The Hereafter Life

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that if a person gives respite to someone in debt or forgives part of that debt, his reward will be that Allah will shade him under His Throne on the Day of Judgment, as the sun will draw near the heads of people and its heat will be intense for them. No one will find shade except those shaded by Allah.

One night, the Companions were in the presence of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when he looked at the full moon - on the 14th night of the lunar month - and said: The believers will see their Lord in the real sense clearly with their own eyes. They will not cause a crowd to one another, get tired, or experience hardship when seeing their Almighty Lord. Then, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: If you are able to get over whatever distracts you from observing the Fajr and ‘Asr prayers, then do so and observe them fully in their due times in a congregation, for this is one of the causes that lead to looking at the Countenance of Allah Almighty. Then, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recited the verse that reads: {And glorify the praise of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset.}

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that the first cases to be settled on the Day of Judgment, regarding the injustices committed among people, would be the cases of blood like homicide and the infliction of wounds.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed about some of the qualities of the dwellers of Paradise and those of Hellfire. The majority among the dwellers of Paradise are: "Every weak person who is looked down upon,"  i.e., modest and submissive to Allah Almighty, who humbles himself to Him to the extent that some people may overpower and despise him. If this person, who humbles himself to Allah Almighty, makes an oath by Allah hoping for the generosity of Allah Almighty, He will fulfill it for him and make him realize his oath and will answer his request and supplication. The majority among the dwellers of Hellfire are: every ‘Utul (cruel), i.e., harsh, rude, vehement disputer, or the indecent person who does no good; Jawāzh (greedy), i.e., the arrogant, gluttonous person who has an enormous body and who walks with a conceited gait and adopts bad morals; and Mustakbir (arrogant) for rejecting the truth and looking down upon others.

In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) tells us about the virtue of those who practice jihad in Allah's cause. Allah, the Almighty, has prepared for them one hundred degrees in Paradise, the distance between each two degrees is like the distance between the heaven and earth.

On the Day of Judgment, the huge bulky man who is proud in this world and behaves arrogantly and tyrannically in his words and actions will not be worth the weight of a mosquito wing in the sight of Allah, nor will he have any value or credit.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that none among people will pass the place of reckoning, either to Paradise or Hellfire, on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about four things, which are: First: His life; how did he let it perish and how did he spend it? Second: His knowledge; did he seek it for the sake of Allah? Did he act upon it? Did he convey it to those entitled to it? Third: His money; from where did he earn it? Was it lawfully or unlawfully earned? What did he spend it on? Did he spend it on what pleases Allah or on what displeases Him? Fourth: His body, strength, wellness, and youth; how did he use them and wear them out?

This Hadīth highlights fear of the Day of Judgment and of the torment of Hellfire. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that there are people on the Day of Judgment who will be taken by fire up to their ankles, others up to their knees, others up to their waists, and others up to their necks. People will vary in terms of punishment according to their deeds in the worldly life.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah, Glorified and Exalted, will say on the Day of Judgment: 'O son of Adam, I was ill, but you did not visit Me.' He will respond: 'O Lord, how could I visit You and You are the Lord of the worlds?'" meaning: You are independent and not in need of my visit. Allah will say: “Did you not know that My Servant, so-and-so, was ill but you did not visit him? Do you not know that if you had visited him, you would have found Me with him?” There is nothing difficult to understand in this Hadīth in the part where Allah, the Almighty, says: "I was ill, but you did not visit Me", because it is impossible for Allah, the Almighty, to become ill, as illness is an attribute of deficiency and Allah, Glorified and Exalted, is free from deficiency. What is meant by "ill" here is that one of the righteous slaves of Allah was sick and the allies of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, were close to Him. For this reason, Allah said: "…if you had visited him, you would have found Me with him", and did not say: "you would have found (its reward) with Me", as He said in regard to the food and drink. This indicates how close the sick person is to Allah, the Almighty. Hence, the scholars said: "The sick person is worthy of having his supplication answered, whether he supplicates for someone or against someone." “O son of Adam, I asked you for food, but you did not feed Me.” It is known that Allah, the Almighty, does not seek food for Himself, as He says: {He who feeds and is not fed} [Sūrat al-An‘ām: 14]. Allah is independent and does not need anyone or anything or food or drink, but if one of Allah’s servants feels hungry and someone knows about it but does not feed him, Allah, the Almighty, says: “Do you not know that if you had fed him, you would have found (its reward) with Me?” This means that you would have found the reward of giving him food saved for you as a good deed, and a good deed can be multiplied ten times and up to seven-hundred times, or as many times as Allah wills. “O son of Adam, I asked you for water, but you did not it give Me any”, meaning: I asked you for a drink, but you did not give Me a drink. He responds: “… how could I give You (water) to drink and You are the Lord of the worlds?” meaning: You are not in need of food or drink. Then Allah says: “My Servant, so-and-so, asked you for a drink, but you did not give him one. Do you not know that if you had given him a drink, you would have found (its reward) with Me?” Providing someone with something to drink when they ask for a drink will win you a reward that will be saved for you as a good deed, and a good deed can be multiplied ten times and up to seven-hundred times or as many times as Allah wills.

