Stories of repentant people

“In their histories there is certainly a lesson for men of understanding.” Qur'an,12:111.

The ideal woman

Asiya was the wife of the Pharaoh who was arrogant, wicked and malicious besides his bad beliefs and reprobate doings.

The Holy Qur'an describes the Pharaoh that he was unjust, proud, criminal, bloodshedder and tyrant.

Asiya sat on the throne beside the Pharaoh as the queen of that great country where everything was in her hand.

Asiya was a ruler as her husband was. She had great authorities and she could take whatever she wanted from the treasury of the kingdom and the wealth of the country.

Of course, the life beside such a husband in that form of government and power and that royal palace, which was full of servants, slaves and retinue, was a life full of pleasure, entertainment and happiness.

But this young woman, who was powerful and in that fascinating environment, one day heard the voice of the truth and the call of reality via the messenger of Allah Moses the son of Imran (s). She knew then the nullity of her belief, the falseness of her culture and the ugliness of her husband’s deeds. The light of the truth shone in her heart and in spite of that, she knew well that accepting this truth would make her lose all what she had of power, position and wealth and even she might lose herself and life too, in spite of all that, she did not cling to her luxurious environment. She accepted the truth and believed in the Divine religion and she submitted to Allah the Almighty. She got ready to enter the field of repentance and to do good deeds to reform her afterlife.

Repentance was not an easy and simple thing to Asiya. She must, for the sake of repentance, leave all the affairs of her life and get prepared for blame, scold and different kinds of torment from the Pharaoh and his assistants. Nevertheless, she entered the field of repentance, faith, guidance and good deeds. Her repentance cost the Pharaoh too much because it was spread in the town that the wife of the Pharaoh, the powerful queen, had given up the belief of her husband and believed in the religion of Moses the messenger of Allah. All the means of tempting and threatening by the Pharaoh and his assistants did not affect her because she had found the truth with her heart and mind and she discovered the emptiness and falseness of the mirage reality of the authority. She could not replace the light of the truth with the darkness of the untruth and the abyss of deviation. Yes! How could she replace Allah with the Pharaoh, the truth with the untruth, light with darkness, right with wrong, the afterlife with the worldly life, Paradise with Hell and happiness with wretchedness?

Thus Asiya insisted on faith, repentance and turning to Allah and on the other side the Pharaoh insisted on taking her back to falseness and to his company.

When the Pharaoh saw that all the means did not make any use with Asiya to bring her back to his company, he became too angry and he felt that he had been defeated before her steadfastness. He gave his command to torture her and to crucify her and thus Asiya was hung with nails in her hands and legs and then after severe torment she was sentenced to death. The Pharaoh ordered his men to throw a big and heavy rock on her body but Asiya was patient before all that for the sake of Allah. She prayed Allah, under that cruel torment, to accept her repentance and her turning to Him.

Thus we find the Holy Qur'an giving the example of Asiya, the wife of the Pharaoh, for all the human beings and the believing men and women as an example of noble and virtuous man. It is because of her real repentance, faith, jihad, patience, certainty, steadfastness and determination so that no excuse remains for sinful persons in every nation and at every time. No sinful person, after this, can say that he, in certain states and circumstances, has had no way to repent, turn to Allah, believe and do good deeds. Allah has said,

“And Allah sets forth an example to those who believe the wife of Firon (Pharaoh) when she said: My Lord! build for me a house with Thee in the garden and deliver me from Firon and his doing, and deliver me from the unjust people.” Qur'an, 66:11

Asiya has got a high position of greatness, honor and dignity for her repentance, faith, patience and straightness that the Prophet (s) has said about her, ‘Paradise has longed for four women; Maryam (Mary) bint[1] Imran, Asiya bint Muzahim the wife of the Pharaoh, Khadeeja bint Khuwailid, the wife of the Prophet (s) in the worldly life and in the afterlife, and Fatima bint Muhammad.’[2]

The Repentance of Sha’wana

Mulla Ahmad an-Naraqi in his moral book Mi’raj as-Sa’ada concerning real repentance mentions a wonderful story about that. He says,

‘Sha’wana was a young girl. She was a dancer and she had a nice voice. She did not care for permissible or impermissible things. Whenever a meeting of debauchery was held in Basra in which young people and wealthy men gathered, Sha’wana was invited to delight them. She sang and danced to move in those polluted people pleasure and joy. With Sha’wana, there was a group of women and young girls.

