Lu'lu' wal-Marjan

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the people asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Will we be able to see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked in response, “Do you have any doubt in seeing the moon on the night of the full moon when there are no clouds near it?” The people replied, “No, O Messenger of Allah!” Then he asked, “And do you have any doubt in seeing the sun when there are no clouds near it?” The people replied, “No, O Messenger of Allah!” Then he said, “You will see your Lord in the same way. The people will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection, then Allah, the Exalted, will say, ‘Let everyone follow what they used to worship.’ So, many people will follow the sun, many will follow the moon, and many will follow idols. This Ummah will remain, and among them will be hypocrites. Then Allah, the Exalted, will come to them in a form different from what they know and will say, ‘I am your Lord.’ The hypocrites will say, ‘We will stay here until our Lord comes; when our Lord comes, we will recognize Him.’ Then Allah, the Exalted, will come to them in the form they recognize and will say, ‘I am your Lord.’ They will say, ‘Indeed, You are our Lord.’ Then Allah, the Exalted, will call them, and the bridge (Sirat) will be set up over the middle of Hell. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘I will be the first Messenger to cross it with my Ummah. On that day, no one will be able to speak except the Prophets, and even the Prophets will only say, “O Allah, keep me safe! O Allah, keep me safe!” In Hell, there will be hooks like the thorns of Sa‘dan. Have you seen the thorns of Sa‘dan?’ The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said, ‘Yes.’ (The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said,) ‘They will be like the thorns of Sa‘dan, but none knows their length and size except Allah, the Exalted. These hooks will seize people according to their deeds. Many will be destroyed because of their deeds, and many will be torn to pieces. Then they will be saved. From among the people of Hell, Allah, the Exalted, will show mercy to whomever He wills, and will command the angels to bring out those who used to worship Allah alone. So, they will bring them out, and they will be recognized by the marks of prostration. Allah, the Exalted, has forbidden the Fire to consume the marks of prostration. So, when they are brought out of Hell, the Fire will have consumed all of their bodies except the marks of prostration. When they are out of Hell, they will be completely burnt, so the water of life will be poured over them, and they will grow as a seed grows in the silt left by a flood.’ Then Allah, the Exalted, will finish judging between the servants, but one man will remain between Paradise and Hell. He will be the last person from Hell to enter Paradise. His face will be turned towards Hell, so he will say, ‘O my Lord, turn my face away from Hell, for its stench has poisoned me and its blaze has burnt me.’ Allah, the Exalted, will ask, ‘If I grant you this, will you ask for anything else?’ The man will say, ‘No, by Your Majesty,’ and he will make promises to Allah as much as Allah wills. Finally, Allah, the Exalted, will turn his face away from Hell. When he turns towards Paradise and sees its beauty, he will remain silent as long as Allah wills, then he will say, ‘O Allah, bring me near to the gate of Paradise.’ Allah, the Exalted, will ask, ‘Did you not make a covenant that you would not ask for anything else?’ The man will say, ‘O my Lord, I should not be the most miserable of Your creation.’ Allah, the Exalted, will say, ‘What guarantee is there that if I grant you this wish, you will not ask for anything else?’ The man will say, ‘No, by Your Honor, I will not ask for anything else.’ So, he will make covenants and promises to his Lord, and he will be brought to the gate of Paradise. When he reaches the gate and sees the vastness, freshness, and joys of Paradise, he will remain silent as long as Allah wills, but then he will say, ‘O Allah, admit me into Paradise.’ Allah, the Exalted, will say, ‘Woe to you, O son of Adam! How treacherous you are! Did you not make a covenant that you would not ask for anything more than what I have given you?’ The man will say, ‘O Lord, do not make me the most miserable of Your creation.’ Allah, the Exalted, will laugh and permit him to enter Paradise. Then He will say, ‘Ask, what is your wish?’ So, he will present his wishes before Allah, the Exalted, and when all his wishes are fulfilled, Allah, the Exalted, will say, ‘Ask for such and such, and such and such more.’ Allah, the Exalted, Himself will remind him, and when all his wishes are fulfilled, He will say, ‘You have been given all this and as much more besides.’