Narrated Ibn `Abbas:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, ‘Nations were displayed before me; one or two prophets would pass by along with a few followers. A prophet would pass by accompanied by nobody. Then a big crowd of people passed in front of me and I asked, Who are they Are they my followers?” It was said, ‘No. It is Musa and his followers It was said to me, ‘Look at the horizon.” Behold! There was a multitude of people filling the horizon. Then it was said to me, ‘Look there and there about the stretching sky! Behold! There was a multitude filling the horizon,’ It was said to me, ‘This is your nation out of whom seventy thousand shall enter Paradise without reckoning.’ “Then the Prophet (ﷺ) entered his house without telling his companions who they (the 70,000) were. So the people started talking about the issue and said, “It is we who have believed in Allah and followed His Apostle; therefore those people are either ourselves or our children who are born m the Islamic era, for we were born in the Pre-lslamic Period of Ignorance.” When the Prophet (ﷺ) heard of that, he came out and said. “Those people are those who do not seek Ruqya or seek others to do Ruqya, nor do they believe in bad or good omen (from birds) nor do they get themselves branded (cauterized). but they put their trust (only) in their Lord ” On that ‘Ukasha bin Muhsin said. “Am I one of them, O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)?’ The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Yes.” Then another person got up and said, “Am I one of them?” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Ukasha has anticipated you.”
حَدَّثَنَا عِمْرَانُ بْنُ مَيْسَرَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ فُضَيْلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حُصَيْنٌ، عَنْ عَامِرٍ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ لاَ رُقْيَةَ إِلاَّ مِنْ عَيْنٍ أَوْ حُمَةٍ. فَذَكَرْتُهُ لِسَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ فَقَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” عُرِضَتْ عَلَىَّ الأُمَمُ، فَجَعَلَ النَّبِيُّ وَالنَّبِيَّانِ يَمُرُّونَ مَعَهُمُ الرَّهْطُ، وَالنَّبِيُّ لَيْسَ مَعَهُ أَحَدٌ، حَتَّى رُفِعَ لِي سَوَادٌ عَظِيمٌ، قُلْتُ مَا هَذَا أُمَّتِي هَذِهِ قِيلَ هَذَا مُوسَى وَقَوْمُهُ. قِيلَ انْظُرْ إِلَى الأُفُقِ. فَإِذَا سَوَادٌ يَمْلأُ الأُفُقَ، ثُمَّ قِيلَ لِي انْظُرْ هَا هُنَا وَهَا هُنَا فِي آفَاقِ السَّمَاءِ فَإِذَا سَوَادٌ قَدْ مَلأَ الأُفُقَ قِيلَ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكَ وَيَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مِنْ هَؤُلاَءِ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ، ثُمَّ دَخَلَ وَلَمْ يُبَيِّنْ لَهُمْ فَأَفَاضَ الْقَوْمُ وَقَالُوا نَحْنُ الَّذِينَ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ، وَاتَّبَعْنَا رَسُولَهُ، فَنَحْنُ هُمْ أَوْ أَوْلاَدُنَا الَّذِينَ وُلِدُوا فِي الإِسْلاَمِ فَإِنَّا وُلِدْنَا فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ. فَبَلَغَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَخَرَجَ فَقَالَ هُمُ الَّذِينَ لاَ يَسْتَرْقُونَ، وَلاَ يَتَطَيَّرُونَ، وَلاَ يَكْتَوُونَ وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ”. فَقَالَ عُكَّاشَةُ بْنُ مِحْصَنٍ أَمِنْهُمْ أَنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ” نَعَمْ ”. فَقَامَ آخَرُ فَقَالَ أَمِنْهُمْ أَنَا قَالَ ” سَبَقَكَ عُكَّاشَةُ ”.
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5705
In-book reference : Book 76, Hadith 25
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 71, Hadith 606
How can Tawheed be achieved and what is the promised reward?
In Saheeh al-Bukhaari (5705) and Saheeh Muslim (220) it is narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The nations were shown to me and I saw a Prophet with a group of men, a Prophet with one or two men, and a Prophet with no one with him. Then a huge crowd was shown to me, and I thought that they were my ummah, but it was said to me, ‘This is Musa and his people. But look at the horizon.’ I looked, and there was a huge crowd. Then it was said to me: ‘Look at the other horizon,’ and there was (another) huge crowd. It was said to me: ‘This is your ummah, and among them are seventy thousand who will enter Paradise without being called to account or punished.’”
Then he got up and went into his house, and the people started discussing those who would enter Paradise without being called to account or being punished. Some of them said: Perhaps they are the ones who accompanied the Messenger of Allaah (S). Some said: Perhaps they are those who were born in Islam and did not associate anything with Allaah. And they mentioned several ideas. Then the Messenger of Allaah (S) came out and said: “What are you discussing?” They told him, and he said: “They are the ones who did not perform ruqyah or ask others to do so, and did not believe in omens, and did not use cautery, and they put their trust in their Lord.” ‘Ukkaashah ibn Mihsan stood up and said: Pray to Allaah to make me one of them. He said: “You will be one of them.” Another man stood up and said: Pray to Allaah to make me one of them. He said: “ ‘Ukkaashah has beaten you to it.”
The phrase “did not perform ruqyah or ask others to do so” means that they did not ask others to perform ruqyah for them. Although asking someone to perform ruqyah is permissible, it is contrary to that which is better.
The phrase “and did not believe in omens” means that they did not believe in omens based on birds or anything else about which people are superstitious and may give up something that they had decided to do because of these superstitions. Superstition is haraam and is a form of minor shirk.
The phrase “and did not use cautery” means that they did not cauterize with fire to treat sickness, even if it is proven to be of benefit, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) disliked it, and because no one can punish with fire but the Lord of the fire.
The common thread in these three characteristics is that they “put their trust in their Lord”, i.e., they attained the highest degree of trust (tawakkul) and they did not pay the slightest attention to the means, and they did not depend on them, rather they depended on their Lord alone, may He be glorified.
Tawakkul (trust) is the summary of faith, as Sa’eed ibn Habeeb said, indeed it is the ultimate aim as Wahb ibn Munabbih (may Allaah have mercy on him) said.