Hadith al Qudsi
Compiled by an unknown author, translated by Yasin T. Al-Jibouri.
“One who seeks this world eats a lot, laughs a lot, and sleeps a lot, and his anger is a lot, too. He is pleased only a little. He does not apologize to those to whom he misbehaves, nor does he accept the excuse of those who apologize to him. He is lazy when being obedient [to Me] and courageous when disobedient. His hopes are high and destination is near. He does not hold himself accountable; he is of little benefit while being talkative. His fear is little and he is quite happy when it is time to eat. The seekers of this life do not express thanks at the time of ease, nor are they patient at the time of affliction. What people consider a lot to them is a little. They praise themselves for what they do not do; they claim what is not with them; they talk about what they hope; they mention people’s faults and hide their merits.”
The Prophet (S) said,
“Lord! Is there anything else wrong with the seekers of this life?”
The Almighty said,
“O Ahmad (S)! The faults of the seekers of this life are many. Among them are those who are ignorant, who are fools, who do not humble themselves to those who teach them, and they consider themselves wise while those who know regard them as stupid.
O Ahmad (S)! The countenance of the seekers of goodness and of the Hereafter is kind; their modesty is a lot and foolishness is little; their plotting is little. People are at ease on their account while their own souls are wearisome. Their speech is balanced. They hold themselves to account, wearing them out; their eyes sleep but not their hearts. Their eyes are tearful and hearts are in remembrance. When people are recorded as oblivious, they are written among those who remember. At the beginning of a bliss they praise [their Lord] and at its end they thank [Him]. Their supplication is raised with Allah, their speech is heard. The angels are happy on their account. Their supplication runs under the veils. The Lord loves to hear their speech just as a mother loves her child. Nothing distracts them from Allah for a twinkling of an eye, nor do they want plenty of food, or plenty of talk, or plenty of clothing. In their regard, people are dead while Allah is Living, Subsisting, Great. They call upon those who depart from them back to their generosity and seek those who approach them with kindness. Life in this world and in the Hereafter is one to them. People die once, while each of them dies seventy times a day because of self struggle and opposition to what he desires even though Satan runs in his veins. If the wind moves, it shakes them, yet when they stand before Me, they are like a strong building. I see their hearts being occupied by no human; therefore, I swear by My Dignity and Greatness, I shall let them live a good life:
If the soul of one of them departs from his body, I shall not send the angel of death unto him, and none shall seize his soul except Me, and I shall order the Gardens to be decorated, the huris with large lovely eyes to be wedded, the angels to pray, the trees to produce their fruit, the fruits of Paradise to be more accessible, and I shall order a wind from those that blow under the Arsh to carry mountains of camphor and fragrant musk to become fuel without fire to accompany him as he enters, and there shall be no veil between Me and his soul. At the time when his soul is seized, I shall say, ‘Welcome to your return unto Me! Ascend with honors, glad tiding, mercy, Ridhwan and gardens wherein they shall have a lasting felicity where they shall abide forever; surely Allah has with Him a great reward.’ Had you only seen how each angel takes the soul and passes it on to another!
O Ahmad (S)! The people who seek the Hereafter are not pleased by food ever since they came to know their Lord, nor any calamity occupies their minds ever since they realized their sins. They weep on account of their sins, they wear their souls out and not seek their comfort. The restful time of the people of Paradise comes at the time of death, and the Hereafter is the restful abode of the worshippers. Their tears that overflow on their cheeks solace them and their sitting with the angels, on their right and on their left, and their soliloquy with the Great One Who is over His Throne. The hearts of the people of the Hereafter are inside them afflicted with ulcer; they wonder saying, ‘When shall we get a rest from the vanishing abode and go to the abode of eternity?’ O Ahmad (S)! Do you know what the ascetics shall get from Me in the Hereafter?”
The Prophet (S) said,
“No, Lord.”
