44/76. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2860 — Parable of Islam and Paradise
What Has Been Related About Allah's Parable for His Slaves
Parable of Islam, Paradise, and the Messenger
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 2860
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 2860
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي هِلاَلٍ، أَنَّ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأَنْصَارِيَّ، قَالَ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَوْمًا فَقَالَ " إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ فِي الْمَنَامِ كَأَنَّ جِبْرِيلَ عِنْدَ رَأْسِي وَمِيكَائِيلَ عِنْدَ رِجْلَىَّ يَقُولُ أَحَدُهُمَا لِصَاحِبِهِ اضْرِبْ لَهُ مَثَلاً . فَقَالَ اسْمَعْ سَمِعَتْ أُذُنُكَ وَاعْقِلْ عَقَلَ قَلْبُكَ إِنَّمَا مَثَلُكَ وَمَثَلُ أُمَّتِكَ كَمَثَلِ مَلِكٍ اتَّخَذَ دَارًا ثُمَّ بَنَى فِيهَا بَيْتًا ثُمَّ جَعَلَ فِيهَا مَائِدَةً ثُمَّ بَعَثَ رَسُولاً يَدْعُو النَّاسَ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَجَابَ الرَّسُولَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَرَكَهُ فَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْمَلِكُ وَالدَّارُ الإِسْلاَمُ وَالْبَيْتُ الْجَنَّةُ وَأَنْتَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ رَسُولٌ فَمَنْ أَجَابَكَ دَخَلَ الإِسْلاَمَ وَمَنْ دَخَلَ الإِسْلاَمَ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَنْ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ أَكَلَ مَا فِيهَا " . وَقَدْ رُوِيَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِإِسْنَادٍ أَصَحَّ مِنْ هَذَا . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ مُرْسَلٌ . سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي هِلاَلٍ لَمْ يُدْرِكْ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ . وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ .
Jabir bin `Abdullah Al-Ansari Narrated from:
One Day The Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ) Came Out To Us And Said: "While I Was Sleeping I Had A Vision As If Jibra'Il Was At My Feet. One Of Them Said To His Companion: 'Make A Parable For Him' So He Said: 'Listen So That Your Ears May Hear. Hearken So That Your Heart May Understand!The Parable Of You And Your Ummah Is But The Parable Of A King Who Conquers A Land, Then He Constructs A House In It. Then He Places A Table-Spread In It, Then He Sends A Messenger To Call The People To Eat From It. Among Them Are Those Who Answer The Call Of The Messenger, And Among Them Are Those Who Forsake It. So Allah Is The King And The Land Is Islam, And The House Is Paradise, And You O Muhammad! You Are The Messenger, So Whoever Responds To You He Enters Islam, And Whoever Enters Islam He Enters Paradise, And Whoever Enters Paradise, He Shall Eat Of What Is In It.'"
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2860In-book reference : Book 44, Hadith 2English translation : Vol. 5, Book 42, Hadith 2860
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2860
This hadith about the parable of Islam and Paradise describes a vision of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He said he saw Jibra'il near his head and Mika'il near his feet. A parable was then given: a king conquers a land, builds a house in it, places a table-spread inside, and sends a messenger to call people to eat from it. Some answer the messenger and some leave it. The hadith explains the parable clearly: Allah is the King, the land is Islam, the house is Paradise, and Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is the Messenger. Whoever responds enters Islam, whoever enters Islam enters Paradise, and whoever enters Paradise eats from what is in it.
What we learn from this hadith
- The hadith presents Islam and Paradise through a clear parable.
- Responding to the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is central in the narration.
- The parable shows a call being made and people choosing whether to answer.
- Paradise is described as the house prepared within the parable.
