Fajr Reminders - Mahmood Habib Masjid and Islamic Center

There are several ways to guide. The most reliable way is to give the person a compass to find direction, a map with details of the route and a guide to take them to their destination. That is what Allahﷻ did. He gave us the compass, the Qur’an, a map, the Sunnah, and the guide, Rasoolullahﷺ. The one who rejects any of these is rejecting guidance. Abu Huraira (R) reported: Rasoolullahﷺ said, “Everyone from my nation will enter Jannah except those who refuse.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, who will refuse?” The Prophet said, “Whoever obeys me enters Jannah and whoever disobeys me has refused.” (Sahih) Bukhari About obeying Rasoolullahﷺ, Allahﷻ set a unique standard and declared: فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا۟ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا Nisa 4: 65 But no! By your Rabb, they will never be ˹true˺ believers until they accept you ˹O Prophet˺ as the judge in their disputes and find no resistance within themselves against your decision and submit wholeheartedly. As we know, sin is culpable only when it is committed, either by speech or action. Not when you think or feel disobedient or rebellious. Except in the case of Rasoolullahﷺ. With his rulings, Allahﷻ declared that the condition of Imaan (faith), not just a sin but a boundary condition, is to accept his ruling in any matter and not only to do that visibly but also internally and to do that wholeheartedly without any resistance to it in our hearts. That is the reason it is so important to know Rasoolullahﷺ and to love him more than we love any other human being. Only then can we develop the trust that is necessary to accept whatever he told us, because we know that his source of knowledge was superior to ours, that he always wanted the best for us and that whatever he told us, he had been guided to say. Allahﷻ said: وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ - إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْىٌ يُوحَىٰ Najm 53: 3-4 Nor does he speak of his own whims. It is only a revelation sent down ˹to him˺. This reinforces for us that what comes from Rasoolullahﷺ is always beneficial and important and so must be followed. Allahﷻ declared very simply and powerfully without any reservations or boundaries: مَّن يُطِعِ ٱلرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ ٱللَّهَ وَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ فَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا Nisa 4: 80 Whoever obeys the Messenger has truly obeyed Allah. But whoever turns away, then ˹know that˺ We have not sent you as a keeper over them. Allahﷻ declared the fundamental principle of obedience to Rasoolullahﷺ. وَمَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَىٰكُمْ عَنْهُ فَٱنتَهُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ Hashr 59: 7 Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it. And whatever he forbids you from, leave it. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment. Allahﷻ commands – Do whatever he tells you and stay away from whatever he forbids you. This blanket statement shows that Rasoolullahﷺ can never command anything that is contrary to Allahﷻ’s wish. Abu Hurairah (R) said: I heard Rasoolullahﷺ say: What I have forbidden for you, stay away from it. What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can. For verily, it was only their excessive questioning and disagreeing with their Prophets that destroyed [the nations] who were before you. [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] The principle therefore is to do what Rasoolullahﷺ ordered, to the best of our ability but to stop totally whatever he forbade. He didn’t tell us to stop to the best of our ability. Stop totally and instantly. When Allahﷻ revealed: يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْخَمْرُ وَٱلْمَيْسِرُ وَٱلْأَنصَابُ وَٱلْأَزْلَـٰمُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ فَٱجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ Ma’aida 5: 90 O believers! Intoxicants, gambling, idols, and drawing lots for decisions are all evil of Satan’s handiwork. So shun them so you may be successful. The Sahaba immediately stopped drinking wine. They didn’t ask for time or argue about it. They obeyed. This is the secret of their success. Obedience. Narrated Anas bin Malik (R): I was serving Abu 'Ubaida, Abu Talha and Ubai bin Ka'b (RA) with a drink prepared from ripe and unripe dates. Then somebody came to them and said, "Alcoholic drinks have been prohibited." (On hearing that) Abu Talha (R) said, "Get up. O Anas and throw it out! So, I threw it out. Narrated Anas: While I was waiting on my uncles and serving them with (wine prepared from) dates, and I was the youngest of them, it was said, "Alcoholic drinks have been prohibited." They said (to me), "Throw it away." So, I threw it away. Alcohol is not called the Mother of all Evil, for nothing. It is the worst of all addictions and impossible to cure. Alcoholics Anonymous says that even someone who has managed to overcome his alcohol addiction for 20 years, will get hooked if he takes just one drink. Yet the Sahaba, many of whom co