One day while Sha’wana was going with her friends to a meeting of the same meetings of her, she heard painful weeping and loud crying coming from one of the houses. She was astonished. She asked, ‘What is the matter? What is that crying for?’ She sent one of her friends to see what the matter was. Her friend went but she did not come back. She sent another one to that house but she did not come back too. She sent a third woman to see what the matter was and she insisted on her to come back and not to let her wait too long. She went and after sometime she came back and said, ‘O my lady, this crying was of the sinful and dissolute people.’

Sha’wana said, ‘It would be better that I myself go and see what is there.’ She approached that meeting and saw a preacher preaching the people and talking to them about the hereafter and reciting through his speech this Qur’anic verse,

“When it shall come into their sight from a distant place, they shall hear its (Hell) vehement raging and roaring. And when they are cast into a narrow place in it, bound, they shall there call out for destruction.” Qur'an, 25:13

When she heard this verse and knew its meaning with her heart and soul, she cried and said, ‘O preacher! I am one of the sinful women. I am polluted with sins and now I feel shy and regretful. Will my repentance be accepted by Allah the Creator?’

The preacher said, ‘Yes, your sins can be forgiven even if they are as much as the sins of Sha’wana!’ She said, ‘Woe unto me! I am Sha’wana. My sins have become so much that I have become as an example to sinful people. O preacher, since now I give up sins and become abstinent and I will never attend the meetings of debauchery.’

The preacher said, ‘Allah is the most Merciful of the merciful ones even to you.’

Thus Sha’wana repented in a real repentance and became one of the real worshippers until her body, which had grown out of (the monies of) sins, melted, her heart suffered and crying and weeping pained her too much. One day she looked at herself and said, ‘Ah! This is my life in this world so how about my afterlife!’ She heard from her inside a voice saying to her, ‘Keep on worship and you will know how your afterlife will be.’

Repenting in the battlefield

Nasr bin Muzahim mentions in his book Waq’at (battle of) Siffeen that Hashim al-Mirqal has gone with a group of the Qur'an reciters to support Ameerul Mo’mineen (Imam Ali) (s) in the battle of Siffeen when he saw a young man from the army of Mo’awiya reciting some verses of poetry and challenging that someone might fight him. He abused Imam Ali (s), cursed him and dispraised him too much. Hashim al-Mirqal said to him, ‘After this speech there is enmity and after this fighting there is punishment. Fear Allah because you will return to Him and He will ask you about this situation and what you have intended to do.’ The young man said, ‘I will fight you because your man (Imam Ali) does not offer prayers as I have been told…

Hashim said that he had showed him the truth and proved to him the deception of Mo’awiya. When he knew the truth, he apologized, repented, turned to Allah and joined the army of Imam Ali (s).

The repentance of the Jew young man

Imam al-Baqir (s) said, ‘There was a Jew young man who often came to the Prophet (s) until the Prophet (s) became familiar with him. The Prophet (s) might send him to do something for him or might send with him a book to his people. The Prophet (s) missed him for some days and he asked about him. It was said to him that the Jew had been in the last day of his life. The Prophet (s) with some of his companions visited him. The Prophet (s) had a charisma that whomsoever he talked to answered him. He called out the name of the Jew and the Jew opened his eyes and said, ‘O Abul Qassim,[3] here I am!’ The Prophet (s) said, ‘Say: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.’ The young man looked at his father and he did not say anything to him. The Prophet (s) asked him again and he looked at his father who he did not say anything to him. Then the Prophet (s) asked him for the third time to say the shahada. The young man looked at his father and his father said to him, ‘If you want, say the shahada and if you do not want, do not do.’ The young man said to the Prophet (s), ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and you are the messenger of Allah.’ After a moment the young man died. The Prophet (s) asked the young man’s father to leave them alone and then he said to his companions, ‘Wash him (do ghusl to the dead), enshroud him and then bring him to me to offer the prayer for him.’ Then the Prophet (s) went out saying, ‘Praise be to Allah who has saved by me a person from the Hell today.’[4]

