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“The Hereafter Is Better And More Lasting” - By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
“The Hereafter Is Better And More Lasting”
By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Dear Muslims:
Allah (SWT)
created the creatures, ordained for them their fates and decreed for them their
appointed time. As the day and night pass, He (SWT) brings new creatures to
life and causes others to die. Life continues with its natures and lessons and
among people are obedient and believing ones and the disobedient and
disbelieving ones.
The days of life
have a lot of lessons, admonitions and events of which some people prosper and
some are in misery. Some wished that its days may come to an end so that their
sorrow and distress may come to an end with it, while others wished that those
days might remain forever so that their happiness may be everlasting. These
lessons increase the wise in admonition and awaken the ignorant even from his
slumber.
The vicissitudes of time should be a
stance of lesson and self-examination for man. Let man take a sincere stance on
his person and his life. All people will stand before their Lord and account
for what they did in this life. Allah (SWT) says, “Then surely, We shall
question those (people) to whom it (the Book) was sent and verily We shall
question the Messengers.” (Al-A’raaf: 7). Allah (SWT) also says: “And fear a
day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for
what it earned and they will not be wronged (i.e. treated unjustly).”
(Al-Baqarah: 291).
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “The life of this world
is sweet and green (i.e. as tempting as fruits) and Allah makes you succeed one another in it, so that He (SWT)
may observe what type of deeds you will do therein. Beware of this life and
beware of (the temptation of) women.” (Muslim). He (PBUH) also said: “If this
world was worth a mosquito’s wing in the sight of Allah, He would not have
given a disbeliever a single gulp of water.” (Al-Tirmidhi).
The foregoing Ahadeeth give the clearest
picture of the worthlessness of this world and show an exhortation to mankind
to fulfil their objectives here. They are meant to worship Allah (SWT), reform
their souls, be pious, abstain from lusts and base desires and not become
deceived with the beauties of this life. It is however, pathetic that many are
in the state of forgetfulness and delusion so much so that the aspiration of
acquiring the beauties of this world has overpowered them and sins and evil
deeds have covered their hearts. They live as if there is no other life except
that of this world. When the love of this life conquers one’s heart, it makes
one forget the remembrance of his Lord and if that happens then he becomes
deserving of the wrath of Allah. The Prophet (PBUH), while explaining the evil
of the love of this world and its danger to one’s religion said: “Two hungry wolves
sent into the midst of a flock of sheep are less destructive to the sheep than
man’s covetousness for money and fame are to his religion”. (Tirmithi).
A sign of the domination of love of this
world over the hearts is when one does not have concern for anything other than
the search for prestige and fame, even if that is to be at the expense of one’s
religion. Some have concerns only for amassing wealth even if they have to get
it from dubious or forbidden means.
The Prophet (PBUH) warned against this when
he said: “The fire of hell is entitled to any piece of flesh that has been
nurtured by ill-gotten food”. (Tirmithi).
Dear Muslims:
Mans happiness and
success lies in his repentance to his Lord and his steadfastness upon the law
of Allah (SWT) and His religion for the entire duration of his life. It does
not lie in being distracted from working towards his eternal future by the urge
to acquire the beauties of this world. This is the way of the righteous and
pious people whom Allah (SWT) describes as: “Men whom neither commerce nor sale
distracts them from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and
giving of zakaah. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will (fearfully)
turn about.” (An-Noor: 37). The truthful people will be questioned, “that He
may ask the truthful about their truth. ” (Al-Ahzaab: 8). Those who lived
favourable lives will be held responsible. Allah (SWT) says: “Then on that day,
you shall be asked about the delight (you indulged in, in this world).”
(Al-Takathur: 8).
Days and nights
pass bringing near the far. In their quick movements is a lesson for the
understanding person that his life is fast expiring and his death is quickly
approaching. ‘Umar said, “Call yourself to account when you are in bliss before
the reckoning of that severe day; for whoever calls himself to account when he
is in bliss will win the pleasure of Allah and happiness and whoever allows his
life and desires to make him forgetful and occupy all his attention will regret
and lose.”
