Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 204
Justice (‘ Adl ), Benevolence ( Ihsan ) & Kinship ( Ita’i Dhil-Qurba ) in Worship 199 …'Our Lord, grant us good in this world as well as good in the world to come, and protect us from the torment of the Fire. ' (S u rah al-Baqarah; Ch. 2: V. 202) We learn from various A ha d i th that the Holy Prophet sa personally instructed one of his Companions about this prayer. It is narrated that one of his Companions fell ill and became extremely weak and emaciated. His appearance was described by one person as resembling a small bird whose wings had been plucked. The Holy Prophet sa went to visit him on his sick bed and put to him a question which could only have come to his mind as a result of a deep understanding of his Companion’s nature. The Holy Prophet sa asked him, 'When you pray to Allah, do you ask Him to save your reward for your good deeds till the hereafter and give you no reward at all in this life?' The Companion replied, 'Yes, O Prophet of Allah, this is exactly what I have been doing. I request Allah to punish me for all my sins in this life and that I be saved from the punishment of the fire in the hereafter. ' The Holy Prophet sa said, 'Holy is Allah! You have not the strength to bear His wrath. You should have prayed that Allah grant you the good of this life and save you from punishment in the hereafter. ' It is narrated that the Holy Prophet sa so prayed for his Companion and then his condition took a turn for the better and he was thus saved from the clutches of death. 20