|
Praise be to Allah who said: “And for
those who fears the time when they will be standing before their Lord,
there shall be two gardens (in Paradise).”
[Sûrah al-Rahmân: 46]
May Allah bestow His peace and blessings on His
prophet who said: “If you knew what I know, you would laugh little
and weep much. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî
(4621, 6486, 7295) and Sahîh
Muslim (2359)] And may Allah be
pleased with the Companions who wept upon hearing this hadîth.
It is right for us to have fear of that day
that we all have to face. That Day of Resurrection is a day of
distress and deep regret. It is that long and ominous Day in which all
humanity will stand before their Lord. On that day, fear will make the
pregnant woman miscarry. People will be as if they are drunk but they
shall not be drunk save that the severity of Allah’s punishment will
make them that way. On that day, fear will make the hair on the heads
of small children turn gray.
We should seriously start to prepare ourselves
for that day, since it is the crossroads on the long journey of our
existence. From there, we will head either to Paradise or to the
Hellfire. Those who enter paradise will dwell there for all eternity
in perpetual happiness and enjoyment, while those who go to Hell will
face torture, and the denizens of Hell will find to their distress
that they have eternal lives as well.
We must, however, have an optimistic outlook
regarding our Lord. His mercy is truly vast for those who believe in
Him and worship Him sincerely and it always takes precedence to His
wrath. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has told us that Allah is more
merciful to us than a devoted mother is to her newborn child. [Sahîh
al-Bukhârî (5999) and Sahîh
Muslim (2754)]
The fear that we have of the Day of
Resurrection should motivate us to be more devoted in worship and more
ready to engage in good deeds. We should pray and fast more often and
renew our efforts to make pilgrimage. We should be good to our
families and show kindness to our parents. There are many different
ways to do good.
This same fear should help us to abstain from
sinful acts and disobedience to Allah. This fear, then, will actually
have a positive effect on us. It is not a negative fear that will make
us inactive and despair of Allah’s mercy.
The following activities are very helpful in
helping a Muslim prepare for that dreadful day, “a
day wherein they will be brought forth and nothing about them will be
hidden from Allah.” [Sûrah Ghâfir: 16]
1. We should read the Qur’ân and contemplate
its meanings. We should consider its rulings and appreciate the good
that it promises us as well as the warnings that it gives us.
2. We should read about the life of the Prophet
(peace be upon him). We should study how he conducted himself in
obedience to Allah and how he abstained from overindulgence in worldly
pleasures.
3. We should likewise read the biographies of
the Companions and those who followed after them and look at how they
strove to attain success in the Hereafter.
4. We should often contemplate the
inevitability of death. We should be aware of the trials that follow
in the grave and during the resurrection. We should visualize
ourselves standing before Allah, the most scrupulous and just of
judges. We should think about the bridge that we will have to cross in
order to attain salvation, a bridge from which many will slip and fall
to their destruction. We should think about the joy that will be
experienced by the people of Paradise and the suffering and sorrow of
the denizens of Hell.
We need to always keep in mind that death can
come to us at any moment. How do we wish to meet our Lord? Do we wish
to do so in a state of grace and obedience or would we like to do so
while engaged in sin? Ibn `Umar relates to us that the prophet (peace
be upon him) once put his hand on his shoulder and said to him: “Be
in the world as if you are a wayfarer or a stranger passing
through.” Because of this, Ibn `Umar would often say: “When night
falls, do not look forward to the dawn and when day breaks do not
anticipate the night. Take full advantage of your health before you
succumb to illness and of your life before death overtakes you.” [Sahîh
al-Bukhârî (6416)]
5. We need to seriously study to acquire
Islamic knowledge. When we acquire more knowledge of our religion, we
become more aware of Allah and more God-fearing. Allah says: “The
only people who fear Allah from among His servants are those who
possess knowledge.”
6. We should keep company with pious people,
especially those who have Islamic knowledge and those who are engaged
in calling others to Islam. Likewise, we should avoid the company of
sinful and unscrupulous people. Good company helps us to purify our
hearts. We also find support in such people for our efforts to do what
is right. Conversely, bad company hardens our heart. Immoral people
encourage us to do immoral things. Also, when our hearts become
hardened, we become far away from Allah and more attached to worldly
things.
7. We should always keep in mind that this
world is a transient place. Those who enjoy the pleasures of this
world will not be able to take those pleasures with them. They have
only their deeds to send before them. Allah says:
“On the Day when every soul will find itself confronted with all
that it has done of good and all that it has done of evil, and every
soul will long that there might be a mighty space of distance between
it and that evil. Allah bids you beware of Him. And Allah is full of
pity for His servants.” [Sûrah Âl `Imrân: 30]
No matter how great this world may seem to us,
it is in truth quite insignificant. No matter how enduring it may
appear right now, it is as fleeting as a night that must end at
another sunrise. Our worldly lives will come to an end at the grave.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The
life of this world compared to the Hereafter is as if one of you were
to put his finger in the ocean and take it out again then compare the
water that remains on his finger to the water that remains in the
ocean.” [Sahîh Muslim
(2858)]
8. Lastly, we must spend more time in sincere
supplication to our Lord. We should ask Him to make the Hereafter
dearer to us and to make us less fond of the world. We should beseech
Him to grant us Paradise with all of its delights and to spare us His
wrath. Truly, Allah hears and answers our prayers.
|
|
