The Fruits of Eman (10): Ease and Light Crossing the Sirat

19) Ease and Light Crossing the Sirat

Towards the end of Judgement Day–a day that will last 50 000 years (Surah Al-Maarij, verse 4)¹, after the judgement has been decreed, the people will have to cross the Sirat–a bridge sharper then a sword and thinner then a hair², that runs over Hell–in order to get to Jannah. People will fall off–there will be hooks like thorns of a size known only to Allah, to snag people into the Fire. Some people will be cut up into pieces as they fall into the Fire³.

In Surah Maryam, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

وَإِن مِّنكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُهَا كَانَ عَلَى رَبِّكَ حَتْمًا مَّقْضِيًّا

Translation: Not one of you but will pass over it: this is, with thy Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished. (Surah Maryam, verse 71)⁴

That is–each and every single one of us must cross the Sirat. That’s difficult enough–imagine doing it in complete darkness. Why? Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) will destroy all lights. There will be no lights–no sun, no moon, no stars, nothing. And every human will be thrown into that darkness, a darkness we cannot even fathom. But there will be light–and where will that light come from.

Every human being will have a personal flashlight–his or her body will shine. The light is from their eman. The stronger the eman, the stronger the light shines.

In Surah Hadeed, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

يَوْمَ تَرَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَسْعَى نُورُهُم بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَانِهِم بُشْرَاكُمُ الْيَوْمَ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

Translation: One Day shalt thou see the believing men and the believing women- how their Light runs forward before them and by their right hands: (their greeting will be): “Good News for you this Day! Gardens beneath which flow rivers! to dwell therein for aye! This is indeed the highest Achievement!” (Surah Hadeed, verse 12)⁴

There will be so much light for the believers, they will be able to see everything, the whole horizon lit up for them. And they will race over the bridge faster then the speed of light, then faster then a galloping horse, then a sprinter, a walker, and a crawler⁵ until the person with the lowest level of eman crosses (he’s at the fasiq point), his light will be so little that his big toe will flicker on. He’ll take one step, and it’ll flicker off. He’ll freeze, not knowing if it will turn on again.⁶

We can express this in a simple equation: eman = faster crossing + brighter light. And crossing the bridge is a punishment–you look down and see the fire of Hell. And there will be hooks reaching out, hooks with thorns to snag the people destined for the Hellfire.

May Allah make us all among those who cross in the twinkling of an eye, and protect us from falling into the Hellfire, even for a moment.