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WHEN YOU TURN TO ALLAH, ALLAH TURNS TO YOU

21

“There was a man from a nation before you who had killed ninety-nine people, he inquired who was the most learned person on earth, and was directed to a monk. He went to the monk and said, 'I have killed ninety-nine people, is there any chance that my repentance will be accepted?' The monk answered, 'No.' So he killed the monk who then became his hundredth victim. He inquired again who was the most learned person on earth, and was directed to a wise man. He went to the wise man and said, 'I have killed a hundred people, is there a chance my repentance will be accepted?' The wise man replied, 'Yes, what can stand between you and repentance? Go to such and such a land, in it are people who worship Allah. Join them in the worship of Allah but do not return to your own land, because it is an evil place.

So the man set out. He had only reached half way when death overtook him; whereupon the Angels of Mercy and the Angels of Punishment debated with one another for his soul. The Angels of Mercy entreated that he had become penitent and had turned towards Allah; whereas the Angels of Punishment entreated that he had never done a good deed. Then, in the form of a human, an angel appeared before them and the angels were agreeable that he should arbitrate between them. He told them to measure the distance between the two lands, saying that the land the man was closer too was the land to which he belonged. The angels measured the distance and he was found to be closer to the land to which he was journeying, so the Angels of Mercy took charge of him.”

In another narration it says that the man was found closer to the land of the righteous by the span of a hand and was counted to be one of them.

There is also another narration that says that Allah commanded the space on one side to expand and the space on the other to contract, and then said, 'Now carry out the measurement.' And, it was found that he was nearer to his goal by the span of a hand so he received forgiveness.

It is also narrated that he came closer by crawling on his chest.

Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Sa'id) Sa’ad son of Malik, son of Sanan al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this.