From a Descendant of the Prophet, a Sincere Supplication for Repentance
Mansur bin Ammar narrates:
A YOUNG MAN’S HEARTFELT PRAYER OF REPENTANCE
One night, I went out thinking it was morning. However, I realized that the dawn had not yet arrived. As I passed in front of a house, I heard someone inside weeping and reciting the following supplication:
“O Allah! I have committed many sins. I wronged myself. My intention was not to test Your pleasure, but I succumbed to my own desires. And I saw that even if I did commit faults, You would not act, so I sought refuge in Your attribute of ‘The Covering One’ (As-Satār). I committed these sins out of ignorance. Now I realize my mistake. What would befall me if You were to punish me! Woe to me, woe to me! O Lord! On the Day when You command Your servants to cross the Bridge (Sirat), some will fall into Hell and others will pass into Paradise. Which group will this poor servant belong to?”
At that moment, a verse mentioning Hell was heard. The young man who was engaged in supplication let out a single “Ah!” and his lamentation ceased.
“What happened that his voice stopped?” I wondered. After carefully locating the house, I returned home. When I went out the next morning, there was a funeral procession in front of that door. When I inquired about what had happened, his mother told me:
“–This is my deceased son. He is from the lineage of our Prophet (peace be upon him). At night, he would weep in the prayer place until dawn. During the day, he would spend what he earned on the poor and needy. When he heard a verse about Hell, he could not bear it, he wept and passed away, surrendering his soul to Allah.”
I said to her:
“–O woman, your son has entered Paradise. For whoever weeps out of fear of Allah will not enter Hell. Does anyone who dies in this state ever enter Hell? Give thanks to Allah!”
[1] See Darir Mustafa Efendi, Yüz Hadis Yüz Hikâye (One Hundred Hadiths One Hundred Stories), compiled by Selahaddin Yıldırım – Necdet Yılmaz, Istanbul 2001, p. 74-75.
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