4th
Rabee-al-Thani 1429H
11th
April
2008AC
In
the name of Allah most Gracious Most Merciful.
Allah
says: {and comes the struggle of death with the certainty that is what you
have been avoiding} 50:19
It came with certainty and truth. And what is certain and
what is true is that you are going to die. Allah is alive never dies. It comes
with the truth, and you get to see the angel of mercy or your see the angel of
punishment.
The truth is that your grave is either going to be one
garden of the gardens of
Eden,
or one hole of the holes of Hellfire.
And it comes with certainty, and that is what you have
been avoiding by seeking to see the doctors if you get sick, or be seeking
food when you feel hungry, or seek drink… but then what is next?
There are two preachers. The messenger (PPBU) left for us
two very impressive preachers: a spoken preacher and a silent preacher. They
are constantly and continuously preaching to us. People do need very powerful
lessons. For indeed, the minds become forgetful; and hearts become harder.
This life misleads and betrays us, and our souls tend to order us with the
bad, and Satan misguides people. There is a definite need for a preacher. The
messenger (PPBU) left those two permanent and strong preachers.
The first is the spoken preacher, and that is the Quran.
The second is the silent preacher, and that is death.
The Koran meets us every morning and every evening with
verses and miracles. It reminds people and it gets the attention of the
forgetful ones, and it supplies the faithful with more faith.
Death is a silent preacher. Death too meets us in the
mornings and in the evenings. And it is a powerful preacher too. But
unfortunately, we are deaf, we could not hear. We are very busy with our life,
we continuously, and breathlessly chasing after it, argue and even fight over
what it offers. We are forgetting this which threatens us on daily basis; in
fact on hourly basis. Or, even a minute by minute threat, or even momentary
threat. Forgetting that this preacher “and what can be a more powerful
preacher than death” did actually come to the messenger (PPBU).
Did you ever see more effective and eloquent way of
preaching, than a human being, a living picture, a living body, a shining
face, and an eloquently spoken tong, with a will of want for this life, and a
will that lays out the plans for this worldly life. And suddenly, this shiny
face goes dull and stale, and this living body is dead, and this eloquent tong
is silenced, and this human being whose voice could fill the ears, and whose
image fills the sight, suddenly is placed in one of the many graves. Yes,
death is a powerful preacher.
Just few days ago, two young girls filled the lives of
their parents. Only a few hours separated between saying their goodbyes
departing for a temporary weekend trip, and the parents receiving the sad news
of their permanent departure by death. As if it was a dream or an imagination,
two little girls in their youthful childhood age can be approached by death on
such an unexpected moment when people where unaware.
Dear brothers and sisters, this is the fact and the truth
which is absent and also present at the same time. It is present because we
see it every day. And it is absent because we do not want to remember it. Let
no one feel safe after today. For death comes so sudden; and the grave is the
box of one’s deeds. Death is closer than the wink of an eye. Let no one think
that death is far away from him or her. With the name of Allah, death is ever
so close to the human being. Every person wakening up in the morning with his
family, death can strike him before he manages to put his shoes on. Each and
every person has his or her time of death; and this that dies, his
resurrection starts for him.
Death is like the speed of vision or as fast as the blink
of an eye. There is a very fine thread separating between life and death. So
little that can cause this brain to stop functioning, or this heart to halt
beating, or this breath drawn in is to be unable to be exhaled, or those
functioning organs to shut down, and this body to become an unmoving corpse.
After a person was being used to tell the news, now he
himself becomes the news. People start saying: “he is dead”. A word is spoken
in such simplicity and a haste or rush. And yet what a tremendous fact it is.
When we say someone is dead, it means the fact that every thing is finished
for him. No more chances to improve his balance of deeds, or to repentance
from his sins, or do something to improve his credit status with Allah.
When death comes to people, each one of them wishes if
they were given another month in time. Or even a week, or a day, or an hour,
or even a minute. In one minute one can say: “I repent to Allah” or he may
praise Allah one more time, or makes a will which he never made when he had
life and had health. But, he uselessly will be wishing for such a chance.
Allah says: {you believers; do not let your money or your children make you
forget to remember Allah; and this who does that; they are the losers. And
spend from what we gave you before the death comes to one of you, and he start
saying: God, if you postpone me to a not too far a time, I would give for
charity, and I would be with the good ones. And Allah will not delay a soul
when its term comes. And Allah is so expert with what you do.} 62:9-11. Allah
also says: {Allah’s term when it comes, it does not get delayer if you just
knew}71:4.
Time of death is defined; the age for living is defined; a
number of days; and a limited number of breaths of air drawn. In fact a number
of moments. Allah says: {and every soul will get the taste of death. And you
will merely be given your rewards on the day of resurrection. For this who is
budged or moved off the fire and made to enter paradise has won. And this life
is mere false and vane enjoyment}3:185. Allah also says: {All on this life is
to parish, and only that remains is the face of your Lord with His dignity and
honor}55:26-26.
The messenger (PPBU) advised us to remember the destroyer
of enjoyments: “Death”. For death does cuts off enjoyment and terminates it to
the individual. No joy and nothing last for ever. If it can last for a person
then it would have lasted for someone from the past. But it never did for
anyone.
