Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 7 - The Station of Bliss and Peace

We spent the night here, and resumed our journey in the morning.Haadi had already informed me that by evening we would be cut of the land of Desire but then we would have to face the punishments due to the sins of the Tongue. The previous punishments were due to indulgence in immoral sexual pleasures and these would be due to the sins of the tongue, but these would be as harsh as those. He had.said that there would be no provision of water or food and so it would be advisable to carry some water on the horse and I should myself travel on toot. He also told me to carry my shield as it would prove very useful.

I asked, "What is this shield made of?" He replied, "This is the result of your fasts. You fasted and remained hungry and thirsty to please God and these lasts prevented you not only from immoral sexual indulgence but in fact from disobedience of all kinds. "Fasting is a shield to protect from the Fire of Hell."'

We had only just started whenDarky appeared. I said, "Be gone, O cursed being?"" He said, "Why don't you yourself move away from me, instead?" So, I moved a few steps away and continued my journey withHaadi , butDarky remained alongside on the left.

On both sides various animals were visible, e.g. dogs, wolves, monkeys, rats.snakes , scorpions,sheeps etc., all of differentcolours . They were fighting, amongst themselves, attacking, and tearing away at each other, whenever they got the chance. Flames emerged from the ears and mouths of some of them. Sometimes they would see a mirage and would go there in hopes of finding water, but finding it dry would return dejected. Some were eating the dead carcasses of others. Some would fall in dark and deep wells and as they would 1a111 huge flames would emerge.

I askedHaadi , "Who are these wells for?" "They are meant for people who laugh at other faithful and make fun of them, whether through words, flints, gestures.making faces, eye-movements etc. This is their destination,As God has said, Hell is for the fault finders and insulters," As for those who are eating carcasses, they were the back-biters, And the ones with flaming ears, they used to listen to others backbiting.And these dogs. wolves and cats lighting each other used to curse, blame and insult each other. And those with yellow faces and two tongues were the fault-finder, liars and complainers.

Here the air was extremely hot, I kept askingHaadi for waterSometimes he would give me a little, and sometimes none. He kept saying that the journey was lengthy and our store of watermeagre , which we would have to make last until the end."

(Hazrat All: "How lengthy is the journey (at the Here tatter) and howmeagre our store of provisions (that is, good deeds which would help there.)

I asked him why he had taken so little to start with, and he replied, "You did not make yourself capable of taking more. I asked, "Why did the capabilitydecrease ?"

He said, "You are yourself to blame, because you did not drink much of piety then, and so your capacity cannot increase now. The more watchful and pious you had been on earth, the more water you would have had now. Nothing can be done about it now, Haven't you read the opening verse of 'Soora -e-Mominoon ', "Certainly the faithful have succeeded, who used to be fearful in their prayers and abstained from meaningless pastimes?" You neither abstained from such pastimes nor were you fearful in your prayers. Obviously you will now reap what you had sown.

"Whoever has done a grain of good shall see it and, whoever has done a grain of evil shall see it." Then he pointed in a certain direction and asked me what I could see there.Itseemed like white and black and flames all mixed together.

But when I looked carefully it was a green garden, with dense trees, full of fruits. Suddenly Irealised that they were burning. Shocked, I turned toHaadi and asked, "What is happening there?" He replied that the garden had been made from the praise and remembrance of God by the faithful, but when these faithful lied or indulged in backbiting, or insulting, the garden went up in flames. That is,their .sins caused the reward of their good deeds to go waste. Had their faith been strong enough, they would have given more thought and importance to the gardens they had prepared and would not have allowed them to bum by indulging in such acts.

(The Holy Prophet once told his companions that whoever says "Lailaha illalah (there is no God but Allah) once, the angels prepare a tree for him in Heaven. They remarked, 'In that case, by now we must be having a garden each'. He replied, 'Yes, but on the condition that you abstain from sins, like conceit because it destroys the trees.')

When their owners reach here andrealise what has happened, theywilt be extremely sorry, but sorrow would now be useless,That is why all the Prophets had continuously warned about the effects of good and bad deeds.as these cannot be seen whilst on earth. In the beginning only of the Quran, God linked piety to faith in the unseen: "This is guidance for the pious, those who have faith in the unseen and who stand firm their prayers.'

