Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Tamim bin Ghailan narrates that a man came to Hazrat Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) during his illness and said: O Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him)! Surely, you are departing from this world, so give me some advice by which Allah may benefit me and I may remember you through it. Hazrat Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said: You are from a forgiven nation. So establish prayer. If you have wealth, pay zakat. And fast in Ramadan. And avoid immoralities, then glad tidings to you. That man repeated this to Hazrat Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him), so Hazrat Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) again said the same thing. Upon this, the man shook his sheet and said: {إنَّ الَّذِینَ یَکْتُمُونَ مَا أَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَیِّنَاتِ وَالْہُدَی مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا بَیَّنَّاہُ لِلنَّاسِ } up to His saying: { وَیَلْعَنَہُمُ اللاَّعِنُوْنَ }. So Hazrat Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Bring him to me. So the man came, and Hazrat Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: What did you say? The man said: You are a knowledgeable person. You have knowledge that I do not have. My intention was that you would tell me something by which Allah would benefit me, but you gave me only one answer. Upon this, Hazrat Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the man: Sit down and understand what I am about to tell you. Where will you be on that day when you will have only a piece of land two handspans wide and four handspans long from the earth? And your family, who do not like your separation, will bring you, and your companions and brothers, who do not like your separation, will bring you. Then they will build a good structure over you and heap much earth upon you and will leave you { ذلک بمیتک }. And two curly-haired, black, blue angels will come to you. Their names will be Munkar and Nakir. Both will make you sit and ask you: Who are you? And what religion were you upon? And what do you say about this man? So if you say: By Allah! I do not know. I used to hear people say something, so I also used to say what people said. Then surely you are destroyed and ruined. And if you say: This is Allah’s Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him). Allah revealed His Book to him. And I have believed in him and in what he brought, then surely you are saved and guided. And you do not have the strength for this without steadfastness from Allah. Along with this, you will also be seeing severity and fear. Then where will you be on that day when you will have only the space of your two feet from the earth, and it will be a day whose length will be equal to fifty thousand years. On that day, all people will stand before the Lord of the worlds, and there will be no shade except the shade of the Throne of the Lord of the worlds. And the sun will be brought near. So if you are among those in the shade, then by Allah, you are surely saved and guided. And if you are among those in the sun, then by Allah, you are surely destroyed and ruined. Then where will you be on that day when Hell will be brought, which will encompass both sides… east and west… and it will be said that you will never enter Paradise until you cross Hell. So if you have light, you will pass straight over the Bridge (Sirat). Then surely you are saved and have attained guidance. And if you do not have light, then some of the hooks of Hell, or the dogs of Hell, or some clinging things from there will cling to you. Then surely you will be destroyed and ruined. By the Lord of Abu Darda! What I have said is the truth. So understand what I have said.