the plantings and vegetation of such level plains grow from the earth.

6 — Another of their virtues is that, in Allah’s sight, no one is better than a believer who is granted a long life in Islam and frequently says, “Allah is the Greatest,” “Glory be to Allah,” “There is no deity but Allah,” and “All praise belongs to Allah.” Imam Ahmad and al-Nasāʾī narrated in The Practice of the Day and Night, with a good chain of transmission, from Abd Allāh ibn Shaddād that three men from Banū Udhra came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and embraced Islam. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked, “Who will take care of them for me?” Talha said, “I will.” They therefore stayed with Talha. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then dispatched an expedition. One of them joined it and was martyred. He later dispatched another expedition, and another of them joined it and was martyred. The third man subsequently died in his bed.

Talha said: “I saw those three men who had stayed with me in Paradise. I saw the man who had died in his bed ahead of the other two; the one who had been martyred later came after him; and the one who had been martyred first came last. This troubled me, so I went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and told him about it. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘What did you find surprising about that? In Allah’s sight, no one is better than a believer who is granted a long life in Islam and frequently says, “Allah is the Greatest,” “Glory be to Allah,” “There is no deity but Allah,” and “All praise belongs to Allah.”’”1

This magnificent hadith demonstrates the immense virtue of one whose life is long, whose deeds are righteous, and whose tongue remains moist with the remembrance of Allah—exalted is His majesty. Further discussion of this hadith will follow. Success comes from Allah alone.