ar- Raqâ’iq - The Heart Softening Narrations

Abû Ja'far reported that the Messenger of Allâh (peace be upon him) recited: {"Is the one whose heart Allâh has opened to Islâm - so that he is upon a light from his Lord – as the one who isn't?"} [az-Zumar; 22] and then said: "Verily, this light, when it descends into the heart, it accommodates it and opens up to it." He (peace be upon him) was asked: "O Messenger of Allâh! Does this have signs by which we can know of it?" He (peace be upon him) said: "Yes - to turn away from the abode of deception (the Dunyâ), to incline towards the abode of eternity (Paradise), and to prepare for death before it arrives."

[Wakee' bin al-Jarraah's 'Kitaab az-Zuhd]

A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allâh! Verily, Allâh has blessed all of the Muslims with you, so single me out for some good that you have not given anyone else." He (peace be upon him) said: "Will you accept the advice that I give you?" He said: "Yes." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "If you intend to do something, then consider its consequences. If they are good, then carry it out. If they are doubtful, then do not. Get up, and let us go."

[Wakee' bin al-Jarraah's 'Kitaab az-Zuhd]

It was said: "The likeness of the one who performs good deeds in order to show off and have a good reputation is like the one who goes out to the marketplace and fills his bags with stones, and as a result, the people say: "Look at how stuffed this man's bags are!" So, he gains nothing except what the people say about him, and if he wishes to trade these stones for something, he will get nothing in return for them. Similarly, the one who performs good deeds for show-off and reputation; there is no benefit for him in his actions other than what the people say about him, and no reward awaits him in the Hereafter, as Allah - the Exalted - says: {"And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make them as scattered floating particles of dust."} [al-Furqan;23]

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

It was narrated that a man asked: "The people say that I am a righteous person, so how can I tell whether or not I am righteous?" So, it was said to him: "First, expose your secrets in front of the righteous. If they are pleased with you, then know that you are righteous. If they are not, then you are not righteous. Second, offer the dunya to your heart. If it rejects it, then know that you are righteous. If it accepts it, then you are not. Third: offer the possibility of death to your soul. If it longs for death, then know that you are righteous. If not, then you are not. If these three characteristics are combined in you, then ask Allah to prevent any show-off from entering upon your actions so that they would not become ruined.

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

A man would say to his son: "I am amazed at the one upon whom death descends while he has his sanity and his tongue, yet he is still unable to describe death." So, when this man had death descend upon him, his son asked him why he did not describe death for him even though he had his sanity and his tongue. The man answered: "O son! Verily, death is greater than could be described, but I will attempt to describe it for you somewhat. By Allah, it is as if I have a mountain upon my shoulders, and it is as if my soul is being extracted from the tip of a needle, and it is as if I have a thorny plant in my throat, and it is as if the heavens have smashed into the earth and I am in between them."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

It was said: "Verily, the people of Hell will call out to one of the angels guarding it, and he will not answer them for forty years. Then, he will say to them: {"Verily, you shall abide forever."} [az-Zukhruf; 77] Then, they will call upon their Lord: {"Our Lord! Take us out of it (Hell), and if we were to return, then we would indeed be wrong-doers!"} [al-Mu'minun; 107], and the amount of time that He will wait without answering them will be equal to twice the amount of time that the World existed. Then, He will say to them: {"Remain in it forever, and do not speak to Me."} [al-Mu'minun; 108] By Allah, after this, the people will not speak a single word, and there will not be except the inhalation and exhalation of the Hell-Fire, and their voices will be like those of screaming donkeys inbetween the inhalations and exhalations of the Fire." The narrator of this athar (who was one of the Tabi'in) commented by saying: "O people! Do you have the capacity to withstand this? Are you patient enough to withstand this? O people! Obedience to Allah is easier upon you than this, so obey Him!"

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

It was narrated: "Verily, a woman of this world - if she makes it to Paradise - will be more virtuous and preferred over the Hur al-'Ayn because of her actions in this world."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

It was said: "When Allah banished Adam and Eve to the earth, and they first encountered the scent of the Dunya and had been deprived of the scent of Paradise, they were overwhelmed by the stink of the Dunya for over forty days."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

It was said: "The nation of Muhammad prays a prayer that - had they prayed it - the people of Nuh would not have drowned, and the people of 'Ad would not have had the deadly wind blown upon them. Pray, for it is from the beautiful characteristics of the believers."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

