I plead to You by Your mercy to make my burning in this...

I plead to You by Your mercy to make my burning in this world an expiation for my sin and not to burn me in the Hereafter!” Having said this, he got up, began to weep and then hurled himself into the pit of roaring flames. The Imam (as) began to weep when he saw this and so did his companions; then he said in a loud voice: “O’ Man! Rise from within the fire for you have caused the angels to weep. Allah has accepted your repentance.

Rise and henceforth do not conduct such an act!” It is reported in another tradition that a person asked ‘Ali (as), “O’ Amirul Mo’minin (as)! Do you invalidate the punishment of Allah?” Imam ‘Ali (as) replied, “Woe unto you! Whenever there exists an Imam appointed by Allah and a sinner repents for his sin, it is upon Allah to forgive him.”[^7] The Fearful Ones When the verse: “And surely Hell is the promised place of them all.

It has seven gates; for every gate there shall be a separate party of them”[^8] was revealed to the Noble Prophet (S), he wept so intensely that it made his companions weep too, but none knew what it was that Jibra`il had revealed which had made the Noble Prophet (S) wail in such a fashion. One of the companions went to Fatimah (as) and informed her of the incident. Covering herself with her cloak, which was patched in twelve places by means of date palm leaves, she came out of the house.

When Salman Farsi’s eyes fell upon the cloak, he looked at it in amazement and then, bursting into tears, said to himself: “The emperors of Rome and Iran attire themselves in silken and gold-embroidered clothes but the daughter of the Noble Prophet (S) covers herself with such a cloak!” When Fatimah (as) came to the Noble Prophet (S), he said to Salman: “My daughter belongs to a group that has taken great precedence in subservience and obedience (to Allah).” Fatimah (as) then asked, “Father!

What was it that made you grieve?” The Noble Prophet (S) recited the verses which had been brought by Jibra`il. The mention of Hell and the punishment of the fire left her so distraught that her knees failed to hold her weight and she collapsed onto the floor saying, “Woe unto he who enters the fire.” “O’ I wish I had been a sheep that was eaten and my skin had been torn apart so that I would never have had to hear of the fire of Hell,” uttered Salman.

“O’ I wish my mother had never given birth to me so that I would never have heard of the Hell-fire,” said Abu Dharr.