What the Believer and Disbeliever will See (Before Dying)

‘I heard Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) say, “By Allah, from you are [good deeds] accepted and you are, by Allah, forgiven [for your sins]. Verily there is nothing between any one of you and that which would make him rejoice and see what gladdens and delights him except his soul reaching here…” and he made a gesture with his hand pointing to his throat (in reference to death). Then he said, “At the moment when death approaches [a person], the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), the Imams (a), ʿAlī (a), Jibraʾīl and the Angel of Death (a) all come to him. Then Jibraʾīl draws near to him and he says to the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), ‘This person used to love you, the Ahl al- Bayt, so love him.’ So the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) says to him, ‘O Jibraʾīl, verily this individual used to love Allah and His Messenger, and the family of His Messenger, so [instruct the Angel of Death to] be gentle with him and love him.’ And Jibraʾīl in turn tells the Angel of Death, ‘This person used to love Allah and His Messenger, and the family of His Messenger, so be gentle with him and love him.’ Thus, the Angel of Death approaches the person and says, ‘O servant of Allah, you have procured your emancipation and your security [from hellfire], you have held on to the Great Protection in the life of this world.’ Then Allah, the Almighty, grants him the ability [to respond], so he replies, ‘Yes.’ So he asks, ‘What is that [Great Protection]?’ He replies, ‘The wilāyah of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a).’ So he says, ‘You are right! As for that which you used to fear, Allah has protected you from it. And as for that which you used to hope for, you have attained it. Glad tidings to you of the company of the righteous forebears, the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), ʿAlī, Fāṭimah, and the Imams from his progeny (a)!’ Then he gently removes his soul. His shroud is then brought down from Paradise, and his embalming is a balm of fragrant musk. He is then shrouded with that shroud and embalmed with that balm. Subsequently he is dressed with a yellow attire from the apparels of Paradise. Once he is placed in his grave, Allah opens for him one of the doors of Paradise through which its breeze and fragrance reach him. Then He extends the space in front of him to the extent of a month’s travel, and to his right and left as well. He is then told, ‘Sleep as a newly-wed bride sleeps on her [soft] bed, and receive the glad tidings of ease, serenity, a blissful paradise, and a Lord who is not angry [with you]!’ Then he visits the family of the Prophet in the Gardens of delight, eating with them from their food, drinking with them from their drink, and speaking with them in their gatherings. [This will continue] until the Riser (qāʾim) from the Ahl al-Bayt rises. When our Riser rises, Allah will resurrect them so they will come together responding to his call in throngs. At that time, the followers of falsehood will doubt while those who violate the sacred will dwindle and only very few will remain. Those who seek to hasten it are destroyed and those who consider it near are saved. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said to ʿAlī (a), ‘You are my brother, and my rendezvous with you will be at wādī al-salām.’” He (a) said, “And when a disbeliever is on his deathbed, the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), ʿAlī (a), the Imams (a), Jibraʾīl, Mīkāʾīl, and the Angel of Death (a) all come to him. Then Jibraʾīl draws near to him and says, ‘O Messenger of Allah, this person used to hate you, the Ahl al-Bayt, so hate him.’ So the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) says to him, O Jibraʾīl, verily this individual used to hate Allah and His Messenger, and the family of His Messenger, so [tell the Angel of Death to] hate him and be harsh with him.’ And Jibraʾīl in turn says, ‘O Angel of Death, this person used to hate Allah and His Messenger, and the family of His Messenger, so hate him and be harsh with him.’ Thus the Angel of Death approaches the person and says, ‘O servant of Allah, have you procured your emancipation and your security [from hellfire]? Have you held on to the Great Protection in the life of this world?’ He replies, ‘No.’ So he says, ‘Then receive tidings, O enemy of Allah, of the wrath of Allah, the Almighty, His chastisement and the Fire! As for what you hoped for, you have missed it, and as for what you feared, it has descended upon you.’ Then he extracts his soul violently, after which three hundred devils are assigned to remain with his soul, each of them spitting on his face and causing him discomfort. When he is placed in his grave, one of the doors of Hell is opened for him, so from it enters [into his grave] some of its stench, its [purulent] discharge, and its flames.”

