Story of a Great Youth

Here is a beautiful Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) ḥadīth about a young man during the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). One thing we must remember, this one man is not an infallible, he is just an ordinary person, but he has reached this level of Imaan (faith). Inshā’Allāh, we can attain this level of faith.

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى وَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ جَمِيعاً عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ الْوَابِشِيِّ وَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ مِهْزَمٍ عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص صَلَّى بِالنَّاسِ الصُّبْحَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى شَابٍّ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ وَ هُوَ يَخْفِقُ وَ يَهْوِي بِرَأْسِهِ مُصْفَرّاً لَوْنُهُ قَدْ نَحِفَ جِسْمُهُ وَ غَارَتْ عَيْنَاهُ فِي رَأْسِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ يَا فُلَانُ قَالَ أَصْبَحْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مُوقِناً فَعَجِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص مِنْ قَوْلِهِ وَ قَالَ إِنَّ لِكُلِّ يَقِينٍ حَقِيقَةً فَمَا حَقِيقَةُ يَقِينِكَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ يَقِينِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هُوَ الَّذِي أَحْزَنَنِي وَ أَسْهَرَ لَيْلِي وَ أَظْمَأَ هَوَاجِرِي فَعَزَفَتْ نَفْسِي عَنِ الدُّنْيَا وَ مَا فِيهَا حَتَّى كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى عَرْشِ رَبِّي وَ قَدْ نُصِبَ لِلْحِسَابِ وَ حُشِرَ الْخَلَائِقُ لِذَلِكَ وَ أَنَا فِيهِمْ وَ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ يَتَنَعَّمُونَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَ يَتَعَارَفُونَ وَ عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ مُتَّكِئُونَ وَ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى أَهْلِ النَّارِ وَ هُمْ فِيهَا مُعَذَّبُونَ مُصْطَرِخُونَ وَ كَأَنِّي الْآنَ أَسْمَعُ زَفِيرَ النَّارِ يَدُورُ فِي مَسَامِعِي فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص لِأَصْحَابِهِ هَذَا عَبْدٌ نَوَّرَ اللَّهُ قَلْبَهُ بِالْإِيمَانِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ الْزَمْ مَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ الشَّابُّ ادْعُ اللَّهَ لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَنْ أُرْزَقَ الشَّهَادَةَ مَعَكَ فَدَعَا لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص فَلَمْ يَلْبَثْ أَنْ خَرَجَ فِي بَعْضِ غَزَوَاتِ النَّبِيِّ ص فَاسْتُشْهِدَ بَعْدَ تِسْعَةِ نَفَرٍ وَ كَانَ هُوَ الْعَاشِرَ

From Ishāq bin `Ammār said, I heard Abā `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام) saying: “The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was praying the morning prayer with the people, and he saw a young man in the masjid, and his head was hanging down. His color was pale, and he had a thin body, and his eyes were sunk in his head. So the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said to him, ‘How is your morning, O so and so?’ He (the young man) said: ‘O Messenger of Allāh, (this) morning I am confident’. The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was amazed at what he said, and he said: ‘Verily, For every reality there is certainty (yaqeen), so what reality are you certain (about)?’ He said: ‘I am certain, O Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), is that which makes me sad and stay awake at night and endure thirst during the day. So I abstain myself from the world and what is in it until I see the `arsh (throne) of my Lord and we are resurrected for our actions and He assembles the creations for that, and I am among them. And it is like I am looking at the people of jannah, enjoying themselves in jannah and are informed and upon reclining coaches. And it is like I am looking at the people of the fire (hell) and those in it being tortured and crying aloud (for help). Right now, it is as if I hear roaring of the fire and it is circulating in my ears.’ So the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said to his companions, ‘Allāh has illuminated this servant’s heart with Imaan (faith)’, then he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said to him: ‘Stick (keep up) what you are doing’. So the young man said: ‘Pray to Allāh for me, O Messenger of Allāh, that he provides me with shahaadah with you’ So the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) did du`ā for him, and not long he (the young man) left in one of the expeditions with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and after nine people became shaheed (a martyr) he was the tenth”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 2, pg. 53, hadeeth # 2

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Muwaththaq (Reliable)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 7, pg. 333