Part of Riyad as-Salihin — Gardens of the Righteous (series completed)
· Lesson 55 of 190
Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (65) | Chapter on the virtue of hope, and chapter on combining fear and hope
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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*Riyad al-Salihin* from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Chapter on the Virtue of Hope.
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Allah Almighty said, reporting about the righteous servant:
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“And ye will remember what I say unto you. I confide my cause unto Allah. Lo! Allah is Seer of (His) slaves.” (40:44)
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“And ye will remember what I say unto you. I confide my cause unto Allah. Lo! Allah is Seer of (His) slaves.” (40:44)
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“So Allah warded off from him the evils which they plotted, while a dreadful doom encompassed Pharaoh's folk,” (40:45)
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
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from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that he said:
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"Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said:
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'I am as My servant expects Me to be,
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and I am with him wherever he remembers Me.
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By Allah, Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than one of you would be upon finding his lost mount in a barren desert.
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Whoever draws near to Me by a handspan,
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I draw near to him by an arm's length;
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and whoever draws near to Me by an arm's length,
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I draw near to him by a fathom;
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and if he comes to Me walking,
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I come to him at speed.'"
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Agreed upon.
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And this is the wording of one of the narrations in Muslim.
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And it is narrated in the two *Sahih* collections:
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"And I am with him when (*heena*) he remembers Me," with the letter *nun*,
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while in this narration it is "wherever (*haythu*)," with the letter *tha'*.
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And both are authentic.
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"As My servant expects Me to be":
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meaning, in his hoping in Me and thinking well of Me.
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"His lost mount (*dalatuhu*)":
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meaning, his riding beast that he had lost,
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which carried his provisions and his water.
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"The barren desert (*al-fala*)":
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meaning, the land in which there is no water.
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Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
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Affirming the attributes of Speech, Joy, and Coming for Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He.
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And what is obligatory regarding this subject
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is affirmation without resemblance (to creation),
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and transcendence without negation.
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Encouragement to think well of Allah and to hope for His mercy,
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and hastening to repent and draw close to Him through acts of obedience.
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Affirming the special accompaniment (*al-ma'iyyah*) specific to the believers,
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which entails care, protection,
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divine guidance, victory, and support;
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and it is distinct from the general accompaniment
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that encompasses all of creation,
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which is by His all-encompassing knowledge.
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And on the authority of Jabir Ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both,
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that he heard the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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say three days before his death:
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"Let none of you die except while thinking well of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious."
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Narrated by Muslim.
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"Let none of you die":
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meaning, let one strive so that death reaches him while he is in this state.
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"Thinking well":
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meaning, hoping for His mercy and His pardon.
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Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
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The Prophet's keenness (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to guide his Ummah,
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and his immense compassion for it in all his circumstances,
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even while he was in his final terminal illness (peace be upon him),
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offering sincere counsel to his Ummah and pointing it toward the paths of salvation.
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Warning against despair and despondency,
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and encouraging hope,
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especially at the time of death.
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And on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
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"Allah Almighty said:
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'O son of Adam!
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So long as you call upon Me and hope in Me,
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I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I do not mind.
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O son of Adam!
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Were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky,
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and then you were to ask forgiveness of Me,
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I would forgive you, and I do not mind.
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O son of Adam!
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Were you to come to Me with an earthful of sins,
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and then meet Me without associating anything with Me,
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I would come to you with an earthful of forgiveness.'"
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Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
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"The clouds of the sky (*'anan al-sama'*)":
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It is said to mean whatever appears before you of it,
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meaning what is visible when you raise your head;
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and it is said to mean the clouds.
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"An earthful (*qurab al-ard*)":
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It is what nearly fills it.
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And Allah knows best.
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Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
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The vastness of Allah's bounty, the Exalted and Glorious, and His generosity,
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for indeed His mercy encompasses all things.
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Encouragement to seek forgiveness, make supplication, and place one's hope in Allah, Exalted is He.
