place a large snake from Hell with a flickering tongue around his neck as a necklace.^[1]

*   A sin whose punishment is given swiftly in this world and its torment reserved for the hereafter is not graver than rebellion and severing ties with relatives.^[2]

Punishment for severing ties

As narrated by Sayyidunā Abū al-Layth Samarqandi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه in Tanbīh al-Ghāfilīn, Sayyidunā Yahyā b. Sulaym رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه explains the following profound story:

A pious person from Khorasan once lived in Makkah, and people would give him their belongings for safekeeping. A certain individual left ten thousand gold coins in his possession and went on a journey. When this individual returned, he found the pious Khorasani man had passed away.

The individual approached the man’s family and asked about the gold coins he had left. They were completely unaware of any such thing. The individual then consulted with the scholars of Makkah, who said: ‘We expect the Khorasani man to be destined for Paradise. Let a third or half of the night pass, go to the well of Zamzam, call his name and ask of your gold coins.’

The individual did so for three nights but received no reply. He eventually returned to the scholars and informed them of this. ‘اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَ اِنَّآ اِلَيۡهِ رٰجِعُوۡنَ’, they exclaimed, ‘We fear he may not be destined for Paradise after all. Go to Yemen; you will find a valley