One of the Muslim rulers asked a scholar to preach him
with some advice. The scholar said: you ought to know that you will not be the
first ruler to die. And if this before you did not die, then you wouldn’t have
become a ruler. And between you and the first man Adam, is a few dead fathers,
who died as you certainly will too.
Gabrael was reported to have told the messenger (PPBU)
once: {Mohammad, live as much as you like, you shall die. And do what you
like, you shall be judged for. And love whoever you like, you shall be parting
from.}
No matter how old one lives, 40, 50, 60, 70, 100 or even
as old as Noah did live, or over 1000. What is going to happen at the end? The
end is death. When the angel of death came to take Prophet Noah soul (who
incidentally lived for 950 year) he asked him: “how did you find this life?”
He answered: “I found it like a room with two doors, I entered through one and
I left through the other”.
A man asked the messenger (PPBU): who is the best of all
people, and the most resolute? The messenger said: {this of them who remembers
death more, and this of them who is most ready for death. Those are the good
once who took all the nobleness of this life, and the honor of the life
after}.
The messenger (PPBU) once after a funeral; sat by a grave
and cried. And he said “it is for the likes of this that you should get
ready”.
And giving an advice to Muad (ãõÚÇÐ)
the messenger (PPBU) said: {worship Allah as if you see Him. And count your
self among the dead. And say Allah’s name or think of Allah at each rock, and
at each tree. And if you commit a sin then do a good deed beside it. Private
for a private and a public for a public}.
A king once built a beautiful palace. Decorated, painted,
fitted it with the most luxurious furniture, and expensive masterpieces. And
filled it with the most rare and beautiful artifacts. One of his close friends
was good man. He asked his friend: can you see any fault or defect in this
palace so I can fix it? His friend said: yes, I see only one fault in it, but
you can not fix it. The king said: what is it? I have so much money which can
get anything fixed. The friend said: The only fault in this palace is that you
will have one departure from it, after which there will be no return. You will
leave and never return, or you will enter and never leave. And that is the
case for any home you build.
And one man bought a house from another and went to have
the contract drawn up. The editor of the contract wrote the following: This is
what a one dead (or dying) individual bought from another dead one. A home in
the town of forgetfulness, on the sinners’ way, with four borders: the first
border terminates with death, the second border leads to the grave, the third
leads to be brought to an account; and the fourth border leads to paradise or
Hell.
Hamed Qaisary said: we all are certain of death, and yet
none of us is ready for it. And we all are certain of
Paradise, and yet you
don’t see any once working for it. And we all are certain of Hellfire, and yet
we do not see one who is afraid of it. Why are you so happy? And what you may
be waiting for? It is death. It is the first to come to you with good or with
bad. Brothers, walk to your God in a good manner.
{Every soul is getting the taste of death}is a verse
repeated three times in the Koran. Every soul including prophets, the
believers, martyrs, the good living, they all will get the taste of death. All
the messengers, the chosen ones, and the best before the messenger (PPBU), all
of them got the taste of death.
The messenger Muhammad (PPBU) and the choice of Allah
amongst all of His creations, he got the taste of death. When he died the
companions were stunned, and some of them even denied it. Omar said: “I will
kill anyone who says Muhammad is dead.” With the grace of Allah two men
remained composed and were inspired the truth.
The first is Al-Abbas the messenger’s uncle who recited to
the crowds what Allah says: {Indeed you shall die and so shall they, then on
the day of resurrection you shall be with your God argue.}39:30.
And the second man was Abu-Baker who gave his famous
speech: “O’ people, whoever was worshipping Muhammad, let them know that
Muhammad is dead. And whoever was worshiping Allah, then let them know that
Allah is for ever living, never dies.” Then he recited the verse: {and
Muhammad is just a messenger, and before him other messengers have come and
gone. Is it that if he dies or gets killed your retreat back? And this that
does turn back will not hurt Allah the slightest. And Allah shall reward those
who are thankful}3:144.
Kings, princes, leaders, the mighty and the rich they all
died, and their riches, armies and treasures was of no help to them. Death
practices equality between the rich and the poor. Death is the end of every
living being. Where did all the powerful and mighty go to? This is the end for
them all: one meter, by one meter by two. This is the human’s destiny. The all
are equal at that deadly embrace of the grave, and when maggots and worms
consume the bodies.
Death is like a drink everyone will drink, those are
faithful and those who are not. There is no escape from death when the time
comes. Many die because of a heart attack or in a car accident. Even for those
walking safely on the side of the road may be killed by an out of control car.
Death does not differentiate between an old or a young, a
rich or a poor, a strong or a weak, a healthy or a sick, a traveler or a
resident. Death is coming but unfortunately we are unaware of this dangerous
fact. Let us get ready for death before we are supervised with its sudden
arrival. Lets us pack up and get ready. Ali Ebn_Abi-Talib used to cry and say:
“Worldly life, stay away from me, go and fool someone else not me. I have you
divorced three times with no chance of reconciliation. You have such a short
life span. You have such a low standard of living, and your enjoyment is so
limited. What is regrettable and pitiful is the lack of provisions, and the
far distance to travel, and the terrifying road”. Allah says: {get loaded with
provisions, and the best provision is God fearing. And you who have brains,
fear Me.}2:197.
Dear God, grant us the God fearing attribute. And make us
of the people of the next life, and make us amongst the best that get
themselves ready for what comes after death.
Friday Talks 
