محمد بن أبي إسحاق

Does He have the power to place the whole world in an egg, without making the egg bigger or the world smaller?” So Hisham responded: “Can you give me some time?” Therefore, he said: “I shall give you some time.” Then he left from his presence. Hisham went riding to Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) and asked for his permission to enter; hence, he permitted him. He then explained, “O son of the Messenger of Allah (SA)! `Abd Allah al-Daysani came to me with a question that no one can resolve except Allah and you.” Thus, Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) said to him, “What is it that he asked you?” So he replied, “He said to me so and so.” Thus, Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) explained, “O Hisham! How many sense do you have?” “Five.” Hisham answered. So the Imam (AS) asked, “Which is the smallest of the senses?” He said: “The pupil (of the eye).” “What is the size of the pupil?” The Imam (AS) enquired. Hisham responded, “It is the size of a grain of lentil or even smaller than that.” Thus, the Imam (AS) said: “O Hisham! Look ahead and above you, and inform me of what you see.” He replied, “I see the sky, the Earth, houses, palaces, dust, mountains and rivers.” Then, Abu `Abd Allah (AS) said: “Verily, the One who has the power to place what you see in a grain of lentil or seen smaller than that has the power to place the whole world in an egg, without making the world smaller or making the egg bigger.” Hisham threw himself down to the Imam’s feet and kissed his hands, head and feet, and then said: “This is sufficient for me, O son of the Messenger of Allah.” Then he returned to his house. The following day al-Daysani came to him and said; “O Hisham, I have come to you, greeted you, and have not come demanding an answer.” Hisham replied, “Whether or not you came for an answer, I have it.” Hence, al-Daysani left is present. He was informed that Hisham went to the presence of Abu `Abd Allah (AS) and he has taught him the answer. `Abd Allah al-Daysani left, and reached the door of Abu `Abd Allah (AS). He asked for his permission to enter and the Imam permitted him. When he sat down, he said to the Imam (AS), “O Ja`far son of Muhammad! Guide me to my Lord.” Thus, Abu `Abd Allah (AS) asked, “What is your name?” So he walked out on the Imam (AS) and did not inform him of is name. Hence, he friends asked him, “Why did you not tell him your name?” He replied, “If I had told that my name is `Abd Allah, he would have said: `Who is that you are the servant of?” They said to him “Return to him and tell him to guide you to your Lord without asking you your name.” Therefore, he returned to him and said: “O Ja`far! Guide me to my Lord, and do not ask me about my name.” Thus, Abu `Abd Allah (AS) said to him, “Sit down.” He had a young boy, who had an egg in his hand and was playing with it. So Abu `Abd Allah (AS) said: “Young lad, bring me the egg.” So he brought it to him. Abu `Abd Allah (AS) further said: O Daysani, this is a concealed stronghold. It has a solid cover, and inside the solid cover there is soft layer. Inside the soft layer there is the egg-yolk and the albumin. Neither does the egg-yolk mix with the albumin not does the albumin mix the egg-yolk. Each remains in its state. No informer comes out of it to inform of its usefulness nor has a defect informed of its decay. No one knows whether it will make a male or a female. Colors lie that of the peacocks burst out of it. Do you not think that it is the product of Planner [mudabbir]? He put his head down for a long time, then said: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, Alone. He has no associates, and Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, and you are an Imam and a Proof from Allah for His Creation. I repent for the misguidance in which I was in.”

The Messenger of Allah (sw) said: "Indeed, Rajab is the month of Allah, al-Asam, and it is a great month. It is named 'Al-Asam' because no other month can be compared to its sanctity and excellence in the sight of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted. The people of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance) used to venerate it in their ignorance, and when Islam came, its sanctity and excellence only increased. Indeed, Rajab and Sha'ban are my months, and the month of Ramadan is the month of my Ummah.
So, whoever fasts one day in Rajab with faith and seeking reward will attain the greatest pleasure of Allah. His fast on that day extinguishes the anger of Allah, closes one of the gates of the Hellfire for him, and even if he were to give the entire earth's fill of gold in charity, it would not be equivalent to his fasting. His reward cannot be completed with anything from the worldly possessions unless he dedicates it sincerely to Allah Almighty. For him, there are ten supplications that are answered every evening, and if he prays for something in this world, Allah will grant it to him. Otherwise, He will reserve for him something better among the rewards from His saints, beloved ones, and pure ones.
