Reports from Abd al-Ala

Abd al-A'la al-Taymi said: Whoever is given knowledge that does not move him to weep deserves to have it said of him that he has not been given beneficial knowledge. For Allah Almighty has praised the scholars. Then he recited this verse: "Indeed, those who were given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, fall upon their chins in prostration, and say: Glory be to our Lord! Indeed, the promise of our Lord is bound to be fulfilled. And they fall upon their chins weeping."

Abd al-A'la al-Taymi said: The Angel of Death looks into every house twice a day.

Abd al-A'la al-Taymi said: Paradise and Hell hear what human beings say. When a person asks for Paradise, Paradise says: "O Allah, admit him into me," and when a person seeks refuge from Hell, Hell says: "O Allah, grant him refuge from me."

Al-A'mash said: Abu Salih used to lead us in prayer. At times such tenderness of heart would come over him that he could not make his recitation clear.

Abu Salih once said: On the Day of Resurrection people will be gathered like this. Having said this, he lowered his head and placed his right hand over his left hand near his chest.

Abu Salih, explaining the verse of the Qur'an "Woe to us! Who has raised us from our place of sleep?" [Ya-Sin: 52], said: They used to hold that the punishment would be lightened for the people of the graves between the two blasts of the Trumpet. When the second blast comes, they will say: "Woe to us! Who has raised us from our place of sleep?"

Abu Salih said: Tuba is a tree in Paradise. If a rider mounted a young camel and set out to go around this tree, he would grow old and die without getting back to the place from which he set out.

Abu Salih said: On the Day of Resurrection those to whom messengers were sent will be called to account. Those who obeyed them will go to Paradise and those who disobeyed will go to Hell. Then there will remain the children, those who died in the period of interval between the messengers, and those overcome in their reason. Allah Almighty will say to them: "You have seen that I have admitted those who obeyed Me into Paradise and those who disobeyed Me into Hell. I command you to enter this Fire." Then some necks will come out of Hell towards them. Whoever begins to enter it will be saved, and whoever draws back will perish.

Abu Salih said: In the verse of the Qur'an "Faces that Day will be radiant," what is meant is beautiful faces, and in "looking at their Lord" [Al-Qiyamah: 22-23] what is meant is that they will be waiting for the reward from their Lord.