, give me enough time and do not be hasty! Did not Allah, Glorified and Exalted, say: {And truly he saw him on the clear horizon} [Sūrat At-Takwīr: 23] and: {He saw Him in another descent.} [Sūrat An-Najm: 13]?" She said: "I am the first of this Ummah who asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about it; and he said: ‘Verily it is Jibrīl. I have never seen him in his original form in which he was created except on those two occasions (to which these verses refer); I saw him descending from the heaven and filling (the space) from the sky to the earth with the greatness of his bodily structure.’ Have you not heard that Allah says: {Eyes comprehend Him not, but He comprehends (all) vision. and He is Subtle, and All-Aware} [Sūrat al-An‘ām: 103]? Have you not heard that Allah says: {And it is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a partition or that He sends a messenger to reveal, by His permission, what He wills. Indeed, He is Most High and Wise.} [Sūrat Ash-Shūra: 51]. The one who presumes that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace be upon him) concealed anything from the Book of Allah has fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. Allah says: {O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message} [Sūrat al-Mā’idah: 67]. The one who presumes that he would foretell what will happen tomorrow has fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. Allah, the Almighty says: {Say: None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah.} [Sūrat An-Naml: 65]"

Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood among us and said five statements: "Allah Almighty does not sleep, and it is not befitting of Him to sleep. He lowers the Scales and raises them. The deeds done during the night are taken up to Him before the deeds done during the day, and the deeds done during the day before the deeds done during the night. His veil is light— and in another version: fire—and if He were to remove it, the glory of His Face would burn everything of His creation as far as His sight extends."

Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Two gardens, the utensils and the contents of which are of silver; two other gardens, the utensils and the contents of which are of gold. Nothing will prevent people from looking at their Lord except the veil of pride over His Face in the Garden of Eden.”

Sohaib (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the dwellers of Paradise enter Paradise, he said: Allah Almighty will say: Do you want Me to give you anything more? They will say: Have You not brightened our faces? Have You not made us enter Paradise and saved us from Hellfire? He said: He will then lift the veil, and out of all the things they are given, nothing will be dearer to them than looking at their Almighty Lord."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the lowest position of one of you in Paradise is that He will say to him: Wish, and he will wish and wish. Then He will say to him: Did you wish? And he will say: Yes. Then He will say to him: For you is what you wished, and the like of it along with it."

