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GROUP ONE
The Stories of the Day of Resurrection.................................. 29
1. How Treacherous You Are.................................................... 31
2. Today, I Will Not Disobey You, O’ Ibrāhīm......................... 38
3. The Card Outweighed Ninety-Nine Records........................ 42
4. I Did Things That I Do Not See Here.................................... 45
5. Nothing Satisfies You............................................................ 48
6. Ask Him Why He Killed Me ................................................. 51
7. O’ People of Paradise, for You Is Eternity ........................... 54
8. I Will Go to the aw Before You........................................ 57
9. Paradise Market ..................................................................... 63
10. The Gifts of the Inhabitants of Paradise .............................. 65
11. The First Group to Enter Paradise ....................................... 69
12. The Dream of the Prophet () ............................................. 73
13. The Argument Between Paradise and Hell-fire................... 81
14. I Am for It, I Am for It ........................................................ 85
15. Three People Who Will Be Dragged Toward Hell-Fire ...... 95
16. A Man in Hell-Fire .............................................................. 98
17. Those Who Exhaust Their Accumulation of Good Deeds 101
18. Dispute Over the Victims of the Plague ............................ 104
19. False Gods Lead Their Worshippers to Hell-Fire.............. 107
Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions 6
20. The First to Hear the Blow of the Trumpet ....................... 121
21. I Asked You for Something Less....................................... 125
22. Those Who Will Be Transformed Into Monkeys and Pigs 128
23. We Will Bring From You, a Witness Against Yourself.... 130
24. The Bridge Between Paradise and Hell-Fire ..................... 134
25. A Neck Will Stretch Forth From Hell-Fire........................ 136
26. He Is in the Highest Paradise............................................. 139
GROUP TWO
Stories of the Unseen That Have Transpired ...................... 141
27. They Will Have Carpets, Curtains, and Rugs.................... 143
28. Muhammad Does Not Lie ................................................. 145
29. O’Allah! It Is for You to Deal With Quraysh................... 150
30. I Will Let the Two Mountains Fall Upon Them................ 155
31. Invoke Allah That He May Make Me One of Them ......... 158
32. The Story of the Night Journey ......................................... 162
33. The Souls of Martyrs Live in the Bodies of Green Birds. . 179
34. The Journey of Death......................................................... 182
35. The Mongols’ Invasion of the Islamic World.................... 199
36. Do Not Harm Him, May Allah Curse You........................ 211
37. When Aḥjār Az-Zayt Will Be Covered in Blood .............. 213
38. Those Who Will Be Loved and Honored on Earth............ 216
39. I Wish I Were in This Grave.............................................. 218
Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions 7
GROUP THREE
Unseen Stories That Have Not Yet Occurred ..................... 221
40. The Battle of the Gold Mountain....................................... 223
41. Trials of al-Alās, as-Sarrā’ and ad-Duhaymā’................ 227
42. The Story of al-Mahdī ....................................................... 231
43. The Conquest of Constantinople ....................................... 238
49. The Abyssinian Who Will Demolish the Ka‘ba ............... 298
50. The Last Two Shepherds of Medina.................................. 301
51. When Will the Hour Be Established? ................................ 304
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and may the Blessings and Peace
of Allah be upon the Seal of Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad bin
‘Abdullah (), his Family, and the Companions, and those who follow
his footsteps till the Day of Judgment. Allah () said,
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…So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.
(Qur’an 7: 176)
Allah () ordered Prophet Muhammad () to relate the stories he knew
to the people because of the valuable lessons that could be learned from
these stories and that could change their lives and their destinies.
Stories of the Unseen in the Authentic Traditions is a collection of stories
that have been proven and authenticated as originally narrated by Prophet
Muhammad () or by his Companions ().