Whoever fasts for two days in Rajab, the observers of the heavens and the earth cannot describe the honor he has with Allah. He will be written among the honored ones like ten of the truthful ones in their lifetimes, with their ages reaching what theirs did. On the Day of Judgment, he will be interceded just as they will, and he will be gathered with them in their group until he enters Paradise and becomes one of their companions.
Whoever fasts for three days in Rajab will have a trench or a barrier between him and the Hellfire, the length of which is a journey of seventy years. Allah Almighty will say to him at the time of breaking his fast: 'Indeed, your right upon Me has been fulfilled, and My love and guardianship are due to you. O My angels, bear witness that I have forgiven him for what has passed and what is to come.'
Whoever fasts for four days in Rajab will be protected from all calamities, including madness, leprosy, and the trial of the Dajjal. He will be saved from the torment of the grave, and he will be given a reward similar to the rewards of the repentant among the knowledgeable ones, and his record will be given to him with his right hand among the first of the worshippers.
Whoever fasts for five days in Rajab, it is the right of Allah Almighty to be pleased with him on the Day of Judgment, and He will raise him on the Day of Judgment with a face like the moon on the night of the full moon. It will be written for him a number of good deeds as vast as the sands and pebbles, and he will enter Paradise without any accountability. It will be said to him, 'Ask your Lord for whatever you wish.'
Whoever fasts for six days in Rajab will emerge from his grave, and his face will shine with a light whiter than the light of the sun. Besides that, he will be given a light with which the people of the gathering will be illuminated on the Day of Judgment. He will pass over the Bridge (Sirat) without any reckoning and will be saved from the disobedience of parents and the severing of family ties.
Whoever fasts for seven days in Rajab, Hellfire will have seven gates, and Allah will close one of its gates for him each day of fasting, and He will say to him, 'Enter from any of the gates of Paradise as you wish.'
Whoever fasts for nine days in Rajab will come out of his grave calling, 'There is no god but Allah.' His face will not turn away from Paradise, and he will emerge from his grave with a light that will illuminate for the people of the gathering until they say, 'This is a chosen prophet!' Even the least he will be given is to enter Paradise without any reckoning.
Whoever fasts ten days of Rajab, Allah Almighty will grant him two green wings, adorned with pearls and rubies, with which he will fly over the Bridge (Siraat) like a swift lightning, heading towards the Gardens. Allah will exchange his sins for good deeds and inscribe him among the close and upright servants of Allah, as if he had been standing patiently, worshiping Allah for a thousand years.
Whoever fasts eleven days of Rajab, there is no servant who will receive on the Day of Judgment a reward unmatched more than him, except by one who fasts the same or more.
Whoever fasts twelve days of Rajab, on the Day of Judgment, he will be clothed in two green garments made of silk and brocade, and he will be crowned with them. If one of those crowns were to be brought down to the earth, it would illuminate the space between the East and West, and the world would become more fragrant than musk.
Whoever fasts thirteen days of Rajab, for him on the Day of Judgment, a table will be set under the Throne, its legs made of pearls, broader than the world seventy times. On it, there are plates of pearls and rubies, with each plate having seventy thousand different colors of food, unlike any other color or fragrance. People will eat from it in extreme joy and great delight, while (other) people are in intense hardship and sorrow.
Whoever fasts fourteen days of Rajab, Allah Almighty will grant him a reward beyond what eyes have seen, ears have heard, or hearts have imagined, from the palaces of the Gardens built with pearls and rubies.
Whoever fasts fifteen days of Rajab will stand on the Day of Judgment in a position of safety, and no close angel or sent prophet or messenger will pass by him except that they will say: 'Congratulations! You are a secure, honored, and blessed close servant destined for the Gardens.'
Whoever fasts sixteen days of Rajab will be among the first to ride luminous creatures, flying with them in the avenues of the Gardens towards the abode of the Merciful.
Whoever fasts seventeen days of Rajab, on the Day of Judgment, seventy thousand lamps of light will be placed for him on the Bridge (Siraat) until he passes over it with the light of those lamps to the Gardens, escorted by angels welcoming and delivering him.
Whoever fasts eighteen days of Rajab will join Ibrahim in his dome, in the dome of eternity, on thrones of pearls and rubies.
Whoever fasts nineteen days of Rajab, Allah will build for him a palace of moist pearls, the size of which is the distance between the footprints of Adam and Ibrahim (AS), in the Garden of Eden. They will greet him and he will greet them, as an honor and acknowledgment of his right, and it will be written for him for every day of fasting as if he had fasted for a thousand years.
