Riyad al-Salihin from the Words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter on Fear.
On the authority of al-Miqdad, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"The sun will be brought close to the creation on the Day of Resurrection,
until it is within a distance of a mil from them."
Sulaym Ibn 'Amir, the narrator from al-Miqdad, said:
"By Allah, I do not know what he meant by 'mil'—
whether it was the measure of distance on earth, or the stylus used to apply kohl to the eye.
People will then be immersed in sweat according to their deeds:
some will have it up to their ankles,
some will have it up to their knees,
some will have it up to their waists,
and some will be bridled by the sweat up to their mouths."
And the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, pointed with his hand to his mouth.
Related by Muslim.
"Tudna" means brought close.
"Haqwayhi" refers to the waist where the lower garment is tied,
and what is meant is the level corresponding to that position on the sides of the body.
"Yuljimuhu" means it reaches his mouth and his ears,
so it acts upon him like a bridle upon beasts.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
An explanation of the horrors of the Day of Resurrection and the severity of the Gathering.
The distress experienced by people in the standing of the Day of Resurrection will be in accordance with their deeds.
Encouragement to perform righteous deeds,
and deterrence against evil deeds.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"People will sweat on the Day of Resurrection
until their sweat soaks into the earth seventy cubits deep,
and it will bridle them until it reaches their ears."
Agreed upon.
The meaning of "it goes into the earth"
is that it sinks and penetrates deep down.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
An explanation of the horrors of the Day of Resurrection,
and a warning against evil deeds.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
We were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
when he heard a thud, and said:
"Do you know what this is?"
We said: "Allah and His Messenger know best."
He said: "This is a stone cast into the Fire seventy autumns ago;
it has been falling through the Fire until now,
when it finally reached its bottom,
and you heard its thud."
Related by Muslim.
"Wajbah" means the sound of a falling object hitting the ground.
"Kharifan" means a year.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The immense depth of Hellfire and the vast distance to its bottom;
and that its fuel is people and stones.
This signifies the severity of its torment,
which demands fearing it.
The honor bestowed upon the Companions
in allowing them to hear the sound of its impact,
just as they heard the moaning of the palm trunk.
This was an honor from Him to His servants,
so that they might take heed, return, and repent.
The recommendation of attributing knowledge to Allah the Exalted
regarding matters of which a person has no knowledge.
The teacher's method of stimulating interest and attention
before explaining the matter, so that it is more conducive
to comprehension.
On the authority of 'Adiyy Ibn Hatim, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
“And not one of you could have held Us off from him.” (69:47)
"There is none among you but that his Lord will speak to him,
with no interpreter between them.
He will look to his right,
and see nothing except what he sent forth;
he will look to his left,
and see nothing except what he sent forth;
and he will look ahead,
and see nothing except the Fire facing him.
So guard yourselves against the Fire, even with half a date."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
“And when Satan made their deeds seem fair to them and said: No-one of mankind can conquer you this day, for I am your protector. But when the armies came in sight of one another, he took flight, saying: Lo! I am guiltless of you. Lo! I see that which ye see not. Lo! I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in punishment.” (8:48)
"I see what you do not see, and I hear what you do not hear:
the heaven has creaked,
and it has every right to creak;
there is not a space of four fingers therein
except that there is an angel placing his forehead,
prostrating to Allah the Exalted.
By Allah, if you knew what I know,
you would laugh little and weep much,
you would not take pleasure in women in your beds,
and you would go out to the highlands,
crying aloud to Allah the Exalted for help."
Related by al-Tirmidhi.
"Attat", "ta'ittu", and "al-atit"
refer to the creaking sound of a camel saddle, its wooden frame, and the like.
The meaning is that the multitude of those in heaven—
from among the worshipping angels—
have weighed it down so heavily that it has creaked.
"Al-Su'udat" means the open roads and pathways.
And the meaning of "taj'arun"
is that you cry out for help.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The more a believer increases in knowledge
of the greatness, power, and majesty of Allah,
the more his fear of His punishment increases,
just as his yearning for His reward increases.
Consequently, he abandons sin and multiplies acts of obedience,
which fulfills the purpose of moral responsibility,
yielding reward and punishment.
Among the characteristics of the believer
are fear and reverent awe of Allah, Glorified is He,
though it must not lead him to despair
and hopelessness of His mercy.
Encouragement to seek deliverance through the mercy of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
The inhabitants of heaven are obedient to Allah,
constantly prostrating to Him, never negligent.
On the authority of Abu Barzah,
Nadlah Ibn 'Ubayd al-Aslami, may Allah be pleased with him:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"A servant's feet will not move
until he is asked about his life and how he spent it,
about his knowledge and what he did with it,
about his wealth: from where he earned it
and on what he spent it,
and about his body and how he wore it out."