All knowledge begins with Adab – an attitude of respect for knowledge and everything and everyone related to it. Adab is like the preparation of the soil for planting. Without preparation the best seed will perish. So also with knowledge, especially the knowledge of Islam. Without Adab we may get the words, but never the Noor, the meaning, or the transformation. Allahﷻ set the rules of behavior with Rasoolullahﷺ very strictly and said: يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ بَيْنَ يَدَىِ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ - يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَرْفَعُوٓا۟ أَصْوَٰتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا۟ لَهُۥ بِٱلْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَـٰلُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ Hujuraat 49: 1-2 O believers! Do not proceed ˹in any matter˺ before ˹a decree from˺ Allah and His Messenger. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. O believers! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak loudly to him as you do to one another, or your deeds will become void while you are unaware. In our context since Rasoolullahﷺ is not with us, this means that in any matter we refer to the Qur’an and Sunnah for a ruling. And when we come across a text, we don’t contradict it with our opinions but accept the text with submission. It means that we don’t disregard or ignore what Rasoolullahﷺ may have decreed and don’t use our selfish desires to contradict that. That is the meaning of raising your voice over the voice of the Rasool and putting yourself ahead of Allahﷻ and His Rasool. The punishment for that is complete wiping out of all deeds. Imagine how terrible it would be that we spend our whole life doing all kinds of good deeds and acts of worship and charity but because of loose talk and disrespect towards Rasoolullahﷺ it is all wiped out and we have nothing when we meet Allahﷻ. That is why the Persian poet said: با خدا دیوانہ باش و با محمدﷺ ہوشیار In our so-called worldly matters where we feel free to decide whichever way it suits us, Allahﷻ specifically commands us to obey the Qur’an and Sunnah. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ فَإِن تَنَـٰزَعْتُمْ فِى شَىْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱلرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا Nisa 4: 59 O believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Should you disagree on anything, then refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you ˹truly˺ believe in Allah and the Last Day. This is the best and fairest resolution. This is one of the many Ayaat which remind us that this life is the preparation for the Aakhira. It shows that no aspect of our lives is outside the purview of Islam and that everything that we say or do has the potential to take us to Jannah provided we do it as Rasoolullahﷺ did it. Study Seerah. The big danger is when we are tempted to say, ‘In my opinion’, when we are faced with an Ayat of the Qur’an or a Sahih Hadith of Rasoolullahﷺ. Make Istighfaar and seek Allahﷻ’s protection from Shaytaan when such a thought comes, because ‘In my opinion’, is the door to disaster. There is no place for any contradictory personal opinion when we have a text – the Qur’an and Sunnah. That is the fundamental rule in Islam. I advise myself and you to be very careful with our language. We enter this Deen by saying some words. It is equally easy to leave the religion if we say the wrong words. So, let’s think and weigh our words before we speak. Ask yourself why Allahﷻ emphasized the Messengership of Rasoolullahﷺ so much and so many times if he was merely a ‘postman’ as some people like to say. Let me assure you that to show the slightest disrespect to Rasoolullahﷺ by using terms that are not suitable to his exalted rank, or to make fun of him or criticize him or denigrate his importance is not only a sign of gross ignorance but Kufr and takes one out of Islam. وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّمَا كُنَّا نَخُوضُ وَنَلْعَبُ قُلْ أَبِٱللَّهِ وَءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَرَسُولِهِۦ كُنتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِءُونَ لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا۟ قَدْ كَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَـٰنِكُمْ إِن نَّعْفُ عَن طَآئِفَةٍ مِّنكُمْ نُعَذِّبْ طَآئِفَةًۢ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ مُجْرِمِينَ Tawba 9: 65-66 If you question them, they will certainly say, “We were only talking idly and joking around.” Say, “Was it Allah, His Revelations, and His Messenger that you ridiculed?” Make no excuses! You have lost faith after your belief. If We pardon a group of you, We will punish others for their wickedness. Allahﷻ warned us about people who ridicule Allahﷻ and His Messengerﷺ: وَقَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ يُكْفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلَا تَقْعُدُوا۟ مَعَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُوا۟ فِى حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِۦٓ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِّثْلُهُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ جَامِعُ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ فِى جَهَنَّم

Decision Making Masterclass by Mirza Yawar Baig: https://youtu.be/0cpHefd6Je0

Allahﷻ declared that Muhammadﷺ is His Messengerﷺ and the last of them and the Seal of the Prophets and that after him there is no other. مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَآ أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن رَّسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمًا Ahzab 33: 40 Muḥammad is not the father of any of your men but is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the prophets. And Allah has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things. The first thing to remember about Rasoolullahﷺ and our relationship with him is that we are required to believe IN him. Not just to believe the message, but to believe that he, Muhammadﷺ, was the messenger of Allahﷻ. To believe in Rasoolullahﷺ as the messenger of Allahﷻ is essential because the message is about Al-Ghayb, the Unperceivable. Iman-bil-Ghayb is the fundamental element of our Creed. Everything depends on that. We believe in it because Rasoolullahﷺ said so. We believe him because we believe IN him and believe that he was completely truthful and so if he said that Allahﷻ said such and such, then we believe it. His word is the evidence, Daleel. This is the basic principle of authentication of Ahadith. The Muhadditheen check to see if Rasoolullahﷺ said it. If he did, they don’t go further to see if it can be proven scientifically or in any other way. If it is verified that he said it, we believe it. The reality is that our science doesn’t go far enough to look into the future or to tell us what happens after death or anything of Al-Ghayb. We believe in Al-Ghayb simply because Rasoolullahﷺ informed us about it. If you think about it, this makes the entire Qur’an also a Hadith of Rasoolullahﷺ. We believe that Alhamdulillahi Rabbil A’alameen is an Ayah only because Rasoolullahﷺ told us that it is an Ayah. It could just as easily have been something that Rasoolullahﷺ said, because if you wanted to say, ‘All praise and thanks are for Allahﷻ, the Rabb of the Worlds’, that is how you would say it in Arabic. This is what Abu Bakr As-Siddique (R) said when they told him that Rasoolullahﷺ had said that he had travelled from Makkah to Jerusalem and then into the heavens to meet Allahﷻ. He said, “If he said it, I believe it.” That became the fundamental principle of authenticating Ahadith. That is why it is critical to believe IN Muhammadﷺ, as the Rasool of Allahﷻ because the truth of his message is based on his position as the Messengerﷺ. Allahﷻ ordered him to announce to the world: قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ فَـَٔامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ ٱلْأُمِّىِّ ٱلَّذِى يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَٱتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ A’araf 7: 158 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O humanity! I am Allah’s Messenger to you all. To Him ˹alone˺ belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. He gives life and causes death.” So, believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His revelations. And follow him, so you may be ˹rightly˺ guided. Allahﷻ reiterated and emphasized this relationship and commanded: لِّتُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَتُعَزِّرُوهُ وَتُوَقِّرُوهُ وَتُسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا Fath 48: 9 So that you ˹believers˺ may have faith in Allah and His Messenger, support and honor him, and glorify Allah morning and evening. The distinction of Rasoolullahﷺ is that though he is called a messenger, he is in fact a