It was said: "The repentance of Adam was accepted for five reasons, and the repentance of Iblis was not accepted for five reasons. As for the repentance of Adam, then it was accepted because he admitted his sin, regretted it, blamed himself, was quick to repent, and did not lose hope of attaining Allah's Mercy. As for Iblis, then his repentence was not accepted because he refused to admit that he had committed a sin, he did not regret it, did not blame himself, was not quick to repent, and lost hope in attaining the Mercy of Allah. Therefore, whoever's situation is similar to that of Adam, then his repentance will be accepted. Likewise, whoever's situation is similar to that of Iblis, then his repentence will not be accepted."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

It was said:

Are you pleased to weep while your tears are of water? * Verily, the tears of the sinners are of blood

For sins are the disease * And weeping is the cure

Beware of your desires, and you will find pleasure * For the basis of all misguidance is the desire

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

Imaam al-Awzaa’ee (rahimahullaah) said,

“Knowledge is what comes from the Companions of Muhammad (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) and that which does not come from a single one of them is not knowledge.

[Jaami Bayaan al-Ilm (2/36)]

It was once asked: "Who is the sincere one?" It was answered: "The sincere one is the one who hides his good deeds the same way he hides his bad deeds."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

It was said: "Preserving an act of obedience is more difficult than performing it, because it is like a glass lamp that is easily broken and cannot withstand rough treatment. Likewise, the good action, if it is exposed to show-off, it breaks. And if it is exposed to its performer being pleased with himself, then it breaks. If a person wants to perform an action and fears that he will show-off with it, then if he is able to throw out this riya' from his heart, then he should exert all efforts in doing so. If he is unable to do so, then he should not abandon performing this act because of the possibility of showing off; rather, he should perform it, then seek Allah's forgiveness for what he might have had of riya'. It might be that Allah will guide him to having sincerity in other actions of his."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

Know that you were created to die, and there is no way around this, as Allah says: {"...you will die and they will die..."} [az-Zumar; 30], and He says: {"Say: running away will not save you if you attempt to escape from death or killing."} [al-Ahzab; 16].

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

It was narrated: "Verily, the people of the Fire will be tortured for one thousand years, then they will say: "During our lives, if we were patient, we were eventually given a way out of our troubles." So, they will be patient for one thousand more years without their punishment being lightened for them. Then, they will say: {"It does not matter whether we rage or patiently endure; we have no place of refuge."} [Ibrahim; 21] Then, they will call upon Allah - the Exalted - for one thousand years to send some rain upon them out of their extreme thirst and intense torture so that they would be relieved of the intense temperatures and extreme thirst. So, after they supplicate for one thousand years, Allah - the Exalted - will say to Jibril: "What do they ask for?" Jibril will answer: "O Lord, You are more Knowing of them. They ask for rain." So, red clouds will appear above them, and they will think that rain will pour from these clouds. Instead, blackened scorpions will pour down upon them, one sting of which throbs with pain for over one thousand years. Then, they will again ask Allah - the Exalted - for one thousand years to provide them with rain, and then black clouds will appear above them. They will say: "These are rain clouds!" But instead, snakes like the necks of camels will pour out of the clouds, one bite of which throbs with pain for over one thousand years, and this is the meaning of the saying of the Exalted: {"We will add torment upon torment for them because of the corruption that they used to perform."} [an-Nahl; 88]."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

It was said: "The ground in Paradise is made of silver, its dust is made of musk, the trunks of its trees are made of gold and silver, the branches of its trees are made of pearls and gems, with its leaves and fruits growing out from them. So, whoever eats standing will not be harmed, whoever eats sitting will not be harmed, and whoever eats laying down will not be harmed, as Allah says: {"...and the bunches of fruit thereof will hang low within their reach."} [al-Insan; 14] That is, these fruits will be within their reach whether they are standing, sitting, or laying down."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

Abu Khaithama narrated to us, saying: Jareer reported to us from Al-A'amash from Abu Waa’il that he said: 'Abdullaah [Ibn Mas’ood] (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) said:

"If the knowledge of 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) were to be placed on one scale of a balance and the knowledge of all the inhabitants of the world (at that time) were to be placed on the other scale, the knowledge of 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) would surely outweigh it."

Abu Khaithama narrated to us, saying: ‘Abd-ur-Rahmaan Ibn Mahdee reported to us, saying: Moosaa Ibn ‘Ullay reported to us from his father that he said:

"Whenever a man would ask Zayd Ibn Thaabit (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) concerning a matter, he would say: ‘Is this for the sake of Allaah?’ So if the person would say: ‘Yes’, then he would speak about it. And if not, then he would not speak."