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Brother Hussain Ye said something very important. Even when we are praying all alone, we don't say "Guide
me to the straight path." but we are representing the ummah (praying for guidance). The other thing is intercession. We need to take 2:123 along with 20:109:
2:123. And guard (yourselves) against a day when no soul will in aught avail
another, nor will compensation be accepted from it, nor will intercession be of use to it; nor will they be helped.
20:109. On that day no intercession availeth save (that of) him unto whom the Beneficent hath given leave and whose word He accepteth.
Sahih Muslim. Version 1.03 - Translated by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui
Book 1: The Book of Faith (Kitab Al-Iman), Number 0352,
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported:
[...] Then the bridge would be set up over the Hell and intercession would be allowed and they will say: O God, keep safe, keep safe.
It was asked: Messenger of Allah, what is this bridge? He said: The void in which one Is likely to slip. There would be hooks, tongs, spits like the thorn that is found in Najd and is known as Sa'dan. The believers would then pass over within the twinkling of an eye, like lightning, like wind, like a bird, like the finest horses and camels. Some will escape and be safe, some will be lacerated and let go, and some will be pushed into the fire of Hell till the believers will find rescue from the Fire. By One in Whose hand is my life, there will be none among you more eager to claim a right than the believers on the Day of Resurrection for (saving their) brethren in the Fire who would say: O our Lord, they were fasting along with us, and praying and performing pilgrimage. It will be said to them: Take out those whom you recognise. Then their persons would be forbidden to the Fire; and they would take out a large number of people who had been overtaken by Fire up to the middle of the shank or up to the knees. They would then say: O our Lord I not one [sic, don't have another reference with me at hand] of those about whom Thou didst give us command remains in it. He will then say: Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find good of the weight of a dinar Then they will take out a large number of people. Then they would say: O our Lord! we have not left anyone about whom You commanded us. He will then say: Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find as much as half a dinar of good. Then they will take out a large number of people, and would say: O our Lord! not one of those about whom Thou commanded us we have left in it. Then He would say: Go back and in whose heart you find good to the weight of a particle bring him out. They would bring out a large number of people, and would then say: O our Lord, now we have not left anyone in it (Hell) having any good in him.
Abu Sa'id Khudri said: If you don't testify me in this hadith, then recite if you like:" Surely Allah wrongs not the weight of an atom; and if it is a good deed. He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward" (al-Qur'an, iv. 40). Then Allah, Exalted and Great, would say: The angels have interceded, the apostles have interceded and the believers have interceded, and no one remains (to grant pardon) but the Most Merciful of the mercifuls. He will then take a handful from Fire and bring out from it people who never did any good and who had been turned into charcoal, and will cast them into a river called the river of life, on the outskirts of Paradise. [They will come out as a seed comes cut from the silt carried by flood. You see it near the stone or near the tree. That which is exposed to the sun is yellowish or greenish and which is under the shade is white. They said: Messenger of Allah! it seems as if you had been tending a flock in the jungle. He (the Holy Prophet) said: They will come forth like pearls with seals on their necks. The inhabitants of Paradise would recognise them (and say): Those are who have been set free by the Compassionate One. Who has admitted them into Paradise without any (good) deed that they did or any good that they sent in advance Then He would say: Enter the Paradise; whatever you see in it is yours. They would say: O Lord, Thou hast bestowed upon us (favours) which Thou didst not bestow upon anyone else in the world. He would say: There is with Me (a favour) for you better than this. They would say: O our Lord! which thing is better than this? He would say: It is My pleasure. I will never be angry with you after this.
We can compare the "material" of dunya and jannah with the following hadith:
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 477,
Narrated by Sahl ibn Sa'id as-Sa'idi:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If in the sight of Allah the world had the value equal to that of the wing of a mosquito, He would not have allowed a disbeliever even to drink a mouthful of water out of it.
There are palaces in jannah and even the tents are so spacious that one can't see as far as the end of it Subhanallah!
23:23-61 give a depiction of the messengers Allah sent for guiding mankind and it ends with (I compared the translations):
Bismillah-hir-Rahman-nir-Raheem.
Surah 23:
51. (Our saying was) O ye messengers! eat (and enjoy all) things good and pure, and work righteousness: for indeed, I am All-Knowing of what ye do.
52. And lo! this your Brotherhood is one Brotherhood and I am your Lord, so keep your duty unto Me.
53. But they cut off their affair (of unity), between them, into sects: each group rejoices in what it has.*
*AYA: [...] each sect rejoices in its own narrow doctrine, instead of taking the universal teaching of Unity from God. But this sectarian confusion is of man's making. It will last for a time, but the rays of Truth and Unity will finally dissipate it.
54. So leave them in their error till a time.
55. Think they that in the wealth and sons wherewith We provide them
56. We hasten unto them with good things? Nay, but they perceive not.
57. Lo! those who go in awe for fear of their Lord.
58. And those who believe in the Signs of their Lord,
59. And those who join not (in worship) partners with their Lord;
60. And those who give that which they give (in Charity) with hearts afraid because they are about to return unto their Lord,
61. These race for the good things, and they shall win them in the race.
I recommend that you study this whole surah with the file below sister. You know Urdu right? I found it easy to follow the recitation while simultaneously reading the translation (being able to recognize one or more words in every ayah). If its of use to you, here is a word by word translation, and
www.reciter.org allows recitation verse by verse:
http://www.emuslim.com/wordforword/j...18-477-483.pdf http://www.emuslim.com/wordforword/j...18-484-490.pdf (don't know why they still gave the contextual translation of "religion" to "ummah").
http://www.archive.org/download/Qura...s/023_64kb.mp3
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