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We said: "O Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Judgment?" He said: "Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon when the sky is clear?" We said: 'No.' He said: "So you will have no difficulty in seeing your Lord on that Day as you have no difficulty in seeing them (the sun and the moon in a clear sky)." He then said: "Somebody will then announce: 'Let every nation follow what they used to worship.' So the followers of the cross will go with their cross, and the idolaters will go with their idols, and the followers of every false deity will go with their deity, until those who used to worship Allah, both the pious and the sinful, and some of the People of the Book remain. Then Hell will be presented to them as if it were a mirage. It will be said to the Jews: 'What did you use to worship?' They will reply: 'We used to worship ‘Uzayr (Ezra), the son of Allah.' It will be said to them: 'You are liars, for Allah has neither a wife nor a son. So what do you want?' They will reply: 'We want You to provide us with water.' It will be said to them: 'Drink, and they will fall down in Hell (instead).' Then it will be said to the Christians: 'What did you use to worship?' They will reply: 'We used to worship the Messiah, the son of Allah.' It will be said: 'You are liars, for Allah has neither a wife nor a son. So what do you want?' They will say: 'We want You to provide us with water.' It will be said to them: 'Drink, and they will fall down in Hell (instead).' When only those who used to worship Allah, both the pious and the sinful ones, remain, it will be said to them: 'What keeps you here when all the people have gone?' They will say: 'We parted with them (in the world) when we were in greater need of them than we are today. We heard the call of one proclaiming, 'Let every nation follow what they used to worship', and now we are waiting for our Lord.' Then the Almighty will come to them in a form other than the one in which they saw Him the first time, and He will say: 'I am your Lord,' and they will say: 'You are our Lord.' None will speak to Him then but the prophets, and then it will be said to them: 'Do you know any sign by which you can recognize Him?' They will say: 'The Shin,' and so Allah will uncover His Shin, whereupon every believer will prostrate before Him, and there those who used to prostrate before Him just for showing off and for gaining good reputation will remain. These people will try to prostrate, but their backs will be rigid, like a piece of wood (and they will not be able to prostrate). Then the Sirāt will be laid across Hell." We, the Companions of the Prophet, said: "O Messenger of Allah, what is the Sirāt?" He said: "It is a slippery (bridge) on which there are clamps and hooks like a thorny seed that is wide at one side and has thorns with bent ends. Such a thorny seed is found in Najd and is called As-Sa‘dān. Some of the believers will cross the Sirāt as quickly as the wink of an eye, others as quickly as lightning, as a strong wind, and as fast horses and riding camels. So some will be safe without any harm, some will become safe after having received some scratches, and some will fall down into Hell. The last person will cross by being dragged (over the bridge). You (Muslims) cannot be more pressing in claiming a right that has been clearly proved to be yours from me than the believers in interceding with the Almighty for their (Muslim) brothers on that Day, when they see themselves safe. They will say: 'O Allah, (save) our brothers (for they) used to pray with us, fast with us, and do good deeds with us.' Allah will say: 'Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of a dinar.' Allah will forbid the Fire to burn the faces of those sinners. They will go to them and find some of them in the fire of Hell up to their feet, and some up to the middle of their legs. So they will take out those whom they will recognize and then return, and Allah will say (to them): 'Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of half a dinar.' They will take out whomever they will recognize and return, and then Allah will say: 'Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of an atom,' and so they will take out all those whom they will recognize.' If you do not believe me then read the noble verse: {Surely, Allah wrongs not even of the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant) but if there is any good (done) He doubles it.} [Sūrat An-Nisā: 40]" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) added: "The prophets and angels and the believers will intercede, and then the Almighty will say: 'Now remains My Intercession.' He will then hold a handful of the Fire from which He will take out some people whose bodies have been charred, and they will be thrown into a river at the entrance of Paradise called the water of life. They will grow on its banks just as a seed carried by the torrent grows. You have noticed how it grows beside a rock or beside a tree and how the side facing the sun is green while the side facing the shade is white. Those people will come out (of the River of Life) like pearls, and they will have seals on their necks, and then they will enter Paradise, whereupon the people of Paradise will say: 'These are the people emancipated by the Most Merciful. He has admitted them into Paradise without them having done any good deeds and without sending forth any good (for themselves).' Then it will be said to them: 'For you is what you have seen and its equivalent as well.'"

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was brought some meat, and the forearm was presented to him, and he used to like it, so he took a bite from it and then said: "I am the master of the people on the Day of Judgment, and do you know why? Allah will gather the people, the first and the last, in one place, where they will hear the caller and they will be sighted clearly. The sun will draw near, and people will be overwhelmed with anguish and distress that they cannot endure or bear. People will say: Do you not see what has befallen you all? Will you not look for someone to intercede for you with your Lord? Then some of the people will say to others: Go to Adam. They will come to Adam (peace be upon him) and say: You are the father of mankind; Allah created you with His Own Hand, breathed into you from His Spirit, and commanded the angels to prostrate to you. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? Do you not see what has befallen us? Adam will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be after. He has forbidden me from the tree, and I disobeyed Him. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else; go to Nūh (Noah). They will come to Noah and say: O Noah, you are the first of the messengers to the people of the earth, and Allah has named you a grateful slave. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? He will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today, as He has never been before and will never be after. I had a supplication that I made against my people. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else; go to Ibrāhīm (Abraham). They will come to Abraham and say: O Abraham, you are the Prophet of Allah and His close Friend from the people of the earth. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? He will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be after. I have told three lies. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else; go to Mūsa (Moses). They will come to Moses and say: O Moses, you are the Messenger of Allah; Allah has favored you with His message and His speech over the people. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? He will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be after. I killed a soul that I was not commanded to kill. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else; go to ‘Isa (Jesus), son of Mary. They will come to Jesus and say: O Jesus, you are the Messenger of Allah, and His Word which He cast to Mary, and a Spirit from Him, and you spoke to the people in the cradle as a baby. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? Jesus will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be after, and he did not mention a sin. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else; go to Muhammad. They will come to Muhammad and say: O Muhammad, you are the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. Allah has forgiven you what has preceded and what was later of your sin. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? I will then set off and come beneath the Throne and fall in prostration to my Lord, Exalted and Glorified be He, and then Allah will inspire me with some forms of His praise and glorification that He has not inspired anyone with before me. Then it will be said: O Muhammad, raise your head; ask, and it will be granted to you, and intercede, and your intercession will be accepted. I will raise my head and say: My nation, O Lord! My nation, O Lord! My nation, O Lord! It will be said: O Muhammad, admit from your nation those who have no reckoning from the right gate of the gates of Paradise, and they will share with people in the other gates. Then he said: By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, what lies between the two gateposts of the gates of Paradise is like the distance between Makkah and Himyar—or as the distance between Makkah and Busra -".

