907 — Al-Firyābī informed us. He said: Hishām ibn Ammār al-Dimashqī narrated to us. He said: Sadaqa ibn Khālid narrated to us. He said: Uthmān ibn Abī al-Ātika narrated to us, from Alī ibn Yazīd, from al-Qāsim, from Abū Umāma, who said:

When the verse, “And warn your ⦗1338⦘ closest kindred” [The Poets: 214], was revealed, the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—gathered the sons of Hāshim and seated them at the doorway. He then gathered his wives and family and seated them inside the house. Then he looked out and said:

“O sons of Hāshim, save yourselves from the punishment of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Do not let your kinship with me deceive you, for I have no power to avail you against Allah in any way.”

He then turned to his household and said, “O Aisha, daughter of Abū Bakr; O Hafsa, daughter of Umar; O Umm Salama; O Fātima, daughter of Muhammad; and O Umm al-Zubayr, aunt of the Prophet! Save yourselves from the punishment of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and strive to free your necks, for I have no power to avail you against Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in any way.”

Aisha began to weep and then said, “O my beloved, will there truly be a day when you will be unable to avail me at all?”

He replied, “Yes, in three situations. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says, ‘We will set up the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection’ [The Prophets: 47]. And He, Mighty and Majestic, says, ‘Those whose scales are heavy—it is they who will be successful. But those whose ⦗1339⦘ scales are light—it is they who will have lost their souls, remaining in Hell forever’ [The Believers: 103]. At that time, I will be unable to avail you against Allah in any way.

“And when it comes to the light, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will perfect the light of whomever He wills, while whomever He wills He will leave wandering bewildered in the darkness. I will have no power to avail you against Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in any way.

“And at the Bridge, whomever Allah, Mighty and Majestic, wills, He will bring safely across and deliver; and whomever He wills, He will hurl headlong into the Fire.”

Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—said, “O my beloved, we know what the scales are: the two pans, with one thing placed in one and another thing in the other, so that one outweighs the other while the other becomes light. We also know light and darkness, but what is the Bridge?”

He replied, “It is a path between Paradise and the Fire over which people will be made to pass. It is as sharp as a razor’s edge. The angels stand in rows to its right and left, snatching at people with hooks like the thorns of the sadān plant. They cry, ‘Lord, grant safety! Grant safety!’ and their hearts are hollow with terror. Whomever Allah wills, He will bring safely across, and whomever He wills, He will hurl headlong into it.”