Allah will gather mankind on the Day of Resurrection for questioning and recompense. The believers will stand until Paradise is brought near to them, but it will not be opened to them due to the long period of standing on the Day of Resurrection. So they will go to Adam (peace be upon him) and ask him to ask Allah to open the gates of Paradise for them. He will decline, saying that he does not deserve that privilege because of his sin which caused the fall of humanity from Paradise. Adam will send them to Ibrahīm (peace be upon him) because he is the close friend of Allah, and close friendship is the highest station of love. So they will go to Ibrahīm who will say to them that he is not of such a lofty degree. He will tell them to go to Mūsa, since Allah the Exalted talked to Mūsa directly without an intermediary. So they will go to Mūsa (peace be upon him) who will say to them that he does not deserve that privilege. He will tell them to go to ‘Īsa, since Allah created him by a word from Him. So they will go to ‘Īsa (peace be upon him) who will say to them that he does not deserve this privilege. So they will go to our Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and they will ask him to ask Allah to judge between them and open Paradise to them. He will respond to their request, will seek permission, and will be granted it. Trust and kinship will stand on the two sides of the Sirāt, which is a bridge that extends over Hell. People will pass on it according to their deeds. Those who, in the life of this world, hastened to do good deeds will pass swiftly on the Bridge, and vice versa. Some will be saved and some will fall into Hell. It takes seventy years to reach the bottom of Hell – May Allah save us from it!

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked his Companions: Do you know who the bankrupt is? They said: The bankrupt among us is the one who has no wealth or property. He said: The bankrupt in my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection is the one who comes with righteous deeds such as prayer, fasting, and Zakah, but he comes having insulted and cursed this one, slandered that one, consumed the wealth of this one and denied it, shed the blood of that one and oppressed him, and beaten this one and humiliated him. So, the wronged ones will be given from his good deeds. If his good deeds run out before he has settled the rights and grievances due upon him, some of the sins of the wronged ones will be taken and placed in the records of the wrongdoer. Then, he will be thrown into Hellfire, as no good deeds will remain for him.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified some types of properties and mentioned the recompense of those who do not pay their Zakah on the Day of Judgment. Such properties include: First: Gold and silver and what is similar to them, including money and commercial goods, which are subject to Zakah but were not paid. In this case, they are melted down and poured in the form of plates and heated in the fire of Hell and used to torment their owner, searing therewith his side, forehead, and back. Whenever they cool down, they are reheated, and he continues being tormented in such a way throughout the Day of Judgment, the length of which is fifty thousand years, until Allah judges between the creation and he becomes either from the dwellers of Paradise or Hellfire. Second: The owner of camels who does not pay their Zakah and the right due on them, including milking them for the needy who are present. In this case, such camels are brought, and they are huge, fat, and more in number than they were. Their owner will be laid down, thrown, and stretched for them on the Day of Judgment on a wide, level land where they can trample him with their hooves and bite him with their teeth. Whenever the last of them passes over him, the first of them will be made to return to pass over him, and he continues being tormented in such a way throughout the Day of Judgment, the length of which is fifty thousand years, until Allah judges between the creation and he becomes either from the dwellers of Paradise or Hellfire. Third: The owner of cows and sheep—sheep and goats—who does not pay the Zakah due on them. In this case, they are brought in great numbers, more than they were, and nothing will be missing thereof. He will be laid down, thrown, and stretched for them on the Day of Judgment on a wide level land. None of them will have a twisted horn, no horn, or a broken horn; rather, they will be in perfect shape. They will gore him with their horns and trample him with their hooves. Whenever the last of them passes over him, the first of them will be made to return to pass over him. and he will continue being tormented in such a way throughout the Day of Judgment, the length of which is fifty thousand years, until Allah judges between the creation and he becomes either from the dwellers of Paradise or Hellfire. Fourth: The owner of horses, and he is one of three types: First: They are a burden for him, and this is the person who keeps them for the sake of showing off, boasting, and waging war against Muslims. Second: They are a shield for him, and this is the person who keeps them for Jihad in the cause of Allah and treats them kindly, foddering and feeding them, and lending their males for breeding. Third: They are a reward for him, and this is the person who keeps them for Jihad in the cause of Allah for the Muslims' benefit. They are kept in a meadow and pasture to graze. Whatever they eat is recorded for him as good deeds, and their dung and urine are recorded for him as good deeds as well. They do not break their halter, i.e., the rope used for tethering them, run, and gallop in high lands, except that Allah will record for him the number of their hoof marks and their dung as good deeds. Moreover, their owner will not take them past a river from which they drink, although he did not intend to water them, except that Allah will record for him the amount of what they drink as good deeds. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about donkeys and whether they are like horses. He said: No legislation has been revealed regarding them in particular except that unique verse, which generally refers to all types of acts of obedience and sins, namely the verse in which Allah Almighty says: {So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.} [Surat az-Zalzalah: 7-8] So, whoever possesses donkeys as an act of obedience will attain reward for that, and whoever keeps them to commit sins will be punished for that, and this is a general ruling that includes all deeds.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that Allah has promised him that seventy thousand people from this Ummah will be admitted to Paradise without undergoing reckoning or punishment, and that with every thousand, another seventy thousand will enter. Then, Allah will grasp with His Honorable Hand three handfuls of people and admit them to Paradise.

On the Day of Judgment, Allah, the Almighty, will place the Sirāt over the center of Hell, with solid thorns covering it. Then, the people will be commanded to pass over it. Some of them will pass safely without being touched by the fire; others will be scratched then will be saved; others will fall into the Hellfire. When Allah, the Almighty, finishes judging between His slaves, and the dwellers of Paradise enter it and those of Hell enter it, the believers in Paradise will notice that they do not see some people who were with them on earth and who used to pray, give Zakah, fast, perform pilgrimage, and fight in the cause of Allah along with them. So, they will say to Allah, the Almighty,: We do not see those people with us in Paradise although they used to pray, give Zakah, fast, perform pilgrimage, and fight in the cause of Allah with us on earth. Allah will say to them: Go to Hellfire, and if you find any of them therein, take him out of it. They will find them engulfed by fire each according to his deeds. Some of them will be engulfed by fire up to their feet, others up to the middle of their legs, others to their knees, others to their waists, others to their breasts, and others to their necks; but the fire does not reach their faces. They will intercede on their behalf, so they will be taken out of the fire and thrown into the water of life, which brings to life anyone who is immersed in it. Hence, their bodies will grow again just as plants grow in a flood channel. Then, the prophets will be granted intercession on behalf of every person who sincerely bore witness that none is worthy of worship but Allah, and thus taking them out of the fire. Allah will then compassionately bestow His mercy on those in the fire, leaving no one therein in whose heart there exists an atom’s weight of faith.

The Lord, Glorified and Exalted, will reveal His noble Shin on the Day of Judgment, and every believer, male and female, will prostrate to Him. As for the hypocrites who used to prostrate to Allah in the worldly life so as to be seen by people, they will not be able to prostrate because their backs will be made of one vertebra or one straight bone. They will not be able to bend nor prostrate, because they did not really prostrate to Allah in the worldly life, rather they only prostrated to their worldly purposes. It is not permissible to interpret Allah's Shin as hardship, distress and so on. Rather it is obligatory to affirm this attribute for Allah, the Almighty, without asking 'how', and without drawing resemblance or similitude, and without stripping it of its true meaning.

