There was a man in Bani Israel
who enjoined an unusual thing to his only son. He told him “Don’t bury my dead
body after I die but burn it and blow off the ash of the burnt body in the air”.
When the man died his son did what was enjoined to him. He burned his father’s
dead body until it turned in to ashes and blew off the ashes in the air.
Allah ordered the Angels to
gather the ashes of the man from the air. In no time angels gathered the ashes
and recreated the body of the man from it and by the Command of Allaah, soul
was infused into it. The man came alive. Allaah ordered his prophet to go to
the man and ask him the reason of making a will to burn down his dead body.
The man revealed the secret in front
of the prophet and his son. He sighed “I have not worshipped enough. I have not
done good deeds and not led my life as per the Shari’at”. I was ashamed as to
how would I face Allah. I was afraid of how Allah would treat me because of
such deeds? He wept and repented while saying all these things and started
harming himself. The Prophet and his son intervened and stopped him. The Prophet
of Allaah prayed for him.
When Allaah saw the repentance of
the man He ordered his Angels to take him to Jannah. On the Command of Allaah,
he once again died; and his body was buried according to Islamic rituals; and
the Prophet of Allaah prayed for his Shafaa’at on his Qabr. Allaah sent a
message to His Prophet that all sins of the man have been forgiven. Swear by
Allaah’s Honour and Power! He will not let his Servant enter the Fire of Hell
who repents on his Sins.
Quran - إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ حَسَنَـٰتٍ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Except (he) who repents and believes and does
righteous deeds righteous deeds then (for) those Allah will replace Allah will
replace their evil deeds (with) good ones And is Allah Oft-Forgiving Most
Merciful 25:70
Moral – Man is ought to Err. But the
righteous ones are those who repent on their Sins. Repentance has several
stages which one has to follow. Repentance should be from the depths of Heart.
Allaah says in the Quran “do not despair of the Mercy of Allaah”. Repentance is
an integral part of Imaan – Faith.
Translated from the Gujarati version of
the book Hikaayat e Bani Israel