“I see what you do not see, and I hear what you do not hear. The heaven is creaking and it should creak, for there is no space in it the width of four fingers but there is an angel there, prostrating to Allah. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, and you would never enjoy women in your beds, and you would go out in the streets, beseeching Allah.’”  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنِّي أَرَى مَا لاَ تَرَوْنَ وَأَسْمَعُ مَا لاَ تَسْمَعُونَ إِنَّ السَّمَاءَ أَطَّتْ وَحُقَّ لَهَا أَنْ تَئِطَّ مَا فِيهَا مَوْضِعُ أَرْبَعِ أَصَابِعَ إِلاَّ وَمَلَكٌ وَاضِعٌ جَبْهَتَهُ سَاجِدًا لِلَّهِ وَاللَّهِ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيلاً وَلَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا وَمَا تَلَذَّذْتُمْ بِالنِّسَاءِ عَلَى الْفُرُشَاتِ وَلَخَرَجْتُمْ إِلَى الصُّعُدَاتِ تَجْأَرُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي كُنْتُ شَجَرَةً تُعْضَدُ  

“If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much.”  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيلاً وَلَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا  

“Lest they become as those who received the Scripture before, and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of them were rebellious.” [57:16]  

أَنْ نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ يُعَاتِبُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِهَا إِلاَّ أَرْبَعُ سِنِينَ {وَلاَ يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ}  

“Do not laugh a lot, for laughing a lot deadens the heart.”  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لاَ تُكْثِرُوا الضَّحِكَ فَإِنَّ كَثْرَةَ الضَّحِكِ تُمِيتُ الْقَلْبَ  

“The Prophet ﷺ said to me: ‘Recite Qur’an to me,’ so I recited Surat An-Nisa’ to him, and when I reached (the Verse): “How (will it be) then, when We bring forth from each nation a witness and We bring you as a witness against these people?” [4:41] I looked at him, and his eyes were filled with tears.”  

لِيَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ اقْرَأْ عَلَىَّ فَقَرَأْتُ عَلَيْهِ بِسُورَةِ النِّسَاءِ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغْتُ {فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَى هَؤُلاَءِ شَهِيدًا} فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَإِذَا عَيْنَاهُ تَدْمَعَانِ  

“We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at a funeral, and he sat at the edge of the grave weeping, until the ground became wet. Then he said: ‘O my brothers, prepare yourselves for something like this.’”  

كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي جِنَازَةٍ فَجَلَسَ عَلَى شَفِيرِ الْقَبْرِ فَبَكَى حَتَّى بَلَّ الثَّرَى ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا إِخْوَانِي لِمِثْلِ هَذَا فَأَعِدُّوا  

‘Weep, and if you cannot weep then pretend to weep.”  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ابْكُوا فَإِنْ لَمْ تَبْكُوا فَتَبَاكَوْا  

“There is no believing slave who sheds tears, even if they are like the head of a fly, out of fear of Allah, and they roll down his cheeks, but Allah will forbid him to the Fire.”  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ مُؤْمِنٍ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ عَيْنَيْهِ دُمُوعٌ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِثْلَ رَأْسِ الذُّبَابِ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ تُصِيبُ شَيْئًا مِنْ حُرِّ وَجْهِهِ إِلاَّ حَرَّمَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّارِ