Part 31

and she gave birth to a girl. I loved the girl in the true sense of the word. She grew up and started to walk.

Whenever I wanted to drink she came and poured it before my hands. When she was two years old she died

and I was very distressed and sad because of her death. Then when it was the fourteenth night of Sha'ban I

slept and I was very intoxicated. I saw in my dream as if we are on the Day of Judgment and I was raised

from my grave. Then there was a dragon following me and wanted to eat me. I fled from it but it did not

leave me alone. The more I ran fast, the more it hurried and I was very fearful. On my way I passed by an

old man with a clean and pure clothes and feeble body. I said, I entreat you to protect me from this tannin

which want to eat and destroy me. He said to me, O my son I an a very old man and I am not able to face

this tannin. But pass and hurry and may Allah protect you against it. I ran away and it. Followed me. I was

very near to the layers of the fire while they were boiling and I was about to fall into them. I heard someone

saying; rescue this wretched person before his enemy reaches him. Thereupon the gates were open and

curtains were pulled up and there were children, with faces like the moon, looking at me. My daughter was

amongst them and when she saw me she went down to a scale of light and beat it with her its right hand and

consequently the tannin ran away. She sat in my lap and said, O my father,

{has not the time arrived for the believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the

remembrance of Allah and of the truth which has been revealed ( to them)} (AI-Haddid: 16)

I said to her, "O my daughter do you know the Glorious Quran? She replied, "We know it more than

you, I said, "O my daughter, what do you do here? We are the Muslim children who died and were placed

here until the Day of Judgment awaiting you." I asked her, "O my daughter what is this dragon who wants

to destroy me? She said, "O my father, this is your odious deeds you strengthened it until it wants to

destroy you. I asked her who is this feeble man? She said, "This is your good deeds you weakened it until it

was unable to face your odious deeds. So repent to Allah and be not among those who are destroyed." Then

I rose from my sleep and I repented to Allah from this time.

Therefore, contemplate (may Allah have mercy towards you) the blessing of the death of children,

whether male or female, while they are younger. Their parents will have the reward of them if they are pa-

tient and seek the compensation from Allah and say, praise be to Allah, to Allah we belong and to him is

our return. They, in return, have what Allah has promised them,

{Who say, when afflicted with calamity: to Allah we belong.} (AI-Baqarah: 156)

i.e. we and our property is for Allah and He has the right to dispose with it as He wills. And to Him is

our return." this is an admission that every thing will be destroyed and every thing will return to Allah.

On the authority of Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, "The Messenger of Allah

(peace and blessings be upon him) said,

"Never is a person afflicted with calamity unless it is due to two things, either because of a sin which will

not be forgiven except by this calamity or because of a certain status which he will never attain except

"This nation was given something at time of calamity which the Prophets preceding it were deprived of i.e.,

{To Allah we belong and to Him is our return." He proceeded to say, "If the Prophets were granted with it,

it would be given to Jacob (pbuh) who said, "How great is my grief for Yusuf} (Yusuf: 84)

On the authority of Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said, I heard the Messenger

"Never is a person afflicted with a calamity and say, "To Allah we belong and to him is our return. 0 Allah!

Reward me in my calamity and compensate me with something better than it, and Allah not reward him and

compensate him with something better than it." Umm Salamah said, when Abu Salamah died, I said, who is

better than Abu Salamah then I said it and Allah compensated me with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)." 2

On the authority of AI-Shu'bi who said, Shuraih said, when I have been afflicted with a calamity. I thank

Allah four times, I thank Him that He did not afflict me with something more grievous than it, I thank Him

for granting me patience for it. I thank Him that he helped me to review what I hope of reward and I thank

Him that he did not make it in my religion. Allah the Almighty said,

{They are those on whom (descended) blessings from their Lord, and mercy, and they are the ones that

Here blessings mean mercy and forgiveness. {They are the ones that receive guidance} means, they are

the ones who are guided to review their works and deeds. It is also said that they are the ones who are

guided to Paradise and rewards.

One the authority of Sa'id Ibn AI-Musayyab from 'Umar Ibn AI Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him)

who said in his comment on, {They are the ones on whom (descended blessings from their Lord, and

mercy}, how blessed they are. He said also, {they are the ones that receive guidance.} how blessed is this

As for the person who is afflicted with a calamity and he displayed his dissatisfaction through wailing

and bursting in loud lamenting, slapping one's cheeks, ripping one's pockets, dishevelling, shaving, cutting

off, or plucking out one's hair. He will invoke Allah's wrath and curse upon himself whether he is a man or

It is also reported that beating over one's thighs at the time of calamity deprives the person the reward.

It is also reported that,

"Whoever is afflicted with a calamity and he tears his clothes, slaps his face, rips his pockets or plucks

out his hair, he resembles the one who takes his arrow and wants to fight Allah."

It is previously mentioned that Allah does not torture the people because of the tears of the eyes or the

grief of the heart. Rather He tortures them for the returns of their tongues and what they say at the time of

affliction of loud lamenting and crying. It is also previously mentioned that the dead is tortured with what

he was lamented with. So, if the woman laments and says O my sustainer, O my helper, or the one who

clothes me, the person will be tortured and it will be said to him, are you her sustainer, are you her helper,

are you the one who clothes her? Therefore, loud lamenting is not allowed for it enraged the grief and

encourages impatience. It "also goes against the satisfaction with Allah's destiny and submitting to Allah's

Salih AI-Mari said, once one Thursday evening I was among the graves and sleep overcome me. I saw

in my dream as if the graves were cracked and the dead were raised and sat in many sessions (circles) and

upon them there were covered plates descended. There was amongst them a young man who was tormented

with all types of torture. I went to him and asked, O young man, why are you tortured from amongst these

people? He said to me, O Salih, I entreat you to transfer what I will say to you and pay the trust arid be

merciful to rescue me from my grief, may Allah the Almighty make you the one who will bring me

salvation. When I died and my mother gathered many women and lamented and wailed over me every day.

I was tormented with their wailing and the fire surrounded me from all directions because of what they

said. May Allah not reward her with any good because of me. Then he started weeping until I wept due to

his state. He then said O Salih go to my mother, and he told me about her place, and say to her, why do you

torment your son? She brought me up and protected me against misfortunes and when I died she threw me

into the torture. O my mother, if you saw my state, the chains in my neck, the cuffs in my feet, and the

angels of torture beating me, you will be merciful towards me. If you do not give up what you say of

wailing and lamenting, Allah will judge between you and me on the Day of Judgment. Salih said, I woke

up in fear and stayed in my place until the time of dawn. In the morning, I went to this village and I had no

concern except to reach the house of the mother of this young man. I asked about her and I reached her.

The door of her house was blackened and the sound of lamenting and wailing was heard from outside of the

house. I knocked the door and there came an old woman and said what do you want? I said, I want the

mother of the youth who died. She asked what do you want from her? She is engaged with her grief. I said

to her summon her for I have a message for her from her son. She entered and told her. The mother came

out wearing black clothes and her face was black out of oft wailing and weeping. She asked me who I was?

I said, I am Salih AI Mari. Yesterday I was at the graves and so and so have happened to me with your son.

I saw him tortured and saying, O my mother, you brought me up and protected me against misfortunes and

when I died you threw me into the torture. If you do not give up what you say of wailing and lamenting,

Allah will judge between you and me on the Day of Judgment. Upon hearing that, she fell unconscious.