“I [once] said to him, ‘May Allah enhance you in righteousness! Whoever loves to meet Allah, does Allah also love to meet him? And whoever hates to meet Allah, does Allah also hate to meet him?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’ I saidBut by Allah, we surely dislike death!’ So he said, ‘It does not mean what you think. It only applies at the time of viewing [what awaits a person after death]. Verily when the believer sees what he loves [at the moment of his death], then there is nothing more beloved to him than proceeding [towards Allah], and Allah loves to meet him while he loves meeting Allah at that moment. And when he [who disbelieves] sees what he hates, then there is nothing more hateful to him than meeting Allah, the Almighty, and Allah [also] hates to meet him.’”

I said to Abā Jaʿfar (a), ‘Ṣāliḥ ibn Mītham narrated to me from ʿAbāyah al-Asadī that he heard ʿAlī (a) saying, “By Allah, no servant [of Allah] ever hates me and dies with hatred for me but that he sees me at the moment of his death in a way that he hates, and no servant ever loves me and dies with love for me but that he sees me at the time of his death in a way that he loves.”’ So Abū Jaʿfar (a) said, ‘Yes, and the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) will be on his right side.’”

“I said to Abā ʿAbdillāh (a), ‘What is the meaning of the verse wherein Allah, the Exalted, says: Why then, when it reaches the throat [of the dying person], while at that moment you are looking on – and We are nearer to him than you, though you do not see – why then, if you are not subject [to Our will], do you not restore it [and bring him back to life], if you are truthful? (Q56:83-7)?’ He said, ‘When the soul of the dying person reaches the throat, and he is a believer, he sees his position in Paradise and says, “Return me to the world so that I may inform its people about what I saw.” But he will be told, “There is no way to [do] that.”’”

“I heard Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) say, ‘Verily the moment when your enemy will have the most intense hatred for this matter [of our wilāyah] will be when the soul reaches here; and the moment when one of you will have the most intense delight is [also] when the soul reaches here – and he pointed to his throat. The terrors of this world and all that he was wary of in it will be cut off from him, and he will be told: In front of you is the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), ʿAlī (a) and the Imams (a).’”

Verily when a believer dies, he sees the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) and ʿAlī (a) present before him.”

“I told Abū ʿAbdillāh (a), ‘May Allah make me your ransom! A tradition has reached us from you.’ He asked, ‘What is it?’ I said, ‘That you said: the possessor of this affair (i.e. our wilāyah) will only be delighted when it (i.e. the soul) is here - and you pointed with your hand towards your throat.’ He said, ‘Yes. Indeed the people [who are supporters] of this affair will be delighted when it reaches here,’ and he gestured with his hand towards his throat. [Then he said,] ‘As for that which he feared of this world, he will have turned away from it, and in front of him will be the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), ʿAlī, al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn (a).’”

“I heard Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) say, ‘Verily the moment when your enemy will have the most intense hatred for this matter [of our wilāyah] will be when the soul reaches here,’ and he gestured towards his throat. Then he said, ‘There was a man from the family of ʿUthmān who would often curse ʿAlī (a), so one of his maid servants who would visit us told me about that. She said, “When he was about to die, he said, ‘What do I have to do with them?!’”’ I said [to the Imam (a)], ‘May Allah make me your ransom! Why did he say this?’ He said, ‘[It was] when he was shown some of the punishment [that awaits him for rejecting the wilāyah]. Have you not heard the verse wherein Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says: But no, by your Lord, they will never be [true] believers until they accept your judgement in all their disputes, and find no resistance within themselves against your decision and submit wholeheartedly (Q4:65)? Far be it! Far be it! No, by Allah [it will not be so] until this thing is well established in the heart, even if he prays and fasts.’”

“We were sitting with Abū Jaʿfar (a) when he stood up and entered the house [for some time] and [then] came out. He held the two doorposts and greeted us, so we replied his greeting. Then he said, ‘Know, by Allah, I surely love you and love your scent and your spirit. Verily you are upon the religion of Allah and His angels; and nothing stands between any of you and his seeing that which would gladden him except his soul reaching here,’ and he pointed to his throat with his hand. And he [also] said, ‘Be mindful of Allah and support that with piety[and devotion].’”

“Nothing stands between any one of you and seeing that which would bring him delight except his soul reaching here (i.e. the throat). The Angel of Death will come to him and say, ‘As for that which you used to desire in the world, it has escaped you; but as for what you used to desire of the Hereafter, you are now on the verge of it, and in front of you are the forebears of truth: the Messenger of Allah, ʿAlī and Ibrāhīm (peace be upon them all).’”

“I heard Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) say, ‘You made enemies of your fathers, children, and wives for our sake and your reward for that is with Allah. The time when you will be most in need of our love is when the soul reaches here,’ and he pointed towards his neck.”