The stories Professor ‘Umar al-Ashqar has chosen to compile within this
book are among the most interesting stories related by Prophet
Muhammad (). These stories reveal many extraordinary, exciting useful
facts and prophecies about the Day of Judgment, signs of the Hour, and
ancient nations as well as the future. They contain numerous morals that
could really assist in preventing future trials and could possibly
encourage someone to turn over a new leaf to lead a better life full of
piety and happiness.
May Allah () reward the author for his efforts to educate and entertain
all Muslims with Stories of the Unseen in the Authentic Traditions. May
Allah () reward all those associated with this work, and may He ()
cause this book to be a source of benefit to all readers.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
General Manager
Al-Nafaes House for Publishing and Distribution, Amman, Jordan
TRANSLATOR’S FOREWORD
All praise be to Allah, the Knower of the Seen and the Unseen. Belief in
the unseen is a pillar of faith without which faith remains incomplete. The
significance of this book stems from the fact that it presents the authentic
texts of the stories of the unseen events which will happen in the future.
The author of this book followed a very rigorous methodology in
presenting the stories of the unseen future as they were stated in the true
Prophetic traditions. Each story was given a title followed by a short
introduction to familiarize the reader with the theme of the story. The
second part of each story included the text of the Prophetic tradition
relating the story. Each story was explained in an elegant and attractive
style that is easy to understand. At the end of each chapter, the morals
and contemporary implications of each story are listed.
Discussing stories of the unseen future is very interesting as well as
useful to believers. The topics presented in this book can easily be used in
teaching and in raising people’s awareness of the need to be well-
acquainted with the events that will occur in the future. It is a religious
duty to learn about these future events in order to implement the correct
behavior if they occur while we are still alive. The Qur’anic and
Prophetic stories are very inspiring and motivating to believers because
they guide them to righteousness and deter them from committing sins
and evil deeds. These stories include those of the Dajjāl (False Messiah)
in addition to the stories that will occur on the Day of Resurrection.
The stories selected by the author in this book encouraged me, as a
translator, to proceed more quickly in translating them, because the more
stories I translated, the more eager and anxious I became.
I believe that reading this book is a must for every believer in Allah ().
Dr. Shehdeh Fareh
PREFACE
All praise be to Allah, the Knower of the unseen, the One whose
knowledge encompasses everything, the One from Whom nothing can be
hidden in the earth and in the heavens. He knows what was and what will
be, and He knows how things that do not exist will be when they are
created.
May Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon His Prophet and Messenger,
the illiterate Prophet, Muhammad to whom Allah taught the tidings of
people in the past and the future. In fact, the Prophet had been taught
things that the previous Prophets and Messengers did not know.
May Allah’s Peace and Blessings also be upon the Prophet’s
Companions, who maintained his Sunnah and transmitted it to their
followers. This Sunnah includes the Prophetic traditions about the stories
of the unseen that disclose the news of the future events in this world, the
intervening stage after death, the Hereafter, as well as the news of
Paradise and Hell. May the Blessings of Allah also be upon those who
followed the footsteps of the Prophet’s Companions until the Day of
Judgment.
While writing a book about the stories the Prophet related to us on the
subject of the earlier Prophets, Messengers, and pious and evil people, I
noticed that there is another type of unseen stories which is the stories of
the future that have not yet occurred. There are two categories of unseen
stories. The first is manifest in the stories of the earlier people whom we
are not familiar with, and the second is the stories of the future that have
not occurred yet. The stories of the first type have been collected in my
book titled: aī al-Qa(a( an-Nabawī (Authentic Stories by Prophet
Muhammad []), whereas the stories of the second type have currently
been compiled in this book.
One’s faith would remain incomplete if one did not believe in the unseen
as a pillar of faith. These unseen entities include Allah (), the angels,
Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions 14
the portents of the Last Hour, the Barzakh (life after death until the Day
of Resurrection), the details of Barzakh, Resurrection, Paradise, Hell-fire,
and belief in the Messengers and Holy Books. Belief in the Messengers
and the books means that the Messengers were sent by Allah () and the
Books were revealed by Him as well. Whoever disbelieves in the
Messengers and the Holy Books is not believer in Allah () nor is he
believer in what the Prophet () conveyed to us from Allah ().
Allah () is the Knower of the seen and the unseen and to Him there is
no difference between the seen and the unseen. The unseen is all recorded
in the al-Law al-Mafū) (the Preserved Tablet) which contains
everything without loss or addition including the stories stated in the
Qur’an as well as the ones conveyed to His Messenger (). Unlike
legends and fictional stories, the stories of the Qur’an are true.
Through time, people have shown great interest in legends and folk tales
portraying mythical and sometimes real events, modified by human
minds, to the extent that they become larger than life.
Authors of fiction write about future events which they called science
fiction. In fact, it is not really science because it is full of fantasy and
illusions that reflect the author’s philosophies and opinions regarding the
unseen future. These fantasies are an extension of those presented in the
stories of One Thousand and One Nights. Furthermore, they represent the
metaphysical views of philosophers. Contrary to this are the stories stated
in the Prophetic traditions about the unseen future which are true and will
be realized exactly as the Prophet described because they are inspirations
from Allah (). The Prophet () used to tell his Companions and his
enemies about what they hid in their hearts before they divulged their
secrets to anybody. He also used to tell them about specific future events
that would occur in their lives and all those prophecies were realized just
as the Prophet () predicted.
It was narrated that two people came to ask the Messenger of Allah ()
about detailed matters of interest to them. The Prophet () told each one
of them, “I can tell you what you came to ask me about, or you can ask
Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions 15
me and I will answer you.” The two men opted for the first option. When
the Prophet told them about what each one came to ask him about, each
one said, “By Allah who sent you in truth, you told me exactly what I
came to ask you about.” [Mawārid a)-*am’ān, 2/406, No. 801]
After the Battle of Badr, ‘Umayr bin Wahb al-Jumaḥī met Ṣafwān bin
Umayyah at a vacant place in Mecca. Ṣafwān told ‘Umayr that he would
pay back his debts and cover the living costs of his family if he would go
to the Prophet and kill him. He would pretend he came to ransom his son
who was held captive by the Muslims after the Battle of Badir. When
‘Umar bin al-Khaṭṭāb () saw ‘Umayr, he caught him from his collar and
stopped him in front of the Prophet (), who asked ‘Umar to release him.
When the Prophet () asked him about the reason for his visit, ‘Umayr
stated he wanted to ransom his son. However, the Prophet () surprised
him when he informed him about the secret agreement between Ṣafwān
and him. At that moment, ‘Umayr realized that Muhammad () was truly
the Messenger of Allah, and as a result, he declared his Islam. [Sīrat Ibn
ishām, 2/316, and Ibn Ḥajar’s Al-I(ābah, 3/37]
Among the other things the Prophet () predicted to his Companions
were the wars that would occur between the disbelievers who also
believed in the prophecies of the Prophet () and the Muslims.
Unlike my previous book in which I collected stories about the unseen
past, this book contains most of the stories of the unseen future;
otherwise, the two books have the same goal and methodology. In what
follows, I will reiterate the similarities between the two.
“In terms of significance, the stories that are mentioned in the Prophetic
traditions come after the Qur’anic stories. The Qur’an is the Word of
Allah and the Prophetic stories are mostly inspired to the Prophet () by
Allah (). Therefore, both classes of stories share the same goal and
source. Both aim at providing teachers and callers for the sake of Allah
with information and spiritual support which is derived from the moral of
each story; thus, nourishing the minds and hearts of believers. The
Qur’anic and the Prophetic stories are very inspiring and motivating to
Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions 16
traditions do not constitute stories and thus they are beyond the scope of
the book.
