WOE
UNTO YOU, O Dinar!!!
-------------------------
An interesting story related about Dinaar al-'Ayaar.
Dinaar
had a righteous mother who would constantly advise him to
repent for his wayward, sinful existence, but as much as
she tried, her words had no positive effect on him whatsoever.
Then, one day, as he was walking by a graveyard, he stopped
to pick up a bone. He was shocked to see how it crumbled
and turned to dust in his hand. The sight of that bone had
a profound effect on Dinaar. He began to think about his
life and his past sins, and he then exclaimed, "Woe
unto you, O Dinaar, you are going to end up like this crushed
bone, and your body will turn into dust." All of his
past sins then flashed before his eyes, and he made a firm
resolve to repent. Turning his gaze towards the sky, he
said, "My Lord, I now turn to you in complete submission,
so accept me and have Mercy on me."
With a completely changed heart and state of mind, Dinaar
went to his mother and said, "Mother, what does a master
do when he captures his slave who had run away from him?"
She said, "[To punish him] the master provides him
with coarse clothing and low-quality food; and he ties his
hands and feet so that he does not make another attempt
to escape." Dinaar said, "Then I want a garment
made of coarse wool, low-quality barley, and two chains.
Mother, do with me that which is done with a runaway slave.
Perhaps my Lord will, upon seeing my humiliation and humility,
have mercy on me." Seeing that her son was adamant
and resolute in his request, she complied.
At the beginning of every ensuing night, Dinaar would begin
to cry and wail uncontrollably. And he would continue to
repeat to himself the words, "Woe unto you, O Dinaar,
do you have the power to withstand the Hell fire? How brazen
you have been to have led a life that has made you deserving
of the anger of the All-Mighty!" He would continue
upon that state until the morning.
Turning
wan and pale, Dinaar's body slowly wasted away. Not being
able to bear seeing him in that pitiable state, his mother
said, "My son, be easy on yourself." He answered,
"My mother, let me remain tied for a short while, so
that perhaps I can achieve long-term comfort later on. For
tomorrow, I will be waiting a long time before my Majestic
Lord, and I do not know whether He will order me to go to
places of beautiful shade or to places of unspeakable horror."
She said, "My son, at least rest for a while."
He said, "It is not present rest or comfort that I
am seeking out. Mother, it is as if I see you and other
people being led tomorrow towards Paradise, while I am being
led towards the Hell-fire along with his inhabitants."
She left him then, and he returned to crying, worshipping,
and reciting the Quran. One night, as he was reciting the
Quran, he came across these verses:
فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِين عَمَّا كَانُوا
يَعْمَلُونَ َ
So, by your Lord [o Muhammad], We shall certainly call
all of them to account, for all that they used to do. [al-Hijr:
92-93]
As he contemplated the meanings and implications of these
verses, he cried with such intensity that he fainted. His
mother rushed to him and tried very hard to revive him,
but he wouldn't respond. She thought he had died. Looking
into the face of her son, she said, "O my beloved one,
O the joy of my heart, where shall we meet again?"
In fact, Dinaar still had some life left in him, and hearing
his mother's words, he answered with a faint voice, "My
mother, if you do not find me on the wide plains of the
Day of Resurrection, then ask Maalik, the Custodian of Hell-fire
about me." He then made a croaking sound and died.
After she finished washing his body, Dinaar's mother prepared
him for his funeral. She then went out and made the announcement,
"O people, come to the funeral prayer of one who has
been killed by [fear of] the Hell-fire." People began
to come from all directions. It is said that during that
era, no greater gathering came together and no amount of
tears were shed as much as on that day.
On
the same night that his funeral was held, one of Dinaar's
friends saw him in a dream, attired in a green robe. Dinaar
was prancing around in Paradise, all the while reciting
the verse:
فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِين عَمَّا كَانُوا
يَعْمَلُونَ َ
So, by your Lord [o Muhammad], We shall certainly call
all of them to account, for all that they used to do.
During the dream, his friend heard him say, "By His
Might and Majesty, He asked me [about my deeds]. Having
mercy on me, He forgave me and pardoned me [my sins.] Lo!
Convey news of this to my mother."
~
The above story is taken from "The Stories of repentence"
published by dar-us-salam ~