A nomad repenting of disbelief and polytheism

Imam as-Sadiq (s) said that the Prophet (s) had said to his companions during one of his battles, ‘A man will come to you from one of these mountain passes. He has desisted from following Iblis since three days.’ It was not long until a Bedouin appeared. His skin had stuck to his bones, his eyes had disappeared in his head and his lips had become green because of eating legumes. He asked about the Prophet (s) until he met him. He said to the Prophet (s), ‘Offer Islam to me!’ The Prophet (s) said to him, ‘Say: I witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.’ The man said, ‘I witness.’ The Prophet (s) said to him, ‘You are to pray five times and to fast in Ramadan.’ He said, ‘I acknowledge.’ The Prophet (s) said to him, ‘You are to perform the hajj to the Kaaba, to pay the zakat and to do ghusl of janaba.’[5] He said, ‘I acknowledge.’ After that, the Bedouin with his camel had fallen behind. The Prophet (s) stopped and asked about him. Some people went back looking for him. They found that the hoof of the camel had fallen into a hole of the rats and so the camel had fallen to the ground. The neck of the Bedouin and the neck of his camel had broken and they both were dead. The Prophet (s) ordered his companions to erect a tent in which he washed the dead Bedouin and enshroud him. The people heard that the Prophet (s) was moving here and there inside the tent. When the Prophet (s) went out of the tent, his forehead was sweating. He said, ‘This Bedouin died while he was hungry. He had believed (in Allah) and his faith was not mixed with injustice. The Houris[6] hurried to him with the fruits of Paradise filling his mouth. This one (Houri) said, ‘O messenger of Allah, make me one of his wives’ and that one said, ‘O messenger of Allah, make me one of his wives!’[7]

The repentance of Shaqeeq al-Balkhi

Shaqeeq was one of the wealthy people’s children. Once he went on trade to the land of the Turks while he was a young boy yet. He entered into a house of idols. He saw there an employee who had shaved his head and beard and put on purple cloths. Shaqeeq said to the employee, ‘You have a live and knowing Maker. Worship Him and do not worship these idols which neither harm nor benefit!’

The employee said to Shaqeeq, ‘If it is as you say, then He (the Maker) is able to provide you with the means of subsistence in your country but why you have toiled all the way for trading here?’

Shaqeeq considered too much and followed the way of asceticism.

Shaqeeq said, ‘I have asked seven hundred scholars about five things and all of them have given the same answers. I asked, ‘Who is rational?’ They said, ‘A rational person is one who does not love the worldly life.’ I asked, ‘Who is good?’ They said, ‘A good person is one who is not deceived by the worldly life.’ I asked, ‘Who is rich?’ They said, ‘A rich person is one who is satisfied with what Allah has given to him.’ I asked, ‘Who is poor?’ They said, ‘A poor person is one who wishes to have more and more.’ I asked, ‘Who is stingy?’ They said, ‘A stingy person is one who does not give the right of Allah from his properties.’[8]

The angels and the sins of the repentant

It has been mentioned that the angels ascend to the Heaven with the sins of a person and when they submit them to the Guarded Tablet, they find good deeds (written) instead of these sins and then they prostrate themselves and say, ‘O our Lord, You know that we have written against him (the sinful one) just what he has done.’ Then Allah will say, ‘You said the truth but my servant repented of his sin and interceded with me by his tears and so I forgave his sin and granted him generously and I am the Most Bounteous.[9]

A sinful one and the time-limit of repentance

It has been mentioned that when Allah had cursed Iblis, Iblis asked Allah to respite him and Allah respited him until the Day of Resurrection. Allah said to him, ‘What will you do?’ He said, ‘I swear by Your loftiness that I will not go out of Your servant’s chest until he dies.’ The Lord said, ‘By My glory and loftiness, I will not prevent my servant from repentance until he dies.’[10]

The sinful and the hope of repentance

It has been mentioned that Yazeed bin Marthad always cried and his tears did not stop. When he was asked about that, he said, ‘If Allah has threatened me if I committed a sin, He would imprison me in the bathroom, it would make my tears not stop so how would it be where Allah has threatened to imprison me in a fire which He has kindled for three thousand years? He has kindled the fire for one thousand years until it has become red and then for one thousand years until it has become white and then for one thousand years until it has become black. It is black like the dark night.’[11]

The truthful one and the repentant one

It has been mentioned that Abu Umar al-Zujaji, who was a pious man, had said, ‘My mother died and I inherited a house. I sold the house for fifty dinars and I went to perform the hajj. When I arrived at Babylon, one of the members of the caravan met me and said, ‘What is there with you?’ I said to myself, ‘Truthfulness is good.’ I said to him, ‘Fifty dinars.’ He said, ‘Give them to me!’ I gave him the pouch. He opened it and he saw the fifty dinars. He said to me, ‘Take them! I have been taken by your truthfulness.’ Then he got down of his sumpter and said to me, ‘Ride it!’ I said, ‘I do not want.’ He insisted on me and I rode it. He said, ‘I will follow you.’ In the next year he joined me and he kept to me until he died.’[12]

The neighbor of Abu Baseer

One has to take care of his neighbors in everything and has to be as a kind brother to them. He has to care for their problems, comfort them in their sorrows, help them in the different affairs of their lives and support them in the disasters. But the neighbor of Abu Baseer was not of this kind.