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The immense virtue of Tawhid (monotheism),
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for no matter how numerous or heinous sins may be,
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their forgiveness is hoped for from Allah, the Exalted and Glorious,
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so long as the servant does not associate any partner with Allah.
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Chapter on Combining Fear and Hope.
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Know that the preferred state for a servant during good health
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is to be both fearful and hopeful,
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with his fear and hope being equal.
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But in times of illness,
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hope should become purely predominant.
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And the principles of the Sharia from the texts of the Book and the Sunnah
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and other sources are abundantly clear in supporting that.
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Allah Almighty said:
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“Are they then secure from Allah's scheme? None deemeth himself secure from Allah's scheme save folk that perish.” (7:99)
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◁except the people who are losers.▷
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And He, Exalted is He, said:
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“Go, O my sons, and ascertain concerning Joseph and his brother, and despair not of the Spirit of Allah. Lo! none despaireth of the Spirit of Allah save disbelieving folk.” (12:87)
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◁except the disbelieving people.▷
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And He, Exalted is He, said:
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◁On the Day when some faces will turn white▷
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◁and other faces will turn black.▷
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And He, Exalted is He, said:
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“And (remember) when thy Lord proclaimed that He would raise against them till the Day of Resurrection those who would lay on them a cruel torment. Lo! verily thy Lord is swift in prosecution and lo! verily He is Forgiving, Merciful.” (7:167)
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◁and indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.▷
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And He, Exalted is He, said:
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◁Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure,▷
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“And lo! the wicked verily will be in hell;” (82:14)
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And He, Exalted is He, said:
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“Then, as for him whose scales are heavy (with good works),” (101:6)
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◁he will be in a pleasant life.▷
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“But as for him whose scales are light,” (101:8)
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◁his mother will be an abyss.▷
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And the verses conveying this meaning are numerous,
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so fear and hope are combined
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in two paired verses,
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or across several verses, or even within a single verse.
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
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that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
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"If the believer knew
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the punishment that is with Allah,
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no one would hope for His Paradise;
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and if the disbeliever knew
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the mercy that is with Allah,
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no one would despair of His Paradise."
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Narrated by Muslim.
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Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
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Urging fear of the punishment of Allah Almighty
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and hope for His reward,
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His forgiveness, and His good pleasure.
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A servant should not rely entirely upon his deeds
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and become conceited on account of them,
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nor should he abandon righteous deeds relying merely
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on the mercy and forgiveness of Allah Almighty.
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And on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him,
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that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
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"When the funeral bier is set down
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and the people—or the men—carry it upon their shoulders,
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if the deceased was righteous, it says:
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'Advance me! Advance me!'
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But if it was not righteous,
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it says:
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'Woe unto it! Where are you taking it?'
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Everything hears its cry except human beings,
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and were a human being to hear it, he would fall unconscious."
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Narrated by al-Bukhari.
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"It is set down": meaning, placed upon the bier before the men so that they may carry it.
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"Advance me": meaning, hasten with me.
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"Woe unto it": an expression of terror and utter remorse.
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"He would fall unconscious": meaning, he would faint,
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and that is due to the terrifying severity of the sound he would hear.
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Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
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It is the Sunnah to carry the funeral bier upon the shoulders of men.
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Carrying funeral biers is specific to men, to the exclusion of women.
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Allah Almighty shows His servants their dwellings
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and what is prepared for them in this state;
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thus the believer yearns for the honor prepared for him,
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while the disbeliever and the wicked tremble in horror at the painful torment awaiting them.
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There are certain sounds that creatures other than humans can hear,
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while human beings are unable to hear them.
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And this is among the miraculous signs,
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which modern science has indeed confirmed.
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And on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
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"Paradise is closer to any one of you than the strap of his sandal,
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and the Fire is likewise."
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Narrated by al-Bukhari.
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*Riyad al-Salihin*.