Every soul in the Barzakh carries the weight of ‘if only’. The sinner will wish they had repented. The righteous will wish they had done more. Even the martyr will long to return—not for this world, but to sacrifice themselves for Allah again.
No one regrets a missed opportunity in the dunya. They only regret the deeds they didn’t do for Allah. What will you wish for when time runs out?
NOTE: All depictions of Barzakh are purely conceptual and only vocals were used in the making of the soundtrack.
Download discussion guides for “The Other Side”: https://yqn.io/2e7585
Captioning provided by Muhsen.
References:
- The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “There is no one who dies except that he will feel regret.” They asked, “And what will he regret, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “If he was righteous, he will regret not having done more. And if he was sinful, he will regret not having stopped.” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi #2403]
- Ata as-Salimi (ra) was a great scholar of the tabi’een known for his devotion. Some of his students visited him and heard him saying, “Woe to Ata! I wish my mother had never given birth to me.” He would often supplicate: “O Allah, have mercy on my estrangement in this world, have mercy on my dying moments, have mercy on my loneliness in the grave, and have mercy on my standing before You.” [Al-Isfahani, Hilyat al-Awliya’]
- Salih ibn Bishr said, “I saw Ata as-Salimi in a dream after his death and said to him: ‘May Allah have mercy on you. You were known for your prolonged grief in this world.’ He replied, ‘By Allah, that grief has been replaced with everlasting joy and constant delight.’ I asked, ‘In what station are you now?’ He recited: ‘With those whom Allah has blessed from the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous. And what excellent companions they are!’” [Qur’an, 4:69]. [Ibn al-Qayyim, Kitab ar-Ruh]
- Ibn al-Qayyim—who wrote the book Kitab ar-Ruh—says: I saw my teacher, Ibn Taymiyyah, in a dream. He asked Ibn Taymiyyah about his (spiritual) rank, and Ibn Taymiyyah pointed to his high station above some of the great ones. Then he said to him: “And you were about to reach our rank, but you are in the level of Ibn Khuzaymah.” [Ibn Rajab, Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanabilah]
- Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: “No one who enters Paradise would wish to return to the world, even if he were to be given everything on Earth, except for the martyr. He would wish to return and be killed ten more times because of the honor he sees.” [Sahih al-Bukhari #2817; Sahih Muslim #1877]