When we reached near these burnt gardens suddenly I felt a cool breeze which blew away the, ashes. In a little while, the garden was once more green, with lush trees laden with fruits, chirping birds and cool lakes. On earth, the faithful must have either repented for past sins or had sent fresh deeds. IThought that if the earthlings were aware of what I hadlust seen, they would die with sorrow at having ever allowed their gardens to burn.Haadi informed me that this was the first land or the Valley of Peace and here there was peace or all sides. He said, Rest your stick and your shield on the saddle and let the mount graze in the field so that he too may be rested by the time we are ready leave."

Haadi then said that we could take a break from our journey and stay in that place for ten days in order that I might recover after the tiring travel, and regain strength which would be required in the forthcoming leg as there we would have to lace many thieves, highwaymen and pirates and, as I did not have the required strength to face them he suggested that I should visit my old home once more the coming Friday to check if my family had sent me any gifts which could prove useful.

I said, "Haadi , you yourself told me that we had arrived in the Valley of Peace. Now you expect me to believe that there are robbers and pirates in this valley? I feel that you are merely trying to dissuade me. I certainly did not expect this from you."So saying. I started crying.

Haadi said, "My friend, do not distrust me. You are not aware how dark and narrow the coming route is. Our route in the Valley of Peace lies adjacent to the Valley of Punishment where all sorts of punishments are being meted out. The slightest slip will mean a fall into that valley where even I would be unable to help you. And you are aware thatDarky is constantly trying to mislead you. If you don't spend the next ten days here to recover, you might well have to spend two months in the Valley at Punishment."

I said. "Do you mean to say that I have to face the stage of the Bridge (Pul -e-Sirat ) now?! This I cannot believe."

He said, "I have already told you that whatever is happening here is the similitude of the events to take place on the Day ofJudgement . Consider this route to be the image of that Bridge. These stages have to be crossed and it will be good to provide for them in good time.

Anyhow, Friday night I went home once again. There I saw that my wife had married again and was busy trying to make her new husband happy. My children had separated and gone their different ways and were running individual and separate businesses. Dejected and forlorn I sat on a branch near my house. I could see that people were deeply engrossed in their worldly affairs. I thought, if only they would think of their ownHereafter even if for a moment. But no, they were busy planning their future, and their children's future. I recalled the Holy prophets tradition: "I the last ages, wives will prove to be the undoing of men: and when not wives, then children and relatives".

I was deep in such thoughts when suddenly my eyes fell on a room in my house. My sons and their wives had gathered and were sitting with their children talking with each other and eating some fruits. One of them said to the other, "The tree which bore this Fruit had been sown by our late lather. Now he is lying in a grave under mounds of Earth and we are eating its fruit." The other son replied, "How wrong you are! He must be eating tastier fruits in Heaven."

The first one said, "Yes, you are right. He used to love me a lot.To please me and make me happy. he often used to buy me gifts. May God blesshim. "

May God blesshim . He used to buy gifts for me too. He would buy books and penswhen ever I required. To be sure, he was a religious man and it was his wish that we too would become religious, me and make me happy, he often used to buy me gifts.

"He used to buy gifts for me 100. He would buy books and pens whenever I required.To be sure. he was a Religious man and ft was his wish that we too would become Religious" said the other.

They spoke well of me forsometime , then one remarked that as it was Thursday night, it would be good to recite Quran for me. One at them started recitingSoora Dukhan and the otherSoora Dahr for me. I cannot describe how happy this made me. I prayed for their well being and returned to my current abode.

Chapter 8 - The Last StationThe Valley of Peace

When I returned I saw that my mount was ready for the journey andHaadi was packing a portmanteau on it. I asked him where it had come from. He said that an angel had just delivered it saying that it contained a gill fromHazrat Fatema Zehra (AS). This was the result ofSoora Dukhan as thisSoora was related to her and the other contained a gift fromHazrat All asSoora -e-Dahr was connected to him. They had sent these gifts and had requested that we take a path well away from Valley ofBarhoot (Valley of Punishment) so that the hot air from it would not bother me.

I asked, "Is it possible to open them and see the contents?" He said "Not Now, theypre not required yet. When it becomes necessary, they will open by themselves.'

I was dazedWith happiness. I climbed my mount and started". After some time, we reached the Land of Greed and Avarice. There we saw people with faces like dogs, some of them were healthy and strong, others weak and trail. There were dead bodies lying here and there. The dogs would approach these in order to eat them, but would fall to fighting amongst themselves. They would light each other fiercely until they were almost dead with the fatigue and tension; and the carcasses remained untouched. Fresh packs would then approach. The stronger ones would attack tr1e weaker once and make them run away but were also unable to enjoy the carcasses because of their own internal competition for supremacy and each one's desire to have all of it alone, without sharing The whole ground seemed to be one big battlefield 'The world is a dead body and those who desire it, dogs.'

Some dogs were eating these carcasses but smoke was bellowing from their heads and fire from their behinds and even other dogs would not approach them.Haadi informed me that they used to take bribes and used to embezzle or steal wealth belonging to orphans.

"Those who eat the wealth of orphans eat fire in their stomachs."

The real value of worldly goods in the eyes Of Gad and the Infallibles InNahjul Balagha ,Hazrat All (A.S.) calls the world and its possessions "dead bodies. "

There is a famous tradition of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) which describes almost similar conditions. This is quoted in the book 'RobheRehan ' from the book 'Kafi quotingHazrat Ali (A.S.) as saying that he andHazrat Fatima (A.S.) once visited the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) and found him in tears. They asked him the cause and he replied. -O Ali the night that I went forMeraj (Ascension I saw same women of myUmmah who were being so severely punished that I became concerned for them and started crying. I saw a woman who had been hung by her breasts, Then I saw a second woman who was eating her own flesh and a fire raged below her A third woman was hanging by her tongue and biding water was being poured down here throat. A fourth was bent double, hands and feet tied together, snakes and scorpions crawling all over her A fifth was deaf, dumb and blind, enclosed in a cage of tire, her brains oozing out of holes inhero skull Her body was breaking into pieces due to leprosy.

Another was hung by her feet, inside overYet another woman's body was being shredded to pieces by scissors made of fire. One woman had a head of a pig and a body of a donkey and was being given several kinds of punishments. Another had the face of a dog, fire was entering her body from her behinds and coming out of her mouth and the angels were giving her a beating with iron rods,"

Hazrat Fatima (A.S.) then inquired other father (Peace be upon him) "Pray, tell me, what had these women done?"

He (Peacebe upon him) replied: Listen, beloved One.she who was hanging by her breasts used to deny her husband his rightful pleasure.The one hanging by her feet used to go out or her house without her husband's permission. The one eating her own flesh used to beautify herself and show her body to men otherthen her husband, The one who was tied hands and feet together, with snakes and scorpions on her, never used to care about the filthy and unclean, or 'Najaasat ', and was not careful about bathing regularly after menses, intercourse etc. thus taking her prayers lightly. The deaf, dumb and blind used to bear children through adultery but would claim they were her husband S. The one whose body was being cut by scissors made of fire never took care of herHijab in front of non-Mahrams (men other than those allowed to see her). The one whose body was being burned and who was eating her own intestines used to provide other women to men for sex. The one with the face of a pig and body of a donkey was back-biter and a liar,And the one with the face of a dog, with fire entering from her behinds and coming out of her face, was a jealous woman. - Then the Prophet (Peace be upon him), sorrowful is the plight of the woman who makes her husband angry and happiness awaits her who makes him happy."

These conditions are description of the sufferings (of the soul) to be borne inBarzakh . The Day ofJudgement will be even more severe and harsh.)

I remarked toHaadi ,Haadi , we had decided to travel well away from the Valley of Punishment. How is it then that we are here? Have we lost our way?" He said, this is just the image of that Valley.Its hot smoke won't reach you."

