ḤADĪTH OF THE DAY

“ The Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said, "Indeed, God has angels roaming the earth, in addition to those that record people's deeds. When they find people remembering God (1), they call out to each other, ‘Hurry to what you have been seeking!' So they come, and form circle upon circle around them extending to the lowest heaven (3). Then, God asks them, 'What were my bondsmen (2) doing when you left them?' They reply, 'We left them praising You, glorifying You and remembering You.'" The Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, continued, "He asks, ‘Did they see Me?' They reply, 'No.'" He said, "He asks, 'What if they saw Me?'" He said, "They reply, 'If they saw You, they would praise you more, glorify you more, and remember you more.'" He said, "He then, asks, 'What are they asking for?' They reply, 'They are asking for Paradise.'" He said, "He asks, ‘Did they see it?' They reply, 'No.' He asks, ‘What if they saw it?'" He said, "They reply, 'If they saw it, they would ask for it with more persistence and aspire to it with more devotion" He said, "He then, asks, 'What are they seeking refuge from?' They reply, 'They are seeking refuge from Hell.'" He said, "He asks, 'Did they see it?' They say, 'No.' He asks, ‘ًWhat if they saw it?' They reply, 'If they saw it, they would flee it with more resolve, fear it with more intensity, and seek refuge from it with more persistence.'" He said, "He, then, says, 'I hold you witnesses that I have forgiven them.' They say, '[But] among them is a wrong-doer, who did not intend to join them, but came to get something he needed.' He replies, 'Those are the people whose companions never suffer.’” Footnotes: (1) A devotional practice that focuses on feeling God's presence in the different facets of life. It includes several kinds like practical evoking (obeying God's commandments), verbal evoking (supplications, praising, glorifying and exalting God), and evoking by the heart (meditation). (2) The heaven which forms the sky of this world. (4) Masculine pronouns are generally used in Arabic as a means for referring to both men and women when the meaning is left general and is not otherwise specified. ”