Abu Baseer said, ‘I had a neighbor who followed the rulers and therefore he had got a plenty of money. He bought some songsters and he often made meetings and drank wines. He always troubled me. I complained at him to himself more than one time but he did not desist from his doings. When I insisted on him, he said to me, ‘O man, I am afflicted and you are safe! Would you please introduce me to your friend (Imam as-Sadiq(s))? I hope that Allah may save me by you.’ I was affected by his saying. When I went to Abu Abdullah (Imam as-Sadiq) (s), I mentioned to him the state of this man. He said to me, ‘When you go back to Kufa, the man will come to you. Say to him, ‘Ja’far bin Muhammad (as-Sadiq) says to you: give up all what you do and have and I assure Paradise to you by the will of Allah.’ When I went back and told my neighbor of that, he cried and said, ‘By Allah, did Ja’far say that?’ I swore before him that Imam as-Sadiq had said that. He said, ‘This suffices me’ and left. After some days he sent for me. I found him naked behind the door of his house. He said to me, ‘O Abu Baseer, nothing remained in my house. I have got rid of everything and now I am as you see.’ I went to my friends and collected to him what I could clothe him with. After a few days, he sent for me that he was ill. I visited him and cured him from time to time until he was about to die. I was sitting near him when he was dying. He fainted for a moment and then he came to his consciousness and said to me, ‘O Abu Baseer, your friend (Imam as-Sadiq) has carried out his promise to us’ and then he died. When I went to the hajj, I visited Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (s). I got permission and came into the house. He said while my leg was in the courtyard and the other was in the vestibule of his house, ‘O Abu Baseer, we have carried out our promise to your friend.’[13]

The repentance of the thief

One night I have got the honor of offering the prayer in Holy Qum behind the great scholar and the lofty knowledgeable, the teacher of ethics the deceased Hajji Redha Baha’uddeeni. After the prayer I said to this great scholar, ‘I am in need of your advice and precious words.’ He said, ‘Let your hope be in Allah the Generous, the Ever Abundant Giver. He does not prevent anyone from His care and mercy. He Himself prepares the ground and the means for the guidance and deliverance of His people.’ Then he mentioned to me a wonderful story narrated by a caravanner from Aromiya (north of Iran) who brought with him a caravan of pilgrims and travelers to Holy Mashhad every year. The caravanner said, ‘Traveling by cars has recently started. A traveler at that time put his baggage with him in the same place where he sat because the cars then were trucks. Travelers sat in the place of baggage and furniture and beside them they accumulated their baggage.

In one of the travels to visit the holy shrine of Imam ar-Redha (s) there were thirty travelers with me in the car. Our travel was decided to be at the beginning of the following week. I saw Imam ar-Redha (s) in my sleep. He said to me with special kindness and love, ‘Bring with you in this travel Ibraheem the thief who steals the pockets of people.’ I awoke astonishedly. I thought about the reason that had made Imam ar-Redha (s) ask me to bring this dissolute man who was famous of debauchery and whose fame among people was too bad. I thought that this dream was just one of the confused and untrue dreams. In the following night I saw the same dream but nevertheless I paid no attention to it. In the third night, I saw in my sleep Imam ar-Redha (s) who was angry. He said to me angrily, ‘Why did you not do what I have ordered you?’

On Friday I went to the quarter in which the wicked and dissolute people often gathered. I saw this Ibraheem among them. I went near him and greeted him. I invited him to visit the holy shrine of Imam ar-Redha (s). he became astonished and said to me, ‘The shrine of Imam ar-Redha (s) is not fit to be visited by those who are polluted with sins. There are many pious and pure lovers. Please exempt me from this travel.’ I insisted on him but he did not accept. Then he said to me sharply and angrily, ‘I do not have the cost of travel. In fact, I have just thirty rials and I have got them illegally. I have stolen them from a poor old woman.’ I said to him, ‘I do not want any fare from you for this travel. I am responsible for your going and coming. You are my guest in this travel.’ At last, he agreed to come with me to Mashhad. It was decided that the caravan would set out on Sunday.