Some of the Companions asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) if they will see their Lord on the Day of Judgment. He answered in the affirmative, saying that they will see their Lord just as they see the sun at noon and the moon in the full moonlit night, without crowding or competing for it. The similarity drawn here is related to the clarity of vision and the removal of doubt and difficulty. It is a similarity of clear vision in both cases, not of the seen objects. This sight of Allah is different from the sight of Him in Paradise, which is particular to the allies of Allah as an honor for them. The sight of Him in this Hadīth distinguishes between those who worshiped Allah and those who worshiped other deities. Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said that on the Day of Judgment, a proclaimer will proclaim: "Whoever worshiped other than Allah, let him follow what he worshiped." Another authentic narration says that Allah, the Almighty, is the One Who proclaims. Hence, all those who worshiped idols and stones would be gathered and thrown in the fire of Hell until only those who worshiped Allah remain, both the righteous and the sinful thereof, as well as some remnants of the Jews and the Christians, for most of them will have gone along with their idols to Hell. Hell will be presented to the people in that situation as if it is a mirage. Then the Jews will be summoned, and it will be said to them: "What did you worship?" They will say: "We worshiped ‘Uzayr, the son of Allah." It will be said to them: "You tell a lie; Allah never had a spouse or a son. What do you want now?" They will say: "We want to drink." Their primary request will be water because the successive terrors on that day will have made them extremely thirsty. Hell will seem to be water to them, so they will be told to go and drink from what they see as water. Thus, they will go, only to find that it is Hell with its raging parts, which will be consuming one another, and they will fall into it. The same will happen to the Christians after them, until no one is left except those who worshiped Allah, be they pious or sinful. It will be said to them: "Why are you still here while everyone else has gone?" They will say: "We kept ourselves separate from the people in the world though we were in great need of them because they disobeyed Allah and went against His command. So we did not associate ourselves with them, hating them for the sake of Allah and giving precedence to obeying our Lord. We now await our Lord, Whom we used to worship in our worldly life." Allah, the Almighty, will come to them in a form other than the one they saw the first time. This is an explicit indication that they had seen Him in a form that was recognizable to them before this time. It is invalid to interpret this scene differently; rather, it must be accepted without asking 'How?' or drawing analogies or distorting or negating it. When Allah, the Almighty, comes to them, He will say: "I am your Lord." They will joyfully say: "You are our Lord." Then only the prophets will speak to Him. He will say: "Is there a sign between you and Him by which you recognize Him?" They will say: "The Shin." So He will reveal His Shin, and the believers will recognize Him and fall in prostration before Him. The hypocrites, however, who used to prostrate out of ostentation, will be prevented from prostrating. Their backs will be like one stiff layer, unable to bow or prostrate. That is because they did not prostrate to Allah in the worldly life; rather, they prostrated to serve their worldly purposes. This scene establishes that Allah, the Almighty, has a Shin as one of His Attributes. Thus, this Hadīth and similar ones interpret the noble verse: {The Day the Shin will be uncovered and they are invited to prostration but they will not be able to do so} [Sūrat al-Qalam: 42]. To interpret 'Shin' in this context as 'severe affliction' or 'distress' is an outweighed interpretation. In any case, the Attribute of the 'Shin' is established for Allah, the Almighty, from the Sunnah. The preponderant view is that the verse indicates the Attribute, without asking "How?" or drawing analogies or distorting or negating. Then the Sirāt will be set up over Hell. It is slippery, feet cannot stand firm on it, with hooks to seize some of the passers on the Sirāt and thick flat thorns. The people will then pass over the Sirāt according to their faith and deeds. Those of perfect faith and good deeds that were sincere to Allah will pass like the twinkling of an eye, others will pass like lightning, like wind, etc. Those who pass over the Sirāt will be of four categories: The first: Those who will be saved and safe from harm. They pass at different speeds, as mentioned above. The second: Those who will be saved but will sustain scratches from the hooks or lacerations from the flames of Hell. The third: Those who will be cast into Hell, forcefully thrown into it. The fourth: Those who will be dragged on the Sirāt because they did not have enough good deeds to carry them over it. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There will be none among you more eager to claim a right from me than the believers on the Day of Judgment from their Lord, the Almighty." This is part of the mercy and generosity of Allah, as He permits His believing slaves to implore Him to pardon their brethren who were thrown in Hell because of the sins that they defied their Lord with. He will inspire the believers who were saved from the torment of the Fire and the terrors of the Sirāt to implore Him and intercede with Him for those sinning slaves. This is indeed an aspect of His mercy, exalted be He. They will say: "O our Lord, they were our brethren who prayed with us, fasted with us, and did good deeds with us." This indicates that those who do not pray with the Muslims nor fast with them are not entitled to the intercession of the believers with their Lord on their behalf. It also indicates that those whom the believers interceded for were also believers who worshiped Allah alone. They used to pray and fast, but they committed some sins which entailed entering Hell. This is a refutation of two deviant sects: the Kharijites and the Mu‘tazilites, who claim that whoever enters Hell never comes out of it and that the person who commits a major sin will remain eternally in Hell. Allah, the Almighty, will say to the believers: "Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of a dinar (a gold coin)." And Allah will forbid the Fire to burn the faces of those sinners. They will go and find that some of them will have been overtaken by fire up to their feet, and some up to the middle of the shank or up to the knees. They will take out those whom they recognize. Then they will return and implore Allah again. He will say: "Go and take out anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of half a dinar." They will take out those whom they recognize. Then they will return and implore Allah again. He will say: "Go and take out anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of an atom." They will take out those whom they recognize. At this point, Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri said: "If you do not believe me, then recite (the noble verse): {Surely Allah wrongs not the weight of an atom; and if it is a good deed, He multiplies it.} [Sūrat An-Nisā': 40]" The fact that Abu Sa‘īd used this verse as evidence is clear proof that if the slave had an atom’s weight of faith in his heart, Allah will multiply it for him and thus save him from the torment thereby. Then he said: "The prophets, the angels, and the believers will intercede." This is explicit proof that these three categories will be granted permission to intercede. However, it must be noted that any intercession from anyone does not take place except after Allah, the Almighty, permits it, as proved by their imploring their Lord, upon which He gives them permission and says: "Go and take out anyone you find…" He said: "Then the Almighty will say: 'Now remains My Intercession.' He will then hold a handful of the Fire, from which He will take out some people whose bodies have been charred." The intercession of Allah, the Almighty, means bestowing His Mercy upon those tormented slaves, so He takes them out of the Fire. The statement: "He will then hold a handful," establishes that Allah, the Almighty, has a grip with which He holds a handful. There are several texts in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger that establish the attributes of the 'Hand' and 'Grip' for Allah, the Almighty. However, the advocates of distorted, flawed interpretations refuse to accept these attributes and do not believe in them. They shall soon know that the truth is what Allah said and what His Messenger said: and they will realize that they had gone astray in this regard. Allah, the Almighty, will hold a handful of the Fire from which He will take out some people whose bodies have been charred. They will then be cast into a river called the water of life on the outskirts of Paradise. Upon that, their flesh and bones and vision that were burnt by the fire will grow again near that river just as a seed grows from the silt carried by flood water. "You have noticed how it grows beside a rock or beside a tree and how the side facing the sun is green while the side facing the shade is white." This means that their flesh will grow swiftly, because the seed carried by the torrent germinates quite fast. "The side facing the shade is white while the side facing the sun is green" due to its fragility and tenderness. This simile does not necessarily mean that those people will grow with those colors, as some interpreters said: "The side facing Paradise will be white, while the side facing Hell will be green." Rather, the simile is intended to resemble them to said plant in the swiftness of its growth and its fragility. Therefore, he said that they will come out (of the water of life) like pearls in the purity and beauty of their skin. "And they will have seals on their necks" on which it is written: The ones emancipated from Hell by the Most Merciful. "Then they will enter Paradise, whereupon the people of Paradise will say: 'These are the people emancipated by the Most Merciful. He has admitted them into Paradise without them having done any good deeds and without sending forth any good (for themselves).'" This means that though they did not do good deeds in worldly life, they do have the fundamental basis of faith, which consists of testifying that there is no god but Allah and believing in their Messenger. "Then it will be said to them: 'For you is what you have seen and its equivalent as well.'" Apparently, they will enter vacant places in Paradise; hence, this was said to them.