We came out of the Land of Greed to enter the Land of Jealousy. In this there were numerous workshops. Dark men resembling Darkies were at work. The machinery was making such a deafening roar that one could not hear anything else. Dust and smoke had covered everything. Therobot like machines looked like huge giants and were made at a metal harder than steel, and these were moving all about the place. One of these approached us and stopped just in front, SuddenlyDarky too flew in, looking like black smoke. I turned around and much to mydismay, could see no sign ofHaadi anywhere.Darky said. "Want to see the machines at work? I bet you have never seen anything like this on Earth.-

Though I wished to see the workshops in detail but since the suggestion came fromDarky and since all his previous suggestions had landed me in trouble, I turned a deaf ear, and whipped my mount on, reading theSoora -e-Falaq : "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Say. 'I seek refuge with the Lord of the dawn,From the evil of what he has created, From the evil of darkness when it overspreads, From the evil of malignant witchcraft, And from the evil of the envier when he enviesDarky remarked, "Pity. You used to recite it on Earth, but never tried to put it in practice. It’s not going to help you now."

Fear overcame me. I sawDarky approach the machine and then he disappeared. I hoped that he had gone away, and was wondering whereHaadi had gone when suddenlyDarky reappeared in the form of a fearful creature. My horse shied at the sight and went off-track, falling and throwing me down also lust near the machine. I was hurt so badly that my body lost all feelings and I could not even get up. The dreadful turning machines were approaching nearer and nearer, as if they were going to engulf me.Darky was screaming with laughter and saying, "Go on, read 'From the envier when he envies,' O Fool, name me one scholar andlearned man who has been free of jealousy. You managed to escape from my previous traps and this has made my heart bleed. I'll see to it that you don't ever get out of this one." So saying, he caught me and tried to crush me.

His making fun of me angered me. Though I was weak Istrianed to tight. But he was stronger and I could see that he was overpowering me. When I saw thisI involuntarily I started callingHazrat Ali (A.S.) for help: -"Ya AliMadad ". No sooner had I said this, all the machines which had been about to crush 'me, suddenly started a disorderly retreat and in the process crashed into each other, breaking into piecesDarky too tried to run away, but was crushed under the wheels of a giant roller. I said, "Wretched person, you were making fun of me. Now you are in the same boat that I was in. And nobody deserves it more this you do. This was my last encounter withDarky .

I managed to come back to the Main Road which was the straight road and the correct path. It had only beenDarky's mischief that my mount had gone astray.

But though back, I was too weak to go on or even get up. ~ Each and every joint ached, and I was extremely thirsty. It was hot and the atmosphere was lull of the stink and smoke. Suddenly I sawHaadi running towards me. As he approached, he took out the portmanteau which containedHazrat Ali's (A.S.) gift and from it took out a crystal-glass bottle. From it he poured out some clean, cool and sweet water which he offered to me. The water quenched my thirst and refreshed me physically. Mentally and spiritually: 'Verily, the righteous shall drink a cup tempered with camphor (Kafur ).

I saw thatall the ordeal had been too much for the mount. He suddenly felt down and died. Now I was left without a horse.

I picked up the back-pack and put it on my back.Haadi picked up the portmanteau and we resumed our journey. The desert was larger than our Sahara Desert and had become dark and gloomy due to the constant emission of fumes by the machines. I noticed that men made of fire balls were tumbling out of the machines and falling down onto the ground just like cigarettes from a vending machine.

(Mistakes and sins (like jealousy for example) leave their effect on the soul and hinder man's natural pro grass on the straight path by weakening his resolve and intention.)

Haadi informed me that on Earth these people had been jealous of the faithful, due to one cause or another and used to show their jealousy by word or deed. Sorrowful fate awaited them inside these machines and due to constriction, this fire of jealousy came out from their within. He quoted the tradition that Jealousy is like fire and 'It devours faith like tire devours wood.'

The route being dark,Haadi walked in front and I followed. I remarked to him, "it seems to me that we are off trackHazrat Ali's recommendation had been that I should not be troubled at all, but I have never before faced such troubles as these."

