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proceed!' So we proceeded till we reached a garden of deep green dense vegetation, having all sorts of spring
colours. In the midst of the garden there was a very tall man, and I could hardly see his head because of his great
height, and around him there were children in such a large number as I have never seen! I said to my two
companions, `Who is this?' They replied, `Proceed, proceed.' So we proceeded till we came to a majestic, huge
garden, greater and better than any garden I have ever seen! My two companions said to me, `Ascend up' and I
ascended up
.'' The Prophet (PBUH) added, "
So we ascended till we reached a city built of gold and silver bricks, and
we went to its gate and asked (the gatekeeper) to open the gate, and it was opened; and we entered the city and
found in it men with one side of their bodies as handsome as the most handsome person you have ever seen, and the
other side as ugly as the ugliest person you have ever seen! My two companions ordered those men to throw
themselves into the river. Behold, there was a river flowing across (the city), and its water was like milk in
whiteness. Those men went and threw themselves in it and then returned to us after the ugliness (of their bodies) had
disappeared, and they came in the best shape
.'' The Prophet (PBUH) further added, "
My two companions said to me:
`This place is the `Adn Jannah, and that is your place.' I raised up my sight, and behold, there I saw a palace like a
white cloud! My two companions said to me, `That palace is your place,' I said to them, `May Allah bless you both!
Let me enter it.' They replied, `As for now, you will not enter it, but you shall enter it (one day).' I said to them, `I
have seen many wonders tonight. What does all that mean which I have seen?' They replied, `We will inform you:
As for the first man you came upon, whose head was being smashed with the rock, he is the symbol of the one who
studies the Qur'an and then neither recites it nor acts on its orders, and sleeps, neglecting the enjoined prayers. As
for the man you came upon, whose sides of mouth, nostrils and eyes were torn off from front to back, he is the
symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells lies that are spread all over the world. And
those naked men and women whom you saw in a construction resembling an oven, they are the adulterers and the
adulteresses. And the man who was given a stone to swallow is the eater of Ar-Riba (usury), and the bad-looking
man whom you saw near the fire, kindling it and going around it, is Malik, the gatekeeper of Hell, and the tall man
you saw in the garden is (Prophet) Abraham, and the children around him are those who died upon Al-Fitrah (the
Islamic Faith of Monotheism)
.''' The narrator added: Some Muslims asked the Prophet (PBUH) , "O Messenger of
Allah! What about the children of Al-Mushrikun (i.e., polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness
of Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH))?'' The Prophet (PBUH) replied, "
And also the children of Al-
Mushrikun
.'' The Prophet (PBUH) added: "
My two companions added, `The men you saw half handsome and half
ugly were these people who had mixed an act that was good with another that was bad, but Allah forgave them
'.''
Another narration of Al-Bukhari is: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "
One night two men came to me and took
me to a blessed land
.'' (The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) told of the same incident as above) and said, "
After a while
of walking we came upon a pit like an oven, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom with fire raging in it. When
the flames rose up (the people in it) also rose up till they were about to come out; and when the fire subsided they,
too, would go down with it. In it were naked men and women.
'' (The remainder of the Hadith is the same as the
above Hadith except that at the end of it, the Messenger of Allah said: "
We came upon a river of blood in the middle
of which there was a man standing, and at the bank of the river there was a man with plenty of stones before him.
..''
In this narration we also find: "
They made me climb the tree and they made me enter an abode so beautiful the like
of which I have never seen before. There (I saw) old men and youth
.'' In this narration we also find: "`
The first
house you entered was the abode of the believers in general, and the other house was the abode of the martyrs. I am
Jibril (Gabriel), and this is Mika'il. Raise your head.' I looked up and saw something like clouds. They said to me,
`That is your abode.' I said, `Shall I enter it?' They said, `You have not completed your term of life yet. When you
do, you will certainly enter it
.'''
[Al-Bukhari]
Commentary:
This Hadith has the following points:
1. Manifestation through dream of punishment of various evils, i.e., forgetting the Qur'an after having memorized it,
not practising the teachings of the Qur'an, violating the precepts of the Qur'an after attaining their knowledge,
slackness in offering obligatory Salat, lying, immoral acts, usury, etc. Strict warnings have been issued against all
these evils, and the punishment to which they are liable have been mentioned in this Hadith. May Allah save us from
them.
2. This Hadith also mentions the unique status of Prophet (PBUH) and the distinguished place of martyrs.
3. We also learn from this Hadith that Allah has made Hell for punishment and Jannah for reward. Muhammad
(PBUH), the Last Prophet of Allah, was made to witness many scenes which demonstrated the retribution and
reward of deeds done by people in their earthly life.
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