Ebu Said Hudri (r.a.) narrated from the Rasul of Allah (saw) that one day, some people asked: ‘O Rasul of Allah, will we see our Rabb on the Day of Judgment?’
The Rasul of Allah (saw) replied: ‘Yes! Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun at noon when there is no cloud, or the moon on a clear 14th night?’
They replied, ‘No, O Rasul of Allah!’
He said: ‘Just like that, you will not have any difficulty in seeing your Rabb on the Day of Judgment. When that day comes, a caller will announce: ‘Every nation should follow what they used to worship!’”
“Then, if there are any besides Allah, those who worship something other than Him will follow what they used to worship and thus they will be led to Hell. At this point, only those who worship Allah alone, whether they were righteous or sinful, and the People of the Book, meaning those who believed in monotheism, will remain.
Then the Jews will be called and asked, ‘Who did you worship?’ They will reply, ‘We used to worship Uzair (Ezra), the son of Allah.’ They will be told, ‘You have lied. Allah has not taken a son. What do you want now?’ They will reply, ‘We are thirsty, O our Rabb! Provide us with water.’ They will be directed to a certain direction, and when they reach it, they will be thrown into Hell as if it were a mirage.
Then the Christians will be called and asked, ‘Whom did you worship?’ They will reply, ‘We used to worship Jesus, the son of Allah.’ They will be told, ‘You have lied. Allah has not taken a son. What do you want now?’ They will reply, ‘We are thirsty, O our Rabb! Provide us with water.’ They will be directed to a certain direction, and when they reach it, they will be thrown into Hell as if it were a mirage.”
Their responses will be corrected.
They will be told, “You are lying! Allah has never begotten a son or an offspring.” Then the question will be repeated: “So what do you desire now?” They will complain, “Our Rabb, we are extremely thirsty, please provide us with water!” Then a proclamation will be made to them, “Hasten to the water you have been longing for!”
Then Hell will appear to them like a mirage, and they will run towards it, trampling over each other. In this way, they will be cast into Hell.
Now, only the sincere monotheists, whether righteous or sinful, and the People of the Book who believed in monotheism, will remain.
At this time, the Rabb of the Worlds, in a near but incomprehensible manifestation, will inquire of them: “What are you waiting for? Each community follows what they used to worship.”
They will respond, “Our Rabb, even though we were in dire need of them, we lived separately from those people and did not associate with them. How can we become like them now?”
In response to their plea, the manifestation they witness will say, “I am your Rabb!” They will declare, “We seek refuge in Allah from you! We seek refuge in Allah from you! We do not associate anything with Allah!”
They will try to escape from that direction.
Then they will be asked, “Is there any sign that distinguishes you from Him, allowing you to recognize Him?” They will reply, “Yes!” Suddenly, a divine intervention will lift the intensity of the moment, and a sudden “bang” will occur.
For those among them who were sincere, permission to prostrate will be granted, and they will perform the prostration. However, those who intended to hide and show off, their backs will turn into a single piece of plank, forcing them to fall onto their shoulders.
When they all raise their heads, Allah, in His chosen form, will become visible. He will declare, “I am your Rabb!” They will accept this time and say, “Yes, You are our Rabb!”
Then, a bridge (Sırat) will be established from where they are moved towards paradise, passing over Hell. Intercession will be allowed.
They will begin to cross the bridge, pleading, “O Allah, grant us salvation! O Allah, grant us salvation!” The companions of the Rasul asked, “O Rasulullah, what is this bridge?”
Rasulullah replied, “It is a sharp and slippery place with hooks, thorns, and iron spikes. Believers will cross it, some as fast as the blinking of an eye, some as quick as lightning, some like the wind, some like the finest breed of horse or camel, speeding swiftly. Some will pass safely, some will be saved after being scratched by thorns, and some will be thrown into the fires of hell due to their sins.
When the believers have crossed the bridge and escaped the fire, I swear by Allah in Whose power my soul is, they will pray more intensely for the believers left behind in the fire than they have ever prayed for anything before.”
They will say, “O our Rabb, these remaining ones used to fast and perform Hajj with us.” Then it will be replied to them, “Take out anyone you recognize; their faces have been made forbidden for the Fire.” Afterward, these intercessors will help in removing many people from the Fire, some of whom were submerged in the Fire up to their ankles, and others up to their knees.
Then they will say, “O our Rabb, there is no one left in the Fire according to what You ordered.” At that moment, Allah, the Almighty, will say, “Return, and if you find anyone with even an atom’s weight of faith in their hearts, bring them out.”
