Do Not Lose Hope From Allah’s Mercy

By Imam Murtadha Gusau

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, we praise Him, ask His help and His pardon. We ask Him to protect us from the evil of our selves and from our bad actions. Whoever Allah guides none can lead him astray, and whoever He leads astray none can guide him. I testify also that there is none worthy of worship except Him, and that Muhammad is His servant and Prophet, may peace be upon him, upon his family and his brothers till the day of resurrection.

Dear brothers and sisters! One day, as Ali Ibn Abi Ṭalib and Al-Husain Ibn Ali were walking together, they heard a man supplicating to Allah. The man was begging Allah to forgive him for his evil crimes. His sincere tone and eloquent words aroused the interest of Ali, who turned to his son and said:

“Do you not hear the man who is so very remorseful because of his sins? Go catch up with him and call him.”

When Al-Husain caught up with the man, he saw that he was clean looking, smelling good, with nice clothes and altogether handsome- except that he seemed to be paralysed on the right side of his body. Al-Husain said:

“Answer the summons of the Leader of the believers, Ali Ibn Abi Talib.”

Dragging his right side, the man followed Al-Husain back to where Ali was waiting for them.

Ali Asked: “Who are you and what is your story?”

The man said: “My story is that of a man who did not fulfil the rights of others and is now being punished for that.”

Ali asked: “And what is your name?”

The man said: “Munazil Ibn Lahiq.”

Ali asked: “And what is your story?”

The man said: “I was famous among the Arabs for my frivolous and sinful exploits. Merciful and kind, my father would constantly admonish me and advise me to mend my ways. He would remind me of Allah’s punishment, saying, ‘My son, do not go against He who punishes with the Hell-fire!’ When he would persist in advising me, I felt his voice grating on my nerves. I would get so frustrated that I would beat him with harsh blows. In response to my blows, he one day said, ‘By Allah, I will fast without breaking my fast and I will pray without stopping to sleep.’ He fasted for an entire week, but seeing no change in my behaviour, he climbed a camel and set off to perform Hajj.

His parting words were, ‘I am going to the House of Allah, and there I will seek help from Allah against you.’ When he reached Makkah, he embraced the curtain of the Ka’abah and supplicated against me, asking Allah to make me paralysed on one side of my body. By the One Who raised the sky and sends down the rain, no sooner did my father finish his supplication than I became paralysed on my right side, which became like a piece of wood. Anyone that would then pass by me would point to me and say, ‘Allah answered his father’s supplication against him.'”

Ali asked: “What did your father do then?”

The man replied: “O Leader of the Believers, after he became pleased with me, I asked him to go back and invoke Allah on my behalf. He agreed to do so. I walked alongside him as he rode on his camel, until we reached a place called the Valley of Arak. When we reached there, a group of birds flew away from a tree, their sudden movement frightened the camel. As the camel raced off in a state of fright, my father fell off it and died.”

It was certainly late for the man, but not too late, and so Ali advised him to continue to supplicate and to repent for his past misdeeds. Ali then parted from the man, but before leaving him, he taught him the supplication that a person in distress should say.

Fellow brothers and sisters! This story teaches us that when we sin we can be trialled and punished in this life and that punishment is not exclusive to the next life. We also learn the severity of disobeying parents and that their supplications either for or against their children are accepted, as the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

“The supplications of three persons are accepted and there is no doubt concerning their acceptance: a father; a traveller; one who is wronged.” [Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi]

Dear brothers and sisters! Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) mentioned a man from the people of the past, and told his story saying:

“Allah had given him wealth and children. When his death approached, he said to his sons: “What kind of father have I been to you?” They replied: “You have been a good father.” He told them that he had not presented any good deed before Allah, and if Allah should get hold of him He would punish him. “So look!” he added, “When I die, burn me, and when I turn into coal, crush me, and when there comes a windy day, scatter my ashes in the wind.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) added, “Then by Allah, he took a firm promise from his children to do so, and they did so, and threw his ashes on a windy day. Then Allah gave his command to his ashes, saying: “Be,” and behold! He became a man standing! Allah said: “O My servant! What made you do what you did?” He replied: “For fear of You,” and Nothing saved him then but Allah’s Mercy. So Allah forgave him.”

Respected brothers and sisters! This story is proof that we cannot enter paradise or be saved from the hell-fire purely on account of our deeds, we have to remember that ultimately it is from the mercy of Allah that we will be saved, this is in accordance with another Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him): Jabir reported:

“I heard Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) as saying: None of you would get into Paradise because of his good deeds alone, and he would not be rescued from Fire, not even I, but because of the Mercy of Allah.” [Muslim]

Wassalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa bara ka tuh

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Prayers, peace and mercy are upon our beloved master, Muhammad, the son of Abdullah (Peace be upon him), his family and Companions.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761 or +2348024192217.

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