One lonely evening, a woman was seen walking with a stagger through an alleyway .
Her dress was all black indicating that she was in great distress. Her face was almost
fully covered by her veil and she had no make up nor any accessories adorning her
body. Her clean skin, lean body and beautiful face could not get rid of the grief that
had been tearing herself apart. She set out to drag herself towards the residence of
Prophet Moses (AS).
She knocked on the door slowly and gave the greeting of peace. Then someone
answered the greeting from the inside and said, “Please come in”. The beautiful lady
then entered with her head bowed and looking down at floor. Her tears were dripping
from her eyes when she said, “O Allah’s Prophet, please help me. Make do’a
(supplication) to God to ask for forgiveness for my dreadful sin.”
“What sin have you committed, O beautiful lady?” Prophet Moses (AS) asked.
“I am so scared to say it,” the beautiful lady replied.
“Say it please, don’t hesitate,” Prophet Moses insisted.
The lady then recounted hesitantly, “I have…. Committed zina (adultery/fornication)”
Prophet Moses’s (AS) lifted his head up, his feeling was really disturbed.
The lady continued, "From that zina, I soon became pregnant. After the baby was
born and due to shame I strangled the baby until it….. died” the lady said while crying
as much as she could.
Hearing that Prophet Moses (AS) eyes turned fiery and with an angry look, he scolded
the lady, “Cruel woman! Get out of here! May Allah’s punishment not fall upon my
house because of your crime. Get lost!” Prophet Moses (AS) screamed while turning
his face away because he felt so disgusted.
With a heart as though a glass smashing on the rock, the lady with a beautiful face
immediately got up and walked away in embarrassment. She stumbled and flinched
away from the house of Prophet Moses (AS). Her wail and cry was so pitiful. She did
not know where else to report to. In fact she did not want to know where her feet
would bring her next. If a Prophet had already turned her away, what could she expect
from ordinary people?
By the treatment she had just received from Prophet Moses (AS), she could imagine
how big her sins were and how evil her deeds had been. But she did not know that
soon after she left, Angel Gabriel came down to see Prophet Moses (AS). Ar-Ruhul
Amin Jibreel (Gabriel the spirit of Faith and Truth, see Q. 26:193) asked Prophet
Moses (AS), “Why did you reject a lady who wanted to repent from her sins? Don’t
you know that there is a sin much bigger than what she did?”
Prophet Moses (AS) was shocked and overwhelmed with curiosity, “What is that sin
bigger than the disgraceful acts of the fornicating and murdering woman?” Prophet
Moses (AS) asked Gabriel (AS) further, “Is it true that there is a sin greater than that
of the disgusting woman?”
"Yes, there is!" Gabriel (AS) answered firmly.
"What is that sin?" Prophet Moses (AS) was getting more anxious.
"A person who deliberately miss 'solat' and not regretting it. The sin of that person is
greater than committing 'zina' a thousand time."
Hearing this clarification Prophet Moses (AS) immediately summoned the woman
back to his house. He then lifted his hands up with full of reverence asking
forgiveness from Allah (SWT) for that woman. Prophet Moses (AS) realized, a
person who intentionally neglect solat and takes it lightly without any
feeling of guilt or remorse is the same as if believing that solat is not
obligatory and not required on him.
It is as if regarding God’s command as insignificant, moreover it is as if believing that
God does not have any right to coordinate and regulate the lives of His slaves.
Whereas if a person repents and expresses his regret over his sins with all his heart, it
means that he still has Iman in his heart as well as believing that Allah (SWT) is
always there if we are in the path of submission to Him. It is for this reason that God
never refuse to accept the coming of His repenting slaves. (Quoted from the book 30
Exemplary Stories).
In a hadith of the Prophet (SAW) it was mentioned that a person who neglect solat is
committing a greater sin compared to a person who burns 70 Al-Qur'an,
murders 70 prophets and fornicate with his own mother inside the
Ka'bah!... In a different hadith it was said that a person who leave solat until its time
is over and then Qadha (performing it out of the prescribed time) the solat, then he
will be punished in hell for duration of one ‘huqub’. A ‘huqub’ is equivalent to 80
years, and a year has 360 days in it, whereas the comparison for one day
in the ‘akhira’ (afterlife) is like a thousand year in this world.
There goes the story of Prophet Moses (AS) and a adulteress, and the two hadiths of
the Prophet SAW), may they serve as lessons and inspire the believing men or women
not to ever miss solat! Ameen!