Whoever fasts twenty days of Rajab is as if he has worshiped Allah Almighty for twenty thousand years.
Whoever fasts twenty-one days of Rajab will be interceded on the Day of Judgment as people like Rabi'a and Muthir, all of them from the people of sins and transgressions.
And whoever fasts for twenty-two days in Rajab, a caller from the inhabitants of the heavens proclaims: 'Rejoice, O servant of Allah, for Allah promises you great honor and companionship with those whom Allah has blessed among the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. They are indeed excellent companions.'
And whoever fasts for twenty-three days in Rajab, a voice from the heavens declares: 'Congratulations to you, O servant of Allah! You endured a little and were granted immense blessings. Congratulations to you when the veil is lifted from you, and you enter into the vast expanse of the generous rewards of your Lord. You will dwell in the vicinity of the Most High in the abode of peace.'
Whoever fasts from the month of Rajab for twenty-four days, when the Angel of Death descends upon them, they will see him in the form of a young man adorned in a green robe, riding a horse from the horses of paradise. In his hand, he holds green silk containing the fragrance of the finest musk, and in his other hand, a golden cup filled with the drink of paradise. He will give them this drink at the moment of their departure, making the pangs of death easy for them. Then, their soul will be taken gently, emitting a fragrance that the inhabitants of the seven heavens will inhale. They will remain in their grave in comfort and will be resurrected from their grave in comfort until they reach the Prophet's (sw) Basin.
Whoever fasts for twenty-five days in Rajab, upon exiting their grave, seventy thousand angels will meet them, each holding a banner made of pearls and rubies, accompanied by exquisite jewelry and ornaments. They will say, 'O servant of Allah, salvation is to your Lord.' Such a person will be among the first to enter the gardens of Eden with those whom Allah is pleased with, and who are pleased with Him, achieving great success.
If someone fasts for twenty-six days in Rajab, Allah will build for them in the shade of the Throne a hundred palaces made of pearls and rubies. At the top of each palace, there will be a red silk tent from the silk of paradise, where they will reside in comfort, while the (other) people are still facing the reckoning.
Whoever fasts for twenty-seven days in Rajab, Allah will widen their grave to a distance of four hundred years' travel, and it will be filled with musk and amber.
If someone fasts for twenty-eight days in Rajab, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will create seven trenches between them and the Fire, each trench spanning a distance of five hundred years between heaven and earth.
If someone fasts for twenty-nine days in Rajab, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will forgive them, even if their sins were as numerous as the particles of dust, and even if they were a woman who acted immorally seventy times, seeking the His reward and salvation from Hell, Allah would forgive her.
If someone fasts for thirty days in Rajab, a caller from the heavens will proclaim, 'O servant of Allah, as for what has passed, it has been forgiven for you. Resume your deeds for what remains.' Allah will grant them all that is in paradise, forty-thousand cities made of gold, and in every city, there will be forty-thousand thousand palaces. In each palace, there will be forty-thousand thousand houses, in each house forty-thousand thousand tables made of gold, and on each table, there will be forty-thousand thousand plates. Each plate will have forty-thousand thousand different types of food and drink, each with its own distinct color. In every house, there will be forty-thousand thousand beds made of gold, each bed measuring a thousand arms in length and a thousand arms in width. On each bed, there will be a maiden from the Hoor, accompanied by three hundred thousand attendants of light, surrounding her with musk and amber until a person who fasted in the month of Rajab arrives. This is for the one who fasts the entire month of Rajab.
It was asked: 'O Prophet of Allah, what about those who are unable to fast the entire month of Rajab due to weakness or illness, or women who are not pure? What should they do to attain what you have described?' He replied: 'Let them give charity every day, providing a loaf of bread to the poor. By the One who holds my life in His hand, if they give this charity every day, they will attain what has been described and even more. Even if all creatures from the heavens and the earth were gathered to estimate the reward, they would not reach a tenth of the virtues and ranks found in paradise.' It was asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, what about those who cannot afford such charity? What should they do to attain what you have described?' He replied: 'Let them glorify Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, one hundred times each day from the beginning of Rajab until the thirtieth day, saying, "Glory be to the Almighty God, glory be to the One who deserves no glorification except for Him, glory be to the Most Powerful, Most Generous, glory be to the One adorned with majesty while having the utmost authority."'