This Hadīth demonstrates the bounty and extensive mercy of Allah, the Exalted. It also informs us of the great status of the people of Paradise, as the lowest in rank therein will enjoy multiple times more what any king of this world possesses.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarifies that whoever says the following upon hearing the muezzin completing the Adhān (call to prayer): (O Allah, Lord of this perfect call), these are the words of the Adhān that are used to call people to worship Allah and to perform the prayer; (perfect) complete, i.e., the call of Tawhīd (monotheism) and the divine message. (And the prayer that is to be established) constantly and that is about to be offered. (Grant) and give (Muhammad Al-Wasīlah) and the highest position in Paradise that is not to be granted to anyone other than him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), (and Al-Fadīlah), i.e., the degree of superiority over others' degrees, (and resurrect him to) and give him (the Praiseworthy Station) that brings praise to the one standing therein, which is a reference to the Grand Intercession on the Day of Judgment (that You have promised him) by saying: {So your Lord may raise you to a praised status} to be yours. Whoever says this supplication becomes worthy of the Prophet's intercession that will be definitely granted to him.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) demonstrates the great favor of Allah towards the believers and His justice towards the disbelievers. As for the believer, He does not diminish the reward of any good deed he performs. Rather, He gives him a reward for it in this world in return for his obedience, in addition to the reward He keeps in store for him in the Hereafter. He may also keep the whole reward for him in the Hereafter. As for the disbeliever, Allah gives him the reward for his virtuous deeds in the form of good things in this life. But when he goes to the Hereafter, he will have no reward. This is because the good deed that brings benefit in this world and in the Hereafter must be performed by a believer.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) points out that he will be at his Cistern on the Day of Judgment to see those among his Ummah who will come to it. Some people will be held back close to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), who will say: My Lord, they belong to me and my Ummah. It will be said: Do you know what they did after you left them? By Allah, they quickly turned back upon their heels and abandoned their religion. So, they do not belong to you or to your Ummah.

When the following verse was revealed: {Then on that Day, you will indeed be asked about your worldly pleasures} i.e., You will be asked about the gratitude you showed for the pleasures Allah has bestowed upon you - Az-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah, which pleasures will we be asked about?! Only two blessings are not among the things that deserve to be asked about, namely dates and water! Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Verily, you will be asked about the worldly pleasures despite the state you are in, for these two are great blessings from among the blessings of Allah Almighty.

One shall collect a great reward if he were to suppress his anger when capable of unleashing it, especially when he opts for patience against temptations of anger for the sake of Allah. The reward is being summoned on the Day of Judgment in front of everyone to choose from the most beautiful women of Paradise whomever he desires.

Allah, the Almighty, will call out to the people at the place of the standing on the Day of Judgment, saying: "Where are those who loved each other for My glory?" He will ask about them despite the fact that He knows where they are and everything else about them. He will declare their virtue at that time and place, to show His greatness. It means, where are those who loved each other for My glory and grandeur and not for any worldly purpose. Then, Allah, the Almighty, will say: "Today, I will shelter them under My shade." The relation of "shade" to Allah is that of honor. What is meant is the shade of the Throne. According to a version other than that in Sahīh Muslim: "besides the shade of My Throne." "On the Day wherein there is no shade but My shade." i.e. on that day, there will be no shade but that of the Throne of the Most Merciful.

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) relates to us in this Hadīth that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed them that Allah, the Almighty, would fold up the seven heavens on the Day of Judgment and place them in His right hand and would fold up the seven earths and seize them with His left hand; and each time he folds one of these, He will call out the mighty and arrogant ones, belittling them and declaring that He is the true Owner of the dominion who never weakens or perishes. All others, rulers and ruled, just and unjust, will certainly perish and will stand humiliated in front of Him. He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) relates to us about a group of believers who, on the Day of Judgment, will have pulpits and elevated places where they will sit as a sign of honor for them from Allah. This is due to their love of each other for the sake of Allah and glorifying Him, and their love for each other due to the faith that they are united in. Even the prophets (peace be upon them) will wish to have their status. This does not necessarily mean that they are better than the prophets, because this particular virtue does not supersede the general virtue.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded that anyone who has wronged his Muslim brother—whether in honor, wealth, or blood—must seek his pardon while still in this worldly life, before the Day of Judgment comes, where neither a gold dinar nor a silver dirham will benefit him as ransom. On that Day, compensation will be made by good and bad deeds: the one who was wronged will take from the good deeds of the wrongdoer in proportion to the injustice done to him. And if the wrongdoer has no good deeds, then the sins of the oppressed will be placed upon the oppressor, in equal measure to the wrong committed.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) described some of what will occur on the Day of Judgment—that people will be gathered after being resurrected from their graves for the reckoning. They will be barefoot, without shoes; naked, without clothing or covering; and uncircumcised, just as they were on the day their mothers gave birth to them. When the Mother of the Believers, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), heard this, she said in astonishment: O Messenger of Allah, men and women together, looking at each other?! The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explained to her that the situation of the standing (before Allah) and the gathering after resurrection will be filled with such terrifying events that people will be far too preoccupied to even notice the nakedness of others.

People will rise from their graves on the Day of Resurrection and stand before Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, so that He will recompense them. Some of them will stand with their own perspiration reaching up to the middle of their ears.

