On the World of Images and the World of Spirits
باب فی المثال والارواح
بَابٌ فِي الْمِثَالِ وَالْاَرْوَاحِ — Chapter on the World of Images (ʿālam al-mithāl) and the World of Spirits (ʿālam al-arwāḥ)
قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: اَللّٰهُ نُوْرُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضِ ۭ مَثَلُ نُوْرِهٖ كَمِشْكٰوةٍ فِيْهَا مِصْبَاحٌ ۭ اَلْمِصْبَاحُ فِيْ زُجَاجَةٍ ۭ اَلزُّجَاجَةُ كَاَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُّوْقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُّبٰرَكَةٍ زَيْتُوْنَةٍ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَّلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ ۙ يَّكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيْٓءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ ۭ نُوْرٌ عَلٰي نُوْرٍ ۭ يَهْدِي اللّٰهُ لِنُوْرِهٖ مَنْ يَّشَاۗءُ ۭ وَيَضْرِبُ اللّٰهُ الْاَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ ۭ وَاللّٰهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيْمٌ ۔
(al-Nūr [24:35]; the page gives only the sūra name.)
Vocabulary: allāhu nūru'l-samāwāti wa'l-arḍ — Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; He is the means by which the heavens and the earth are disclosed (inkishāf). Remember this: light (nūr), knowledge (ʿilm) and existence (wujūd) — these three are modes of the Divine Essence (dhāt-i ilāhī). Whatever share of existence, light and knowledge reaches others is a reflection of the Divine Essence. These three things are the unfolding in detail (tafṣīl) of the Divine Essence; the one to whom all three truly apply (miṣdāq) is the Divine Essence itself.
From the measureless atom to the radiant sun, whatever there is — whatever becomes manifest, whatever becomes known, whatever exists — all are manifestations (jalwe) of [His] power; they are His wonders. mathalu nūrihī ka-mishkātin fīhā miṣbāḥ — the likeness of His light is like a lamp (a qandīl, a lamp) in a niche. Your body is the niche; your heart is the globe, the lamp, the qandīl. Where is this lamp? al-miṣbāḥu fī zujāja —
the lamp is in a qandīl, it is in a globe, it is in a glass, which is your heart. al-zujājatu kaʾannahā kawkabun durriyy — the lantern, the globe, that is, the heart — what is it? It is a shining star. yūqadu min shajaratin mubāraka — it is being lit from a blessed tree. Which tree is it? zaytūna — that tree is the olive. What is the olive? It is the immutable entity (ʿayn thābita, the fixed archetype of a thing in Divine knowledge). lā sharqiyyatin wa lā gharbiyya — it is neither of the East nor of the West; it is higher and loftier than the world of contingency (ʿālam-i imkān). yakādu zaytuhā yuḍīʾu — it is near that its oil should flare up, glitter, become bright; it is close to receiving existence and becoming manifest. wa law lam tamsashu nār — even though fire does not touch it: no need of flint, nor of matches, nor of a matchstick, even though it has no mover. There is no need of anyone to light it; there is no need of any external helper. nūrun ʿalā nūr — light upon light; it is inner light upon outer light. The outer light is indeed visible; may God grant that the inner light too becomes visible. yahdi'llāhu li-nūrihī — Allah guides to His light; God guides towards true knowledge. man yashāʾ — whom He wills. wa yaḍribu'llāhu'l-amthāla li'l-nās — and Allah gives examples so that people may understand. wa'llāhu bi-kulli shayʾin ʿalīm — and Allah has knowledge of everything; everything is known to Him.
Translation: Allah Most High said: Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. The likeness of His light is like a lamp in a niche. That lamp is in a globe; that globe is so clear that it shines like a star. That lamp is lit from a blessed tree, that is, the olive tree, which is neither in the East nor in the West. Its oil is near to flaring up, even though fire has not touched it. This is light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. Allah is giving examples to make people understand, and Allah knows everything (and the reality of everything is known to God alone).
Let it be clear that mithl is said of that which is equal [to something], and a mithāl (example) is given for the sake of explaining a thing. By means of a mathal and a mithl, both the explanation of a thing and a comparison (tashbīh) are made. God has no mithl (equal); [but] by mithāl and mathal He can be made understood.
قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: فَاَرْسَلْنَآ اِلَيْهَا رُوْحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا ۔
(Maryam 19:17)
Vocabulary: fa-arsalnā — then We sent; ilayhā — towards Maryam; rūḥanā — Our own angel, Jibrāʾīl. What is rūḥ (spirit)? That from which motion arises — whether angels, men or jinn, there is spirit in all of them; there is spirit in animals, and there is spirit in trees too. But the generality of people cannot understand the speech of animals. wa in min shayʾin illā yusabbiḥu bi-ḥamdihī wa lākin lā tafqahūna tasbīḥahum [al-Isrāʾ 17:44] — every thing glorifies Allah, but you cannot understand their glorification. fa-tamaththala lahā — then that spirit took on an image and a form before Maryam; basharan sawiyyā — a complete man.
Translation: Allah Most High said: Then We sent Our spirit (Jibrāʾīl) towards her, and then it took on form and shape and became a complete man.
Let it be clear that the not-opening of the higher worlds (ʿawālim-i ʿulwī) and the thought not remaining fixed — the cause of all this is stray thoughts (khaṭarāt) and the heart's attachment to various things. If one sits in some cell with the doors shut and the lamp put out, driving away idle and futile thoughts, then within a few days a subtle world opens up whose name is the World of Images (ʿālam al-mithāl). In the [World of] Images, form and shape remain exactly as they are in the World of Witnessing (ʿālam al-shahāda, the visible world). But since that world is not subject to time, coming and going [there] takes no time at all. The spirit has no form or shape; when it takes on form and shape, it will arrive in the World of Images. Remember! The ceasing of whisperings (wasāwis), the repelling of stray thoughts and the thought becoming fixed on a single point is a great blessing. The more the requisites of human nature (lawāzim-i basharī) are given up, the easier the opening of the World of Images will be. Closing hearing, sight and the other paths of the senses is extremely beneficial.
(Persian verse:) "Close the eye, close the ear, and seal the lips; if you do not then see God's secret, laugh at me."
(Translation: Close your eyes, close your ears, close your mouth; having done so, if you do not see God's secret, then laugh at me. The meaning is that by closing the channels of the senses and becoming single-minded, divine secrets are opened. — Academy)
But, sirs! Remember this too: by making effort the World of Images opens even to some non-Muslims. The mere opening of the World of Images is no perfection. The greatness of knowledge lies in the greatness of what is known. God's knowledge is without doubt the highest of all. Beholding a prophet is a cause of pride. Meeting the elders is without doubt a better thing. [But if] one performed spiritual exercises (riyāḍa), laboured, stayed hungry — and what did he see? He told someone what was in his heart; [said] what is going on in Zayd's house; said something — what is gained?
(Urdu verse:) "You saw — but what did you see? What worth does it have? Games and spectacles are fruitless; the real aim is Reality (ḥaqīqa)." (Ḥaḍrat Ṣiddīqī, may Allah have mercy on him)
وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: وَلَوْ جَعَلْنٰهُ مَلَكًا لَّجَعَلْنٰهُ رَجُلًا وَّلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَّا يَلْبِسُوْنَ ۔
(al-Anʿām 6:9)
Vocabulary: wa law jaʿalnāhu — and if We had made the prophet; malakan — an angel; if We had made some prophet an angel; la-jaʿalnāhu rajulan — We would have made him a man after all; wa la-labasnā ʿalayhim — and We would surely have covered over [the matter] for them; then they would surely have fallen into confusion (iltibās), been deceived, been in doubt; mā yalbisūn — the confusion they are in now. The deception they are suffering now — they would have suffered that same deception then too. What did they understand of the reality of the Prophet? Only that he is a man like us; he eats, he drinks. Had they been acquainted with his spiritual perfections, why would they not have believed? If an angel came, he would come having become a man after all, and then the same deception that is being cast over the Prophet would be cast over the angel too.
(Persian half-verse:) "Do not judge the work of the pure by yourself."
Jewels too are only stones; but where is the ordinary stone, and where are the jewels!
Translation: Allah Most High said: If We had made him (the Prophet) an angel, We would surely have made him in the form of a human being, and the deception they are suffering now, they would have suffered that same deception then too.
لَقَدْ رَاَيْتُ الْاٰنَ مُنْذُ صَلَّيْتُ لَكُمُ الْجَنَّةَ وَالنَّارَ مُمَثَّلَتَيْنِ فِيْ قِبْلَةِ هٰذَا الْجِدَارِ فَلَمْ اَرَ كَالْيَوْمِ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَالشَّرِّ ۔
(al-Bukhārī from Anas — Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl].)
Vocabulary: raʾaytu — I have seen; mumaththalatayn — the two having taken on a form; al-jidār — the wall.
Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ [said]: Just now, since I led you in prayer, I have seen Paradise and Hell, having taken on form, in this wall on the side of the qibla. Never have I seen good and evil as [I did] today.