We set out and our travel began. All the travelers were astonished at the presence of Ibraheem, the thief, among them but no one of them dared to ask such a question.

The car moved with all these travelers and their baggage to cross a long earthy way through mountains and valleys. We arrived near Zaydar. It was unsafe area and it was the place of the Turkmen highwaymen. Suddenly we saw that the way was closed by one of the wicked highwaymen. The car stopped and the highwayman got on. He shouted at the travelers, ‘Throw all the money you have in this bag and do not try to resist because definitely you will be killed.’

He took all the monies the driver and the travelers had and left the car. The car moved and after several hours it reached Zaydar. It stopped in front of a café. The travelers got down and sat at the side of the way shadowed by a cloud of sorrow and pain because of what they had faced. The unhappiest one among them was the driver who said, ‘No money remained with me at all. I do not have even the price of gasoline and the spending of the car; therefore it is too difficult for us to arrive at our destination.’ Then he burst into tears because of distress. But suddenly and before the astonished eyes of the travelers Ibraheem, the thief, got up and took a pouch of money out of his pocket and said to the driver, ‘How much money did the highwayman take from you?’ The driver mentioned a certain amount and Ibraheem paid him that amount. Then Ibraheem came to the travelers one by one and gave them the stolen monies and then nothing remained in the pouch except thirty rials. Ibraheem said, ‘These thirty rials are what have been taken from me.’ The all became astonished and asked Ibraheem where he had brought this money from. He answered, ‘I was standing near the door of the car. When the highwayman took the money from the travelers and put it in his pocket, he became certain that he had succeeded. When he wanted to leave the car, I stole the pouch from his pocket. He got down without feeling anything. The car moved quickly to be far away from that place until we arrived here. This is your money which has been stolen from you.’

The caravanner went on his speech saying, ‘I cried loudly. Ibraheem said, ‘I brought your money back to you. Why are you crying now?’ I told him about what I have seen in my dream and said to him, ‘Now I understand why Imam ar-Redha (s) insisted on me to bring you with us. He wanted to save us from the danger by you.’ When Ibraheem heard this, his condition changed strongly and he burst into crying. He kept on that until we arrived at Holy Mashhad and the gold dome of the holy shrine appeared to us. There he said, ‘Tie my neck and hands with chains and pull me in this manner to the holy shrine.’ When we got down of the car, we carried out his saying and pulled him in this manner to the holy shrine. He was in a wonderful state of humbleness and submission during our movement to the holy shrine. He repented in a wonderful repentance. He threw the money of that unknown old woman in the holy shrine (as alms). He beseeched Imam ar-Redha (s) to intercede with Allah for him to forgive his sins. The travelers envied him his guidance and blessing. Our travel came to an end with the utmost happiness and delight and we all came back to Aromiya except that repentant one who remained to reside in the holy shrine.’

Repentance and beseeching

It has been narrated that once Imam as-Sadiq (s) was sitting in the temple of Abraham (s) in the Kaaba when an old man, who had spent his age in disobedience and sins, came. He looked at Imam as-Sadiq (s) and said, ‘The best intercessor with Allah for the sinful you are!’ He caught the curtain of the Kaaba and recited:

‘By the virtue of the grandfather[14] of this man,

By the virtue of al-Abtahiy al-Hashimiy,

By the virtue of the revelation that has been revealed to him,

By the virtue of his guardian, the great hero,[15]

By the virtue of the two pure sons of Ali,

And their mother, the daughter of the pure benevolent,

By the virtue of all the imams who have followed their grandfather’s way,

By the virtue of al-Qa’im al-Mehdi,

O my Lord, forgive me, the sinful slave of Yours!’

Then a voice was heard saying, ‘O old man, your sins were great but we have forgiven them all by the virtue of your intercessors. If you ask us to forgive the sins of all the people of the earth, We will do except for the killer of the she-camel (of Prophet Salih), the killers of the prophets and the killers of the infallible imams.’[16]

