✍🏻 Abu Yahya (Translated By Tlueaftab Team)
When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on a soft and delicate bed. Naima was sitting beside me, watching me with worried eyes. The moment she saw me awake, her face lit up with joy. She asked quickly, almost involuntarily:
“Are you alright?”
“Where am I?” I asked instead of replying to her question.
“You are in my tent. Saleh brought you here in this unconscious state.”
“And where is he?”
“He’s outside. Wait, I’ll call him.”
Before she could finish her words, Saleh entered with a greeting. A calm smile was spread across his face. I sat up at once and asked:
“What happened to me?”
“You fainted. By God, this was the first time I saw this aspect of our Lord. Every thought I had about Him was wrong—He is far greater than anything I could have ever imagined. Now I regret every moment of my life that I did not spend recognizing His true greatness.”
Saleh said in reply, “That is the difference between the unseen and the manifest. In the world, God was hidden from sight. Today, for the first time, the veil of the unseen has been lifted and He has spoken to mankind directly. You are fortunate, Abdullah, because you recognized His greatness while He was still unseen and humbled yourself before Him. That is why you received this special mercy today. But tell me—why did you faint?”
Naima interrupted, “Yes, why did he faint?”
Saleh explained, “Actually, we were standing on the left side of the Throne, among the criminals. That was the moment when angels began descending and the reckoning commenced. Since God began speaking in a state of anger, His wrath was directed mostly toward those on the left-hand side. But though His anger blazed, He was never overcome by His attributes. He knew one of His beloved servants was standing on the left, so instead of letting Abdullah face that wrath, He caused him to fall unconscious. Had He not done that, Abdullah would have suffered what the left-hand ones were enduring.”
Hearing this, tears of gratitude poured from my eyes. I got down from the bed and fell in prostration. Words flowed from my lips without control:
“My Lord, when was it that You ever forgot me? From my mother’s womb till this very day, not once were You ever distracted from me. But I? I never valued Your noble Self. I never thanked You for Your countless blessings. I never fulfilled the rights of Your worship. You are Pure, You are Exalted. All praise is Yours, all gratitude belongs to You. Forgive me, and cover me with Your mercy. Without Your forgiveness, I am destroyed, I am ruined!”
I kept praying like this for a long while. Naima placed her hand gently on my back and said softly, “Please rise now. You spent your entire life living according to God’s will. I know you.”
I looked at her and said, “Naima, you still do not understand the greatness of His mercy. Otherwise you would never have said these words.”
“Abdullah is right,” Saleh added in my support. “Even the greatest human deed is nothing compared to the smallest favor of God. Had He taken away Abdullah’s tongue, he could not utter a word. Had He taken his hand, he could not write a single letter. Every blessing and every ability comes only from Him. Man is nothing. God is everything.”
Naima nodded, admitting, “Yes, I never thought about it this way.”
“Now tell me,” I asked Saleh, “where must we go?”
“The reckoning has begun. You must go there. But first, let me give you good news.”
“What news?”
“When the reckoning started, God chose first to decide the account of the Muslim Ummah. And do you know? Your daughter Laila has been saved!”
“What?” I cried out in astonishment and joy.
“Yes,” Naima said, “Saleh is right. I have already met her. She is in another tent with her brothers and sisters, waiting for you.”
“And Jamshid?” I asked Saleh about my elder son. In response, a heavy silence fell. The answer was clear. My heart sank, but I said firmly, “Then I would rather return to the field of resurrection. Perhaps there will be some way for him.”
“Alright,” Saleh said, and he took my hand and led me outside.
As soon as we stepped out, I asked, “What can I do for Jamshid?”
Saleh replied sharply, “If you could do nothing for Laila, what can you do for Jamshid? Will you tell God what He should do?”
“God forgive me, I did not mean it like that,” I said quickly. But my desire to somehow rescue Jamshid cooled instantly.
After some silence, I asked, “Tell me, what happened in the field of resurrection while I was unconscious?”
Saleh replied, “Even when you were conscious, you could not fully comprehend what was happening. If you wish to know, ask a sinner. When the angels descended group after group, sinners began to tremble. When the command came for prostration, everyone fell in prostration except these wretches—they stood with chests puffed out before God. Do you know why?”
“Their backs had been stiffened, hadn’t they?” I said.
“Yes. That was their punishment. Then God proclaimed: I am the King! Where are the kings besides Me? Yet even then, these criminals stood defiant before Him. If only you had seen their state! Their hearts were tearing, their chests collapsing, eyes bulging with terror, gnawing at their fingers helplessly—yet still forced to stand arrogantly before the Sovereign of all worlds.”
“What happened then?” I asked.
“The reckoning was to be individual. But first, their fate was revealed openly. The gates of Hell were flung wide open, and the left side of the field became engulfed in terror. Hell roared with fury, as though it would burst apart. Its deafening growls echoed far and wide, its flames leaping uncontrollably. Sparks the size of palaces shot into the air, rising like yellow camels dancing in the sky. The sight was so dreadful that the hardships of resurrection until that moment felt like nothing.”
Hell had appeared before the sinners. Its terrifying roar shook the entire gathering. Enormous flames leapt into the sky, and streams of boiling lava surged forth like violent waves from a stormy ocean. The sight itself was enough to freeze the blood of even the most hardened criminals.
The sinners were crying and begging for mercy. Some fell flat on the ground, clawing at the earth in terror. Others tried to cover their faces as though by doing so they could escape the dreadful sight before them. But there was no escape. The angels dragged them mercilessly, striking their faces and backs, shouting:
“Enter the Fire you used to deny! Taste the torment that you mocked!”
The multitudes of sinners were pushed group by group into Hell. The more they resisted, the more severely the angels struck them. The ground itself seemed to throw them into the pit. The horrifying scene made me shiver to the core.
Meanwhile, the righteous stood silently, watching this spectacle with awe and fear. Though they were safe, the dreadful sight reminded them of God’s power and justice. Their hearts trembled, their eyes overflowed with tears, and they whispered constant praises:
“Glory be to You, O Allah. Glory be to You, O Lord of Majesty and Honor.”
Suddenly, a command resounded across the heavens:
“Bring forth My loyal servants. Today is the day of reward and honor for them.”
At once, angels with radiant faces began to move towards the people of faith. Their hands held banners of light. They surrounded the righteous and guided them gently toward a luminous path leading to Paradise.
The atmosphere of the gathering changed. Where there had been screams of horror, now melodies of praise filled the air. The righteous raised their heads, gazing upon the glowing horizon ahead of them. They knew their journey toward eternal bliss was about to begin.
I turned to Salih, my guide, my voice trembling:
“Is this the moment when the gates of Paradise will be opened?”
Salih nodded, his eyes moist with emotion.
“Yes, Abdullah. Soon the Most Merciful will welcome His beloved servants. The gardens of delight, the rivers of milk and honey, the palaces of light—all that has been prepared since the beginning of time—will now be theirs forever.”
My heart swelled with hope and gratitude. After witnessing Hell and its horrors, the thought of Paradise felt like cool water to a parched throat. Yet, deep inside, I was still trembling, realizing how close I had come to ruin.
I bowed my head and whispered a silent prayer:
“O Lord, forgive me. Make me among those who enter with Your mercy.”
🌿 To be continued…