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Allah's blessings upon His servants are numerous;
therefore, Allah will question him about the comforts he enjoyed.
The believing servant
channels Allah's blessings into what pleases Allah.
Encouragement to seize life's opportunities in what pleases Allah the Exalted,
to have sincerity in deeds,
and to acquire wealth through lawful means
so that it is halal,
spending it on avenues of goodness and what Allah has commanded.
Guarding the body from what Allah has forbidden,
and dedicating it to the obedience of Allah, Glorified is He.
A person should acquire beneficial knowledge,
act upon it purely for the sake of Allah the Exalted,
thereby benefiting himself and others.
Man's accountability on the Day of Resurrection,
and that he is held answerable for his deeds.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, recited:
"On that Day it will declare its reports,"
then said:
"Do you know what its reports are?"
They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best."
He said:
"Indeed, its reports are that it will testify against every servant,
male or female, concerning what they did upon it,
saying: 'He did such-and-such
on such-and-such a day.'
These are its reports."
Related by al-Tirmidhi.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The best way to interpret the Book of Allah
is through the words of His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Encouragement to perform acts of obedience,
and to keep away from sin.
The power of Allah the Exalted to grant speech
to whatever He wills of His creation,
as the earth will testify to what occurred upon it
of good and evil.
Allah will bring witnesses against the servant on the Day of Resurrection:
the recorded scrolls, his hearing, his sight,
his skin, his hands, his feet,
and the earth, as established in the Book and the Sunnah,
so that irrefutable proof is established.
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri,
may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"How can I be at ease
when the bearer of the Horn has already taken the Horn into his mouth,
turned his ear, and is listening intently,
waiting to be commanded to blow so that he may blow?"
It was as though this weighed heavily on the Companions of the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
so he said: "Say: 'Allah is sufficient for us, and an excellent Trustee is He.'"
Related by al-Tirmidhi.
"Al-Qarn" is the Trumpet (Sur) mentioned in the words of Allah the Exalted:
"And the Trumpet will be blown."
That is how the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, explained it.
"How can I be at ease?"
means: How can I enjoy life or feel joyous?
"The bearer of the Horn"
refers to the angel entrusted with blowing it.
"Ilaqama" means he placed his mouth upon it.
"Thaqula" means it became grave and distressing.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Among the duties of the angels is blowing into the Trumpet,
for the one who blows into the Trumpet is an angel.
The angels act only by the command of Allah the Exalted;
therefore, he has turned his ear,
awaiting the command from Allah.
Fear of the coming of the Day of Resurrection.
Encouragement to seek help from Allah the Exalted alone,
to take refuge in Him,
and to hasten to righteous deeds.
The compassion of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
for his Ummah,
and his fear that the Hour might come upon them,
knowing well that it will only come upon
the worst of creation.
Whoever feels burdened by anything and says,
"Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs,"
nothing will harm him,
and he will return with grace and favor from Allah,
untouched by harm.
And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Whoever fears sets out early in the night,
and whoever sets out early reaches the destination.
Truly, the merchandise of Allah is precious;
truly, the merchandise of Allah is Paradise."
Reported by al-Tirmidhi.
"Sets out early" (adlaja) means traveling during the early part of the night,
and what is meant is exerting serious effort in acts of obedience,
and Allah knows best.
"Whoever fears," meaning fears a night ambush;
"reaches the destination," meaning a place of safety
from night attacks.
"The merchandise," meaning the goods,
meaning of exquisite and elevated value.
Among the lessons derived from the hadith:
One must devote serious attention to acts of obedience
and hasten to break free from sin.
Whoever neglects repentance
will fail to grasp his true reality and his ultimate destiny in the Hereafter;
thus you see him stranded in the wilderness of sin,
confusion, and abandonment.
One ought to give generously and spend frequently in charity.
And on the authority of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
say:
"People will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection
barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised."
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
men and women together,
looking at one another?"
He said, "O 'A'ishah,
— and in another narration:
the matter will be too terrifying for them to look
at one another."
Agreed upon.
"Uncircumcised" (ghurlan) means not circumcised;
"barefoot" means having on their feet
neither shoes nor leather socks;
"naked" means having upon their bodies
no garments.
A clarification of the terrors of the Day of Resurrection,
and that nothing will distract a person
from his reckoning and deeds.
A description of people's state on the Day of Gathering,
and that they will be naked, men
and women alike.
An emphasis that a person falls into sin
only during heedlessness and distance
from the remembrance of Allah
or from recalling His punishment;
for had one not been heedless of His remembrance, His gratitude,
and His fine worship for even the blink of an eye,
one would not falter. Thus you see the people at the Gathering
utterly consumed with their own souls,
none looking at another.
The profound modesty of the women during the era of
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him);
for here is 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her),
upon hearing that creation will be gathered naked,
both men and women,
from Riyad al-Salihin.