In The Shade Of The Throne

by Raiiq Ridwan

Glimpses into the World of the Unseen: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII

Imam Muslim narrates a terrifying hadith from Al-Miqadad ibn Al-Aswad, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that he heard the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) say,

“The Sun will get closer to the creations on the Day of Resurrection until it is only a mile away. People will perspire according to the level of their deeds. Some of them will have perspiration covering his ankles, some to his knees, others to their shoulders, some will have it choke them”, and he ﷺ pointed to his mouth.

The summer time has arrived here in Bangladesh, and in all of the Northern Hemisphere. For those living in the tropical regions, summer represents such a difficult time of the year. Hot and humid, people try to keep indoors, knowing that going out will give them a headache due to the heat. More often than not, people try to rush home every time they are out to lay in the comfort of their rooms. If possible, every room is air conditioned to keep cool.

This heat is unbearable even though the average distance between the Sun and the Earth is 149 million kilometers!

Now, imagine Yawm al-Qiyamah (Day of Judgement) standing for so long, and with the Sun a mere mile away? La hawla wa la quwatta ‘illah billah (There is no power nor might except with Allah). On that Final day, there is no air conditioning, no fan, no cooling, in fact quite the opposite. Bukhari and Muslim both narrate a hadith from ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, where she mentions the Prophet ﷺ saying,

”You will be gathered bare-footed, naked, and uncircumcised.”

I don’t know how people actually feel about this, but my heart has lost it already. I simply cannot even imagine how I will go through this ordeal. While it might seem unbelievable on face value, we must remember that Allah says the Day of Judgement is Al-Wa’qiah, The Definite Day, and also Al-A’zifah – The Day that is definitely coming. When I think about these names, I understand better why it is also aptly named Yawm Al-Hasrah, The Day of Distress.

(Read more on the names of the Day of Judgement)[1]

However, our relationship with Allah is of love, fear and hope. While we are terrified of this Day, we are hopeful of the vast Mercy of Allah, and we should believe that Allah will indeed find a way out for us insha’Allah (if Allah wills). This day is also called Yawm al-Fasl, The Day of Division. The wicked are divided from the good, and the believer is divided from the disbeliever. Insha’Allah there is a way out for the believers. And All Praise is due to Allah that the solution to every problem is also with Him.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said,

“Allah will give shade to seven [people] on the Day when there will be no shade but His.” (Bukhari and Muslim, narrated by Abu Hurayrah)

AllahuAkbar (Allah is greatest). Indeed, Allah is Most Merciful. Not only is He Merciful by showering us in His Mercy all day and night, He is also Merciful to show us the ways and processes by which we are saved from His wrath on the Day of Judgement. This hadith goes onto mention who will be among those who are given shade,

“[1] A just ruler; [2] a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; [3] a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; [4] two men who love each other for Allah’s sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; [5] a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position [for illegal intercourse], but be says: ‘I fear Allah’, [6] a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; [7] and a man who remembered Allaah in private and so his eyes shed tears.”

1. A just ruler

The concept of Justice is a fundamental tenant in Islam and it is something that every Muslim – Ruler and the ruled – must apply in all matters without exception.

Justice means to give each the right he or she deserves, Muslim or non-Muslim, relative or stranger, friend or enemy. Allah says: “…And do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness”.   (Qur’an, 5:8)

Unfortunately, even if we accept this in theory, we often forget it in practice. So we find that when we speak about our friends and loved ones, we praise them beyond reason and when we speak about those whom we hold difference with, we can find no good in them and we just capitalize on their bad points. This is far removed from the justice which Allah gives great reward for, as mentioned in the following hadith: “The doers of justice will be on thrones of light at Allah’s Right Hand – and both of Allah’s Hands are Right Hands” (Sahih Muslim). These deserving believers were just in their Ruling, with their families and in all that over which they were given authority. Whenever we are given authority over another group of people, whether politically or otherwise, if we are just, then we can hopefully be given shade in the Throne of Allah.

2. A youth who grew up in the worship of Allah

Another interesting hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ comes to mind,

“Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your YOUTH before you become old; and your health, before you fall sick; and your richness, before you become poor; and your free time before you become busy; and your life, before your death.” (Narrated by Imam Ahmad])

Shaykh Yaser Birjas said in a khutbah: “Youthfulness is a time when a person is the most energetic, when he lays out the foundations for his future, and when he plans his life. So the Prophet ﷺ said to take advantage of this time before the time comes when you do not have that enthusiasm, when you do not have that zeal, or that outlook. The enthusiasm and energy that you have been blessed with will never again be given to you after this age. Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ said to seize the moment and take advantage of it. A person should exercise this energy for the sake of Allah by procuring knowledge of Allah, obtaining halal sustenance, and worshipping Allah through acts that he might not be able to do later on in life.”