The methodology of writing this book is clear, straight forward, and
consistent throughout all stories and Prophetic traditions. Each story
consists of an introduction followed by the text of the tradition itself, its
explanation, and finally the lessons that can be derived from the
Prophetic tradition. The chain of narrators of each tradition and its
documentation will be provided in an appendix whereas the meanings of
difficult words will be provided in parentheses within the text itself.
While reading the book, readers will notice the author did not go far from
the text of the tradition in stating the events of the story. This makes it a
full-fledged story with a plot and other narrative complications.
“The approach of some contemporary writers who have deleted or added
to the story events is unacceptable because such additions or deletions are
mere lies. What writers can do is to deduce the morals and lessons from
the text of the tradition in accordance with the approach adopted by
scholars and authorities in this field.” [aī al-Qa(a( an-Nabawī, 5-7]
The stories compiled in this book have been divided into three categories
preceded by an introduction. The purpose of the introduction is to
introduce the group of stories, highlight the importance of the stories in
general and the Qur’anic and Prophetic stories in particular. These stories
are quoted from aī al-Qa(a( an-Nabawī. The first group of stories are
devoted to the ones which will occur on the Day of Resurrection, whereas
the second group will include stories that occurred after the Prophet’s
prediction of those stories or the stories that are still happening as is the
case in the journey of death.
I invoke Allah to make this book useful to all human beings and to
reward its author, who has exerted strenuous efforts in writing it,
- Definition of Stories
- Significance of Stories in General
- Significance of the Qur’anic and Prophetic Stories
INTRODUCTION
In this introduction, the author will define the term (qi(a() stories and
highlight their significance especially the Qur’anic and the Prophetic
stories.
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And all that We relate to you [O’ Muhammad ()] of the news of
the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your
heart thereby… (Qur’an 11: 120)
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We relate unto you [O’ Muhammad ()] the best of stories …
(Qur’an 12: 3)
Allah () used the word, qa(a(, when He explained the story of Mūsā
() with the two women for whom Mūsā () watered the flocks,
and events is also called qa(a( because the storyteller traces the events of
the story as they occurred. He also explores its words and their meanings
in their context. Tracking one’s footprints is called qa(a( in the Qur’an,
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…So they went back retracing their footsteps. (Qur’an 18: 64)
Here, the narrators are Mūsā () and his servant when they realized that
they had passed a place Allah () ordered Mūsā () to locate in order
to meet al-Khaḍir (). Therefore, they set out to retrace their way back
in order to find the location they had missed.
Another verse in which Allah () used the word qa(a( in the sense of
trace is,
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And she said to his [Mūsā’s] sister: ‘Follow him.’…
(Qur’an 28: 11)
The speaker in this verse is Mūsā’s mother. She ordered her daughter,
Mūsā’s sister, to follow him after she placed him in a basket and cast him
into the river.
Killing a person in retaliation has also been referred to as qa(ā( because the
relatives of the victim trace the actions of the murderer in order to
retaliate.1
Arabs make the narration of each event a story. However, a story is a
special kind of relating events and thus each story is an account of events.
However, an account is not necessarily a story. For example, Allah ()
conveyed information about the creation of the heavens, the earth, the
angels and the jinn which are accounts of things but not stories.
1
For more details on the linguistic meaning of qa(a( see: Al-Mufradāt fī Gharīb
al-Qur’ān, p. 404; Ibn al-Athīr, An-Nihāyah, 4/70; Lisān al- Arab 3/106; Al-
Kulliyāt, p. 734.
Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions 23
1
Al-Ashqar, Dr. Muhammad Sulaymān ‘Abdullah, Mu‘jam ‘Ulūm al-Lughah al
‘Arabiyyah, p. 320.
Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions 24
1
Al-Ashqar, Dr. Muhammad Sulaymān ‘Abdullah, Mu‘jam ‘Ulūm al-Lughah al-
‘Arabiyyah, p. 320.
Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions 25
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We relate unto you [O’ Muhammad ()] the best of stories
through Our Revelations unto you, of this Qur’an…
(Qur’an 12: 3)
After the stories of the Qur’an are the stories stated in the Prophetic hadith.
