Allah will gather the people, the first and the last, in one place, where they will hear the caller and they will be sighted clearly. The sun will draw near, and people will be overwhelmed with anguish and distress that they cannot endure or bear

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was with his Companions attending a food invitation when a sheep's foreleg was presented to him, which was the part of the meat he liked the most. He took a bite from it with the tips of his teeth and then spoke to them, saying: I am the master of the children of Adam on the Day of Judgment, by way of mentioning the blessing of Allah Almighty. Then he said: Do you know why? He said: People will be gathered on the Day of Judgment in a vast, flat, and extended land, and those who are there will hear the caller, and the observer will encompass them; nothing will be hidden from him among them. This is due to the flatness of the land, as there is nothing for anyone to hide behind from the onlookers. The sight will penetrate them, meaning that if a person speaks, the last one will hear him, and the sight will see them. The sun will draw near to the creatures at a distance of a mile, and they will experience a level of distress and anguish that they cannot endure or bear. They will, thus, seek salvation through intercession. Then Allah Almighty will inspire the believers to go to Adam, the father of humanity. They will approach him and mention his virtues, hoping that he may intercede for them with Allah Almighty. They will say to him: You are Adam, the father of mankind. Allah created you with His Hand, and made His angels prostrate to you, and He taught you the names of everything, and He breathed into you from His spirit. Adam will then apologize and say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today, as He has never been before and will never be after. He will then mention his sin, which was that Allah Almighty forbade him to eat from a tree, but he ate from it. He will say: My soul is what deserves intercession, so go to someone else; go to Noah. They will come to Noah and say: You are the first Messenger sent by Allah to the people of the earth, and Allah has named you a grateful slave. However, he will apologize, saying: Indeed, Allah Almighty is so angry today, as He has never been before and will never be after. He will add that he had a supplication, which he made against his people, my soul is what deserves intercession, so go to someone else; go to Abraham. They will come to Abraham and say: You are the close friend of Allah on earth. Intercede for us with your Lord; do you not see what we are going through? He will reply by saying: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today, as He has never been before and will never be after. I told three lies, namely his saying: I am sick; his saying: It was this biggest one who did it; and his saying to his wife Sarah: Tell him I am your brother, to be safe from his harm. The truth is that the three statements were actually from the indirect speech, but since their form resembled that of a lie, he was concerned about them out of humility and a sense of inadequacy for intercession. This is because the more one knows Allah and is closer to Him, the greater his fear becomes. He will say: My soul is what deserves intercession, so go to someone else; go to Moses. They will then come to Moses and say: O Moses, you are the Messenger of Allah. Allah favored you over the people with His message and speech. Intercede for us with your Lord; do you not see what we are going through? He will say: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today, as He has never been before and will never be after. I killed a soul that I was not commanded to kill. My soul is what needs an intercession; so go someone else; go to Jesus, son of Mary. Then they go to Jesus and say: O Jesus, you are the Messenger of Allah and His Word that he cast to Mary, and a Spirit from Him, and you spoke to the people in the cradle as a baby. Intercede for us with your Lord; do you not see what we are going through? He will reply: Indeed, my Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be after it, and he did not mention a sin. My soul is what needs an intercession; so go to someone else, go to Muhammad. They will come to Muhammad and say: O Muhammad, you are the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. Allah has forgiven you for what has preceded and what was later. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see what we are going through? I will then set off and come beneath the Throne and fall in prostration to my Lord, Exalted and Glorified be He, and then Allah will inspire me with some forms of His praise and glorification that He has not inspired anyone with before me. Then it will be said: O Muhammad, raise your head; ask, and it will be granted to you, and intercede, and your intercession will be accepted. I will raise my head and say: My nation, O Lord! My nation, O Lord! My nation, O Lord! And his intercession will be accepted. It will be said to him: O Muhammad, admit from your nation those who have no reckoning from the right gate of the gates of Paradise, and they will share with people in the other gates. Then he said: By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, what lies between the two sides of the gate of Paradise is like the distance between Makkah and San‘ā’ in Yemen—or as the distance between Makkah and Busra in the Levant, which is the city of Hawrān.

Benefits

• The modesty of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), his answering the invitation, and eating with his Companions.
• It shows the preference given to our Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) over all people.
• Al-Qādi ‘Iyād said: It is said that the "master" is someone who surpasses his people and is turned to in times of hardship. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is their master both in this world and in the Hereafter. He specifically mentioned the Day of Judgment because of the supreme and lofty position on that day, with everyone acknowledging his status, and because Adam and all his descendants will be under his banner (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
• The wisdom behind why Allah Almighty inspired them to first ask Adam and then others, without immediately inspiring them to ask our Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), is to manifest his merit, as he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is the ultimate in terms of the elevated rank and perfection of nearness to Allah.
• It is legitimate for whoever seeks something from someone else to begin by mentioning the best attributes of the one being asked, as this is more likely to have one's request answered.
• It is permissible for someone who is asked about something he cannot do to excuse himself with an acceptable reason, and it is recommended to guide the questioner to someone who he thinks is more capable of fulfilling the request.
• Reflecting the horror of the Standing and the intensity of the Assembly for the slaves on the Day of Judgment.
• The humility of the prophets, as they recalled their past actions to express their sense of unworthiness for this great position.
• Affirmation of the Great Intercession on the Day of Judgment, which is for settling matters between all creation.
• Affirmation of Al-Wasīlah (the highest rank in Paradise) and the Praised Position (the Grand Intercession) for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
• The forms of praising Allah Almighty are endless; this is why Allah inspires His Messenger in that situation with forms of His praise that have not been revealed to anyone before him.

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