إبراهيم بن أبي البلاد

15.Ibrāhīm ibn Abī al-Bilād said, “Abū al-Ḥasan [al-Kāẓim] (a) said, ‘Verily I seek forgiveness from Allah five thousand times every day.’ Then he said to me, ‘Five thousand is a lot.’”

And will anything plunge people into the Fire [of Hell] other than what their tongues reap?”[1]

Whoever asks you by Allah, give to him; and whoever does a good turn to you, recompense him. If you do not find anything to recompense him with, then pray to Allah for him [continually] until you feel sure that you have recompensed him [thereby].”

“AbūʿAbdillāh (a) said, ‘A good turn is not considered a good turn except with one who possesses honor or religion.’”

“The poor believers will be stopped on the Day of Judgment and will be told by the Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, ‘Indeed I did not make you poor due to your insignificance in My eyes; rather, I made you poor to test you. Go forth, and let there be no one who did good to you in the world but that you take his hand and make him enter Paradise [with you].’”

‘Abū Jaʿfar (AS) said: “Doing good [to others] protects one from falling into ruin, and every good turn is a charity. Those whose want is to do good [to others] in this world are [known as] the doers of good in the Hereafter, while those who do evil in the world are [recognized] as the evildoers in the Hereafter. Verily the first of the inhabitants of Paradise to be admitted into it are the doers of good, and the first of the people of Hell to be thrown into it are the doers of evil.”’”

Mūsā ibn ʿImrān (a) saw a man under the shade of the [Divine] Throne so he asked, ‘O Lord, who is this person whom You have brought so close that You have placed him under the shade of Your Throne?’ Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, said, ‘O Mūsā, this person was never undutiful to his parents, nor did he ever envy the people for what Allah had given them of His favors.’ He asked, ‘O Lord, are there any among Your creation who are undutiful to their parents?’ He replied, ‘The undutiful ones are not [counted as] theirs.’” [1]

Should I not guide you to the best of moral traits of this world and the Hereafter?” They (the companions) said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah!” He said, “Whoever establishes ties with the one who cuts him off, gives to the one who deprives him, and forgives the one who wrongs him. And whoever would be pleased to get a longer life and have his sustenance increased,then let him be mindful of Allah and keep ties with his near relatives.”

“If Allah knew [human beings capable of using] anything less than ‘uff’ [against their parents], He would have forbidden it, and that is the smallest form of undutifulness. Another form of undutifulness is for a man to look at his parents with a stern [and angry] stare.”

“I heard Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) say, ‘A fire will come out from inside the city of Aden by which the necks of camels[1] will be illuminated. It will be visible from the land of Shām and will drive people towards the [gathering] plain of maḥshar.’”

“When Allah created Paradise, and made its rivers flow, and dangled its fruits and ornaments, He said [to it], ‘[I swear] by My might, a miser will never be allowed into My company within you.’”

“There was a worshipper among the Banī Isrāʾīl with whom [Prophet] Dāwūd (a) was impressed, so Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed to him, ‘Do not be impressed by anything [you see] from him, for verily he is a hypocrite [who is only showing off].’ Then the man died, so they came to Dāwūd and said, ‘The man has died.’ He said to them, ‘Bury your companion.’ This caused some discontentment among the Banī Isrāʾīl and they said, ‘How could he not attend [this pious man’s funeral]?’ After the man had been washed, fifty men stood and bore witness, [swearing] by Allah, that they knew nothing but good [about him]. After they had prayed over him, another fifty men came forward and bore witness, [swearing] by Allah, that they knew of nothing but good [about him]. So Allah, the Almighty, revealed to Dāwūd (a), ‘What prevented you from testifying for so-and-so?’ He said, ‘[I was prevented by] what you had informed me of his affair.’ He said, ‘Though he was truly such, since a group of rabbis and monks have testified, swearing by Me, that they did not know anything but good [about him], I have accepted their testimony regarding him and forgiven him despite what I know about him.’”

“Jibraʾīl (a) came to the Prophet (ṣ), took him by the hand and led him to al-Baqīʿ. They came to a grave, and he called out to its occupant saying, ‘Rise by the permission of Allah!’ So a man with a bright face came out from it. He wiped away the earth from his face saying, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, and Allah is the greatest!’ Jibraʾīl then said [to him], ‘Return [as you were] with the permission of Allah.’ Then he took him to another grave and called out to its occupant saying, ‘Rise by the permission of Allah!’ So a man with a dark face came out from it saying, ‘Alas, what regret! Alas, what ruin!’ Then Jibraʾīl told him, ‘Return to your previous state with the permission of Allah!’ Then he said, ‘O Muḥammad, this is how they will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment; the believers will utter this statement and these others will say what you see.’”

“Kindness [to parents] increases one’s lifespan and charity given secretly calms the Lord’s wrath.”

“A bedouin came to the Prophet (ṣ) and took hold of the bridle of his mount as he was proceeding to one of his battles. Then he said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, teach me an action by which I may enter Paradise!’ He (ṣ) replied, ‘Whatever you like people to give to you, give to them, and whatever you dislike them to give to you, do not give to them. Now let go of the mount.’”

“A believer is asked [by two angels] in his grave, ‘Who is your Lord?’ So he replies, ‘Allah.’ Then he is asked, ‘What is your religion?’ So he replies, ‘Islam.’ Then he is asked, ‘Who is your Prophet?’ So he replies, ‘Muḥammad (ṣ).’ Then he is asked, ‘Who is you Imam?’ He replies, ‘ʿAlī (a).’ He is asked, ‘How did you know this?’ So he replies, ‘It is a matter to which Allah guided me and made me steadfast upon it.’ He will thus be told, ‘Sleep a slumber without any dream – the sleep of a bride.’ Then one of the doors of Paradise is opened for him and its breeze and fragrance enters upon him [in his grave]. He will then say, ‘O Lord, hasten for me the establishment of the Hour [of Judgment] so that I may return to my family and wealth!’” Then he said, “A disbeliever [on the other hand] is asked, ‘Who is your Lord?’ So he replies, ‘Allah.’ Then he is asked, ‘Who is your Prophet?’ So he replies, ‘Muḥammad.’ Then he is asked, ‘What is your religion?’ So he says, ‘Islam.’ He is asked, ‘Where did you learn that from?’ So he replies, ‘I heard people saying it so I [too] said it.’ He is then asked, ‘Who is your walī?’ So he answers, ‘I do not know.’ So they both strike him with an iron rod in a manner which all the humans and jinn would not be able to bear even if they came together! He will thus melt the way lead melts. Then, they will return his soul into his body and place his heart between two tablets of fire. [Knowing what awaits him,] he will say, ‘O Lord, delay the Hour of Reckoning.’”[1]

“Verily Paradise has a gate that is called ‘the Gate of Goodness’, and none shall enter it except those who did good [to others].”