A Repentant Dua by a Young Man Descended from the Prophet
This impressive story, narrated by Mansur bin Ammar…
A YOUNG MAN’S SINCERE REPENTANCE PRAYER
One night, I went out thinking it was morning. However, I realized that the dawn had not yet arrived. While passing in front of a house, I heard a young man inside weeping and reciting the following prayer:
“O Allah! I have committed many sins and wronged myself. My intention was not to seek Your pleasure; I succumbed to my desires. I did not expect punishment for the mistakes I made, as I sought refuge in Your Attribute of al-Settar (The Concealer). But now I understand that I committed these sins out of ignorance. What would befall me if You were to punish me! Alas, alas! O Lord! On the Day when You command your servants to walk on the Straight Path, some will fall into Hell and others will enter Paradise. Which group will this poor servant belong to?”
At that very moment, I heard a verse about Hell. The young man supplicating inside let out a single “Ah!” and his voice was cut off.
“What happened that his voice was cut off?” I wondered. After carefully locating the house, I returned home. When morning came, there was a funeral procession in front of that door. When I asked what had happened, his mother told me:
“–This is my deceased son. He is descended from our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). At night, he would weep until dawn at the prayer place. During the day, he would spend what he earned on the poor. When he heard a verse about Hell, he could not bear it and passed away while weeping.”
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 surrenders his soul in this way ever enter Hell? Be grateful to Allah!”[1]
Footnote:
[1] See Darir Mustafa Effendi, One Hundred Hadiths One Hundred Stories, ed. Selahaddin Yıldırım – Necdet Yılmaz, Istanbul 2001, pp. 74-75.