عُرِضَتْ عَلَيَّ الْجَنَّةُ وَالنَّارُ اٰنِفًا فِيْ عُرْضِ هٰذَا الْحَائِطِ فَلَمْ اَرَ كَالْيَوْمِ فِي الْخَيْرِ وَالشَّرِّ وَلَوْ تَعْلَمُوْنَ مَا اَعْلَمُ لَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيْلًا وَّلَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيْرًا ۔
(Muslim from Anas — Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl].)
Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Just now, just now, Paradise and Hell were presented before me in front of this wall. I have never seen good and evil as on this day. If you knew what I know (or what knowledge is coming to me), you would laugh less and weep more."
رَاَيْتُ كَاَنَّ امْرَاَةً سَوْدَاءَ ثَائِرَةَ الرَّاْسِ خَرَجَتْ مِنَ الْمَدِيْنَةِ حَتّٰى نَزَلَتْ مَهْيَعَةَ فَتَاَوَّلْتُهَا اَنَّ وَبَاءَ الْمَدِيْنَةِ نُقِلَ اِلَيْهَا ۔
(Aḥmad, al-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah from Ibn ʿUmar — Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl].)
Vocabulary: imraʾatun sawdāʾ — a black woman; thāʾirata'l-raʾs — with dishevelled hair.
Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: I saw as though a black woman with dishevelled hair went out of Medina and went and alighted at the place Mahyaʿa; so I interpreted it thus: that the epidemic of Medina has been moved to that side. (Kanz al-ʿUmmāl.) [The area of Mahyaʿa is nowadays called Rābigh. The people there say that even today there are many epidemics there. — Academy]
عَنْ جَابِرٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ اَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ عُرِضَ عَلَيَّ الْاَنْبِيَاءُ فَاِذَا مُوْسٰى ضَرْبٌ مِّنَ الرِّجَالِ كَاَنَّهٗ مِنْ رِّجَالِ شَنُوْءَةَ وَرَاَيْتُ عِيْسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فَاِذَا اَقْرَبُ مَنْ رَّاَيْتُ بِهٖ شَبَهًا عُرْوَةُ بْنُ مَسْعُوْدٍ وَّرَاَيْتُ اِبْرَاهِيْمَ صَلَوٰتُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْهِ فَاِذَا اَقْرَبُ مَنْ رَّاَيْتُ بِهٖ شَبَهًا صَاحِبُكُمْ (يعني نفسه ﷺ) وَرَاَيْتُ جِبْرِيْلَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فَاِذَا اَقْرَبُ مَنْ رَّاَيْتُ بِهٖ شَبَهًا دِحْيَةُ ۔ (وفي رواية ابن رمح: دِحْيَةُ بْنُ خَلِيْفَةَ)
(Reported by Muslim — Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ.)
Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: The prophets were presented before me. I saw that Mūsā (peace be upon him) was like the men of [the tribe of] Shanūʾa; and I saw ʿĪsā ibn Maryam (peace be upon him), and of the people I have seen, the one who most resembled him was ʿUrwa ibn Masʿūd; and I saw Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him), and of the people I have seen, the one who most resembled him was your companion (myself); and I saw Jibrāʾīl, and among the people I have seen, he
most resembled Diḥya ibn Khalīfa.
رَاَيْتُ رَبِّيْ فِيْٓ اَحْسَنِ صُوْرَةٍ فَقَالَ لِيْ يَا مُحَمَّدُ! اَتَدْرِيْ فِيْمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلَاُ الْاَعْلٰى فَقُلْتُ يَا رَبِّ! فِي الْكَفَّارَاتِ قَالَ وَمَا الْكَفَّارَاتُ؟ قُلْتُ اِبْلَاغُ الْوُضُوْءِ اَمَاكِنَهٗ عَلَى الْكَرَاهِيَاتِ وَالْمَشْيُ عَلَى الْاَقْدَامِ اِلَى الصَّلٰوةِ وَانْتِظَارُ الصَّلٰوةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلٰوةِ ۔
(al-Ṭabarānī from ʿUbaydullāh ibn Abī Rāfiʿ from his father — Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl].)
Vocabulary: raʾaytu rabbī — I saw my Lord; fīma yakhtaṣimu — about what are they disputing.
Translation: Ḥaḍrat ʿAbdullāh ibn Rāfiʿ [reading uncertain] narrates from his father that the Prophet ﷺ said: I saw my Lord in the best form. He said to me: O Muḥammad! Do you know about what matter the Highest Assembly (al-malaʾ al-aʿlā) is disputing (holding differences)? I said: O my Lord! About the expiations (kaffārāt). He said: What are the expiations? I said: Bringing the water of wuḍūʾ (ritual ablution) to its places despite finding it disagreeable, walking on foot to the prayer, and waiting for the [next] prayer after the prayer.
رَاَيْتُ رَبِّيْ فِيْ حَظِيْرَةٍ مِّنَ الْفِرْدَوْسِ فِيْ صُوْرَةِ شَابٍّ عَلَيْهِ تَاجٌ يَلْتَمِعُ الْبَصَرَ ۔
(al-Ṭabarānī in al-Sunna from Muʿādh ibn ʿAfrāʾ — Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl].)
Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Muʿādh ibn ʿAfrāʾ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: I saw my Lord in an enclosure of Firdaws in the form of a youth upon whom was a crown that dazzles the sight, glittering before the eyes.
رَاَيْتُ رَبِّيْ فِيْ صُوْرَةِ شَابٍّ لَّهٗ وَفْرَةٌ ۔
(al-Ṭabarānī in al-Sunna from Ibn ʿAbbās — Kanz [al-ʿUmmāl].)
Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: I saw my Lord in the form of a youth who also had long locks of hair.
بَيْنَا اَنَا نَائِمٌ اِذْ اُتِيْتُ بِقَدَحِ لَبَنٍ فَشَرِبْتُ مِنْهُ حَتّٰى لَاَرَى الرِّيَّ يَجْرِيْ فِيْٓ اَظْفَارِيْ ثُمَّ اَعْطَيْتُ فَضْلِيْ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، قَالُوْا فَمَا اَوَّلْتَهٗ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ! قَالَ "اَلْعِلْمَ" ۔
(Aḥmad, al-Bukhārī and Muslim, and al-Nasāʾī, from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) — Kanz al-ʿUmmāl.)
Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) [that the Prophet ﷺ said]: While I was sleeping, a cup of milk was brought to me, and I drank from it, until I see that the satisfaction [of it] is flowing out from my nails; then I gave what was left over to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. The people said: What interpretation have you given it, O Messenger of Allah? He said: Knowledge. (Kanz al-ʿUmmāl.)
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عليه وسلم اَتَانِي اللَّيْلَةَ رَبِّيْ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالٰى فِيْٓ اَحْسَنِ صُوْرَةٍ قَالَ اَحْسَبُهٗ فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ! هَلْ تَدْرِيْ فِيْمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلَاُ الْاَعْلٰى؟ قَالَ قُلْتُ
لَا، قَالَ فَوَضَعَ يَدَهٗ بَيْنَ كَتِفَيَّ حَتّٰى وَجَدْتُ بَرْدَهَا بَيْنَ ثَدْيَيَّ اَوْ قَالَ فِيْ نَحْرِيْ فَعَلِمْتُ مَا فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَا فِي الْاَرْضِ قَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ! هَلْ تَدْرِيْ فِيْمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلَاُ الْاَعْلٰى قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ فِي الدَّرَجَاتِ وَالْكَفَّارَاتُ الْمُكْثُ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ بَعْدَ الصَّلٰوةِ وَالْمَشْيُ عَلَى الْاَقْدَامِ اِلَى الْجَمَاعَاتِ وَاِسْبَاغُ الْوُضُوْءِ فِي الْمَكَارِهِ وَمَنْ فَعَلَ ذٰلِكَ عَاشَ بِخَيْرٍ وَّمَاتَ بِخَيْرٍ وَّكَانَ مِنْ خَطِيْٓئَتِهٖ كَيَوْمِ وَلَدَتْهُ اُمُّهٗ، وَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ! اِذَا صَلَّيْتَ فَقُلِ اللّٰهُمَّ اِنِّيْٓ اَسْاَلُكَ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَتَرْكَ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ وَحُبَّ الْمَسَاكِيْنِ وَاِذَا اَرَدْتَّ بِعِبَادِكَ فِتْنَةً فَاقْبِضْنِيْٓ اِلَيْكَ غَيْرَ مَفْتُوْنٍ قَالَ وَالدَّرَجَاتُ اِفْشَاءُ السَّلَامِ وَاِطْعَامُ الطَّعَامِ وَالصَّلٰوةُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ ۔
(Transmitted by al-Tirmidhī.)
Vocabulary: bayna katifayya — between my two shoulders; wajadtu bardahā — I felt its coolness.
Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: Last night (the narrator said: I think in a dream) my Lord came to me in the best form. Then He said: O Muḥammad! I said: At Your service, at Your service, O my Lord, and all felicity is for You alone. He said: Do you know about what the Highest Assembly is disputing? I said: No. Then He placed His hand between my two shoulders, until I felt its coolness in my chest (or in the upper part of my chest); then I came to know all that is in the heavens and the earth. Then He said: O Muḥammad! Do you know about what thing the Highest Assembly is disputing? I said: Yes — about the ranks (darajāt) and the expiations (kaffārāt). And the expiations are these: staying in the mosques after the prayer (waiting for the [next] prayer), walking on foot to attend the congregations, and performing complete wuḍūʾ at disagreeable times. Whoever did this, kept it up regularly, lived a good life and died a good death. He will be as free of his sins as though his mother had just now given birth to him. Then He said: O Muḥammad! When you pray, say (supplicate): O Allah, I ask You for the enabling grace (tawfīq) to do good deeds, and I ask for the enabling grace to give up evils and to keep love for the poor; and when You intend a trial for Your servants, then take me to Yourself, saving me from that trial. And He said that the ranks are these: spreading [the greeting of] salām, feeding [people] food, and praying at night when everyone is asleep. (al-Tirmidhī.)
عَنْ اُسَيْدِ بْنِ حُضَيْرٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ بَيْنَمَا هُوَ يَقْرَاُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ سُوْرَةَ الْبَقَرَةِ وَفَرَسُهٗ مَرْبُوْطَةٌ عِنْدَهٗٓ اِذْ جَالَتِ الْفَرَسُ فَسَكَتَ فَسَكَتَتْ فَقَرَاَ فَجَالَتِ الْفَرَسُ فَسَكَتَ وَسَكَتَتِ الْفَرَسُ ثُمَّ قَرَاَ فَجَالَتِ الْفَرَسُ فَانْصَرَفَ وَكَانَ ابْنُهٗ يَحْيٰى قَرِيْبًا مِّنْهَا فَاَشْفَقَ اَنْ تُصِيْبَهٗ فَلَمَّا اجْتَرَّهٗ رَفَعَ رَاْسَهٗ اِلَى السَّمَاءِ حَتّٰى مَا يَرَاهَا فَلَمَّآ اَصْبَحَ حَدَّثَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: اِقْرَاْ يَا ابْنَ حُضَيْرٍ، اِقْرَاْ يَا ابْنَ حُضَيْرٍ، قَالَ فَاَشْفَقْتُ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ اَنْ تَطَاَ يَحْيٰى، وَكَانَ مِنْهَا قَرِيْبًا، فَرَفَعْتُ رَاْسِيْ فَانْصَرَفْتُ اِلَيْهِ فَرَفَعْتُ رَاْسِيْٓ اِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَاِذَا مِثْلُ الظُّلَّةِ فِيْهَا
اَمْثَالُ الْمَصَابِيْحِ فَخَرَجْتُ حَتّٰى لَآ اَرَاهَا قَالَ وَتَدْرِيْ مَا ذَاكَ؟ قَالَ لَا، قَالَ تِلْكَ الْمَلٰٓئِكَةُ دَنَتْ لِصَوْتِكَ وَلَوْ قَرَاْتَ لَاَصْبَحَتْ يَنْظُرُ النَّاسُ اِلَيْهَا لَا تَتَوَارٰى مِنْهُمْ ۔
(Transmitted by al-Bukhārī.)
Vocabulary: jālati'l-faras — the mare shied, started, bolted; mithlu'l-ẓulla — like a canopy; al-maṣābīḥ — lamps; lā tatawārā — they would not be hidden, they would not conceal themselves.
Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Usayd ibn Ḥuḍayr (may Allah be pleased with him) that once Usayd ibn Ḥuḍayr was reciting Sūrat al-Baqara at night, and his mare was tied near him. Suddenly the mare shied; so he fell silent (at this), and the mare too became still. Then he began to recite, and it again began to shy. Then he fell silent, and the mare too became still. Then he began to recite, and it again began to shy. His son Yaḥyā was near it, and he feared lest it should trample him; so he moved him away from there. Then he raised his head towards the sky, and the sky could not be seen. Then when morning came he related this to the Prophet ﷺ, and he ﷺ said: Ibn Ḥuḍayr, you should have kept on reciting; Ibn Ḥuḍayr, you should have kept on reciting [reading uncertain]. He submitted: I was afraid, O Messenger of Allah, that it might trample him — he was near the mare — so I went back to the child. Then I raised my head towards the sky, and what do I see but something like a wondrous canopy in which there were many lamps. Then I went out, and it was no longer visible to me. He ﷺ said: Do you know what that was? He submitted: No. He said: Those were angels; they wanted to draw near because of your voice. Had you kept on reciting, people would have come in the morning and seen them, and they would not have been able to hide from them. (al-Bukhārī.)