Brothers and sisters! My khutba today is about remembering and making preparations for our final journey from this life to the next life of the hereafter.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
“Every soul will taste death and you will be paid in full only on the Day of Resurrection.” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:185).
Such is the reality of death and what comes after it. Every one of us shall taste it whether poor or rich; healthy or sick, old or young; leader or led and none of us can escape it, wherever we may be.
أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يُدْرِكُكُمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُشَيَّدَةٍ
“Death will overtake you wherever you be, even in the mightiest of towers” (al-Nisa’, 4:78)
A person may die in the prime of his or her youth. Death gets hold of a person at the appointed time. Such is the mystery of death. This being the case, are we ready and prepared for death which is looming upon each one of us.
And what is this worldly life? Philosophers and thinkers have always been grappling with this question. Rather than debate upon their speculative thinking, it is best to know what Allah (SWT) Himself says about this worldly life.
اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ
“Bear in mind that the life of this world is just a game, a diversion, an attraction, a cause of boasting among you, of rivalry in wealth and children” (al-Hadid, 57:20).
People, generally get so enchanted by the glamour of this materialistic world and high standards of living it offers that very often they become forgetful and neglectful of death. Even though death is certain at its appointed time, yet people tend to live as if they are going to live forever. Death and life are both creations of Allah (SWT) and have a purpose.
الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا
“It is He who created death and life to test which of you is best in action.” (al-Mulk, 67:2)
In this worldly life, people are constantly put to all types of test.
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
“We shall certainly test you with fear and hunger, and loss of property, lives, and crops. But, give good news to those who are patient” (al-Baqarah, 2:155).
Believers are urged to be patient while facing these tests and trials.
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
“Those who, when disaster strikes them, say, ´We belong to Allah and to Him we will return. (al-Baqarah, 2: 156)
وَنَبْلُوكُمْ بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ
We test you all through the bad and the good, and to us you will all return” (al-Anbiya’, 21:35).
True righteous believers are really blessed. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Amazing is the affair of the believer for there is good in every matter of his and this is not the case with anyone except the believer; if he is happy, then he thanks Allah and thus there is good for him; and if he is inflicted with a calamity, then he shows patience and thus there is good for him.”
What is the reality of death? When it comes, the spirit or rooh leaves the body. We learn through prophetic traditions that a good soul comes out of the body with ease, while an evil soul, which resists leaving the body is taken out harshly by the angel of death. The two types of souls are accordingly honored or dishonored in their respective journeys to the heavenly dimensions and back, when they are questioned in the graves. There is a Prophetic du’a that says,
اَللّٰهُمَّ حَاسِبْنِىْ حِسَا بًا يَّسِيْرًا
“O Allah! Make my accounting easy.”
During a wicked person’s dying moments, he wishes that death were delayed so that if he were a non-believer, he would become a believer; or if he were a disobedient believer, he would repent from his sins.
حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ () لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ
“When death comes to any of them, he says, My Lord, send me back; that I may act righteously in what I have left behind…” (al-Mu’minun, 23:99-100)
وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّى إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الْآَنَ وَلَا الَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ
“Repentance is not for those who continue to do evil until death confronts them and then say, ‘Now I repent,’ nor of those who die disbelieving.” (al-Nisa’, 4:18)
So, iman or faith is not accepted from anyone at the time of death. Also, repentance is useless if the person has started to experience the throes of death. According to a hadith, “Allah (SWT) accepts repentance from a person as long as death does not reach his throat.” As for the righteous believers; may Allah make us among them, Allah says,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ
“Those who say, ´Our Lord is Allah, and then remain steadfast, the angels descend on them, saying: Do not fear and do not grieve but rejoice in the Garden you have been promised.” (al-Fussilat, 41:30)
May Allah make us among them.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين.
Brothers and sisters! Man takes nothing with him in his grave. We learn through a hadith which says, “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: (1) perpetual charity (Sadaqah Jariyah), (2) knowledge which is beneficial; and (3) a virtuous descendant who prays for him.” Such admonitions remind us that we should hasten in doing good deeds before our time is up and our book of deeds gets closed forever. We should not be among those hypocrites who will cry to Allah (SWT) to give them more time to spend in His way and to be one of the righteous.
وَأَنْفِقُوا مِنْ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
“And spend out of what We have provided for you before death comes to one of you and he says, My Lord! If only You would postpone it for a little while, then I would give in charity and be among the righteous.” (al-Munafiqun, 63:10).
We should strive to be among those about whom Allah (SWT) says,
وَالَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ غُرَفًا تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا نِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ () الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ()
“We shall lodge forever those who believe and do good works in the mansions of Paradise beside which rivers flow. How excellent is the reward of those who labor; and who are steadfast and put their trust in their Lord.” (al-‘Ankabut, 29:58-59).
Deeds are very important, but the intentions behind those deeds are still more important. A good deed with bad intention carries no reward with Allah (SWT). An example of this is to do an act with the intention of showing off. We have to be very clear about our intentions. We have to take extra care to see that nothing is done with an intention to deceive or show off; rather any act should be done to seek the pleasure of Allah (SWT). Man gets the reward of what he intends. This is very clearly explained through a hadith, which says,
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَإِنَّمَا لِامْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى
“Actions are according to intentions, and every man shall have only what he intended.…”
The condition of the heart is also to be kept in mind. We understand from the meaning of a hadith that hearts get rusted. When someone asked the Prophet (SAW), “What could cleanse the hearts again,” he replied, “Frequent remembrance of death and recitation of the Qur’an.” One of the descriptions of the Day of Judgment in the Qur’an is:
يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ () إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ
“The day when neither wealth nor children will benefit anyone; except for someone who comes to Allah with a sound heart.” (ash-Suh’ara, 26:88-89)
When people are completely immersed in the material world, believing that the world is all that matters and all that exists and that they are not accountable for their actions, they affect a spiritual death of their hearts. May Allah save us from this situation; Ameen.
O Allah! Give us the realization that death can strike us suddenly; anywhere, anytime. O Allah! Don’t let our death be in a state of sin. O Allah! Take away the love of sins from our hearts, and put the love of good deeds into our hearts. O Allah! Bless us with iman, yaqeen, and deeds that are acceptable to you. O Allah! Bless us with the tawfiq of sincere repentance before death overtakes us. O Allah! Let our last days be the best days of our life, and our last deeds the best of our deeds. And let the best day be the day we meet you. Allahumma Ameen.
وَصَلَّ اللهُ عَلَى خيرِ خَلقِهِ مُحمَّدٍ وعَلَى آلِه وأصْحَابِه أجْمَعِين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
– وأ قِمِ الصَّلاةَ
إِنَّ الصَّلاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُون
