by. His beard was still wet after performing wuḍū, and he was holding his shoes in one hand. The next day, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “A man of Paradise will now pass by you on this path.” The same Anṣāri Companion رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ proceeded to pass by. The same occurred the next day also.

I went to the house of that Anṣāri Companion رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ and asked if I could stay there as a guest. I stayed in his home for three nights, and during this time, I did not observe him offering many nafl salah during the night. However, I did see that whenever he turned sides whilst sleeping, he would perform the dhikr of Allah. Another good habit I noticed was he always said something good or remained silent.

When three nights passed, I told him why I wanted to stay at his home. I informed him that for three consecutive days, the final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم told us that he is deserving of Paradise, and I desired to stay with him to observe his actions but did not find anything that stood out.

The Anṣāri companion رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ replied, “My actions are just as you have observed, but another practice of mine is that I do not possess malice in my heart for another Muslim, neither do I become jealous when a Muslim is granted blessings.” “Yes!”, I replied, “This is the attribute which has caused you to reach such a rank.”^[1]

سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه! O devotees of the Messenger! You have heard that keeping your heart pure and not allowing malice, jealousy and ill feelings towards others to enter it is an action that can lead to Paradise. The one who possesses these evil traits is unfortunate, as he will be deprived of mercy and forgiveness even on Laylat al-Barāʾah. Therefore, we must purify our hearts.