TWO JANNAH

    TWO JANNATS @>--
Inspirational Incident

In the time of ‘Umar رضي الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰعنه , there lived a very pious youngster who would spend most of his time in the Musjid. ‘Umar رضي الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰعنه  was very fond of him. Every night after esha salaah he would go to visit his elderly father. There lived a woman on that road that was infatuated with him and would constantly try to seduce him. One night he acceded to her request and followed her to her home. As he was about to enter, the thought of اللَّه سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى  crossed his mind and the following verse came onto his tongue:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ مِّنَ الشَّيْطَانِ تَذَكَّرُوا فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ ﴿الأعراف: ٢٠١﴾
Surely when the God-fearing are afflicted by any instigation from Shaytaan, they become conscious (of Allah Ta‘ala) and at once they discern (the reality).

There and then he fell down unconscious. This woman and her slave carried him and left him at the door of his father. After some time had passed, his father came out in search of him and found him lying unconscious at the door. Finally when he regained consciousness and explained what had happened, his father asked him: “Which verse was it that you recited?” When he recited the verse again, he fell unconscious for the second time. After trying to revive him, they realized that he had passed away. The funeral arrangements were made and he was buried that very night.

The next morning when ‘Umar رضي الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰعنه  learnt about it, he expressed regret that he was not informed. Thereafter he went to his grave and addressed him reciting the following verse:

وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ ﴿الرحمن: ٤٦﴾
And for the one who is fearful of having to stand before his Lord, there are two gardens.
The youngster replied from within the grave saying: “O ‘Umar! My Rabb has given them to me in Jannah twice.” (Taareekh ibni ‘Asaakir, vol. 45 pg. 450)

Lesson: The awareness and fear of اللَّه سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى  are qualities which need to be acquired and cherished. They are the only force that can prevent one from immorality and vice and their rewards and benefits are immense, both in this life and the next.