The drunkard and repentance

Al-Faydh al-Kashani, who is a spring of virtues, knowledge, insight and discernment, says in his valuable book al-Mahajja al-Baydha’, ‘Once a drunkard gathered some of his drinking companions and gave four dirhams to his servant and ordered him to buy some fruit for the meeting. The servant passed by the door of Mansoor bin Ammar while he was asking the people to help a poor man. He said, ‘Whoever gives him (the poor man) four dirhams I will pray four prayers for him.’ The servant gave the four dirhams to the poor man. Mansoor said to him, ‘What do you want me to pray for you?’ The servant said, ‘I want to be free from my master.’ Mansoor prayed for him with that and said to him, ‘What is the other?’ The servant said, ‘May Allah compensate me my dirhams.’ Mansoor prayed for him and said, ‘What is the other?’ He said, ‘May Allah accept the repentance of my master.’ Mansoor prayed for him and asked what the other prayer was. The servant said, ‘May Allah forgive me, my master, you and the people.’ Mansoor prayed for him and then the servant went back. His master asked him why he had been late and he told him of what had happened. His master asked him with what Mansoor had prayed for him. He said, ‘I asked for freedom to myself.’ His master said, ‘You are free since now. What is the second thing?’ The servant said, ‘I wanted that Allah may compensate me for the dirhams.’ His master said, ‘I give you four thousand dirhams. What is the third thing?’ The servant said, ‘That Allah may accept your repentance.’ The master said, ‘I repent and turn to Allah since now. What is the fourth?’ The servant said, ‘That Allah may forgive me, you, the people and Mansoor.’ The master said, ‘This fourth thing is not mine.’ When he went to bed that night, he saw in his sleep that as if a sayer said to him, ‘You have done your duty. Do you think that I do not do mine? I have forgiven you, your servant, Mansoor bin Ammar and all the present people.’[17]

Expensive weeping of the repentant

It has been narrated that at the time of one of the saints there was a young man who had spent his age in idleness, fancies and amusement without paying any attention to his afterlife. Therefore, he was far from pious and benevolent people and could not find a place among notable and charitable people. When he was about to die, he reviewed the list of his deeds and his past age and he did not find in the field of his deeds even one branch to cling to it and he did not find in the garden of his morals even one flower to smell from it the fragrance of good life. He wept from the depth of his heart and his tears fell down over his face. He prayed his Lord regretfully and sorrily to apologize of what he had committed, ‘O You, Who have the world and the afterworld, have mercy on the one who has neither the world nor the afterworld.’ After his death, the people of the village became delighted and they carried his corpse outside their village. They threw the corpse in a dunghill and poured earth on it. In that night the saint saw in his sleep that as if a sayer said to him, ‘Go to that place and wash the corpse, enshroud it and bury it beside the pious people.’ The saint said, ‘He was famous of debauchery. What has given him this rank near You so that he deserved Your pardon and forgiveness?’ He heard the answer, ‘He saw himself as destitute, he felt shy and cried so We had mercy on him. Is there anyone asking Us for rescue and We did not rescue him?! Is there a needy one, who cried asking Us to achieve his need, and We did not respond to him?!’[18]

Showing repentance and solving problems

Jabir al-Ju’fi, who is one of the reliable narrators to the Shia, has narrated that the Prophet (s) had said, ‘Once three persons set out wandering in the earth. While they were worshipping Allah in a cave at the top of a mountain, a big rock fell down and closed the opening of the cave. One said to another, ‘O men, by Allah, nothing will save you from this calamity unless you confess truthfully before Allah. Come on! Mention what you have done sincerely for the sake of Allah and mention your sins!’ One of them said, ‘O my Lord, You know that once I have admired a beautiful woman and I have paid too much money to get her. When I could get her and slept with her, I remembered the Hell and then I left her for fear of You. O Allah, save us from this rock!’ The rock cracked. The other one said, ‘O my Lord, You know that one day I have hired some men to plow the field for half a dirham to each of them. When they finished their work, I gave them their wages. One of them said, ‘I have done a work of two persons. By Allah I do not take less than one dirham.’ He left his wage with me. I sowed with that half of a dirham in my field. The field fruited too much. The man came and wanted his half a dirham. I paid him ten thousand dirhams. O Allah, if You know that I have done so just for fear of You, so save us from this rock!’ The rock was displaced a little and they looked at each other. The third one said, ‘O my Lord, You know that one day I have brought a vessel of milk to my mother and father but they were sleeping. I did not put the vessel aside for I feared that a vermin might spit out into it and I hated to wake them up in order not to disturb them. I remained standing with the vessel in my hands until they woke up and drank the milk. O my Lord, if You know that I have done this just for the sake of You, please save us from this rock!’ Then the rock was displaced and they could find their way out.’ Then the Prophet (s) said, ‘Whoever is truthful to Allah will be saved.’[19]