Moreover, this young age is a time when desires are more, and the will for action, whether good or bad, is stronger. The mind is rebellious and the temptations of the Shaytan at maximum. The one who does his part in restraining himself/herself and obeys Allah surely deserves the shade under the throne of Allah.

3. A man whose heart is attached to the mosques

Numerous hadith of the Prophet ﷺ mention the various benefits of going to the masaajid of Allah. Praying in the mosque has 27 times more reward than praying in homes [Bukhari and Muslim]. Also the Prophet ﷺ said,

“He does not take a step [towards the mosque] except that because of it, he is raised by one rank and one sin is removed from him. Then when he prays, the Angels do not cease supplicating for him [for] as long as he remains at his place of Prayer [saying]: ‘O Allah send blessings upon him, O Allah have mercy upon him’…” (Bukhari)

It must be emphasized here that all the ahadith encouraging an attachment to the mosques are not intended to imply that Islam is a deen confined to the places of worship, as many people imagine. Nonetheless, the mosque should be at the heart of the Muslim community, and the role of those in authority of the mosques is vital here. They are the ones mainly responsible for making the mosque a welcome refuge for the Muslims, rather than an arena for politics and power struggles.

4. Two men who love each other for Allah’s sake, meeting for that and parting upon that.

Having mutual love for the sake of Allah is one of the great doors leading to the good of the Hereafter and a way of tasting the sweetness of iman in this world. Loving one another for Allah’s sake means that the Muslim does not love another except for the correctness of his deen. So it does not matter what the person looks like, what he wears, how rich or poor he is, where he comes from, or what the color of his skin is – perhaps you dislike everything about him, but you love him for his iman: this is loving another for Allah’s sake.

“Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent says: ‘Those who have mutual love for the sake of My Glory will have pillars of light and will be envied by the Prophets and martyrs.” (at-Tirmidhi and Imam Ahmad)

5. A man who is tempted by a woman of beauty and position but he says, “I fear Allah”

The same reward is given for a woman tempted by a man and she says “I fear Allah”.

This world is full of temptations which, if indulged, lead to burning in the Fire.  Amongst these temptations is that which comes from men and women who exploit their sexuality. Many a man has led his soul into destruction on account of the lure of a woman which is why the Prophet ﷺ warned his Ummah specifically about this.

To protect ourselves from temptations is to have fear (khawf) of Allah. This fact is alluded to in the following Qur’anic ayah:

“And as for him who feared standing before his Lord and restrained himself from impure evil desires, verily Paradise will be his abode.”  (79:40-41).

6. A man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity

 

This part shows two qualities that should be the hallmark of every Muslim. Firstly, charity. We should be so generous in giving charity that we forget the amount of charity we have given. Have you ever wondered why the ones who give charity never become poor? A great example for us lies in Shaykh Suleiman ar-Rajhi, founder of the Ar-Rajhi bank in Saudi Arabia, who gives away millions in charity and still makes a profit.

Another point is that when we give charity it should be in secret. The early generations of the Muslims used to give charity so secretly that even their wives didn’t know. Riyaa, showing off in worship, is the hidden shirk. It destroys all blessings of a good deed, and makes it null and void, as it is done to show off to the people and not for the sake of Allah. Although sharing our charitable deeds is good motivation for others, we should be very careful of our intentions insha’Allah.

7. A man who remembered Allah in private and shed tears

Another amazing reminder from the Qur’an comes to mind when I hear this part,

”Has not the time come for those who believe that their hearts tremble at the remembrance of Allah, and that which has been revealed of the truth?” (57:16)

Oh my brothers and sisters, when was the last time we cried for the sake of Allah? When was the last time that we turned our faces to Allah in secret, and our eyes overflowed with tears remembering every sin that we committed day and night? Did we ever cry thinking of the immense Mercy of Allah, all the blessings He has bestowed upon us?

This hadith mentions crying in secret, as it is common place to cry publicly when the Imam makes du`a. The fear of showing-off remains here, and hence the one who cries in secret will be given shade under the Throne of Allah, because he/she is absolutely depending on Allah.

If you contemplate about the seven groups of people whom Allah will shade with His Throne, you will find that they deserved that shade because of their opposition to their inner desires. Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala  (exalted is He) is the only One to be petitioned to grant us protection from our harmful desires, and that He makes our desires in accordance with what He loves and is acceptable to Him. He has power over all things, and He is most worthy of answering our petition.

May Allah indeed enable us to be among those whom He shades under His Throne on a day when there is no shade but His shade.