“A Man from the People of Paradise is Coming”
A Memory from the Age of Happiness
A Memory from the Age of Happiness
One morning in Madinah, the Messenger of Allah was sitting with his Companions,
teaching them, listening to them, and answering their questions.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
“Now a man from the people of Paradise will come to you.”
“Now a man from the people of Paradise will come to you.”
A man from the Ansar came.
He had just performed ablution.
He was holding his sandals in his left hand,
and drops of water were falling from his beard.
The next day the Prophet said again:
“Now a man from the people of Paradise will come to you.”
“Now a man from the people of Paradise will come to you.”
The same man came again.
On the third day, the Messenger of Allah repeated the same words,
and the same man appeared again.
After the gathering ended, Abdullah ibn Amr followed him,
wanting to learn what made him deserving of Paradise.
Abdullah ibn Amr said:
“I had a disagreement with my father and I swore that I would not go to him for three days. If you allow me, I would like to stay with you for these three days.”
“I had a disagreement with my father and I swore that I would not go to him for three days. If you allow me, I would like to stay with you for these three days.”
The man said:
“Alright.”
“Alright.”
“I stayed in his house for three nights.
I did not see him waking up for night prayer.
He slept until morning.
When he turned in his bed,
he remembered Allah and said takbir (saying “Allahu Akbar,” which means: Allah is the Greatest and higher than everything) .
I never heard him say anything except good words.
I saw nothing extraordinary.”
Then I said:
“O servant of Allah! There was no quarrel between me and my father. But I heard the Messenger of Allah say three times, ‘A man from the people of Paradise will come.’ Each time, you came. I wanted to see what you do, so that I could do the same. But I did not see anything special. What made you deserve this glad tiding?”
“O servant of Allah! There was no quarrel between me and my father. But I heard the Messenger of Allah say three times, ‘A man from the people of Paradise will come.’ Each time, you came. I wanted to see what you do, so that I could do the same. But I did not see anything special. What made you deserve this glad tiding?”
He said:
“What you saw is all that I do. I have no deed other than that.”
“What you saw is all that I do. I have no deed other than that.”
I left him,
but before I went far,
he called me back and said:
“I repeat,
what you saw is my life.
But there is one thing:
I keep no hatred in my heart toward any Muslim,
and I do not envy anyone
for what Allah has given them.”
Abdullah ibn Amr said:
“This is what raised you to that rank. This is what we are unable to do.”
“This is what raised you to that rank. This is what we are unable to do.”
Musnad Ahmad III,166 – Majma al-Zawaid 8/150