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The Sheikh’s Story of his Resurrection, the Day of Judgement, and his Entry into Paradise
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١٨١ 181 The Sheikh’s Story of his Resurrection, the Day of Judgement, and his Entry into Paradise Then the Sheikh says (may God make him speak meritoriously when he says something, if his Lord will him to say something!): I’ll tell you my own story. After I got up and rose from my grave and had arrived at the Plane of Resurrection (“plane” being like “plain,” with a different spelling),404 I thought of the Qurʾanic verse, «To Him the angels and the Spirit ascend in a day the length of which is fifty thousand years. So be patient in a decent manner».405 It did seem a long time to me; I got parched and torrid (meaning “very hot, without a puff of wind”), as your friend al-Numayrī says: The girls, in their wraps, are like ostrich eggs exposed by drizzle and the heat of a sultry night. I am easily desiccated (that is, “quick to thirst”), so I thought about my situation , which I found quite unbearable for someone like me. There came an angel to me, the one that had recorded all the good deeds I had performed. I found that my good deeds were few, as few as tussocks of grass in a year of destitution (a tussock being a tuft of vegetation, destitution being a drought). But my repentance at the end shone like a light, bright like a lamp for travelers at night. When I had stood there for one or two months, fearing I would drown in my sweat, I persuaded myself that I should compose a few lines for Riḍwān, Paradise ’s Porter Angel. I composed them on the meter and rhyme pattern of Stop, you two, for the memory of a beloved, and the recognition . . .406 In them I incorporated the name of Riḍwān. Then I jostled my way through the people until I stood where he could hear and see me, but he took no notice of me and I don’t think he paid attention to what I said. I waited for a short while, perhaps ten days in earthly reckoning, and then I composed some lines on the pattern of 11.1 11.2.1 The Sheikh’s conversation with Riḍwān and Zufar, guards of the Garden ١٨٢ 182 È U NO Þ 3 ) Þ 9c12 c L ɲ @}~ 12 L |¦¬ 3123 /NO NO }~ [´ Þ ö L 12312 [ 212123 [º è89 l ;`a L È NO @ªWrsAa ) 123 ، i ghG c T ½ þ Ð ) % & '( ) Õ¶©·= 3 ، 123 )* + , - . % & '£9M ?¤ f´&89M 1 3 c~ [ x12 ÇP J S Ú ، È12 Ô A M  [ èRrst 123123 @A Ê f ËRrÑ % ¯A È 123 )* + , - . " QyGû ) ) ¿ Û Ü Ý 3 ، L @µ L ;`a U Þ wz{ [ Í ô x [ A : J K L Þ Ó L¬ 123 ، i ghG cì ١ J K L Þ ÓL ¬ @}~ }~ L¿À L Á  L¬ 3 c yG c * + , - . 123 ، i NO12 L~ 46 cì 456 j k ) * + , - . NO ) 123 ،M  [ è Þ yG c d 3 ) % ñ² È12 Ô M ÂÇ J S L #t12 [Ç È ) @h}~ ) NO ، È12 Ô NO :% & '( 12Ô % & '£9 ) NO [ x12â P ، [´ ; $ % ) }Î ' 3 @µL L [´«Gc¬vw }Îü89 3 ،12 3 ) ؟ä89cT ) % ¯ A MÌw123 ä89 NO % & ) '( F6NO " rsø{Í¿ Û ) ،@ª{ÍP ? % & '£9 J S ï )* + , - . c É ;`a M ÂÇ ) ´&89¦Ç % F5G }Î ' 3 ،½ [ 46 L c Þ¬L~ }~ [´³Îü89 }~123 È12 Ô A¤ f F6NO ä89 [ cu rst 46M? :M 1 3 [´&89¦w 46 3123 ، @ª L L¬ % ) ، x12 [ 89 % & '£9 % & 'a g hGc * + , - . 9j k NO ) :12 3 ) 3 ؟ @hÊ f ËÌzW ä89 [ cɲ46}~ 46 3123 ،L c L ɲ}~ M  89ë̈ Å x12 Ç 456789 % & 123 ، NO12ÔT NO ô ä89 L c % & ~123 ، xUz ;`a 46 [ }~ .ä89qrst NO M  [ èRrst 123123 ghG cd e f i M ) NO :´&89M 1 3 . Uz{| * + , - . ) º¬ 3 }Îü89Õ¶©·¸a 46M ÂÇ " rst ) ¿ Û % & '( ) 3 ؟ M )* + , - . }~123 :M 1 3 123 ) P È ) ،º)Ç Ó % & '£9 A 789L cu?O È123 12~ J K! "Ṏ Å z{|123 ، i Þ L "Î Ï Ð M )* + , - . % ¯ø{ Í ´) V ; 9 3 ،xPUz{|123 ½1289q % & 'a ) NO È12Ç QT 789 j kM 9M ) Èë̈ Å 123 ، [ @ª L ;`a NO NO ) @µ¬ ?O @?@ cT }~ [´&89¦w 46M 1 3 ، x cT 46M % & ' 3 c É ;`a % & 'a ) 12 ê² [ F5G NO % & 'a È P ) NO ä8889M ä89cT ) c~ .% & 'a M( X YZ ) cyG UzWrÑ [ =¥ mn¦Ç123 ، 12 ê² A @Rr㢠% & '( ) ´é L * + , - . 123 ؛ @h c L~ ¾Qu Q NO ) 123 ،c d 3 xM Â Þ èu ؟ x @}~ È P ) ghG M( ä89 È L P ß È ) 9}~ ) NO ) !% ) A @h c u L ä89NO ) :M 1 3 .{i 46c L u L ( i ÈÕ¶©· L~Þ @L }~ [ @?@[ 123 U L V|[ à [ áU+ L ,% & '( L) L 123} !xM Â Þ èu qrst NO M  èRrst 123123 i }Îü89ë̈ Å´&89}Îó 3 ، L ÷ 3 [ M?O L þ Ð ß È j k % & 'a ) % & '£9 L }~ L) NO ´ ð 3 Ó Ç123...