The oppressed one will retaliate against his oppressor on the Day of Judgment; even the hornless sheep will settle its score with the one that has horns, {and your Lord is not unjust to anyone.} [Sūrat al-Kahf: 49]

The Oxus, the Jaxartes, the Euphrates, and the Nile are four rivers in this world, which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) described as being from the rivers of Paradise. Some scholars said that they are literally from the rivers of Paradise. However, when these rivers were put in this world, they earned the character of worldly rivers and became from the rivers of this world.

This Hadīth reports a conversation between Hell and Paradise. Hell boasts of being the destination of Allah's vengeance on the tyrants, the arrogant, and criminals, who disobeyed Allah and discredited His messengers. Paradise, however, complains that mostly the weak, the poor, and the humble are admitted to it. The dwellers of Paradise are, indeed, humble and submissive to Allah. Paradise and Hell have, in fact, had such a conversation, since Allah has endowed them with consciousness, discernment, reason, and speech. Nothing is beyond Allah's power. Allah settled the dispute between Paradise and Hell by saying to the former that it is His mercy by means of which He has mercy upon any of His slaves, and by saying to the latter that it is His torment by means of which He tortures any of His slaves. In other words, Allah created Paradise to have mercy by means of which upon whom He wills of His slaves, namely those who are blessed by Allah and made eligible to be admitted to Paradise. Likewise, Allah created Hell for those who disobeyed Him, namely those who disbelieved in Him and His messengers. Both destinations belong to the dominion of Allah, which He manages as He wills. He is not asked about what He does, whereas people are asked. It should be noted, however, that no one enters Hell except those who deserve it because of their deeds. Furthermore, Allah promised to fill Paradise and Hell with dwellers. Hell clearly asked to be filled; Allah says: {On the Day We will say to Hell, "Have you been filled?" and it will say, "Are there some more?"} [Sūrat Qāf: 30] In response, Allah pledged to fill Hell with both jinn and humans. Paradise and Hell are the abodes of the jinn and humans after reckoning on Doomsday. Those who believed in Allah, worshiped Him alone, and followed His messengers, will end up residing in Paradise. On the other hand, those who disobeyed Allah and disbelieved in Him with arrogance, they will end up residing in Hell. However, Hell will be filled only when Allah puts His Foot. It will then get together and tighten upon those inside it. Indeed, Allah does not do injustice to anyone. The ''Foot'' must be affirmed as an attribute of Allah, without distorting its meaning, denying it, asking how, or drawing similarities between Allah and His creation. Finally, Allah, the Almighty, will fill Paradise with new creation that He will specially create for it.

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh al-Ansāri said he heard that ‘Abdullāh ibn Unays had heard a Hadīth from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) that he never heard. So he bought a camel for the journey and put his luggage on it, and traveled for a month until he arrived at the Levant. He went to ‘Abdullāh ibn Unays’ house and said to the doorman: “Jābir is here.” ‘Abdullāh ibn Unays asked: “Ibn Abdullāh?” Jābir said: 'Yes.' So Unays ran out quickly and they hugged each other. Jābir said to him: “I learnt that you heard a Hadīth from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about recompense and I was worried you would die or I would before I heard it.” So he said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘The people will be gathered on the Day of Judgment naked, uncircumcised and they will have nothing.’ This means that Allah will gather the people up on the Day of Judgment in one place, hold them accountable for their deeds, and either punish or reward them. At that time, they will be naked and uncircumcised, just as they were when their mothers gave birth to them, and they will have no worldly possessions. Then, he said: "Then an announcement will be made by one voice.” An announcement is only made by a voice, as people notice an announcement accompanied by sound. So ‘voice’ was mentioned here to emphasize the announcement. This is the highest level of clarity that Allah speaks, with speech that is heard and with a sound, however Allah’s sound does not resemble that of the creation. As for the sounds of the creation, only those close-by are able to hear their sounds. Allah’s voice does not resemble that of the creation and that is why he said those far, as well as those who are near will hear the sound. This characteristic is exclusive for Allah’s voice. In contrast, the sounds of His creation are only heard by the ones who are close by, depending on how loud the voice is. There are numerous texts that affirm this, for instance, Allah’s statements: {And their Lord called to them: "Did I not forbid you"} [Sūrat al-A‘rāf: 22] and Allah’s statement: {And We called him from the side of the mount at [his] right and brought him near, confiding [to him]} [Sūrat Maryam: 52] and Allah’s statement: {And [mention] when your Lord called Mūsa, [saying]: "Go to the wrongdoing people"} [Sūrat Ash-Shu‘āra’: 10]. Then He will say: “I am the King, I am the Recompenser.” The announcement that the people gathered on that day will hear; the ones who are far and close: “I am the King, I am the Recompenser.” Allah, the Exalted, is the King. He owns all that is in the heavens and earth. He is the Recompenser Who compensates the servants for their deeds, whoever does good, He will reward him with better than what he did; and whoever did bad deeds, He will give him what he deserves. Then Allah will say: "None of the people of Hell will enter Hell with a right over one of the people of Paradise until I settle his right. And none of the people of Paradise will enter Paradise owing a right to one of the people of Hell, until I offset his right, even if it was a slap (on the face).” Meaning: Allah, Exalted and Glorified, will judge between His servants with justice. He will take from the oppressor the right of the oppressed. None of the inhabitants of the Hellfire will enter it with a right to claim from the people of Paradise, except that Allah will settle this right. This is complete justice. Even though the disbelievers and the oppressors will enter the Hellfire, they will not be oppressed. If they had a right upon someone in the Paradise, they will receive it from them, and similarly is the case for the people of Paradise. So the Companions said to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): “How can the people give others their rights when they don’t have any worldly possessions?” The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “By the good and bad deeds.” Meaning: The settlement of rights is done by the oppressed people taking good deeds from their oppressor and, if the good deeds of the oppressors run out, the bad deeds of the oppressed will be taken and added to the aggregate of bad deeds of the oppressor, and then he will be thrown into the Hellfire.

