Q
What is the significance of the imagery of a river and transformation in the context of redemption and forgiveness?
A
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) very often used to ask his companions, “Did anyone of you see a dream?” So dreams
would be narrated to him by those whom Allah wished to tell.
One morning the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Last night two persons came to me (in a dream) and woke me up and
said to me, ‘Proceed!’ I set out with them and we came across a man lying down, and behold, another
man was standing over his head, holding a big rock. Behold, he was throwing the rock at the man’s
head, injuring it. The rock rolled away and the thrower followed it and took it back. By the time he
reached the man, his head returned to the normal state. The thrower then did the same as he had done
before.
I said to my two companions, ‘Subhan Allah! Who are these two persons?’ They said, ‘Proceed!’ So
we proceeded and came to a man lying flat on his back and another man standing over his head with
an iron hook, and behold, he would put the hook in one side of the man’s mouth and tear off that side
of his face to the back (of the neck) and similarly tear his nose from front to back and his eye from
front to back. Then he turned to the other side of the man’s face and did just as he had done with the
other side. He hardly completed this side when the other side returned to its normal state. Then he
returned to it to repeat what he had done before. I said to my two companions, ‘Subhan Allah! Who
are these two persons?’ They said to me, ‘Proceed!’ So we proceeded and came across something like a
Tannur (a kind of baking oven, a pit usually clay-lined for baking bread).” I think the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “In
that oven there was much noise and voices.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “We looked into it and found naked
men and women, and behold, a flame of fire was reaching to them from underneath, and when it
reached them, they cried loudly.
I asked them, ‘Who are these?’ They said to me, ‘Proceed!’ And so we proceeded and came across a
river.” I think he said, “…. red like blood.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “And behold, in the river there was a
man swimming, and on the bank there was a man who had collected many stones. Behold, while the
other man was swimming, he went near him. The former opened his mouth and the latter (on the
bank) threw a stone into his mouth whereupon he went swimming again. He returned and every time
the performance was repeated.
I asked my two companions, ‘Who are these (two) persons?’ They replied, ‘Proceed! Proceed!’ And we
proceeded till we came to a man with a repulsive appearance, the most repulsive appearance, you ever
saw a man having! Beside him there was a fire and he was kindling it and running around it.
I asked my companions, ‘Who is this (man)?’ They said to me, ‘Proceed! Proceed!’ So we proceeded
till we reached a garden of deep green dense vegetation, having all sorts of spring colors. In the midst
of the garden there was a very tall man and I could hardly see his head because of his great height, and
around him there were children in such a large number as I have never seen.
I said to my companions, ‘Who is this?’ They replied, ‘Proceed! Proceed!’ So we proceeded till we
came to a majestic huge garden, greater and better than I have ever seen! My two companions said to
me, ‘Go up’ and I went up. The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “So we ascended till we reached a city built of gold and
silver bricks and we went to its gate and asked (the gatekeeper) to open the gate, and it was opened
and we entered the city and found in it, men with one side of their bodies as handsome as the
handsomest person you have ever seen, and the other side as ugly as the ugliest person you have ever
seen. My two companions ordered those men to throw themselves into the river. Behold, there was a
river flowing across (the city), and its water was like milk in whiteness.
Those men went and threw themselves in it and then returned to us after the ugliness (of their bodies)
had disappeared and they became in the best shape.” The Prophet (ﷺ) further added, “My two companions
(angels) said to me, ‘This place is the Eden Paradise, and that is your place.’ I raised up my sight, and
behold, there I saw a palace like a white cloud!
My two companions said to me, ‘That (palace) is your place.’ I said to them, ‘May Allah bless you
both! Let me enter it.’ They replied, ‘As for now, you will not enter it, but you shall enter it (one day).
I said to them, ‘I have seen many wonders tonight. What does all that mean which I have seen?’
They replied, ‘We will inform you:
As for the first man you came upon whose head was being injured with the rock, he is the symbol of
the one who studies the Qur’an and then neither recites it nor acts on its orders, and sleeps, neglecting
the enjoined prayers.
As for the man you came upon whose sides of mouth, nostrils and eyes were torn off from front to
back, he is the symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells so many lies that
it spreads all over the world. And those naked men and women whom you saw in a construction
resembling an oven, they are the adulterers and the adulteresses.
And the man whom you saw swimming in the river and given a stone to swallow, is the eater of usury
(Riba).
And the bad looking man whom you saw near the fire kindling it and going round it, is Malik, the
gatekeeper of Hell.
And the tall man whom you saw in the garden, is Abraham and the children around him are those
children who die with Al-Fitra (the Islamic Faith).
The narrator added: Some Muslims asked the Prophet, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! What about the children of
pagans?” The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “And also the children of pagans.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “My two companions added, ‘The men you saw half handsome and half ugly were
those persons who had mixed an act that was good with another that was bad, but Allah forgave
them.’”
would be narrated to him by those whom Allah wished to tell.