Haadi replied, "No, no, we are not lost. The fact is that hardly anybody is completely free of jealousy. Everybody experiences it,Through in varying degrees. Had you not hadHazrat Fatema Zahra's recommendation with you, your fate would have been no different from the people you saw. But remember, most of these unfortunate people after serving their time here will be released and willloin the ranks of the blessed and happy ones,"

(In this world our traits and feelings remain hidden in our heart; in the hereafter, however; they will become obvious even to others, embarrassing the sinner in front of all.)

As the air was hot and stuffy and my back bark was also troubling me, we walked fast in order to cross this land as soon as possible,The fear thatDarky mightstilt be alive and following me, urged me on yet faster. Rank and stinking sweat oozed from my body and wet my clothes. My ankles were dead tired and painful. It was with the utmost difficulty that we managed to emerge from this land at last, and then we heaved a sigh of relief. A cool breeze started blowing and fountains of sweet water erupted.mountains and valleys were lush green. We sat down to rest by a fountain.said , "Haadi , it seems that myDarky has been crushed under the wheels of the machines and has been killed." He replied, No, certainly not. He never dies. However, in this particular land he won't approach you because now we are quite far from the Valley orBarhoot . In front of us lies the land where people are being punished for their pride and arrogance. As you had managed to rid yourself of these traits in your lifetime, you will not be troubled there. From here the Valley of Peace is not far,"

As we went on the atmosphere kept on becoming pleasant. There was sweet scent in the air, luscious trees were in abundance and mountains covered with dense trees and waterfalls of sparkling water could be seen.In the mountain plains. k numerous tents of fine white silk were visible.

(After the soul has been cleansed of its vices and punished for its past sins. it will be able to enjoy the blessings and bounties. The Quran says, "Each of you will enter it (hell): Then we will send salvation for the God-fearing ones".)

Chapter 9 -Spring in Valley of Peace

Haadi said, "This is the city 'Huma '. Here people stay in these tents." The pillars and pegs of these tents were of gold and the ropes were of silver. While we were still some distance awayHaadi said, "Wait here, I'll go and find your place." I asked,What is this place called. The atmosphere here is so pleasant and peaceful I wish that we could stay here for a few days."

Haadi said, "This is the Valley of me Right and the Sacred Land and you will have to stay here for a few days. Then he opened y portmanteau and took outHazrat Zehra's gilt. Taking it he went towards a certain tent. My eyes followed him as he approached it, took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read it out aloud. The front flap of the tent was at once pulled open and some beautiful boys and girls came out. They rushed towards me, withHaadi following behind.Haadi took out another wallet from the portmanteau and told me, "Go to your ten: with these attendants. Rest and wait for me. I'll have to go toAasma to arrange accommodation for you. "I said 'Haadi , I am a stranger here without a single friend. Don't go away."

He said 'Its for your sake that I'm going and consider this to be your own country. Go to your tent. You will not be alone. You will find friends there. 'In the tents are beautiful maidens as yet untouched by humans orjinns .' (Soora -e-Rehman Verse 72)

Saying so,Haadi left. I came to my tent with the attendants respectfully hovering around me. A maiden was sitting inside on a divan. She stood up to greet me. After a while, a handsome lad came in. In his hands were a silver bowl and towels. He helped me wash my hands and lace with rose-scented water.

Now when I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror, I wassuprised and pleased to see that I was no less beautiful then the maiden sitting beside me who had been gifted by Allah. "Men have authority over women" (Soora -e-Nisa Verse 34).

We sat down on the divan. I looked around and noticed that the tent was supported on live fillers, the central one being the tallest and firmest of all. It was gold plated and studded with rubies and emeralds.

Wishing to test the maiden sitting beside me, I asked her why there were five pillars in the tent. She replied, "All tents in the Valley have five pillars. This is because Islam also has live pillars: Prayer, Fast, Hajj,Zakat andKhums , andWilayat (love and friendship of theAhlebait ). The central one is ofWilayat and in fact it is supporting the whole tent. It is more important than others (as it helps to achieve all others),"

I said, "I was under the impression that each of the pillars was symbolical for remembering each of thePanjtan (the immediate family of the Holy Prophet)."

