At the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him), there was a young man named Alqamah. He was very diligent in obeying
Allah by engaging in prayer and fasting and spending in charity. Then he fell
ill and his illness became serious. His wife went to the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) and said, "My husband, Alqamah, is on his deathbed. I
therefore came to tell you, Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), about his
condition."
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent for
Ammar ibn Yasir, Suhaib and Bilal ibn Rabah, and told them to go to him
(Alqamah) and have him repeat the Shahadah. They went to him and found him in
the agony of death. They asked him to say, "La illaha illa Allah,"
but his tongue was unable to pronounce it. At that, they came and told the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that he was unable to repeat the
Shahadah.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked,
"Is either of his parents alive?"
He was told, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him), his mother is, but she is very old."
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent her a
message that if it was convenient for her (if she was able to go out), she
should come to him; otherwise she should stay in her house and the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) would come to her.
The Messenger of Allah's (peace be upon him) messenger
came to her and informed her of the Messenger of Allah's (peace be upon him)
message. She said, "May my life be a ransom for him, it is my pleasure to
go to him!"
She stood up, leaning on her walking stick, and came
to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and greeted him. The Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) returned her greeting and said to her, "Umm
Alqamah, tell me the truth, for otherwise Allah Most High will reveal the truth
to me! What is the situation concerning your son, Alqamah?"
She replied, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him), he prays much, fasts a great deal, and spends a great amount in
charity."
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
"And what about yourself?"
She said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
I am angry with him."
He said, "Why?"
She replied, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him), he has preferred his wife to me and has disobeyed me."
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
"Umm Alqamah, surely your anger has prevented Alqamah's tongue from
pronouncing the Shahadah."
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then turned
to Bilal ibn Rabah and said, "Bilal, go out and collect a quantity of
firewood."
She said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
what do you plan to do?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
replied, "I will burn him in front of your eyes."
She said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
he is my son! My heart cannot bear your burning him in front of me!"
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
"Umm Alqamah, Allah's punishment is more severe and more lasting!
Therefore, if you want Allah to forgive him, be reconciled to him. By the One
in Whose Hand is my soul, the prayer, fasting, and spending in charity (which
he has done) are of no benefit to Alqamah as long as you are angry with
him!"
Thereupon she said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him), I call upon Allah Most High and His angels and the Muslims who are
present to be my witnesses that I am pleased with my son Alqamah."
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
"Bilal, go to him and see whether he is now able to say, "La illaha
illa Allah" or not. It may be that Umm Alqamah is saying something for my
sake which is not in her heart."
Bilal ibn Rabah went, and while entering the door he
heard Alqamah saying, "La illaha illa Allah."
Bilal ibn Rabah remarked, "It is surely true that
while Alqamah's mother was angry with him his tongue was tied, and now that she
is pleased with him his tongue is freed."
Alqamah died the same day. The Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) came to him and gave the order for his washing and shrouding, and
then prayed the funeral prayer for him and buried him. The Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) then stood by the side of his grave and said, "You company of
Muhajirun (Emigrants) and Ansar (Helpers), if anyone favours his wife over his mother,
Allah and His angels and all the people curse him! Allah does not accept his
spending (in charity) and his uprightness unless he repents toward Allah, the
Glorious and Majestic, and reconciles with her and attains her pleasure,
because Allah's pleasure consists in her pleasure and Allah's anger consists in
her anger."
We must always be respectful and obedient to our
parents. However, we are not to obey them if they order us to disobey Allah and
His Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Other than this, they deserve our
utmost attention and respect.
O our Lord! grant me protection and my parents and the
believers on the day when the reckoning shall come to pass! Noble Qur'an
(14:41)
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