The Prophet (PBUH) said, “People wake up
in the morning; among them are those who are selling their lives and there are
those who are destroying their lives”. (Muslim). Some people spend their time
in search of various kinds of knowledge because of their awareness that knowledge
leads to happiness. They therefore exert their efforts in search of it and endure all difficulties
in its cause and earn as a result increased excellent virtues. They are
overshadowed by the light of obedience and worship and prefer the everlasting
over the mortal. These are the pious, leaders of people on the Last Day. “Allah
will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted
knowledge.” (Al-Mujaadilah: 11).
Dear Brothers And Sisters In Islam:
Muslims should
spend their days in performing righteous deeds and seek the abode of the
Hereafter with whatever Allah (SWT) gives them. This is because they know that
this life is only a means to achieve the everlasting life and perpetual
prosperity. They know this world is not an end in itself but only a finite
place in which both the pious and sinful have their daily bread. They know
that, however long one may live, they will eventually grow old and die. They
also understand this world’s insignificance and know that it is worthless in
the sight of Allah (SWT) and that it is only a bridge which people cross over
to reach Paradise or Hell. Allah (SWT) says
that which translates as: “Know that the life of this world is but amusement
and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in
increase of wealth and children – like the example of a rain whose (resulting)
plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow;
then it becomes (scattered) debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment
and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except
the enjoyment of delusion?” (Al-Hadeed:
20).
Those who seek for the good and Paradise
are the ones who call to the Way of Allah (SWT) with sure knowledge, wisdom and
good admonitions, those who adhere to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His
Messenger, enjoin all that is good, forbid all that is evil, exhorting their
children, preserving Allah’s trust on them and endeavour to reform them, in
order that they may be of good help to them in this life and treasure for them
after their death. Those who do these have taken to the path of glory and
actually wish themselves good and safety in matters of their religion. Allah
(SWT) says: “And whoever desires the hereafter and strives for it with the
necessary effort done for it while he is a believer, then such are the ones
whose striving shall be appreciated, thanked and rewarded (by Allah).”
(Al-Israa’: 19).
Dear Muslims:
There is no
sin had been allowed to overpower a heart except that it destroyed it. Sin
destroys the present bliss and prevents the coming one. We should then
endeavour to examine ourselves and to beware of fanciful desires, satanic
insinuations, and evil ending for every word and glance of ours is being recorded.
We should reprove ourselves on our negligence and thank Allah (SWT) that He
prolongs our life. Hasten, my brother, to sincere repentance for Allah is happy
when His slave repents. Do not postpone your repentance for whoever does that
will not do any good deed. Among Luqmaan’s admonitions to his son is: ‘O my
son, do not delay repentance for death comes suddenly. Then the prosperous one
is he who struggles for his own soul and prepares for his death before it
comes.’
Some scholars
said, ‘Whoever puts his desires under his feet, Satan will be scared of him.’
Therefore make good use of your time, conquer your whims, call yourself to
account, abhor the evil, get prepared for the misfortunes of death and mend
your ways for your departure from this world is near. Whoever reforms the
remaining part of his life will have his past misdeeds forgiven but whoever
continues to sin in what is left of his life will be held responsible for his
former and later sins. Remember, “the Day when every person will be confronted
with all the good he has done and all the evil he has done, he will wish that
there were a great distance between him and his evil. And Allah warns you
against Himself (His Punishment) and Allah is full of kindness to the slaves.”
(Aal-‘Imraan: 30).
I would like
to end today`s Khutbah by reminding myself and you to fear Allah and be dutiful
to Him and remember that we will one day leave this world for our everlasting
abode which will be either Paradise or Hell. We should get ourselves prepared
for that day: “So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained (his desire). And what is the life
of this world except the enjoyment of delusion?" (Aal-‘Imraan: 185).
May Allah (SWT) make us from those whose
main goal in life is to please Him (SWT), bless, guide and forgive us all.
(Ameen).