She replied, "They are amongst theUsool i.e. Roots and this is the place for theFuroo or Branches and its connections and it is lust the image of theirPure light. Prophethood andVicegerancy , (Imamat ) are both part ofUsool .

InSafeenatual Bahar Muhaddis Qummi has quoted ImamBaqir (A.S.) as saying that Faith has five pillars, Prayer, Fast.HajjZakat andWilayat . The narrator Zahra asked, Which of these is the best?"lmam (AS.) replied, "'Wilayat because fl is the very soul of the other deeds. " In the end he said U somebody spends his lifetime praying throughout the nights and fasts in the days. spends all he has in the way of God, and performs pilgrimage every year but he does not have an infallible Imam to follow, under whose guidance he has performed these deeds, he will not be rewarded for them and will not be given the rank Of the faith rut" (Because it is almost impossible to expect that without the guidance and teachings of the Imams (A.S.) we can perform deeds correctly with an understanding of the spirituality contained).

They whole Universe and whatever if contains is in fact inter-related as if it has been prepared in one factory for a sole and common purpose. The difference which is observed is only due 10 difference of less with mare, of roots with branches, of light with its rays. Man should by to reach these levels of depth in understanding and himself become a link in this chain of the Secret and Unseen. He would then become the centre and core of all beings and hence the manifestation of the Name of God and hence God's Vicegerent.

Man by nature has this capability but he does not try to know his reality and instead wastes his time on Earth in material pursuits.Soora -e-Asr says that, 'Albeit Man is in loss'.. Elsewhere he is called 'Unjust.Ignorant' and 'Ignorant ofQadr (systems)."

I said "May I inquire where you have studied? Your speech is certainly worth listening to," She replied. '"I have been educated in the Holy city ofMadina and those green mountains and this invigorating atmosphere are much lower in status than it."

The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) has said, 'I am the city of knowledge, and Ali (A.S.) is its gate.' I have been brought up byHazrat Fatima (A.S.) who, like her father, is herself a city of knowledge and purity and she is the Blessed Night and the Night ofQadar and is better than a thousand cities of knowledge. It is almost as if Quran was revealed unto her. 'In it come for separation all wise commands' most suits her.That, all matters are decided through her. She is the Olive Tree which is 'neither to the east nor to the west and its oil is close to being lit up though fire has not touched it' She is 'Light upon Light' and it is Fatima (A,S .) on whom 'Angels and spirits come down in the (night ofQadr ) by the order of their Lord with all matters'."

She went oneulogising Hazrat Fatima (A.S.) and I sat engrossed listen .g to her. Then she said, "This scroll whichHaadi gave me wasHazrat Fatima's (A.S.). In it she has written that one of her sons is coming to me and that I should do everything I can for him as he is to be my owner and Lord. It seems that I'm the fruit and result of the seeds which you hadsown on earth. God has perfected your harvest and has given it to you in my form. As He says inSoora -e-Waqea Verse "Have you seen that which you sow? Do you cause it to grow or do we?" "I praise God and to him indeed belongs all praise and in the end praise is for Allah the Lord of all Universe.

After this, a sumptuous variety of dishes and drinks was brought for us. The meal was too delicious to be described. There were bounties which no human eye has ever seen andnor have ears heard of. Alter eating we reclined on the couch.

I said, "It seems to me that you are not a permanent resident of this place. She replied, "You are correct. I came here lust to welcome you and I brought this tent and its possessions along with me. In fact all the tents that you see here were brought for welcoming its residents who are now staying in them. This is God's guest roam. When you proceed from here, I will go back to my own country'."

I said, "I feel like taking a walk in the garden and seeing the camps, the mountains and the valleys. And I suppose it's possible that I might even meet old relatives here."

She replied. "Of course you may. You are free here to do as you like,But just remember that before you enter any tent you should greet its inmates and take permission to enter. And for your information when I arrived, I noticed your eldest daughter’s tent nearby. For your sake, I visited and befriended her. If you wish, we can visit her."

