63. Merits of the Anṣār (Helpers in Madinah)
٦٣۔ كتاب مناقب الأنصار
That he said to the Prophet ﷺ "You have not been of any avail to your uncle (Abu Talib) (though) by Allah, he used to protect you and used to become angry on your behalf." The Prophet ﷺ said, "He is in a shallow fire, and had It not been for me, he would have been in the bottom of the (Hell) Fire."
لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَا أَغْنَيْتَ عَنْ عَمِّكَ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَحُوطُكَ وَيَغْضَبُ لَكَ قَالَ هُوَ فِي ضَحْضَاحٍ مِنْ نَارٍ وَلَوْلاَ أَنَا لَكَانَ فِي الدَّرَكِ الأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ
When Abu Talib was in his death bed, the Prophet ﷺ went to him while Abu Jahl was sitting beside him. The Prophet ﷺ said, "O my uncle! Say: None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, an expression I will defend your case with, before Allah." Abu Jahl and ʿAbdullah bin Umaiya said, "O Abu Talib! Will you leave the religion of ʿAbdul Muttalib?" So they kept on saying this to him so that the last statement he said to them (before he died) was: "I am on the religion of ʿAbdul Muttalib." Then the Prophet said, " I will keep on asking for Allah's Forgiveness for you unless I am forbidden to do so." Then the following Verse was revealed:-- "It is not fitting for the Prophet ﷺ and the believers to ask Allah's Forgiveness for the pagans, even if they were their near relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the (Hell) Fire." (9.113) The other Verse was also revealed:-- "(O Prophet!) Verily, you guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He will ......." (28.56)
أَنَّ أَبَا طَالِبٍ لَمَّا حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَعِنْدَهُ أَبُو جَهْلٍ فَقَالَ أَىْ عَمِّ قُلْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ كَلِمَةً أُحَاجُّ لَكَ بِهَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَهْلٍ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ يَا أَبَا طَالِبٍ تَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ فَلَمْ يَزَالاَ يُكَلِّمَانِهِ حَتَّى قَالَ آخِرَ شَىْءٍ كَلَّمَهُمْ بِهِ عَلَى مِلَّةِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لأَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ مَا لَمْ أُنْهَ عَنْهُ فَنَزَلَتْ {مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُوا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا أُولِي قُرْبَى مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ} وَنَزَلَتْ {إِنَّكَ لاَ تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ}
That he heard the Prophet ﷺ when somebody mentioned his uncle (i.e. Abu Talib), saying, "Perhaps my intercession will be helpful to him on the Day of Resurrection so that he may be put in a shallow fire reaching only up to his ankles. His brain will boil from it." Narrated Yazid: (as above, Hadith 224) using the words: "will make his brain boil."
أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَذُكِرَ عِنْدَهُ عَمُّهُ فَقَالَ لَعَلَّهُ تَنْفَعُهُ شَفَاعَتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيُجْعَلُ فِي ضَحْضَاحٍ مِنَ النَّارِ يَبْلُغُ كَعْبَيْهِ يَغْلِي مِنْهُ دِمَاغُهُ