A man came to Ibrahim ibn Adham (may Allah be pleased with him) and said:
“Abu Ishaq, I am unable to control myself. Please give me something to help me.”
“If you accept five conditions,” said Ibrahim, “and are able to put them into practice, your disobedience will not cause you any problem.”
“Just tell me what they are, Abu Ishaq!” the man said.
“The first is that when you want to disobey Allah you do not eat anything He provides.”
“Then how will I get anything to eat? Everything on the earth is from Him!”
“So, is it right to eat His provision and disobey Him at the same time?” replied Ibrahim.
“No, it is not. What is the second condition?”
“When you want to disobey Him, move off His land.”
“That is even more difficult!” exclaimed the man. “In that case where will I live?”
“Is it right to eat His provision and live on His land and then disobey Him?” asked Ibrahim.
“No, it is not. What is the third condition?”
“When you want to disobey Him in spite of eating His provision and living on His land, find a place where He will not see you and disobey Him there.”
“What do you mean, Ibrahim? He knows everything that happens even in the most hidden places!”
“So, is it right to disobey Him when you eat His provision and live on His land and when you know that He can see everything you do?”
“It certainly is not!” the man replied. “Tell me the fourth condition.”
“That when the Angel of Death arrives to take your soul, you say to him, ‘Give me a reprieve so that I can repent and act righteously for Allah.’”
“But he won’t listen to me!”
“Then if you cannot ward off death long enough to give yourself time to repent, and you know that when it comes there will be no reprieve, how can you hope to be saved?”
“What is the fifth?”
“That when the Angels of the Fire come to you to take you to the Fire, you do not go with them.”
“They will take me whether I like it or not!” exclaimed the man.
“So how can you hope to be saved?”
“Enough, enough, Ibrahim! I ask Allah’s forgiveness and I turn to Him!”
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Namaz--Very Powerful Story
There were only 15 minutes left before Salat-ul Isha.
He quickly made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib.
While making Tasbih, he again remembered his grandmother and was
embarrassed by how he had prayed.
His grandmother prayed with such tranquillity and peace.
He began making Dua and went down to make Sajdah and stayed like that for
a while.He had been at work all day and was tired, so tired.
He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and shouting.
He was sweating profusely.
He looked around.
It was very crowded.
Every direction he looked in was filled with people.
Some stood frozen looking around, some were running left and right and
some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just waiting.
Pure fear and apprehension filled him as he realized where he was.
His heart was about to burst.
It was the Day of Judgment.
When he was alive, he had heard many things about the questioning on the
Day of Judgment, but that seemed so long ago.
Could this be something his mind made up?
No, the wait and the fear were so great that he could not have imagined
this.
The interrogation was still going on.
He began moving frantically from people to people to ask if his name had
been called.
No one could answer him.
All of a sudden his name was called and the crowd split into two and made
a passageway for him.
Two angels grabbed his arms and led him forward.
He walked with unknowing eyes through the crowd.
The angels brought him to the centre and left him there.
His head was bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his
eyes like a movie.
He opened his eyes but saw only another world.
The people were all helping others.
He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his
wealth in the way of Islam.
His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set
while the other was being cleared.
He pleaded his case,
'I too was always on this path.
I helped others.
I spread the word of Allah.
I performed my Salah.
I fasted in the month of Ramadhan.
Whatever Allah ordered us to do, I did.
Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not.'
He began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah.
He knew that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah
deserved and his only protector was Allah He was sweating like never
before and was shaking all over.
His eyes were fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision.
At last, the decision was made.
The two angels with sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd.
His legs felt like they were going to collapse.
He closed his eyes as they began
To read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam.
His name was read first.
He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn't be,
'How could I go to Jahannam?
I served others all my life,
I spread the word of Allah to others'.
His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat.
The two angels took him by the arms.
As his feet dragged, they went through the crowd and advanced toward the
blazing flames of Jahannam.
He was yelling and wondered if there was any person who was going to help
him.
He was yelling of all the good deeds he had done, how he had helped his
father, his fasts, prayers, the Noble Qur'an that he read, he was asking
if none of them would help him.
The Jahannam angels continued to drag him.
They had gotten closer to the Hellfire.
He looked back and these were his last pleas.
Had not Rasoolullah (Sallallaho Alaihi Wasallam) said,
'How clean would a person be who bathes in a river five times a day, so
too does the Salah performed five times cleanse someone of their sins'?
He began yelling,
'My prayers? My prayers? My prayers.?'
The two angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of
Jahannam.
The flames of the fire were burning his face.
He looked back one last time, but his eyes were dry of hope and he had
nothing left in him.
One of the angels pushed him in.
He found himself in the air and falling towards the flames.
He had just fallen five or six feet when a hand grabbed him by the arm
and pulled him back.
He lifted his head and saw an old man with a long white beard.
He wiped some dust off himself and asked him,
'Who are you?'
The old man replied,
'I am your prayers'.
'Why are you so late ! I was almost in the Fire !
You rescued me at the last minute before I fell in'.
The old man smiled and shook his head,
'You always performed me at the last minute, did you forget?'
At that instant, he blinked and lifted his head from Sajdah.
He was in a sweat.
He listened to the voices coming from outside.
He heard the Adhan for Salat-ul Isha.
He got up quickly and went to perform Wudhu.
He quickly made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib.
While making Tasbih, he again remembered his grandmother and was
embarrassed by how he had prayed.
His grandmother prayed with such tranquillity and peace.
He began making Dua and went down to make Sajdah and stayed like that for
a while.He had been at work all day and was tired, so tired.
He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and shouting.
He was sweating profusely.
He looked around.
It was very crowded.
Every direction he looked in was filled with people.
Some stood frozen looking around, some were running left and right and
some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just waiting.
Pure fear and apprehension filled him as he realized where he was.
His heart was about to burst.
It was the Day of Judgment.
When he was alive, he had heard many things about the questioning on the
Day of Judgment, but that seemed so long ago.
Could this be something his mind made up?
No, the wait and the fear were so great that he could not have imagined
this.
The interrogation was still going on.
He began moving frantically from people to people to ask if his name had
been called.
No one could answer him.
All of a sudden his name was called and the crowd split into two and made
a passageway for him.
Two angels grabbed his arms and led him forward.
He walked with unknowing eyes through the crowd.
The angels brought him to the centre and left him there.
His head was bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his
eyes like a movie.
He opened his eyes but saw only another world.
The people were all helping others.
He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his
wealth in the way of Islam.
His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set
while the other was being cleared.
He pleaded his case,
'I too was always on this path.
I helped others.
I spread the word of Allah.
I performed my Salah.
I fasted in the month of Ramadhan.
Whatever Allah ordered us to do, I did.
Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not.'
He began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah.
He knew that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah
deserved and his only protector was Allah He was sweating like never
before and was shaking all over.
His eyes were fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision.
At last, the decision was made.
The two angels with sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd.
His legs felt like they were going to collapse.
He closed his eyes as they began
To read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam.
His name was read first.
He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn't be,
'How could I go to Jahannam?
I served others all my life,
I spread the word of Allah to others'.
His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat.
The two angels took him by the arms.
As his feet dragged, they went through the crowd and advanced toward the
blazing flames of Jahannam.
He was yelling and wondered if there was any person who was going to help
him.
He was yelling of all the good deeds he had done, how he had helped his
father, his fasts, prayers, the Noble Qur'an that he read, he was asking
if none of them would help him.
The Jahannam angels continued to drag him.
They had gotten closer to the Hellfire.
He looked back and these were his last pleas.
Had not Rasoolullah (Sallallaho Alaihi Wasallam) said,
'How clean would a person be who bathes in a river five times a day, so
too does the Salah performed five times cleanse someone of their sins'?
He began yelling,
'My prayers? My prayers? My prayers.?'
The two angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of
Jahannam.
The flames of the fire were burning his face.
He looked back one last time, but his eyes were dry of hope and he had
nothing left in him.
One of the angels pushed him in.
He found himself in the air and falling towards the flames.
He had just fallen five or six feet when a hand grabbed him by the arm
and pulled him back.
He lifted his head and saw an old man with a long white beard.
He wiped some dust off himself and asked him,
'Who are you?'
The old man replied,
'I am your prayers'.
'Why are you so late ! I was almost in the Fire !
You rescued me at the last minute before I fell in'.
The old man smiled and shook his head,
'You always performed me at the last minute, did you forget?'
At that instant, he blinked and lifted his head from Sajdah.
He was in a sweat.
He listened to the voices coming from outside.
He heard the Adhan for Salat-ul Isha.
He got up quickly and went to perform Wudhu.
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