1. We were told by my father, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: We were told by Sa’d bin Abdullah, that he said: We were told by Ahmad ibn Muhammed bin Isa, that he said: We were told by Abbas bin Ma’ruf, from Abdullah bin Mughaira, that he said: We were told by Abu Hafs al-‘Abdi, that he said: We were told by Abu Harun al-‘Abdi, from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri, that he said: The Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, said: If you ask Allah for my sake, then ask Him about the Means. Then we asked the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, about the Means, so he said: It is my degree in Paradise, and it is a thousand stairs, between one stair to another stair is the running of the fast horse for a month, and it is what is between the stair of an element, to a stair of peridot, to a stair of ruby, to a stair of gold, to a stair of silver. They will be brought on the Day of Resurrection that they might be raised with the degree of Prophets. It is, among the degree of the Prophets, like the moon among planets. There will not remain on that day a Prophet, nor a truthful nor a martyr, except that he will say: Tuba iso for the one whose degree is this degree. Then the call will come from Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, which will be heard by the Prophets and all the creation: This is the degree of Muhammed. Then, on that day, I will come, wrapped in soft cloth of light, on the Crown of the Kingdom and Diadem of Dignity, while Ali ibn Abi Talib is front of me and in his hand is my Banner, that is the Banner of Praise on which it is written: «There is no god but Allah, the Successful are those who won with Allah». When we will pass by the Prophets, they will say: «These are two Angels brought near (to Allah) we do not know and whom we have not seen» and when we pass by the Angels, they will say: «Prophets who have been sent», and so, until I will raise through the degree and Ali will follow me until I become at the highest degree of it, while Ali is beneath me by one degree. There will remain, on that day, no Prophet, nor truthful nor martyr, except that he says: Tuba is for these two servants, how much are they dignified by Allah, Exalted is He! Then the call will come from Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, which will be heard by the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the believers: This is My Beloved, Muhammed, and this is My Viceregent, Ali. Tuba is for the one who loves him, and woe to the one who hates him and lies about him. It will remain, on that day, none who loves you, O Ali, except that he finds comfort in this speech, his face is whitened and his heart is rejoiced, and it will remain none who antagonizes you, wages war against you or knowingly rejects your right, except that his face is darkened and his feet are disturbed. While I am as such, two Angels will approach me. As for one of them, he is Ridwan, the Guardian of Paradise, and as for the other, he is Malik, the Guardian of the Fire, and Ridwan will come near and say: Peace be upon you, O Ahmad. I will say: Peace be upon you, O Angel. Who are you? For how good is your face and delightful is your fragrance! Then he will say: I am Ridwan, the Guardian of Paradise, and these are the keys of Paradise; they were sent to you by the Lord of Honor, so take them, O Ahmad. Then I will say: I have, certainly, accepted that from my Lord, so, to Him is praise for what my Lord has preferred me with. I will give them to my brother, Ali bin Abi Talib, and so it will be given to Ali. Then Ridwan will return and Malik will come near and say: Peace be upon you, O Ahmad. I will then say: Upon you is peace, O Angle. How ugly is your face and horrid is your look. Who are you? He will say: I am Malik, the Guardian of the Fire, and these are the keys to the Fire; they were sent to you by the Lord of Honor, so take them, O Ahmad. Then I will say: I have, certainly, accepted that from my Lord, so, to Him is praise for what my Lord has preferred me with. I will give them to my brother, Ali bin Abi Talib, and so he will give it to him. Then Malik will return, and Ali will approach and with him are the keys to Paradise and the keys to the Fire, until he stands at the edge of the Fire, while its sparks fly away, its blaze heightens and heat intensifies, while Ali is holding by its ropes, to which Hell will say to him: Cut me off, O Ali, for indeed, your light has extinguished my flame. Then Ali will say to it: Be cold, O Hell, take him, and leave him; take my enemy, and leave my ally. Hell, on that day, will, indeed, be more conformable to Ali than the boy of one you to his man, who according to his wish, he will go right, and according to his wish, he will go left. Hell, on that day, will, indeed, be more conformable to Ali with regards to what he will order it to than all the creatures.