teacher. Unlike a postman who carries a bag of letters, which he has nothing to do with. He knows nothing about what the letters contain. His job is merely to deliver the letters to the addressees. In the case of Rasoolullahﷺ, the meaning of ‘delivery of the message’ was to teach people how to live by the orders of Allahﷻ. Islam is the name of a practice, like a martial art for example. To learn it there is some theory to study and some books, but you learn by practicing under a teacher. That’s why Allahﷻ said: لَقَدْ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ A’al Imraan 3: 164 Indeed, Allah has done the believers a ˹great˺ favor by raising a messenger from among them—reciting to them His revelations, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom. For indeed they had previously been clearly astray. The job of Rasoolullahﷺ was not merely to recite or inform. But to inform, to purify internally and externally to receive the information, explain what it means and then show them how to implement what had been commanded. Without the preparation, teaching and demonstration, the information can’t be implemented at all. The Messengerﷺ is intrinsic to the Message. The Message came to be acted upon and without him, the Message can’t be acted upon and lived

My Lord, help me surrender all that I am, so that I can receive all that You seek togive me. Allah, help me to lay down the burden of doubt and to walk freely in faith,trusting that Your plans for me will always be greater than my greatest dreams.Allah, forgive me for the mistakes I have made and the mistakes I will make. MyLord, please remind me that Your goodness will always be greater than my faults,and that Your love will always be greater than my shame. Oh Allah, shine Yourlight upon me, so that my eyes can awaken to Your truth and so that my heart canbe illuminated by the reflection of Your beauty. In Your sublime Names I pray,Ameen.

The opposite of knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. Ignorance which is recognized is a blessing because the person then seeks to dispel it by learning. But the illusion of knowledge produces arrogance which shuts the door to learning and greases the slide into Jahannam. As happened for the first time when Iblis, blinded by his own faulty logic based on his illusion of knowledge decided to defy Allahﷻ’s command. Imam Shaf’ee (RA) said, ‘It is possible to convince 70 scholars with one Daleel (piece of evidence) but you can’t convince one ignorant person even with 70 Dala’il (pl. Daleel). May Allahﷻ make us humble and be willing to accept the truth when evidence is presented to us and remember that is it not about winning arguments but of standing for the truth. Allahﷻ in His infinite Mercy, sent for us a way of life called Islam. This came in the form of His Revelation and its meaning and demonstration through its teacher, our Beloved Prophet Muhammad. A Book of Commands – the Qur’an and its Field book, the Sunnah of Rasoolullah. Allahﷻ promised to protect His Word (text, meaning, context, implementation) and said: إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ Hijr 15: 9 It is certainly We Who have revealed the Reminder, and it is certainly We Who will preserve it. The easiest way to understand this is to consider that Allahﷻ commanded us to pray. But didn’t explain the method of Salah in the Qur’an. Instead, He taught it to His Messenger who taught it to us and said, ‘Pray as you have seen me pray.’ Interestingly this is what Allahﷻ did with all the pillars of Islam to make the position of the Messenger abundantly clear. Allahﷻ said that Islam is the only way to salvation on the Day of Judgement and said: وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ A’al Imraan 3: 85 Whoever seeks a way other than Islam, it will never be accepted from them, and in the Hereafter they will be among the losers. But Allahﷻ didn’t tell us how to enter Islam. It was Rasoolullah who was instructed about how people could enter Islam and it is from Him that we have the Shahada. In Hadith Jibreel we have the words of the Shahada: On the authority of Omar ibn Al-Khattab (R) who said, “While we were one day sitting with Rasoolullah there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of travel were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He sat down close by Rasoolullah rested his knees against the knees of Rasoolullah and placed his palms over his thighs and said, “O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam.” Rasoolullah replied, “Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allahﷻ and that Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should establish Salah, pay Zakah, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj to the House (Ka’aba), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." He said, “You have spoken the truth.” The method of praying and all the rules related to it, the rules related to Zakat, fasting and Hajj, all come from Rasoolullah and not from the Qur’an directly. Without the guidance of Rasoolullah it is impossible to live Islam. To help us understand the relationship between the Book of Allahﷻ and its explanation, the Sunnah of Rasoolullah, Allahﷻ said: وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْىٌ يُوحَىٰ Najm 53: 3-4 Nor does he speak of his own volition. It is only a revelation sent down ˹to him˺. Let us see now how this affects us and our relationship with Allahﷻ and His Messenger and therefore what our responsibilities are in that context. Allahﷻ drew our attention to His great favor on the Believers and said: لَقَدْ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ A’al Imraan 3: 164 Indeed, Allah has done the believers a ˹great˺ favor by raising a messenger from among them—reciting to them His revelations, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom. For indeed they had previously been clearly astray. Allahﷻ called Rasoolullah, His special blessing on the Believers because to understand the Qur’an and apply it in our lives is not possible without the guidance of Rasoolullah. Rasoolullah is the key to understanding the meaning of the Qur’an and implementing its commands in our lives. That is what I mean by the Word and its meaning. The Word without the meaning is just sound or text. It is only with the meaning that it inspires, soothes, supports, strengthens, encourages, consoles, and guides. The Qur’an is the ‘What’. The Sunnah is the ‘How’. Without the ‘How’, the ‘What’ can’t be implemented. Allahﷻ told us who He sent the Qur’an to. تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ ٱلْفُرْقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَـٰلَ

There are two ways to lead our lives. The way we want and the way Allahﷻ wants for us. Whichever way we choose, we will be held accountable for it when we die. The issue with living the way we want is that our knowledge is limited, and our desires rule us. The benefit of living the way Allahﷻ wants us to live is that He knows what is best for us and guides us to that and since the accounting is with Him, if we live by His way, that day will be a day of rejoicing. I remind you and myself that to live is not merely to draw breath. That is the way animals live. They are the slaves of their drives, they follow their desires, and one day they die, and the story is over. Humans on the other hand have the option of living like animals, fulfilling every desire. Or of living a life of purpose and leaving behind a legacy of honor. That is the choice which we must make. To underline this and set the standard, Allahﷻ said: كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ Aal Imraan 3: 185 Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Jannah will ˹indeed˺ triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment. Let’s give this some thought and ask how our lives compare to this standard. Success and failure in life are products of the choices we make. The Qur’an and Sunnah guide us to the best of them, the path of those who Allahﷻ rewarded and not those who angered Him. In this Ayat-ul-Kareema, Allahﷻ mentioned four critical things that we must always keep in mind. They are: We will die We will be called to account and be rewarded or punished Freedom from the Fire and entry into Jannah is final success The life of this world is deception There is a saying in English, ‘Forewarned is forearmed.’ This means that if you have early warning about a forthcoming event, especially a danger, then you can be prepared to face it and succeed. That is the reason Rasoolullahﷺ said: أبو سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه ، فجاء فتى من الأنصار فسلم على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم جلس ، فقال : يا رسول الله أي المؤمنين أفضل ؟ قال : أحسنهم خلقا قال : فأي المؤمنين أكيس ؟ قال : أكثرهم للموت ذكرا وأحسنهم له استعدادا قبل أن ينزل بهم أولئك من الأكياس ثم سكت الفتى Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (R) narrated, “Then a youth from the Ansar came and greeted Rasoolullahﷺ then he sat down and said: Ya Rasoolullahﷺ which of the believers is best? He (Rasoolullahﷺ) said: The best of them in character. The boy asked: Which of the believers is wisest? He (Rasoolullahﷺ) said: The ones who remember death the most and are the best prepared for it before those people take them down from the bags. We see from this Hadith that it is a sign of intelligence to be prepared for death. There are numerous Ayaat where Allahﷻ mentioned death and the need to be prepared for it. Allahﷻ said about those who continue to live a life of heedlessness, denying the meeting with Allahﷻ on the Day of Judgement: وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَءِذَا ضَلَلْنَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَءِنَّا لَفِى خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍۭ بَلْ هُم بِلِقَآءِ رَبِّهِمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ قُلْ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم مَّلَكُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ٱلَّذِى وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ وَلَوْ تَرَىٰٓ إِذِ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ نَاكِسُوا۟ رُءُوسِهِمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ رَبَّنَآ أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا فَٱرْجِعْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـٰلِحًا إِنَّا مُوقِنُونَ Sajda 32: 10-12 ˹Still˺ they ask ˹mockingly˺, “When we are disintegrated into the earth, will we really be raised as a new creation?” In fact, they are in denial of the meeting with their Rabb. Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Your soul will be taken by the Angel of Death, who is in charge of you. Then to your Rabb you will ˹all˺ be returned.” If only you could see the wicked hanging their heads ˹in shame˺ before their Lord, ˹crying:˺ “Our Rabb! We have now seen and heard, so send us back and we will do good. We truly have sure faith ˹now˺!” This preparation for death has numerous values. The best of them in this world is a life without stress. The one who is preparing for death is never disappointed about not getting any worldly success because he knows that if he had got it, he would have had to leave it behind. He makes all the effort he needs to succeed in his legitimate goals but is saved from disappointment and sadness. The second matter is to always be conscious of our accountability before Allahﷻ. The cause of confusion in life is that Shaytaan and his agents constantly try to deceive us into believing that there can be benefit in disobeying Allahﷻ. It seems such an oxymoronic thing to believe but I have come to the conclusion that the more oxymoronic and stupid something is, the more easily people believe it. I don’t think I need to give you any examples because we are surrounded by such beliefs. Sadly, we Muslims, who believe in Allahﷻ and the Last

Jabir ibn 'Abdullah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went up the minbar. When he reached the first step, he said, "Amen". When he ascended to the second step, he said, "Amen," and when he stepped onto the third step, he said, "Amen." They said, "Messenger of Allah, we heard you say 'Amen' three times." He said, "When I went up the first step, Jibril, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to me and said, 'Wretched is the slave to whom Ramadan comes and when it passes from him is not forgiven.' I said, 'Amen.' Then he said, 'Wretched is the slave who has one or both of his parents alive and they do not let him enter the Garden.' I said, 'Amen.' Then he said, 'Wretched is a slave who does not bless you when you are mentioned in his presence,' and I said, 'Amen.'" حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ شَيْبَةَ قَالَ‏:‏ أَخْبَرَنِي عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ نَافِعٍ الصَّائِغُ، عَنْ عِصَامِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ابْنُ شَيْبَةَ خَيْرًا، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَقَى الْمِنْبَرَ، فَلَمَّا رَقَى الدَّرَجَةَ الأُولَى قَالَ‏:‏ آمِينَ، ثُمَّ رَقَى الثَّانِيَةَ فَقَالَ‏:‏ آمِينَ، ثُمَّ رَقَى الثَّالِثَةَ فَقَالَ‏:‏ آمِينَ، فَقَالُوا‏:‏ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، سَمِعْنَاكَ تَقُولُ‏:‏ آمِينَ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏:‏ لَمَّا رَقِيتُ الدَّرَجَةَ الأُولَى جَاءَنِي جِبْرِيلُ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ‏:‏ شَقِيَ عَبْدٌ أَدْرَكَ رَمَضَانَ، فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُغْفَرْ لَهُ، فَقُلْتُ‏:‏ آمِينَ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ‏:‏ شَقِيَ عَبْدٌ أَدْرَكَ وَالِدَيْهِ أَوْ أَحَدَهُمَا فَلَمْ يُدْخِلاَهُ الْجَنَّةَ، فَقُلْتُ‏:‏ آمِينَ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ‏:‏ شَقِيَ عَبْدٌ ذُكِرْتَ عِنْدَهُ وَلَمْ يُصَلِّ عَلَيْكَ، فَقُلْتُ‏:‏ آمِينَ‏.‏ https://sunnah.com/adab:644

Rasoolullahﷺ taught Sayyida Ayesha (RA) the dua: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي Allahumma innaka Afuwwun TuHibbulAfwa FafuAnnii. 'O Allah, you are the Forgiver, You love to forgive, so forgive me.' •⁠ ⁠Musnad Ahmad, Sunan ibn Majah and at-Tirmidhi.