Explanation of the Book of the Beginning of Revelation, Faith, and Knowledge-10a

The reciter: Musa ibn Isma'il narrated to us, saying: Wahib narrated to us, saying: Hisham narrated to us from Fatimah from Asma' that she said:

The Shaykh : Paradise
The reciter: With the damma, O Shaykh,

The Shaykh : Until Paradise, in my opinion, with the kasrah, yes.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Yes, in my opinion, with the kasr.
The reader:

The Shaykh : We ask Allah for safety.
The Student: ... O Shaykh

The Shaykh : Yes, the witness in this hadith is Aisha's (may Allah be pleased with her) pointing to Asma', and Asma' is her sister, as it appears, Asma' bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both). He said, and that was during the prayer of the eclipse, for the sun was eclipsed in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) only once, after it had risen the height of a spear from its rising. It was a total eclipse, and that was on the twenty-ninth of Shawwal, in the tenth year of the Hijrah. The people were greatly frightened because it became like a piece of heated copper, until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out in a state of fear, even gathering his cloak, may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him, fearing that the Hour would begin. So he ordered, and it was announced: "The prayer is gathered." Such an announcement is made for important matters, and for this reason, when the imam intends to send out expeditions, he announces "The prayer is gathered" so that the people gather and he directs them. So he announced "The prayer is gathered," and the people gathered. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed that great prayer, which is a sign among the prayers, having no parallel. He recited a long recitation, long, long, the length of Surat al-Baqarah, then he bowed, then he bowed, then he recited a second time, a long recitation but less than the first, then he bowed a long bow, approximately the length of his standing but less than the first, until it ended. In this great position, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Paradise and the Fire were shown to him, so he advanced to take a cluster from Paradise, but he was not able to do so. Imam Ahmad narrated in the Musnad, saying: But Allah the Mighty and Majestic, by His wisdom, did not enable him to do so, and He showed him Paradise and the Fire until he feared its scorching, so he laughed and retreated backward. He saw in it the woman who is being punished for a cat she had confined, and he saw in it 'Amr ibn Luhay al-Khuza'i dragging his intestines in the Fire, and refuge is sought in Allah, because he was the first to introduce idols to the Arabs and to let the sacrificial camels run free. He saw in it the owner of the hook who steals from the pilgrims with his hook; he would pass by a pilgrim and snatch his goods. If the pilgrim did not notice, he would proceed with it, and if the pilgrim noticed, he would say, "This was taken by the hook-thief." He saw him being punished in the Fire of Hell for what he did wrong to the people in the Sacred Precinct. He (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a great matter, for the matter was great. Then he delivered a great, eloquent sermon, which Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) related in Zad al-Ma'ad, which makes one weep, something great, because this sign is a great sign. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) informed And who is it that dies on earth and the celestial bodies in the sky are affected by it? No one, not even the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); the sun and moon did not change for his death, even though his death was the greatest grief for the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). So who is it for whom the celestial bodies change for his death or his birth? And this belief is a belief of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, having no basis. They say that if the sun or moon is eclipsed, it is for a great death or a great birth, and all of this has no basis and no truth. But he said: He warns, and warning does not necessitate the occurrence of punishment, the punishment. And for this reason, he ordered the people to turn to the remembrance of Allah, His supplication, seeking His forgiveness, the takbir, prayer, charity, and freeing slaves. All of this was ordered by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) because the matter was great, and perhaps Allah the Mighty and Majestic will lift the punishment or retribution from them because of these noble deeds that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered. And for this reason, people are feared to be subjected to punishment if they do not pray, because Allah the Mighty and Majestic warns. And Allah the Exalted said: And He said: And for this reason, we see that the prayer of the eclipse, if it is not an individual obligation, is a collective obligation without doubt. For the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Be alarmed, and alarm necessitates the importance and magnification of this event. And therefore, the scholars said that the prayer of the eclipse should be like the Friday prayer, not performed except in the congregational mosques, so that all the people gather and their imam is one and their supplication is one, because this is closer to being answered. For the gathering of Muslims in worship is among the causes of being answered. And look at the manifestation of Allah the Mighty and Majestic on the Day of 'Arafah for those standing in 'Arafah, because they are a large gathering. And this is the truth: it should be that the prayer of the eclipse is in the congregational mosques, but there is no harm in it being prayed in other mosques; rather, it is better. So the important thing is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) saw great matters, and some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were overcome by faintness from the length of standing and the fear and panic, and among them was Asma'. And in this hadith is a reference, a proof that the one praying may point to the one who asked him, because Aisha pointed twice, once to the sky with her hand and once with her head. And there is no harm in a person pointing while he is praying, but for necessity.
And in this hadith is the establishment of the questioning in the grave, and that people are tested, examined; the test is the examination in their graves. Two angels come to him, the deceased, and they make him sit, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Until he hears the clatter of the sandals of his family and companions as they depart." They make him sit in a real sitting, and they ask him about his Lord, his religion, and his Prophet. As for the believer in whose heart faith has settled, I ask Allah to make me and you among them,
The student: Amen.

The Shaykh : he answers correctly, because he is certain. He answers that his Lord is Allah, his Prophet is Muhammad, and his religion is Islam. As for the hypocrite, and refuge is sought in Allah, or the one who doubts; the hypocrite is the one who openly declares disbelief and casts aside belief but appears to be a Muslim, and the one who doubts is not a hypocrite but he acts, yet he is in doubt, and refuge is sought in Allah. So this does not necessitate, he does not answer because he has no faith. He says: "I heard the people saying something, so I said it." O Allah, put faith in our hearts.
The student: Amen.

The Shaykh : And for this reason, it is obligatory for a person to strive with utmost effort for faith to enter his heart. Let not his faith be like the faith of the throat, like the faith of the Khawarij. Try to put it in your heart, and that is by always remembering Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and listen to the saying of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He: And He did not say "those whose tongues We have neglected from Our remembrance." Do not be such that when you remember Allah, you remember Allah with your tongue and your heart is negligent. This remembrance does not benefit you. Remember Allah with the heart. The most important thing is remembering Allah with the heart, O brothers. The most important thing is remembering Allah with the heart. When you say "La ilaha illa Allah," make it flow from the heart and return to the heart, not just with the tongue, until you die upon certainty, by the permission of Allah the Mighty and Majestic. So the most important thing is that faith reaches the depths of the heart. And when it reaches the depths of the heart, it becomes easy for the tongue, the acts of obedience become easy, and everything becomes easy. But the calamity, all the calamity, we seek refuge in Allah, is from the one whose faith is only faith of the throat. This is the one who is in danger. Yes.