"Certainly, why not', said I. So we went towards her tent and as we approached it, I called out Salaam to her.Recognising my voice, she rushed out, followed by a train of attendants. We greeted each other and thanked God for our reunion, and thatinspite of our numerous sins, he had forgiven and blessed us. Then we went inside and sat down on a Jewel studded couch, lacing each other, since this was better than sitting side by side.

I asked her what had befallen her on her journey and she replied, "The first station and the Land of Jealousywas quite difficult.it seems that mosttravellers lace problems in these stages, though to varying extent. At certain times it seemed that my salvation was only due to your prayers for my welfare. I also wished and prayed for you. Alter that one of my sisters also had to undertake this journey. Then your time came and I prayed to God not to leave my mother and my brothers and sisters alone in the world."

"What befell your sister?"

"When she came here I saw that she was much higher in rank and station than I was and she told me that she did not have to lace thevanous hardships that we have undergone. She saw the various lands but did not have any difficulty in crossing them."

"This is because she died young. You know that she was only eighteen years old when she died. That is why her journey was so much easier. We with our longer lives have managed to sin more.

Then I went for a walk in the woods. As I would approach a tree, its fruit laden branches would bend down towards me. The fruits were fresh and sweet and did not decrease in number regardless of how many I ate. Melodious voices rang out from the trees, inviting me to eat whatever I liked.

Then we returned towards my tent. From afar, I sawHaadi standing in the doorway waiting for me. I ran to greet him. He smiled.and said, "You seem to be enjoying yourself here, visiting andsight seeing . But get ready for moving again. We are going to the city. The respected scholars and the faithful have received news of your arrival here and are waiting anxiously to meet you.

Chapter 10 –A visit to Hell

I said "I'm prepared to leave, butHaadi theres one thing which saddensme.He said. " Sadness and in the Valley of Peace! I cannot believe it." "You are right, but didn't you notice thatHazrat Abbas (A.S.) andHazrat Ali Akbar (A.S.) are still in their battle-dress and blood stains still visible onHazrat AliAsghar's (A.S.) neck. I wish to avenge their deaths."

He replied, "But their enemies, the accursed beings, are in the Valley ofBarhoot and it is the duly of the Twelfth Imam.the ImamMehdi (A.S.) to avenge, which he shall, whenever he appears. I said, "True, but I wish to go to the Valley ofBarhoot and punish them with my own two hands."

"God has ordained two harsh and severe angels for this task. Do you consider yourself more capable than God and his angels?""No, no, of course not! Of course nobody is more severe than God and his angels because he is the Ultimate Justice. No doubt he is Benevolent and Merciful, but he is also the Forceful and all-powerful. However, it was my desire to punish them personally."

"No doubt God will reward you for your feelings. But you shouldrealise that theFaithful's illuminance can cool down the fire of Hell. Are you willing that the heat should decrease for the period that you are there?" He was right and so I said, "All right, but at least take me to some place from where I may be able to see them being punished."

WhenHaadi saw that I lust would not be satisfied he left to present my request to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him),Hazrat Ali (A.S.) andHazrat Fatima (A.S.).When they learnt about this. they prayed for my welfare and the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, "O Lord! WeAhlebait are always content and satisfied with whatever your will is.because you only wish the best. We cannot dare object. However today one of your servants has come to your guest house where sorrow and sadness cannot enter, but he loves us so much that he wishes to see our enemies being punished and he will not be content until his desire is fulfilled. If you please, in order to satisfy him, allow him to see the Valley ofBarhoot ."

The Holy Prophet's (Peace be upon him) wish was granted and it was ordered that I should be allowed to see the enemies of theAhlebait (A.S.) being punished but that angels should accompany me so that I would not be troubled at all in this journey and the hot air would not harm me.

When I received this news, I was overjoyed and I started preparing for my journey along with a few of my friends. We were accompanied with angels on all sides to protect us. Soon we approached a hill. When it was about a hundred steps ahead we saw that the eastern horizon was overcast with dark clouds and sparks of different shapes were emitting from them, as if they were made of tire and were bursting. We could hear the thunder from afar. As soon as the angels saw this, they involuntarily said, "Thereis no course of circumstances and no power except God's."