If a disbeliever does an act of obedience, then Allah, the Almighty, will provide him with sustenance in this world in return for it. As for the believer, if he does an act of obedience, then Allah will save the reward to give it to him in the Hereafter as well as reward him for his obedience in this world. Allah never misses rewarding the believer for his good deeds; He gives him reward in this world as well as the next. As to the disbeliever, he is only rewarded in this world for his good deeds, and when the Day of Judgment comes, he will have no good deeds to be rewarded for. Scholars have agreed that if the disbeliever dies upon disbelief, then he will have no reward in the Hereafter, and he will not be rewarded for any of his good deeds performed in this world. This Hadīth clearly mentioned that the disbeliever will be fed and rewarded in this world for what he did of good deeds which do not require a sound intention to be accepted, such as maintaining ties of kinship, charity, freeing a slave, hosting guests, and similar deeds. However, if the disbeliever does such good deeds then enters Islam, then he will be rewarded for them in the Hereafter, as indicated in the Hadīth: "You embraced Islam with all the previous good deeds you had performed.”

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the muezzins, who call to prayer, will have the longest necks on the Day of Judgment due to the honor of their work, their abundant goodness, and the greatness of their reward.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us in this Hadīth that he cannot enjoy happiness and bliss in this world while the Last Day is approaching fast and the angel in charge of the Trumpet, Isrāfīl, has placed it right before his mouth and leaned his head, waiting for the command to blow it. When the Trumpet is blown, all those in the heavens and on earth will fall dead and the Day of Judgment will start. Apparently concerned about the imminence of this Day, the Companions(may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "So, what should we say, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "Say: Allah is sufficient for us and He is the best Disposer of affairs. We relied upon Allah, our Lord."

This tradition is reported by ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) who says about himself that he will be the first person to kneel before the Lord of the worlds on the Day of Resurrection for the dispute and that Verse 19 of Sūrat al-Hajj was revealed concerning himself, Hamzah, and Abu ‘Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with them) when they dueled with the heads of disbelief during the battle of Badr: Shaybah ibn Rabī‘ah, ‘Utbah ibn Rabī‘ah, and Al-Walīd ibn ‘Utbah. This indicates that it is permissible to duel with the swords before the battle starts.

The Prophet (ﷺ) informed that his nation is the last of all nations in existence and time, yet it will be the first to be called to account on the Day of Judgment. On that day, it will be said: Where is the unlettered nation and its Prophet?—in attribution to the Prophet's unlettered nature, as he neither read nor wrote. They will be called first to account—thus, we are the last in time and existence, yet the first to be brought to account on the Day of Judgment and the first to enter Paradise.

The Prophet (ﷺ) saw in a dream that he was in Paradise. He said to Bilāl ibn Rabāh: Tell me about the most rewarding voluntary deed you have done in Islam, for I heard the soft sound of your sandals ahead of me in Paradise. Bilāl said: The deed I consider most rewarding is that whenever I break my ablution, I perform ablution—at any hour of the day or night— and I would pray with that ablution as many voluntary prayers as ordained for me to pray.

