10. What are Siraath and Al-Qanthara?

Ans: The Siraath and Al-Qanthara are the bridges which the believers have to cross before entering into the Jannah. These two bridges, the Sirath and Qanthara are not mentioned in Quran.

Once the mankind is resurrected, their deeds will be weighed in Mizan (Balance). There is a general qissas is often called first qissas and it is retaliatory in the sense that exchange of good deeds for the harm they caused to the opponents as a form of compensation, and that it is among all creations, believers, disbelievers, animals, etc. (Sahih Muslim 45/77). Those whose good deeds are more they can pass over the two bridges

Description of the Bridge Siraath:

A hadhees mentions that Pul-e-Siraat is a bridge over the Hell, hotter than fire, sharper than a sword and thinner than a hair. May Allah help us to pass it easily with our family.

We, the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) asked, “O Allah’s Messenger! (ﷺ) What is the bridge Siraath?” He said, “It is a slippery (bridge) on which there are clamps and (Hooks like) a thorny seed that is wide at one side and narrow at the other and has thorns with bent ends. Such a thorny seed is found in Najd and is called As-Sa’dan. Some of the believers will cross the bridge as quickly as the wink of an eye, some others as quick as lightning, a strong wind, fast horses or she-camels. So some will be safe without any harm; some will be safe after receiving some scratches, and some will fall down into Hell (Fire). The last person will cross by being dragged (over the bridge).” {Sahih al-Bukhari, 7439)

It is further described in another long hadith narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah in Sahih al-Bukhari 10/201 when the companions asked the Prophet (ﷺ) if they would see Allah (ﷻ) on Judgment Day. Then Allah will come to them again and say, ‘I am your Lord.’ They will say, ‘You are our Lord.’ Allah will call them, and As-Sirat (a bridge) will be laid across Hell and I (Muhammad) shall be the first amongst the Apostles to cross it with my followers. Nobody except the Apostles will then be able to speak and they will be saying then, ‘O Allah! Save us. O Allah Save us.’ There will be hooks like the thorns of Sa’dan in Hell. Have you seen the thorns of Sa’dan?” The people said, “Yes.” He said, “These hooks will be like the thorns of Sadani but nobody except Allah knows their greatness in size and these will entangle the people according to their deeds; some of them will fall and stay in Hell forever; others will receive punishment (torn into small pieces) and will get out of Hell. [Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 10, Hadith 201].

Al-Qantara allows the exchange of the deeds:

We are informed of this second bridge al-Qantara  (القنطرة)  through the hadhees only. Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The believers, after being saved from the (Hell) Fire, will be stopped at a small arched bridge between Paradise and Hell and mutual retaliation will be established among them regarding wrongs they have committed in the world against one another. After they are cleansed and purified (through the retaliation), they will be admitted into Paradise; and by Him in Whose Hand Muhammad’s soul is, every one of them will know his dwelling in Paradise better than he knew his dwelling in this world.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6535). So it is the small bridge where the second qissas (a special retaliation is between believers that will go to Paradise) takes place on the Judgement Day. Thus those who have been cleansed and purified, in this bridge with their good deeds and rid of bad deeds, enter into Paradise.

There is a hadith narrated in Mustadarak al-Haakim with an authentic chain that states that there will be two men from this Ummah that will come before Allah. One man will say, “so and so has transgressed against me and I want from his good deeds.” Allah will tell him, “do you see this great palace in paradise?” And the man will look at the palace, and Allah will say to him, “it will belong to you if you forgive your brother today.” And the man will forgive him. Rasulullah (ﷺ) said at the end of this hadith: “safe- guard yourselves from Allah, and reform and reconcile amongst yourselves, indeed Allah will reconcile between the believers (on the Day of Judgment).”

Allah سبحانه وتعالى   allow the believers to settle their issues with others. So that they will have no enmity or ill feeling among themselves while they were in Jannah. Allah says in Quran: “And We will remove whatever of resentment, is in their breasts - (they shall be) as brothers, on raised couches, face to face. (15:47).

If a man has enough good deeds he can exchange them. If he has less deeds he will stand bank-rupted in front of Paradise.  So try hard to earn more good deeds in your life time. Ask forgiveness from those whom you have wronged. Do not give harm to others. Otherwise you have to stand in front of the doors of Jannah without enough good deeds.!

Imagine the pain of standing before Jannah, being able to see its gates after just having passed the Siraat, and yet you lose your deeds accordingly.

To pass the Qanthara successfully following must be done in our life-time:

★ Increase the good deeds.

★ Decrease the bad deeds.

★ Do not trouble anyone (muslims, Kafir or animals) by your tongue and hand. Because some of your good deeds are taken away as compensation in the purification process.

★ Do not give harm toanyone. If at all you have harmed, realise it and ask forgiveness as early as possible to the concerned person or ask Allah’s forgiveness and do some good deed, so, that will remove your bad deed.

★ Pray to Allah as Sulaiman (AS) prayed: "... make me to do good deeds that please you."

★ Pray to Allah to protect your good deeds from being wasted.

Do you want to know what are good deeds? Read this hadhees: I heard Al-Bara' bin `Azib saying, "The Prophet (ﷺ) orders us to do seven things and prohibited us from doing seven other things." Then Al-Bara' mentioned the following: (1) To pay a visit to the sick (inquiring about his health), (2) to follow funeral processions, (3) to say to a sneezer, "May Allah be merciful to you" (if he says, "Praise be to Allah!"), (4) to return greetings, (5) to help the oppressed, (6) to accept invitations, (7) to help others to fulfill their oaths. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 2445).

The forbidden seven are: “Committing Shirk with Allah, practicing magic, killing someone that Allah has prohibited – except for just cause, consuming Riba (Usury – interest money), consuming the wealth or property of an orphan, to flee from battle and to slander the chaste, unaware, believing women.” (Bukhari)

 

      Ameen! And Allah knows best! And for Him is all praise!