QUESTION:
I have been told that one should try to recite 70 000 times Kalimah Tayyibah in this lifetime to be protected from the fire of Jahannam and for our own Esaal-e-Thawaab. I would like to clarify if this specific number is correct, what is the ruling for our own Esaal-e Sawaab and the intention that should be made on commencing? I know it’s in the Hadith that Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam said that it is the best Zikr to recite, but I haven’t come across any Hadith that says that is should be read a specific amount of times and for our own Esaal-e-Thawaab. Please, can you clarify?
ANSWER:
Shaikh Ahmed Yazeed Qurtubi Rahimahullah writes, On learning that one who recites ‘La Ilaha Illallah 70 000 times becomes safe from the hell fire, I completed this number once for my wife and then several times for myself as a provision for the hereafter. There used to live near us a young man who was known to be blessed with the power of Kashf (divine manifestation of unseen things), even in respect of paradise and hell, but I hesitated to believe it. Once, when this young man was dining with us, he uttered a cry of agony. His breathing became difficult, and he exclaimed, I see my mother burning in the fire of hell. When I saw him so perturbed, I thought of bestowing one of my complete 70 000 recitations of the Kalimah in favor of his mother, so the truth of what the young man said could be tested. I quietly did so in my heart without telling anybody else about it. But as soon as I did this, the young man felt relieved and said, “O Uncle! My mother has been relieved of the punishment of hell.” The incident proved useful to me in two ways: firstly, the blessing of reciting the Kalimah 70 000 times was proven by actual experience, and secondly, it was established that the young man was truly blessed with the power of Kashf.
[Fadhaa’il-e-Aamaal Pg.158 – Virtues of Zikr]
ALLAH TA’ALAH ALONE KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Mohamed Desai
Date:15 Ramadaan 1445 / 26 March 2024