Her dress was all black indicating that she was in great distress. Her face was almost
fully covered by her veil and she had no make up nor any accessories adorning her
body. Her clean skin, lean body and beautiful face could not get rid of the grief that
had been tearing herself apart. She set out to drag herself towards the residence of
Prophet Moses (AS).
She knocked on the door slowly and gave the greeting of peace. Then someone
answered the greeting from the inside and said, “Please come in”. The beautiful lady
then entered with her head bowed and looking down at floor. Her tears were dripping
from her eyes when she said, “O Allah’s Prophet, please help me. Make do’a
(supplication) to God to ask for forgiveness for my dreadful sin.”
“What sin have you committed, O beautiful lady?” Prophet Moses (AS) asked.
“I am so scared to say it,” the beautiful lady replied.
“Say it please, don’t hesitate,” Prophet Moses insisted.
The lady then recounted hesitantly, “I have…. Committed zina (adultery/fornication)”
Prophet Moses’s (AS) lifted his head up, his feeling was really disturbed.
The lady continued, "From that zina, I soon became pregnant. After the baby was
born and due to shame I strangled the baby until it….. died” the lady said while crying
as much as she could.
Hearing that Prophet Moses (AS) eyes turned fiery and with an angry look, he scolded
the lady, “Cruel woman! Get out of here! May Allah’s punishment not fall upon my
house because of your crime. Get lost!” Prophet Moses (AS) screamed while turning
his face away because he felt so disgusted.
With a heart as though a glass smashing on the rock, the lady with a beautiful face
immediately got up and walked away in embarrassment. She stumbled and flinched
away from the house of Prophet Moses (AS). Her wail and cry was so pitiful. She did
not know where else to report to. In fact she did not want to know where her feet
would bring her next. If a Prophet had already turned her away, what could she expect
from ordinary people?
By the treatment she had just received from Prophet Moses (AS), she could imagine
how big her sins were and how evil her deeds had been. But she did not know that
soon after she left, Angel Gabriel came down to see Prophet Moses (AS). Ar-Ruhul
Amin Jibreel (Gabriel the spirit of Faith and Truth, see Q. 26:193) asked Prophet
Moses (AS), “Why did you reject a lady who wanted to repent from her sins? Don’t
you know that there is a sin much bigger than what she did?”
Prophet Moses (AS) was shocked and overwhelmed with curiosity, “What is that sin
bigger than the disgraceful acts of the fornicating and murdering woman?” Prophet
Moses (AS) asked Gabriel (AS) further, “Is it true that there is a sin greater than that
of the disgusting woman?”
"Yes, there is!" Gabriel (AS) answered firmly.
"What is that sin?" Prophet Moses (AS) was getting more anxious.
"A person who deliberately miss 'solat' and not regretting it. The sin of that person is
greater than committing 'zina' a thousand time."
Hearing this clarification Prophet Moses (AS) immediately summoned the woman
back to his house. He then lifted his hands up with full of reverence asking
forgiveness from Allah (SWT) for that woman. Prophet Moses (AS) realized, a
person who intentionally neglect solat and takes it lightly without any
feeling of guilt or remorse is the same as if believing that solat is not
obligatory and not required on him.
It is as if regarding God’s command as insignificant, moreover it is as if believing that
God does not have any right to coordinate and regulate the lives of His slaves.
Whereas if a person repents and expresses his regret over his sins with all his heart, it
means that he still has Iman in his heart as well as believing that Allah (SWT) is
always there if we are in the path of submission to Him. It is for this reason that God
never refuse to accept the coming of His repenting slaves. (Quoted from the book 30
Exemplary Stories).
In a hadith of the Prophet (SAW) it was mentioned that a person who neglect solat is
committing a greater sin compared to a person who burns 70 Al-Qur'an,
murders 70 prophets and fornicate with his own mother inside the
Ka'bah!... In a different hadith it was said that a person who leave solat until its time
is over and then Qadha (performing it out of the prescribed time) the solat, then he
will be punished in hell for duration of one ‘huqub’. A ‘huqub’ is equivalent to 80
years, and a year has 360 days in it, whereas the comparison for one day
in the ‘akhira’ (afterlife) is like a thousand year in this world.
There goes the story of Prophet Moses (AS) and a adulteress, and the two hadiths of
the Prophet SAW), may they serve as lessons and inspire the believing men or women
not to ever miss solat! Ameen!
