10-10-2004, 01:35 AM
He remembered his grandmother's warning about praying on time: "My
son, you shouldn't leave prayer to this late time". His
grandmother's age was 70 but whenever she heard the Adhan, she got
up like an arrow and performed Salah. He, however could never win
over his ego to get up and pray. Whatever he did, his Salah was
always the last to be offered and he prayed it quickly to get it in
on time.
Thinking of this, he got up and realized that there were only 15
minutes left before Salat-ul Isha. He quickly made Wudhu and
performed Salat-ul Maghrib. While making Tasbih, he
again remembered his grandmother and was embarrassed by how he had
prayed. His grandmother prayed with such tranquility and peace.
He began making Dua and went down to make Sajdah and stayed like
that for a while. He had been at school all day and was tired, so
tired.
He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and shouting. He was
sweating profusely. He looked around. It was very crowded. Every
direction he looked in was filled with people. Some stood frozen
looking around, some were running left and right and
some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just
waiting.
Pure fear and apprehension filled him as he realized where he was.
His heart was about to burst. It was the Day of Judgement. When he
was alive, he had heard many things about the questioning on the Day
of Judgement, but that seemed so long ago. Could this be something
his mind made up? No, the wait and the fear were so great that he
could not have imagined this.
The interrogation was still going on. He began moving frantically
from people to people to ask if his name had been called. No one
could answer him. All of a sudden his name was called and the crowd
split into two and made a passageway for him.
Two angels grabbed his arms and led him forward. He walked with
unknowing eyes through the crowd. The angels brought him to the
center and left him there. His head was bent down and
his whole life was passing in front of his eyes like a movie. He
opened
his eyes but saw only another world.
The people were all helping others. He saw his father running from
one lecture to the other, spending his wealth in the way of Islam.
His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set
while the other was being cleared. He pleaded his case, "I too was
always on this path. I helped others. I spread the word of Allah. I
performed my Salah. I fasted in the month of Ramadan. Whatever Allah
ordered us to do, I did. Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did
not." He began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah.
He knew
that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah
deserved and his only protector was Allah.
He was sweating like never before and
was shaking all over. His eyes were fixed on the scale, waiting for
the
final decision. At last, the decision was made. The two angels with
sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd. His legs felt
like they were going to collapse. He closed his eyes as they began
to read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam.
His name was read first.
He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn't be, "How could I
go to Jahannam? I served others all my life, I spread the word of
Allah to
others". His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat.
The two angels took him by the arms. As his feet dragged, they went
through the crowd and advanced toward the blazing flames of
Jahannam.
He was yelling and wondered if there was any person who was going to
help him. He was yelling of all the good deeds he had done, how he
had helped his father, his fasts, prayers, the Qur'an that he read,
he was asking if none of them would help him. The Jahannam angels
continued to drag him.
They had gotten closer to the Hellfire. He looked back and these
were his last pleas. Had not Rasulullah [saw] said, "How clean would
a person be who bathes in a river five times a day, so too does the
Salah performed five times cleanse someone of their sins"?
He began yelling, "My prayers? my prayers? my prayers." The two
angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of
Jahannam. The flames of the fire were burning his
face. He looked back one last time, but his eyes were dry of hope
and he had nothing left in him.
One of the angels pushed him in. He found
himself in the air and falling towards the flames. He had just
fallen five or six feet when a hand grabbed him by the arm and
pulled him back.
He lifted his head and saw an old man with a long white beard. He
wiped some dust off himself and asked him, "Who are you?" The old
man replied, "I am your prayers". "Why are you so late! I was almost
in the Fire! You rescued
me at the last minute before I fell in".
The old man smiled and shook his
head, "You always performed me at the last minute, did you forget?"
At that instant, he blinked and lifted his head from Sajdah. He was
in a
sweat. He listened to the voices coming from outside. He heard the
adhan for Salat-ul Isha. He got up quickly and went to perform
Wudhu.
Pass this on to ur friends and family, and maybe u can help someone
open their eyes........ and who knows?? maybe this is a good deed
that can help you during the day of judgement....right???