One morning the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Last night two persons came to me (in a dream) and woke me up and
said to me, ‘Proceed!’ I set out with them and we came across a man lying down, and behold, another
man was standing over his head, holding a big rock. Behold, he was throwing the rock at the man’s
head, injuring it. The rock rolled away and the thrower followed it and took it back. By the time he
reached the man, his head returned to the normal state. The thrower then did the same as he had done
before.
I said to my two companions, ‘Subhan Allah! Who are these two persons?’ They said, ‘Proceed!’ So
we proceeded and came to a man lying flat on his back and another man standing over his head with
an iron hook, and behold, he would put the hook in one side of the man’s mouth and tear off that side
of his face to the back (of the neck) and similarly tear his nose from front to back and his eye from
front to back. Then he turned to the other side of the man’s face and did just as he had done with the
other side. He hardly completed this side when the other side returned to its normal state. Then he
returned to it to repeat what he had done before. I said to my two companions, ‘Subhan Allah! Who
are these two persons?’ They said to me, ‘Proceed!’ So we proceeded and came across something like a
Tannur (a kind of baking oven, a pit usually clay-lined for baking bread).” I think the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “In
that oven there was much noise and voices.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “We looked into it and found naked
men and women, and behold, a flame of fire was reaching to them from underneath, and when it
reached them, they cried loudly.
I asked them, ‘Who are these?’ They said to me, ‘Proceed!’ And so we proceeded and came across a
river.” I think he said, “…. red like blood.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “And behold, in the river there was a
man swimming, and on the bank there was a man who had collected many stones. Behold, while the
other man was swimming, he went near him. The former opened his mouth and the latter (on the
bank) threw a stone into his mouth whereupon he went swimming again. He returned and every time
the performance was repeated.
I asked my two companions, ‘Who are these (two) persons?’ They replied, ‘Proceed! Proceed!’ And we
proceeded till we came to a man with a repulsive appearance, the most repulsive appearance, you ever
saw a man having! Beside him there was a fire and he was kindling it and running around it.
I asked my companions, ‘Who is this (man)?’ They said to me, ‘Proceed! Proceed!’ So we proceeded
till we reached a garden of deep green dense vegetation, having all sorts of spring colors. In the midst
of the garden there was a very tall man and I could hardly see his head because of his great height, and
around him there were children in such a large number as I have never seen.
I said to my companions, ‘Who is this?’ They replied, ‘Proceed! Proceed!’ So we proceeded till we
came to a majestic huge garden, greater and better than I have ever seen! My two companions said to
me, ‘Go up’ and I went up. The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “So we ascended till we reached a city built of gold and
silver bricks and we went to its gate and asked (the gatekeeper) to open the gate, and it was opened
and we entered the city and found in it, men with one side of their bodies as handsome as the
handsomest person you have ever seen, and the other side as ugly as the ugliest person you have ever
seen. My two companions ordered those men to throw themselves into the river. Behold, there was a
river flowing across (the city), and its water was like milk in whiteness.
Those men went and threw themselves in it and then returned to us after the ugliness (of their bodies)
had disappeared and they became in the best shape.” The Prophet (ﷺ) further added, “My two companions
(angels) said to me, ‘This place is the Eden Paradise, and that is your place.’ I raised up my sight, and
behold, there I saw a palace like a white cloud!
My two companions said to me, ‘That (palace) is your place.’ I said to them, ‘May Allah bless you
both! Let me enter it.’ They replied, ‘As for now, you will not enter it, but you shall enter it (one day).
I said to them, ‘I have seen many wonders tonight. What does all that mean which I have seen?’
They replied, ‘We will inform you:
As for the first man you came upon whose head was being injured with the rock, he is the symbol of
the one who studies the Qur’an and then neither recites it nor acts on its orders, and sleeps, neglecting
the enjoined prayers.
As for the man you came upon whose sides of mouth, nostrils and eyes were torn off from front to
back, he is the symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells so many lies that
it spreads all over the world. And those naked men and women whom you saw in a construction
resembling an oven, they are the adulterers and the adulteresses.
And the man whom you saw swimming in the river and given a stone to swallow, is the eater of usury
(Riba).
And the bad looking man whom you saw near the fire kindling it and going round it, is Malik, the
gatekeeper of Hell.
And the tall man whom you saw in the garden, is Abraham and the children around him are those
children who die with Al-Fitra (the Islamic Faith).
The narrator added: Some Muslims asked the Prophet, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! What about the children of
pagans?” The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “And also the children of pagans.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “My two companions added, ‘The men you saw half handsome and half ugly were
those persons who had mixed an act that was good with another that was bad, but Allah forgave
them.’”
Referensi:
Sahih al-Bukhari 7047, Book 91, Hadith 61
Sahih al-Bukhari 7047, Book 91, Hadith 61