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was brought some meat, and the forearm was presented to him, and he used to like it, so he took a bite from it and then said: "I am the master of the people on the Day of Judgment, and do you know why? Allah will gather the people, the first and the last, in one place, where they will hear the caller and they will be sighted clearly. The sun will draw near, and people will be overwhelmed with anguish and distress that they cannot endure or bear. People will say: Do you not see what has befallen you all? Will you not look for someone to intercede for you with your Lord? Then some of the people will say to others: Go to Adam. They will come to Adam (peace be upon him) and say: You are the father of mankind; Allah created you with His Own Hand, breathed into you from His Spirit, and commanded the angels to prostrate to you. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? Do you not see what has befallen us? Adam will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be after. He has forbidden me from the tree, and I disobeyed Him. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else; go to Nūh (Noah). They will come to Noah and say: O Noah, you are the first of the messengers to the people of the earth, and Allah has named you a grateful slave. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? He will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today, as He has never been before and will never be after. I had a supplication that I made against my people. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else; go to Ibrāhīm (Abraham). They will come to Abraham and say: O Abraham, you are the Prophet of Allah and His close Friend from the people of the earth. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? He will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be after. I have told three lies. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else; go to Mūsa (Moses). They will come to Moses and say: O Moses, you are the Messenger of Allah; Allah has favored you with His message and His speech over the people. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? He will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be after. I killed a soul that I was not commanded to kill. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else; go to ‘Isa (Jesus), son of Mary. They will come to Jesus and say: O Jesus, you are the Messenger of Allah, and His Word which He cast to Mary, and a Spirit from Him, and you spoke to the people in the cradle as a baby. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? Jesus will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be after, and he did not mention a sin. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else; go to Muhammad. They will come to Muhammad and say: O Muhammad, you are the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. Allah has forgiven you what has preceded and what was later of your sin. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? I will then set off and come beneath the Throne and fall in prostration to my Lord, Exalted and Glorified be He, and then Allah will inspire me with some forms of His praise and glorification that He has not inspired anyone with before me. Then it will be said: O Muhammad, raise your head; ask, and it will be granted to you, and intercede, and your intercession will be accepted. I will raise my head and say: My nation, O Lord! My nation, O Lord! My nation, O Lord! It will be said: O Muhammad, admit from your nation those who have no reckoning from the right gate of the gates of Paradise, and they will share with people in the other gates. Then he said: By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, what lies between the two gateposts of the gates of Paradise is like the distance between Makkah and Himyar—or as the distance between Makkah and Busra -".

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah, Blessed and Exalted, will gather mankind (on the Day of Resurrection). The believers will stand until Paradise is brought near to them. So, they will go to Adam (peace be upon him) and say: 'O our Father, request that Paradise be opened for us.' He will say: 'Was it anything other than your father's sin that got you out of Paradise? I am not fit for that. Go to my son Ibrahīm, the intimate friend of Allah.' They will go to Ibrahīm who will say: 'I am not fit for that. Indeed, I was only an intimate friend of a low order. Go to Mūsa whom Allah spoke directly to.' They will go to Mūsa, but he will say: 'I am not fit for that. Go to ‘Īsa, the Word and Spirit of Allah.' ‘Īsa will say: 'I am not fit for that.' So they will go to Muhammad who will stand and will be given permission. Trust and kinship will be sent to stand on the right and left of the Sirāt. The first of you will pass over it like lightning." I (the narrator) said: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! What is the passing of lightening like?" He said: "Have you not seen how it comes and goes in the blink of an eye? Then it will be like the passing of wind. Then it will be like the passing of birds. Then it will be like the running of men; their deeds will make them run. Your Prophet will be standing at the Sirāt saying: 'O Lord, give salvation, give salvation!' until the deeds of slaves will not avail them; until a man would not be able to move except by crawling. On the two edges of the Sirāt, there will be suspended hooks, commanded to snatch whom they are ordered to snatch. Some people will sustain injuries but will be saved; others will be dumped in the Fire." By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Abu Hurayrah, the depth of Hell is seventy years.