Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
The Companion of Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) in Jannah
In Islam, every good deed and righteous action has the potential to connect one with Allah Ta‘ala and earn him reward in the Hereafter. However, there are certain special actions that hold special significance in the sight of Allah Ta‘ala and can become the means for one acquiring the goodness of the entire deen and the goodness of the dunya together. Among these special actions is the action of showing kindness to the creation and being concerned about their deeni and physical welfare.
There are many incidents in the annals of history which show how Allah Ta‘ala granted people special grace and transformed their lives from evil to goodness on account of them showing compassion to His creation – whether Muslims, disbelievers or even animals.
Below is an incident regarding a person who was outwardly a normal person, but he earned a high rank in the Hereafter on account of serving his parents and fulfilling their rights with love, compassion and mercy. The dua he received from the recesses of his parents’ hearts made him so special in the sight of Allah Ta‘ala that he became the companion of Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) in Jannah.
It is reported that on one occasion, Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) made dua to Allah Ta‘ala saying, “O Allah! Show me my companion in Jannah!” Allah Ta‘ala accepted the dua of Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam), showed him a certain person and said, “O Musa! Go to such-and-such city, for it is there that you will find this person who is your companion in Jannah.”
Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) thus set out and travelled until he came to the city which Allah Ta‘ala had mentioned. On arriving in the city, Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) met a young man who was the person that Allah Ta‘ala had shown him. The young man met Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) and greeted him, but did not know that this was Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam), the prophet of Allah Ta‘ala.
Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) replied to his greeting, and then asked the young man if he could spend the night at his home as his guest.
The young man agreed saying, “I am happy to host you as my guest. If you are happy with whatever I will offer you to eat, then I am pleased to entertain you and honor you.” Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) replied, “I am happy with whatever you offer me.”
The young man was a butcher by trade. Hence, after accepting Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) as his guest, he took him to his butchery and asked him to wait until he had completed his trade for the day. As Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) waited in the young man’s shop, he noticed that whenever the young man came across any piece of fat or any bone marrow, he would set it aside and keep it.
Eventually, when the young man had completed his trade for the day, he took Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) to his home. On entering his home, he took out the fat and marrow that he had kept aside and cooked it.
After the meal was prepared, he went into one of the rooms of his house. Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) noticed that in this room, there were two large baskets suspended near the roof. The young man went to one of the baskets, and with extreme care and gentleness, he lowered it to the ground.
As he lowered the basket, Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) saw that inside it was the young man’s father who was extremely old. The young man took his father out of the basket and washed his face. He then washed his clothing and fragranced it, after which he dressed his father in clean, fragranced clothing.
Thereafter, he took some bread, broke it into small pieces and poured some of the cooked fat and marrow onto it. He then fed it to his father, until he was satiated, and then gave him water to drink until he was satisfied.
After he had served the old man in this manner and fulfilled his needs, the old man made dua for him saying, “O my son! May Allah Ta‘ala not let your effort in caring for me go to waste, and may He make you the companion of Nabi Musa bin Imraan (‘alaihis salaam) in Jannah!”
The young man then brought down the second basket, and Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) noticed that inside it was the young man’s mother who was also extremely old. The young man cared for her just as he had cared for his father.
After serving her and seeing to her needs, she made dua for him saying, “Alhamdulillah! O my son! May Allah Ta‘ala not let your effort in caring for me go to waste, and may He make you the companion of Nabi Musa bin Imraan (‘alaihis salaam) in Jannah!”
When Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) saw the level of compassion and care that the young man showed to his aged parents, he was overcome by sympathy for them. Hence, he began to weep, and in this condition, he left the home of the young man.
Seeing Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) leave, the young man immediately followed him, as he was his guest, and presented him with some of the food that he had prepared. However, Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) said to him, “O my brother! I have no need for your food! The only reason for me coming to you was that I had asked Allah Ta‘ala to show me my companion in Jannah, and Allah Ta‘ala showed me that you are the one who will be my companion in Jannah.”
The young man asked Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam), “May Allah Ta‘ala have mercy on you! Tell me, who are you?” Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) replied, “I am Nabi Musa bin Imraan.” Hearing this, the young man was so astonished that he fell to the ground unconscious.
After he had recovered and regained consciousness, the young man entered his home and gave his parents the glad tidings that Allah Ta‘ala had accepted their dua for him to be the companion of Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) in Jannah. He told them that the man who was with him was none other than Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) himself, and he had conveyed the news to him, from Allah Ta‘ala Himself, that Allah Ta‘ala had accepted their dua.
On hearing this good news, the parents were so overjoyed that they emitted a shriek of happiness and passed away. After the ghusl was performed, Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) performed their janaazah salaah. Thereafter, the young man joined Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) and remained in his company until the end of his life. (Az-Zahrul Faaih Pg. 28)
In this incident, we see that the reason why the young man was blessed to become the companion of Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) in Jannah is that he had earned his parents’ sincere duas on account of serving them, being obedient to them and showing them kindness, love and compassion. If we also serve our parents fulfil their rights and treat them with love, compassion and mercy, then Allah Ta‘ala will also bless us with acceptance.