The intercessors will return, and whoever they find with even an atom’s weight of faith and conviction in their hearts, they will bring them out. Then they will say to their Rabb, “O our Rabb, there is no one left in the Fire according to Your command.”
Again, Allah will say, “Return and bring out anyone with half an atom’s weight of faith and conviction in their hearts.” The intercessors will return and bring out whoever they find with even half an atom’s weight of faith.
They will then say, “O our Rabb, there is no one left in the Fire according to Your order.” Allah will reply, “Return, and if you find anyone whose heart bears the slightest trace of faith, bring them out.”
The intercessors will once again return and rescue anyone they find with even the slightest trace of faith in their hearts. Finally, they will say, “O our Rabb, there is no one left in the Fire according to Your command.”
Saidi Hudr’i, at this point, recites verse 40 from Surah An-Nisa, confirming this situation.
Then he continues:
After this, Allah, the Almighty, will say, “The angels interceded, the Rasuls and Nabis interceded, the believers interceded, and there is no one left to intercede except the Most Merciful of the Merciful.”
Following this, Allah will remove a group of people from the Fire, many of whom were reduced to mere charcoal due to their lack of any good deeds. He will lead them to a river called the “River of Life,” and they will enter it like wild reed plants carried away by a flood. They will emerge from the river with beautiful necklaces as if they were pearls. The inhabitants of Paradise will recognize them by these signs and say, “These are the emancipated ones that Allah has admitted into Paradise despite their lack of good deeds.”
Then Allah will say to them, “Enter Paradise. Whatever your eyes can see belongs to you.” They will respond, “O our Rabb, You have granted us what You have not given to anyone in the world.” Allah will say to them a second time, “Shall I grant you something even better?” They will be amazed and ask, “O our Rabb, what could be better than this?” Allah will give them the glad tidings, saying, “My pleasure, and I will never be displeased with you again for eternity.”
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The last person to enter Paradise is one who walks, sometimes crawling and falling onto his face, and sometimes having fire striking and burning his face, until he crosses the boundary of the Fire. Then he turns to look at it and says, ‘Praise be to Allah, Who has saved me from you. Allah has given me something He did not give to the earlier or the later generations.’ Then a tree is shown to him, and he asks Allah to bring him closer to it so that he can enjoy its shade and drink its water. Allah, the Exalted, says, ‘O son of Adam, perhaps if I grant you this, you will ask Me for more?’ He replies, ‘I will not ask You for more.’ His Rabb, the Exalted, says, ‘O son of Adam, your promise is accepted; so now, take your rest under the shade of the tree.’ When he sits under it, he notices another tree even more beautiful and splendid than the one he is sitting under.
This time, his eyes are drawn to that tree, and he begins to implore his Rabb:
“O my Rabb, bring me closer to this one so that I may benefit from its shade and drink from its water. I swear by Allah, I will not ask for anything else from You!”
Allah, the Exalted, reminds him of his previous promise:
“O son of Adam, did you not promise not to ask for anything else besides what you have been given? If I permit you to go there, you may ask for something else.”
He replies, “My Rabb, allow me to go to that one, and I will never ask for anything else.”
His Rabb, knowing that he cannot resist the allure of that beauty, pardons him and allows him to go there. He goes to that new place, enjoys its shade, and tastes its blessings.
This time, for the third time, he sees an even more magnificent and beautiful paradise-like spot right next to the gate of heaven. He implores his Rabb again:
“O my Rabb, bring me closer to this beauty so that I may benefit from its shade and drink from its water. Please, let me enjoy these blessings as well.”
Allah, the Exalted, reminds him of his previous promises:
“O son of Adam, did you not promise not to ask for anything else besides what you have been given? You have already asked twice, and if I permit you again, you may ask for something else.”
He responds, “My Rabb, allow me to go to that one, and I will never ask for anything else.”
His Rabb, knowing that he cannot resist the allure of that beauty, pardons him again and allows him to go there. But as he approaches this third paradise-like spot, he starts hearing the voices of the people of paradise.
He implores again, “O my Rabb, please let me enter there!” Upon this, Allah, the Exalted, questions him, “What will save you from asking again? If I give you an entire world with everything in it, will you be satisfied?”
The servant then expresses his astonishment, saying, “O my Rabb, are You, the Rabb of all the worlds, mocking me?” Upon hearing this, Rasulullah (saw) laughed. When asked why he laughed, he replied, “I laughed because when the servant said, ‘Are You, the Rabb of all the worlds, mocking me?’ the Rabb of all the worlds Himself laughed.”
Then Rasulullah (saw) continued the narration, stating that Allah, the Exalted, responded by saying, “I am not mocking you, but I am capable of doing whatever I will.”