that Abu Hurayrah informed them both that the people said, “Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” He said, “Do you have any difficulty seeing the moon on the night when it is full, when there are no clouds before it?” They said, “No, Messenger of Allah.” He said, “And do you have any difficulty seeing the sun when there are no clouds before it?” They said, “No.” He said, “Then you will see Him in that manner.

“On the Day of Resurrection, the people will be gathered, and He will say, ‘Whoever used to worship anything, let him follow it.’ Thus, some of them will follow the sun, some will follow the moon, and some will follow false deities. This community will remain, together with its hypocrites. Then Allah, exalted is He, will come to them and say, ‘I am your Lord.’ They will say, ‘This is our place until our Lord comes to us; when our Lord comes to us, we shall recognize Him.’ Then Allah will come to them and say: 9/b ‘I am your Lord.’ They will say, ‘You are our Lord.’ He will then call them, and the Bridge will be set across the midst of Hell. I will be the first of the Messengers to cross it with his community. On that Day, none will speak except the Messengers, and the words of the Messengers on that Day will be: ‘O Allah, grant safety, grant safety!’

“In Hell there will be hooks like the thorns of the saʿdān plant. Have you seen the thorns of the saʿdān plant?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “They are like the thorns of the saʿdān plant, though none knows the magnitude of their size except Allah. They will seize people according to their deeds: among them will be one destroyed by his deeds, and among them will be one dragged down and then saved.

“Then, when Allah wills to show mercy to whomever He wills among the people of the Fire, Allah will command the angels to bring out whoever used to worship Allah. They will bring them out, recognizing them by the marks of prostration. Allah has forbidden the Fire to consume the marks of prostration. Thus they will emerge from the Fire. The Fire consumes every part of the son of Adam except the marks of prostration. They will emerge from the Fire having been burned to charcoal, whereupon the Water of Life will be poured over them, and they will grow as a seed grows in the silt carried by a flood.

“Then Allah will finish judging between His servants, and there will remain a man between Paradise and Hell—the last of the people of the Fire to enter Paradise—facing toward the Fire. He will say, ‘My Lord, turn my face away from the Fire. Its stench has afflicted me, and its blaze has scorched me.’ Allah will say, ‘If I do that for you, perhaps you will ask for something else?’ He will reply, ‘No, by Your might.’ He will give Allah whatever pledges and covenants Allah wills, and Allah will turn his face away from the Fire. When He turns him toward Paradise and he sees its splendour, he will remain silent for as long as Allah wills him to remain silent. Then he will say, ‘My Lord, bring me near to the gate of Paradise.’ Allah, exalted is He, will say, ‘Did you not give pledges and covenants that you would not ask for anything beyond what you had asked?’ He will say, ‘My Lord, do not make me the most wretched of Your creation.’ Allah will say, ‘If I grant you that, perhaps you will ask for something else?’ He will say, ‘No, by Your might, I shall not ask You for anything else.’ So he will give his Lord whatever pledges and covenants He wills, and Allah will bring him to the gate of Paradise.

“When he reaches its gate and sees its radiance and the delight and joy within it, he will remain silent for as long as Allah wills him to remain silent. Then he will say, ‘My Lord, admit me into Paradise.’ Allah, exalted is He, will say, ‘Woe to you, son of Adam! How treacherous you are! Did you not give pledges and covenants that you would not ask for anything beyond what you were given?’ He will say, ‘My Lord, do not make me the most wretched of Your creation.’ Then Allah will laugh at him and permit him to enter Paradise. He will say, ‘Wish,’ and the man will continue wishing until his wishes are exhausted. ⦗251⦘ Allah, exalted is He, will say, ‘Wish for such-and-such,’ and his Lord will continue reminding him until his wishes are brought to an end. Then Allah, exalted is He, will say, ‘You shall have that, and its like along with it.’

Abu Saʿid said to Abu Hurayrah, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Allah, exalted is He, said: You shall have that and ten times its like.’” Abu Hurayrah said, “I retained from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, only his words: ‘You shall have that, and its like along with it.’” Abu Saʿid said, “I heard him say: ‘That is yours, and ten times its like.’” (5)

Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil also narrated it from Mahmud ibn Ghaylan, who said: ʿAbd al-Razzaq informed us; Maʿmar informed us from al-Zuhri, from ʿAta ibn Yazid, from Abu Hurayrah, with the same meaning. He said: “Allah, exalted is He, will come to them in a form other than that which they recognize and say, ‘I am your Lord.’ They will reply, ‘We seek refuge in Allah from you. This is our place until our Lord comes to us; when our Lord comes to us, we shall recognize Him.’ Then Allah will come to them in the form which they recognize and say, ‘I am your Lord.’ They will say, ‘You are our Lord,’ and they will follow Him.” (6)

Ahmad ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Salihi informed us; Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Hiri informed us; Hajib ibn Ahmad al-Tusi informed us; Muhammad ibn Hammad informed us; Abu Muʿawiyah informed us from al-Aʿmash, from Abu Sufyan, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Some people who profess monotheism will be punished in the Fire until they become charred remains. Then mercy will reach them, and they will be brought out and cast at the gates of Paradise. The people of Paradise will sprinkle water over them, and they will grow as cucumber plants grow in the silt carried by a flood. Then they will enter Paradise.” (7)

Abu Muhammad ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAbd al-Samad al-Jawzajani informed us; Abu al-Qasim ʿAli ibn Ahmad al-Khuzaʿi informed us; Abu Saʿid al-Haytham ibn Kulayb informed us; Abu ʿIsa al-Tirmidhi informed us; Hannad ibn al-Sari informed us; Abu Muʿawiyah informed us from al-Aʿmash, from Ibrahim, from ʿUbaydah al-Salmani, from ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿud, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “I know the last of the people of the Fire to emerge from it: a man who will crawl out of it. He will be told, ‘Go and enter Paradise.’ He will go to enter Paradise, only to find that the people have already occupied the dwellings. So he will return and say, ‘My Lord, the people have occupied the dwellings.’ He will be asked, ‘Do you remember the time in which you once lived?’ He will say, ‘Yes.’ He will be told, ‘Wish,’ and he will wish. Then he will be told, ‘You shall have what you wished for, and ten times the world besides.’ He will say, ‘Are You mocking me while You are the King?’” He said, “I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, laugh until his molars became visible.” (8)