The Hair Raising Dream of Hamza Bin Habeeb

Shaikh Salim Bin ‘Isa once visited Hamza Bin Al-Habib Al-Zayyat, who had memorized the Holy Qur’an and read it with great devotion and saw him crying and rubbing his cheeks with dust.

He exclaimed: “0 Hamza, what is this crying?”

Hamza replied: “Last night, I saw in a dream that the Day of Resurrection took place. The readers of the Qur’an were called in to stand before Allah, and I was among them. I heard a voice saying: ‘Only those who lived by the Qur’an should enter.’ I was in shock, so I began to retreat backwards…..

A voice called my name: ‘Where are you going to, 0 Hamza Bin Al-Zayyat?’

I cried out: ‘At thy command, 0 caller of my Lord.’

An angel then said to me, ‘Say: At Thy command 0 my Lord, At Thy command.’

So, I repeated what the angel told me to say. I was then led into an abode where I heard the voices of Qur’an being read . I stood there shaking.

I then heard a voice saying to me: ‘Be at peace…..اقرا وارتق……Read and Rise……”

‘I turned my face to the direction of the voice and saw a pulpit made from white pearls. One step is made from red sapphire, and another is made from green crystallite.

Then I was told: ‘Read and Rise…. I read Surah Al-An’aam, not knowing before whom I am reading. When I reached verse sixty-one, reading: ‘And He is the irresistible Lord, Who watches from above over His creation’. (Qur’an 6:61)

The voice then said: ‘0 Hamza, Am I not the irresistible Lord, Who watches from above over His creation?’

I said: ‘Indeed. Thou speaks the truth.’

Then I read Surah Al-A’raaf to its last verse, which says: ‘Those who are near to their Lord, do not disdain to worship Him. They celebrate His praises, and bow down in prostration before Him.'(Qur’an 7:206 -verse of Sajda tilawah)

As I intended to prostrate before my Lord, My Lord said: ‘Sufficient is the reading. Do not prostrate now , you were commanded to prostrate in the world only.’

He continued: ‘0 Hamza, who taught you how to read this?’ I replied: ‘Sulaiman.’ He said: ‘True. Who taught Sulaiman?’ I replied: ‘Yahya.’ He said: ‘True. Who taught Yahya?’ I replied: ‘Abu Abdu-Rahman.’ He said: ‘True. Who taught Abu Abdu-Rahman?’ I replied: ‘Ali Bin Abi Talib, the cousin of Thy Rasul Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam.’ He said: ‘Ali spoke the truth. Who taught Ali?’ I replied: ‘Thy Rasul Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam’ He said: ‘My Rasul (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) spoke the truth. Who taught My Rasul (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)?’ I replied: ‘Jibra’eel.’ He continued: ‘And Who taught Jibraeel?’

I remained silent. He said:

‘0 Hamza, say “You”.’ I replied: ‘Lord, I cannot say that!'(out of respect)

He again said: ‘Say “You”.’ I said: ‘You.’ He said: ‘You spoke the truth 0 Hamza. I swear by the Qur’an, I shall honor its readers and particularly those who lived by it and acted on it. 0 Hamza, the Qur’an is My Word, and I love no one better than the people of the Qur’an. 0 Hamza, come nearer.’

So I did, and my Lord anointed me with a musky ambergris.

Then He added: ‘0 Hamza. This is not only for you. I did the same to your companions who are higher than you and to those who are lower than you, as well as to those who read the Qur’an like you and who seek no reward except Me.

What I have reserved for you is still greater than this. So tell your friends about Me and about My love for the people of the Qur’an, for they are the chosen and the elite.

0 Hamza, I swear by My Glory and Majesty, I shall never punish a tongue that recited the Qur’an, nor a heart that understood it, nor an ear that heard it, nor an eye that looked at it.’

I said: ‘Glory be to Thee, 0 my Lord.’

Allah Almighty added: ‘Who are the people of the Qur’an?’ I said: ‘Those who memorize it, my Lord?’ He said: ‘Indeed. Such people. I am on their side until they meet with Me on the Day of Judgement. When they come before Me, I shall raise them a station for each verse they learned.’

Hamza, continued: “Thus, now would you blame me if I cry and rub my cheeks with dust?”

Source: Ibn Sireen – Dictionary of Dreams – By Mohamed M. Al- Akili

Abu ‘Imarah Hamzah Ibn Habib al-Zayyat al-Taymi, better known as Hamzah az-Zaiyyat (80-156AH), was one of the seven canonical transmitters of the Qira’at, or methods of reciting the Qur’an. His appellation “az-Zaiyyat” was given to him because he used to work transporting natural oils to Hulwan and then bringing cheese and walnuts back to Kufa. His lifespan was such that he was alive at the same time as some of the Sahabah, so it is possible that he met up with some of them. Hamzah was the leader of the reciters in Al-Kufah after ‘Aasim. Muahmmed bin Fadheel said about Hamzah, “I think the only reason that calamity has not come to Al-Kufah is because of Hamzah.”