Malik b. Dinar (rahmatullahi alayh) was a leader among the truthful and a venerable guide on the path of Islam. He was one of the great figures of the spiritual path and had the honor of being in the company of Hasan al-Basri. He narrated the story of his repentance as follows:
"Previously, I was a security officer with a strong addiction to alcohol. At one point, I purchased a beautiful concubine who later gave birth to a daughter. The love for my child filled my heart completely. As she began to crawl, my affection for her grew even more. We became inseparable; she was attached to me, and I to her.
One day, as I sat with a bottle of alcohol in front of me, my daughter approached and tipped the bottle, spilling its contents all over me. When she turned two years old, she passed away. Her death devastated me, and my sorrow was overwhelming. My complexion paled with grief.
The night of Bara'ah arrived—it was also a Friday night. Overcome by my habit, I drank heavily and passed out in a drunken stupor. That night, I had a dream.
In the dream, the Day of Judgment had arrived. The Trumpet was blown, and graves opened as people rose from their resting places to gather at the Plain of Resurrection. I was among them. Suddenly, I heard a sound behind me. I turned around to see a massive snake, its body a terrifying blend of dark blue and black, racing toward me with its mouth wide open.
Overwhelmed by fear, I ran as fast as I could. As I fled, I came across an old man dressed in clean clothes and emanating a beautiful fragrance. I greeted him and said, 'Save me from this snake! May Allah save you from that which you fear!'
The old man wept and replied, 'I am weak, and the snake is far too strong for me to overpower. But continue running—perhaps Allah will provide a means of escape for you.'
Hearing this, I resumed running with the snake still chasing me. I climbed a high hill on the Plain of Resurrection and saw the layers of Hell below me. The sight of the blazing fire was horrifying. As the snake closed in, I felt I was about to fall into the fire. At that moment, a voice called out, 'Return! You are not among the inhabitants of Hell.'
This voice gave me some relief, and I turned back. Yet, the snake resumed its pursuit. Once again, I came upon the old man and pleaded, 'Why didn’t you help me? I asked for your assistance, yet you did nothing!'
Weeping again, the old man replied, 'I am too weak. But if you climb that mountain, you will find the trusts of the Muslims there. If you have any trust among them, it will save you.'
I looked toward the mountain he indicated—it was round and silver, filled with numerous openings covered by veils. The mountain's gates were adorned with red gold, interspersed with panels of rubies and crowned with pearls. Each gate was draped with silk curtains.
I ran toward the mountain with the snake still in pursuit. As I approached, the angels at the mountain exclaimed, 'Raise the veils! Open the gates! Look to see if this troubled man has any trust here that can save him from his enemy!'
The veils were lifted, and the gates opened. From the openings, children with radiant faces emerged, gazing at me. The snake drew closer, and I was overwhelmed with despair. Some of the children called out, 'Woe to you! Help this man! His enemy is near!'
A group of them rushed forward, and among them was my daughter. She came to me, crying, 'By Allah, he is my father!' She leapt forward, like a beam of light, and stood in front of me. Extending her left hand to me and her right hand toward the snake, she drove it away. The snake turned and fled.
My daughter sat me down and rested in my lap. Stroking my beard with her small hand, she recited:
"Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth?" (Al-Hadid 16)
I began to weep. 'My daughter, do you know the Qur'an?' I asked.
'Father,' she replied, 'we know it better than you do.'
I asked her, 'That snake that wanted to destroy me—what was it?'
She answered, 'It was your bad deeds, which you nurtured until they became so strong that they nearly threw you into Hell.'
'And the old man I encountered—who was he?'
'Father,' she said, 'he was your good deeds. You weakened them until they could no longer stand against your bad deeds.'
I asked, 'My dear child, what are you doing on this mountain?'
She replied, 'We are the children of Muslims. We have been placed here to wait for you until the Day of Resurrection, when we will intercede for you.'
I awoke with a start, overwhelmed by fear. At dawn, I smashed every vessel of alcohol in my house and poured its contents away. I repented sincerely to Allah, and that was the beginning of my repentance."
