What the Believer and Disbeliever will See (Before Dying) — Hadith 1

1. Al-Ḥusayn ibn Saʿīd narrated to us [saying], “Muḥammad ibn Sinān narrated to us, from ʿAmmār ibn Marwān who said, ‘I heard Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) say, “By Allah, from you are [good deeds] accepted and you are, by Allah, forgiven [for your sins]. Verily there is nothing between any one of you and that which would make him rejoice and see what gladdens and delights him except his soul reaching here…” and he made a gesture with his hand pointing to his throat (in reference to death). Then he said, “At the moment when death approaches [a person], the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), the Imams (a), ʿAlī (a), Jibraʾīl and the Angel of Death (a) all come to him. Then Jibraʾīl draws near to him and he says to the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), ‘This person used to love you, the Ahl al- Bayt, so love him. ’ So the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) says to him, ‘O Jibraʾīl, verily this individual used to love Allah and His Messenger, and the family of His Messenger, so [instruct the Angel of Death to] be gentle with him and love him. ’ And Jibraʾīl in turn tells the Angel of Death, ‘This person used to love Allah and His Messenger, and the family of His Messenger, so be gentle with him and love him. ’ Thus, the Angel of Death approaches the person and says, ‘O servant of Allah, you have procured your emancipation and your security [from hellfire], you have held on to the Great Protection in the life of this world. ’ Then Allah, the Almighty, grants him the ability [to respond], so he replies, ‘Yes. ’ So he asks, ‘What is that [Great Protection]? ’ He replies, ‘The wilāyah of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a). ’ So he says, ‘You are right! As for that which you used to fear, Allah has protected you from it. And as for that which you used to hope for, you have attained it. Glad tidings to you of the company of the righteous forebears, the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), ʿAlī, Fāṭimah, and the Imams from his progeny (a)! ’ Then he gently removes his soul. His shroud is then brought down from Paradise, and his embalming is a balm of fragrant musk. He is then shrouded with that shroud and embalmed with that balm. Subsequently he is dressed with a yellow attire from the apparels of Paradise. Once he is placed in his grave, Allah opens for him one of the doors of Paradise through which its breeze and fragrance reach him. Then He extends the space in front of him to the extent of a month’s travel, and to his right and lef