I asked, "What is the matter?" The angels replied, "This is the Valley ofBarhoot and these sparks, resembling arrows.spears , swords and cudgels are in fact the curses which thefaithfuls send upon the enemies of theAhlebait and these are hitting their targets. But this is not the real punishment. The real punishment and wrath of God is being meted out in the plains ofBarhoot . The plain is even warmer than the iron-monger's kiln. Snakes, scorpions and beasts made of fire are present there to continuously torture those accursed beings."

We climbed the hill from here we could see that the fiery arrows would pass clean through the bodies which they entered. Each of the arrows, swords etc. passed through numerous people and if by chance any of the darts fell down it would get up again to continue hitting its targets. If the people tried to escape, the arms would follow them until they would manage to strike. It seemed as if these arms and darts were conscious beings and also as if somebody was picking up the enemies bodily and throwing them down onto the ground here and there. It reminded me of the sight of mustard seeds popping about while being roasted. The enemies of theAhlebait (A.S.) were wailing away and their voices sounded like the whining and yelping of dogs. The sight gave me great pleasure and satisfaction. I sat down on the hill to enjoy thescennary and since I had been informed that these arms were in infect thefaithiuls curses, I repeated the curse which I used to read inZiarate-Ashura .

"O God! Send down your curse on the first oppressor who did injustice to Mohammed (Peace be upon him) and his Progeny and to the last, who followed in his footsteps. O God, send down your curse on the wretched people who fought with Hussein (A.S.) and those who were with them and obeyed them and followed them in killing Hussein (A.S.). O God, send down your curse on all of them."

Then I said, ""Ogod especially curse on my behalf the first oppressor, then the second, the third, and the fourth0 always and forever." "O God, curseYazid son ofMuawiyah , the fifth and curseObaidullah sonZiyad and Omar son ofSaad andShimr and the families of AbuSufyan ,Ziyad andMarwan upto the Day ofJudgement ."

(The above are responsible for the murder of the grandson of the Holy Prophet)

All the angels and friends accompanying me joined me in repeating these two curses again and again. The fiery arms increasedten fold in number and the atmosphere became dense and dark with dust. The punishment became much more severe. A spark would strike an enemy causing him to jump up in the air, where he would be struck by more darts from all directions. They were being tossed around like footballs, managing to land only alter a length of time. On seeing this we continued cursing until our voices became hoarse and throats dry. By now the accursed people had been roasted alive their skins were peeling.and their bodies had become pierced like sieves.

They were wishing that they would die but here even death could not rescue them because here there was no death: only eternal wrath and punishment. On earth they had oppressed until death had freed the oppressed from their tyranny.but in the Hereafter since death does not exist, the oppressors could not escape their eternal harsh fate.

The Quran says: "The Hereafter is in, fact life" and "Whenever their skin will burn away.we will replace it with another.'

Here we also observed two strange sights. One that amongst these people there were two men whom fire could not reach. Flames would leap towards them, but would be turned away by large fans thus keeping the two men safe. When I inquired, I was informed that one wasHaatim ofTaai , the otherNausherwan the Just. Being infidels, they had been sent to Hell but the generosity of one and the justice of the other kept its flames away from them, as generosity and justice both were God'sfavourite qualities and he does not let anybody'slabour go waste or unrewarded.

Secondly, I saw some people who though also present inHell, were out of reach of its flames and were also not troubled by its fiery darts. However though they were not being punished themselves, they were losing their wits just seeing others being punished. Their faces had gone white and they were completely bewildered and terrified. I was informed that these were friends ofAhlebait and they used to hate the enemies ofAhlebail but they had been neglectful of their prayers and fasts and other obligations and had also not avoided the forbidden deeds. They were also answerable to of hers. The Just could forgive disobedience and sins but could not overlook the rights due to other men. So they were sent to hell but their love ofAhlebait .

became a shield, saving them from its fire. At the termination of their sentence, since they had been correct in their faith and beliefs, if God so willed, they would be freed from Hell and would enjoy God's blessings.

Seeing the fate of the enemies ofAhlebait really gratified me and we resumed our journey saying, -O God, give them such a punishment from which even the dwellers of Hell would wish that they were freed."