The Almighty said,
“The beings are resurrected and questioned during the accounting, while they remain safe from all of that. The least that I shall give the ascetics in the Hereafter shall be the keys to the gardens, all of them, so they may open whichever gate they wish, and I shall not veil My countenance from them, and I shall let them enjoy the hues of pleasure from My speech. I shall let them be seated in seats of the truth, and I shall remind them of what they had done, how they were exhausted in the short life, and I shall open for them four gates: one for gifts from Me to enter upon them in the morning and in the evening, one from which they look to Me however they wish without any hardship, one from which they look at the fire and see how the oppressors are being tormented, and one from which the maids of honor and the huris with large lovely eyes enter upon them.”
The Prophet (S) said,
“Lord! Who are these ascetics whom you have thus described?”
The Almighty said,
“The ascetic who has no house to be ruined so he feels agonized because of its ruin, nor a son dies so he grieves for his death, nor extra food about which he inquires, nor a soft outfit.
O Ahmad (S)! The faces of the ascetics are yellowish because of the exhaustion of the night and the fast of the day; their tongues tire except when mentioning Allah Almighty; their hearts are in their chests stabbed by their frequent opposition to their desires. They have made themselves lean because of being silent for so long. They willingly exert themselves not because they fear the fire, nor out of their eagerness for Paradise, but because they look into the domains of the heavens and the earth and come to know that Allah, the Praised and the most Exalted One, is worthy of being adored.”
He (S) said,
“Lord! Do you grant all of this to any from among my nation?!”
The Almighty said,
“O Ahmad (S)! This is the rank of the prophets and the truthful from among your nation and from other nations and people from among the martyrs.”
He (S) said,
“Lord! Who are the most numerous, the ascetics from among my nation or those of the Children of Israel?”
The Almighty said,
“The ascetics of the Children of Israel among those of your nation are like a black hair in a white cow.”
He (S) said,
“Lord! How can this be while the number of the Israelites is much greater than that of my nation?”
The Almighty said,
“It is so because they doubted after being convinced and reneged after having testified.”
The Messenger of Allah (S) then said,
“I, therefore, praised Allah and thanked Him a great deal and supplicated for them saying,
‘Lord! Protect them, have mercy on them and safeguard their creed which You accepted for them, and bless them with the conviction of the believers beyond which there is neither doubt nor shirking, piety beyond which there is no desire, fear beyond which there is no inattention, knowledge beyond which there is no ignorance, reason beyond which there is no foolishness, nearness beyond which there is no distancing, submission beyond which there is no cruelty, remembrance beyond which there is no forgetfulness, honor beyond which there is no humiliation, patience beyond which there is no disaffection and clemency beyond which there is no haste.
Fill their hearts, Lord, with the feeling of being shy about You so they may be timid on Your account at all times. Show them the perils of this life and those of their own selves and the hissings of Satan, for You know what my nafs contains; You know what is unknown.’“
The Almighty said,
“O Ahmad (S)! Hold tight to piety, for piety is the zenith of the creed, the middle of the creed, and the seal of the creed; piety brings a servant closer to Allah Almighty.
O Ahmad (S)! Piety is like the earrings among the jewels, the bread among the foods. Piety is the head of belief, the pillar of the creed. The similitude of piety is the ship: Nobody is safe [from drowning] except those who are in it; likewise, no ascetic is safe except through piety.
O Ahmad (S)! No servant ever came to know Me and humbled himself to Me except that I humbled Myself to him.
O Ahmad (S)! Piety opens unto the servant the gates of adoration, so he is honored with the Creator, and it gets him to reach Allah, the most Exalted, the most Great.
O Ahmad (S)! Take to patience, for the most sound of hearts are the hearts of the righteous and those who take to silence, and the most ruined of hearts are those of folks who talk about things which do not concern them.
O Ahmad (S)! Adoration is ten portions nine of which is seeking what is permissible; so, if you succeed in making sure that your food and drinks are permissible, you shall remain in My protection, under My care.”
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