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VISIONS OF PARADISE AND HELL

1585

“The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, would often inquire from his companions: ‘Have any of you seen a vision?’ Then whoever had would relate his vision to him.

One morning the Messenger of Allah praise and peace be upon him, told us, ‘Last night two people came to me in a vision and said: Come with us. So I accompanied them and we came across a man lying on his back while another stood near his head, striking him on his head with a stone. After the stone had struck the person on his head it rolled away from him and the striker went after the stone, picked it up and returned with it. In the meantime the head of the person who had been struck recovered from his injury and the striker hit him again. I asked my two companions: Exalted is Allah, who is this? But they said: Proceed, proceed.

Then we came to another man lying on his back while another stood near him with a hooked bar of iron in his hand. He approached him from one side and ripped his mouth open right down to his neck, then, he ripped open his nostril down to his neck and tore open his eye down to his neck. Then he turned to his other side and did the same. By which time the first side of the man's face had recovered from its injuries and the tormentor returned to the first side and repeated what he had done to it the first time. I asked my companions: Exalted is Allah, what are these two doing? But they said: Proceed, proceed.

Then we went on and arrived near a pit which was like an oven out of which came cries. We glanced into it and saw naked men and women who cried out as the flames from below reached them. I asked my companions: Exalted is Allah, who are these? But they said: ‘Proceed, proceed.

Then we proceeded until we arrived at a stream the water of which was red like blood and there was a man was swimming in it. On the bank of the stream was another who had gathered many pieces of rock. When the swimmer approached him, he would strike him with a rock which would smash his face and he would start swimming again and as he approached the bank once more the man on the bank would strike him with a rock which smashed his face. I asked my companions: Exalted is Allah, who are these two? But they replied: Proceed, proceed. So we proceeded until we came upon a terribly ugly person near a blazing fire which he kept circling. I asked my two companions: ‘Exalted is Allah, who is that? But they said: Proceed, proceed.

We proceeded until we reached a Garden full of spring flowers and in the middle of the garden was a man so tall I could not see his head, it was as if it was hidden in the sky and around him were so many children the number of which I had never seen before.

I asked my companions: Exalted is Allah, who are these? But they said: Proceed, proceed.

After this we arrived at a tree which was so enormous, I have never seen any so big nor so beautiful and my companions asked me to climb it. We climbed it and saw a city built with alternate gold and silver bricks. When we reached the gate of the city we asked for the gate to be opened and it was opened for us so we entered. In it we saw people, half of their bodies were most beautiful bodies you could ever imagine yet their other half was the most ugly. There was a stream flowing through the middle of the city, the water of which was pure white. My companions said to the people: Go, plunge into the stream, so they did. When they came out their ugliness had disappeared and they had become very beautiful.

My two companions told me: This is the Garden of Eden and that is your residence. I raised my eyes and saw a palace like a white cloud and they repeated: That is your residence. I said to them: May Allah bless you both, now let me enter it. But they said: ‘Not just yet but without doubt you will certainly enter it.

I said to my companions: Tonight I have witnessed many strange things. What are the meanings? They said: Now we shall tell you. The first person you saw whose head was being struck with a stone was the one who had committed the Koran to his memory and then forgotten it and neglected the obligated prayers.

The person whose mouth, nostrils and eyes were being ripped open to the neck was one who ran from his home spreading lies which circulated throughout the world.

The men and women in the oven were adulterers and adulteresses.

The man you saw swimming in the stream being stoned was one who earned interest on his money.

The ugly person near the Fire was Malik, the Guardian of Hell.

The very tall man in the Garden was Abraham and the children around him were those who died upright."

One of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, asked him, ‘O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, were any of the children, the children of unbelievers?’ The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said, ‘Yes, and the children of the unbelievers. Those who were half handsome and half ugly were people who had done both good and bad deeds and Allah pardoned them.’”

We are also informed:

Last night two men who took me to the Holy Land (and the account proceeds as in the version above and continues:) We arrived at a pit like an oven, the upper part of which was narrow, and the lower was wide and inside it was a raging fire. As the flames rose the inmates also rose until they were about to emerge from it and when the flames went down they too went down with them. All the men and women in were naked. Then we arrived at a stream flowing with blood and a man stood in the middle of it and there was another on a bank with a pile of stones in front of him. The one in the middle wanted to get out of the stream but when he tried, the one on the bank struck him with a stone on his face that pushed him back to where he had come from. This happened every time he tried to get out.

Then the two climbed a tree along with me and caused me to enter a house better than any I have ever seen before in which there were men old and young.

After this I was told: The one you saw with his cheeks ripped open was a liar whose lies were repeated until they reached all parts of the earth. He will be remain like this until the Day of Judgement.

As for the one you saw whose head was smashed, he was a man whom Allah had taught the Koran and then slept during the night ignoring it and would not act upon it during the day. He will remain like this until the Day of Judgement.

The first house that you entered was the dwelling of the believers and the last you saw was the house of the martyrs. I am Gabriel and this is my companion Michael. Now raise your head. As I raised my head I saw something like a cloud above me and I was told:

This is your dwelling. I said: Leave me to enter my dwelling. However they informed me: You have still a portion of your life which you have not completed. After it is completed you will enter your dwelling."

Bukhari with a chain up to Samurah, the son of Jundab who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this.

JUSTIFICATION FOR FALSEHOOD UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES (WHITE LIES)