The stories of the Qur’an and those of the authentic traditions are all true
because they relate events that really happened,
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We narrate unto you [O’ Muhammad ()] their story with
truth… (Qur’an 18: 13)
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Verily! This is the true narrative… (Qur’an 3: 62)
Stories can only be true when they are related as they occurred without
any addition or deletion. Verily, Allah is Exalted and Glorified above all
imperfections including lying or relating stories that never happened.
Allah is All-Knowing, All-Hearing, and All-Seeing when He relates any
event to us,
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Then surely, We shall narrate unto them [their whole story] with
knowledge, and indeed We were not absent. (Qur’an 7: 7)
Once human beings believe the related stories in the Qur’an and the
Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions 26
Prophetic traditions are true, they will feel these stories rectify their
behavior and provide precious lessons to learn from.
Allah () ordered His Prophet () to relate the stories that he knew so
that people could contemplate what happened to past nations and learn
from it. These stories will help Muslims avoid the transgression of past
nations, and thus save themselves from any tribulations that may befall
them. Furthermore, these stories will expose Muslims to the virtuous
aspects of past nations in order to adopt them,
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…So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.
(Qur’an 7: 176)
And all that We relate to you [O’ Muhammad ()] of the news of
the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your
heart thereby… (Qur’an 11: 120)
The behavior of human beings is the same in terms of being either
righteous or deviant. Patterns of these behaviors are recurrent through
time. Upon reading stories of the Qur’an and those of the Prophetic
traditions, one can easily notice the parallels between these stories and
current patterns of behavior being practiced among people today. When
these stories describe tyrants or despots, we feel that such people are
living with us; and when extravagant or miserable styles of living are
Stories of the Unseen in Authentic Traditions 27
Introduction
On the Day of Resurrection, Allah () will reprimand a man several times because he
promised Allah () with a covenant not to request anything again. However, after his first
request was granted to him, he continued to make requests from Allah () again and again.
This man will be the last one to exit Hell and enter Paradise.
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…And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is
successful… (Qur’an 3: 185)
When the man enters Paradise, Allah Himself will remind him to wish for specific things by
saying, “(Wish for) so-and-so.” When there is nothing more to wish for, Allah () will say, “This
is for you and its equal as well.”
When Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī () heard this tradition narrated by people, he said, “I testify that
I remember the Prophet saying, “This is for you, and ten times as much.”
Ibn Mas‘ūd narrated a slightly different story of the last man to get out of Hell-fire and enter
Paradise. However, that could be a different story.
In Ibn Mas‘ūd’s narration, the Prophet described a man who will pass over the Bridge of the
Hell-fire, “He sometimes walks and sometime stumbles. The heat of the fire hurts him and
once he gets out of it, he looks back at it and will say, “Glorified and Exalted is He Who
saved me from you. He has given me what was not given to anyone before or after me.”
After the man is rescued from the fire, he will remain in an area between Paradise and Hell.
Then suddenly he will see a big, shady tree near a spring of water. The man will say, “O’ my
Lord! Bring me closer to that tree so that I can sit in the shade under the tree and drink water
from the spring. Then Allah () says, “O’ Adam’s son! If I grant you what you asked for,
will you ask for anything else? The man replies, “No my Lord, I promise you not to ask for
anything else.” Allah () excuses him because Allah knows that the man cannot tolerate such
a situation. Finally, Allah () grants him whatever he asks for and enables him to sit under
the tree and drink from the spring water that is there.
After a while, the man will see another larger, leafier and more beautiful tree with an
abundance of water and he will ask Allah () to bring him closer to that tree but Allah ()
will accuse him for breaking his promises and say, “If I bring you closer to that tree, will you
continue to ask me for more?” Again, the man promises his Lord as he did earlier. Thus,
Allah () brings him closer to that tree in order to sit under it, eat its fruit, and drink from the
spring water. Then the man will see a third tree near the gate of Paradise that is better than the
first two trees in all respects because it is closer to the gate of Paradise.
