Jami' al-Saghir / Jam' al-Jawami' (al-Suyuti) 673-119b

Translation

Machine translation, not reviewed

"From ʿĀʾishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said one day to his Companions: Do you know what the likeness is of one of you, his family, his wealth and his deeds? They said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: The likeness of one of you, and of his wealth, his family, his children and his deeds, is only like a man who has three brothers. When death came to him, he called one of his brothers and said: What you see has befallen me, so what do I have with you? And what do I have in your hands? He said: What you have with me is that I will nurse you and will not leave you, and I will see to your affairs; and when you die, I will wash you and shroud you and carry you with those who carry, carrying you at one time and moving away from you at another; and when I return, I will praise you well before whoever asks me about you. This is his brother who is his family. How do you see him? They said: We hear nothing of great worth, O Messenger of Allah. Then he says to his other brother: Do you not see what has befallen me? What do I have in your hands? And what do I have with you? He says: You have no benefit from me except while you are among the living; when you die you will be taken one way and I will be taken another. This is his brother who is his wealth. How do you see him? They said: We hear nothing of great worth, O Messenger of Allah! Then he says to his other brother: Do you not see what has befallen me and that my family and my wealth have turned me away? What do I have with you? And what do I have in your hands? He says: I am your companion in your grave and your comfort in your loneliness, and on the Day of Weighing I will sit in your scale and make your scale heavy. He said: This is his brother who is his deeds. How do you see him? They said: The best of brothers and the best of companions, O Messenger of Allah. He said: Indeed the matter is like this. ʿĀʾishah said: Then ʿAbdullāh b. Kurz stood up to him and said: O Messenger of Allah! Do you permit me to compose some verses on this? He said: Yes. So he went off and spent only one night until he returned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and stood before him, and the people gathered, and he began to recite: - Indeed I, my family and what my hand has sent forward... are like one who calls to it his companion, then speaks to his brothers, when they were three brothers: [Help] me in a matter that has come down on me today, a long separation, without hardship in it... so what do you have for me in what is ruinous? One man among them said: I am the companion who... obeys you in whatever you wish before parting. But when separation becomes serious, then I, because of the friendship between us, am not one who will join you. So take now what you want from me, for I will be taken along some path of the paths of sand. And if you keep me, do not keep [me for long], so benefit from me, and hasten righteousness before a swift death. And another man said: If I truly love him... and prefer him among them in merit, my benefit is that I strive, sincere to you, but when the severity of distress grows serious I will not fight. But I weep over you and wail, and praise you well before whoever asks. I follow the walkers, going along as an escort... I help kindly, taking a turn with every carrier, to the house of your abode which you will enter. I return joined with what occupies me, as if there had never been between me and you any friendship, nor goodness of affection at any time in mutual giving. That is a man's family, that is their benefit, and even if they are eager, it is of no great worth. And another man among them said: I am the brother; you will not see a brother like me for you at the distress of the earthquakes. At the grave you will meet me there sitting, arguing for you, repeating the argument. And on the Day of Weighing I will sit in the pan on which you will be, striving to make it heavy. So do not forget me, and know my place, for I am compassionate toward you, sincere, not forsaking you. That is what you sent forward of every righteous deed; you will meet it, if you [do good], on the Day of reunion. So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wept, and the Muslims wept at his words. ʿAbdullāh b. Kurz would not pass by any group of Muslims without their calling him and asking him to recite, and when he recited to them they wept".

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