The meaning of this Hadīth is explained in the report of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) which reads: "Each person has an abode in Paradise and an abode in Hell. If the believer enters Paradise, the disbeliever in Hell will take his place in it, because he deserves that due to his disbelief." "This is your ransom from the Hellfire" means that you were exposed to the risk of entering Hell, but this is your ransom. This is because Allah, the Almighty, decreed a number of inmates to enter Hell and fill it. When the disbelievers enter it because of their disbelief and sins, they will become like ransom for the Muslims. Allah knows best.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged his Ummah to read the Qur’an, and said that if they do so, on the Day of Resurrection Allah, the Almighty, will make the reward of their Qur'an recitation come in the form of an independent entity who will intercede for those who had read the Qur'an, those who were preoccupied with it, and those who abided by its commands and prohibitions.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting with about forty men of his Companions in a small tent. He asked them: Would you like to be one-fourth the inhabitants of Paradise? They replied in the affirmative. Then he asked: Would you like to be one-third the inhabitants of Paradise? They again replied in the affirmative. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) swore by his Lord and said: I hope that you would be one-half the inhabitants of Paradise, and the other half from the other nations, for no one will enter Paradise except Muslims, so the disbelievers will not enter therein. He then added that Muslims, compared to the polytheists from all other nations, are very little in number, just like the one single hair of a different color on the hairy skin of an ox.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that on the Day of Judgment, the sun will be brought close to the people and will approach them until it is only a mile's distance from their heads. Sulaym ibn ‘Āmir, the Tābi‘i, said: By Allah, I do not know which of the two meanings he was referring to, that of the distance on earth or the one used as kohl for the eye? He said: They will be in sweat according to their deeds. Some of them will have sweat up to their ankles, some up to their knees, some up to their waist and the waistband of their lower garments, and some will have sweat reaching their mouths, preventing them from speaking. He said: He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed with his hand to his mouth.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the lowest and least rank and level for anyone who enters Paradise is that He will say to him: Wish, and he will wish, and wish, until no wish remains not mentioned. Then He will say to him: Did you wish? He will reply: Yes. And He will say to him: For you is what you wished, and the like of it along with it.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was with his Companions attending a food invitation when a sheep's foreleg was presented to him, which was the part of the meat he liked the most. He took a bite from it with the tips of his teeth and then spoke to them, saying: I am the master of the children of Adam on the Day of Judgment, by way of mentioning the blessing of Allah Almighty. Then he said: Do you know why? He said: People will be gathered on the Day of Judgment in a vast, flat, and extended land, and those who are there will hear the caller, and the observer will encompass them; nothing will be hidden from him among them. This is due to the flatness of the land, as there is nothing for anyone to hide behind from the onlookers. The sight will penetrate them, meaning that if a person speaks, the last one will hear him, and the sight will see them. The sun will draw near to the creatures at a distance of a mile, and they will experience a level of distress and anguish that they cannot endure or bear. They will, thus, seek salvation through intercession. Then Allah Almighty will inspire the believers to go to Adam, the father of humanity. They will approach him and mention his virtues, hoping that he may intercede for them with Allah Almighty. They will say to him: You are Adam, the father of mankind. Allah created you with His Hand, and made His angels prostrate to you, and He taught you the names of everything, and He breathed into you from His spirit. Adam will then apologize and say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today, as He has never been before and will never be after. He will then mention his sin, which was that Allah Almighty forbade him to eat from a tree, but he ate from it. He will say: My soul is what deserves intercession, so go to someone else; go to Noah. They will come to Noah and say: You are the first Messenger sent by Allah to the people of the earth, and Allah has named you a grateful slave. However, he will apologize, saying: Indeed, Allah Almighty is so angry today, as He has never been before and will never be after. He will add that he had a supplication, which he made against his people, my soul is what deserves intercession, so go to someone else; go to Abraham. They will come to Abraham and say: You are the close friend of Allah on earth. Intercede for us with your Lord; do you not see what we are going through? He will reply by saying: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today, as He has never been before and will never be after. I told three lies, namely his saying: I am sick; his saying: It was this biggest one who did it; and his saying to his wife Sarah: Tell him I am your brother, to be safe from his harm. The truth is that the three statements were actually from the indirect speech, but since their form resembled that of a lie, he was concerned about them out of humility and a sense of inadequacy for intercession. This is because the more one knows Allah and is closer to Him, the greater his fear becomes. He will say: My soul is what deserves intercession, so go to someone else; go to Moses. They will then come to Moses and say: O Moses, you are the Messenger of Allah. Allah favored you over the people with His message and speech. Intercede for us with your Lord; do you not see what we are going through? He will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today, as He has never been before and will never be after. I killed a soul that I was not commanded to kill. My soul is what needs an intercession; so go someone else; go to Jesus, son of Mary. Then they go to Jesus and say: O Jesus, you are the Messenger of Allah and His Word that he cast to Mary, and a Spirit from Him, and you spoke to the people in the cradle as a baby. Intercede for us with your Lord; do you not see what we are going through? He will reply: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be after it, and he did not mention a sin. My soul is what needs an intercession; so go to someone else, go to Muhammad. They will come to Muhammad and say: O Muhammad, you are the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. Allah has forgiven you for what has preceded and what was later. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? I will then set off and come beneath the Throne and fall in prostration to my Lord, Exalted and Glorified be He, and then Allah will inspire me with some forms of His praise and glorification that He has not inspired anyone with before me. Then it will be said: O Muhammad, raise your head; ask, and it will be granted to you, and intercede, and your intercession will be accepted. I will raise my head and say: My nation, O Lord! My nation, O Lord! My nation, O Lord! And his intercession will be accepted. It will be said to him: O Muhammad, admit from your nation those who have no reckoning from the right gate of the gates of Paradise, and they will share with people in the other gates. Then he said: By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, what lies between the two sides of the gate of Paradise is like the distance between Makkah and San‘ā’ in Yemen—or as the distance between Makkah and Busra in the Levant, which is the city of Hawrān.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the first group of believers to enter Paradise will have faces that shine like the full moon on its brightest night, followed by those who are as radiant as the most luminous stars in the sky. They will have attributes of perfection, as they will not urinate, defecate, spit, or blow their noses. Their combs will be made of gold, their sweat will smell like musk, and their incense burners will emit the finest fragrances. Their spouses will be the houris, and they will be created with a unified appearance, resembling their father Adam in form and height—sixty cubits tall in stature.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that in the Paradise of the Hereafter, there are one hundred degrees and ranks. The distance between each two degrees is like the distance between the heavens and the earth. The highest of these gardens is that of Al-Firdaws, from which the four rivers of Paradise flow, and above Al-Firdaws is the Throne. So when you ask Allah, ask Him for Al-Firdaws, as it is above all the other gardens.