The man will repeat invoking Allah () as he did the first two times and request Allah () to
bring him closer to that tree. Once more, Allah () will remind the man of his promises and
blame him for not keeping them. Again the man promises again not to ask for any thing more
and Allah () will bring him closer to the tree near the gate of Paradise. There, he will start to
smell it and hear the voices of its dwellers that are enjoying its pleasures and delights. At that
point, the man will ask Allah () to let him enter Paradise. Upon this request, Allah, the Lord
of Honor will demand, “O’ son of Adam, what will bring an end to your requests? Will it
please you if I give you the whole world and the like along with it?” He will answer, “O’ my
Lord! Are You mocking me, although You are the Lord of the Worlds?” Ibn Mas‘ūd ()
laughed and asked (those listening), “Why don’t you ask me what I am laughing at?” They
(then) said, “Why did you laugh?” He explained, “It is in this way that the Messenger of
Allah () laughed.” The Companions of the Prophet () asked, “Why do you laugh,
Messenger of Allah?” He said, “On account of the Laugh of the Lord of the universe, when
the desirer of Paradise said, ‘Are You mocking me although You are the Lord of the Worlds?’
Allah will announce, ‘I am not mocking you, but I have power to do whatever I will.”
[Muslim, 187]
In another narration of the same tradition, Ibn Mas‘ūd () reported that when Allah () will
ask the man to enter Paradise, he will imagine that it is too crowded to the extent that he will
not find any room for himself. Then Allah () will order him again and again to enter
Paradise. Each time, the man will have the same feeling he had the first time.
Ibn Mas‘ūd () also narrated that when Allah () asked the man to enter Paradise and told
him that he would also have ten times that much, the man will exclaim, “Are You mocking
me though You are the King?” [Muslim, 186]
It is reported on the authority of al-Mughīrah bin Shu‘bah that the Messenger of Allah ()
said, “Moses asked his Lord, ‘Who amongst the inhabitants of Paradise is the lowest in rank?’
He (Allah []) replied, ‘The lowest in rank is the last person who will be admitted into
Paradise from among those deserving Paradise and are admitted into it. It will be said to him,
‘Enter Paradise.’ And the man will reply, ‘O’ my Lord! How shall I enter while the people
have settled in their apartments and taken their shares (portions)?’ It would be said to him,
‘Would you be pleased if there is the kingdom of a king amongst the kings of the world for
you?’ He will say, ‘I am pleased my Lord.’ Allah will announce, ‘For you is that, and like
that, and like that, and like that, and that.’ At the fifth (point), he will state. ‘I am very
pleased, My Lord.’ Allah will say, ‘It is for you and ten times like it. For you is what you
desire and your eye enjoys. The man will reply, ‘I am very pleased, my Lord.’” [Muslim, 189]
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No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy…
(Qur’an 32: 17), [Narrated by Muslim from Mughīrah, 189]
2. The traditions relating the events of the unseen future must be believed in because their
chain of narrators is true originating from the Prophet (). Whoever denies them will be in
great trouble.
3. This tradition supports the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wal Jamā‘ah (mainstream scholars) that
disobedient people who believe in the Oneness of Allah () will be sent to Hell for a
certain period of time after which they will be rescued by the Mercy of Allah ().
4. Man always yearns to attain more and more than what luxuries and pleasures he already
has. This is exemplified with the case of the man who will be the last to be saved from the
Fire and the last to enter Paradise.
5. Man is treacherous and does not keep his promises even with his Lord, but Allah ()
excuses him because He knows that man is unable to restrain himself from his desires.
6. Allah is All-Merciful to His people and responds to their invocations and requests. This is
the case with the man whose persistent requests will be continually responded to by Allah
() until He will grant him permission to enter Paradise.
