“A
man went to extremes in committing sins. When death came to
him, he
left instructions to his sons, saying: ‘When I die, burn me,
then
grind me into powder, then scatter me in the wind and in the sea,
for
by Allah, if my Lord has power over me, He will subject me to a
punishment that He has never subjected anyone to.’ So they did that
to
him, then (Allah) said to the earth: ‘Return what you have
taken,’ and
there he was, standing. He said to him: ‘What made
you do what you
have done?’ He said: ‘Fear of You, O Lord.’ So
He forgave him because
of that (fear).”
Narrated by It was
narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said:
Context
This hadith narrates a story of a man who lived a life of sin and, fearing punishment, instructed his sons to scatter his ashes after death. However, due to his fear of Allah, he was forgiven. This illustrates the concept of divine mercy and the transformative power of sincere repentance.
Modern Application
In today's world, this story serves as a reminder that no matter how far one may stray, the path to forgiveness is always open through sincere repentance and fear of God. It encourages individuals to seek redemption and strive for a better life.
Topics
This hadith is tagged with Divine Mercy and Fear and Anxiety because it highlights the balance between fear of punishment and hope for forgiveness in the relationship with God.
And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind [and regretted their error] to the point that the earth closed in on them in spite of its vastness and their souls confined them and they were certain that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.
[Then Allah said], "It is expected, [if you repent], that your Lord will have mercy upon you. But if you return [to sin], We will return [to punishment]. And We have made Hell, for the disbelievers, a prison-bed."
This hadith is #3993 from Sunan Ibn Majah, in the Book of Zuhd. It is graded Hasan and narrated by It was
narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said:.