7. This tradition shows the tremendous abilities that Allah () granted to human beings. The
man in the story argued with Allah many () times until he was granted everlasting
Paradise.
8. This tradition proves the attribute of laughter to Allah (), the Lord of the two worlds. It is
extremely impertinent to negate an Attribute of Allah () that the Prophet () approved.
The Laughter of Allah does not resemble by any means that of His creatures because He
laughs in a way that fits his Majesty and Glory as He says,
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…There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.
(Qur’an 42 : 11)
STORY (2)
Today, I Will Not Disobey You, O’ Ibrāhīm
Introduction
Prophet Abraham (Ibrāhīm []), the Friend of Allah (Khalīl Ar-Ramān), will meet his
father on the Day of Resurrection. Abraham will blame his father because he did not obey his
son when he was alive. However, on that Day, Ibrāhīm’s father promises to obey his son. So
Ibrāhīm will intercede with Allah on his father’s behalf. Will this intercession help Ibrāhīm’s
father? This is the story in this hadith.
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And mention in the Book [the Qur’an] Ibrāhīm [Abraham].Verily! He was a man of
truth, a Prophet. When he said to his father: ‘O’ my father! Why do you worship that
which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything? O’ my father! Verily!
There has come to me of knowledge that which came not unto you. So follow me. I
will guide you to a Straight Path. O’ my father! Worship not Shaytān [Satan]. Verily!
Shaytān [Satan] has been a rebel against the Most Beneficent [Allah]. O’ my father!
Verily! I fear lest a torment from the Most Beneficent [Allah] overtake you, so that you
become a companion of Shaytān [Satan] [in the Hell-fire].’ He [the father] said: ‘Do
you reject my gods, O’ Ibrāhīm [Abraham]? If you stop not [this], I will indeed stone
you. So get away from me safely before I punish you.’
(Qur’an 19: 41-46)
Those were the events that occurred between Ibrāhīm and his father during their lifetime.
However, on the Day of Resurrection, Ibrāhīm will meet his father who will have dust and
signs of depression on his face. At this moment, Ibrāhīm will remind his father of his advice
to abandon the worship of idols and to obey him. His father will say, “Today, I will not
disobey you, O’ Ibrāhīm.”
Allah () described Ibrāhīm as,
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… Awwāh [tender-hearted] and was forbearing…
( Qur’an 9:114)
Ibrāhīm () will continue to display forbearance even on the Day of Judgment and it is for
this reason he invokes Allah () to keep His Promise to him in the first life. That is to say,
not to disgrace him on the Day of Judgment,
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And disgrace me not on the Day when [all the creatures] will be resurrected. The Day
whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail. Except him who brings to Allah a clean
heart [clean from shirk (polytheism) and nifāq (hypocrisy)]. (Qur’an 26: 87-89)
On that Day, Ibrāhīm will request His Lord, “O’ my Lord! You promised not to disgrace me
on the Day of Resurrection. Nothing is more of a disgrace than having my father in Hell?”
This means: If you send my father to Hell, people there who know him will recognize him.
The inhabitants of Paradise might also see him in the fire and recognize that he is my father
and this disgraces me.
Allah (), the Lord of Honor and Majesty, will say to Ibrāhīm, “I have made Paradise
forbidden for disbelievers, and there is no exception to this order.” However, Allah () saves
Ibrāhīm () from disgrace without sending his father to Paradise, but by transforming him
into a slaughtered male hyena. Then, Allah () will ask Ibrāhīm () to look down at his feet
to find an ugly slaughtered hyena. Upon seeing this disgusting animal, Ibrāhīm () will lose
all mercy towards his father because Paradise is not the place for such filth. Ibrāhīm’s father
was blotted with sins and wrongdoings during his life and the proper place for people guilty
of such actions is Hell. This is exactly what was done to that animal which was Ibrāhīm’s
father. We seek refuge in Allah () from such a humiliating end.