December 30, 2016 is the Religious Hut. 06 January 2017 Friday Sermon Publishing You can find it on our unpublished site.
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THE BLESSING THAT IS LIFE
A Blessed Friday to You, Brothers and Sisters!
In the verse I have recited, Allah the Exalted enjoins: “O you who believe! Fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow…”1
In the verse I have recited, our Prophet (s.a.w.) says: “Appreciate five things before they are gone: Life before death, leisure before work, wealth before poverty, youth before old age, and health before sickness.”2
Brothers and Sisters!
We have entered into a new Hijri year a short while ago. Nowadays, we are in the last days of the common calendar year. Another year is deducted from our stock of life. May the Almighty Lord grant all of us a good, blessed life.
It is a fact: it does not matter if the year is Hijri or otherwise. What really matters is how we spend our days and years. As witnesses of time, both the Moon and the Sun are the verses of Allah. What really matters is how we make use of time, a blessing entrusted to us by Allah. How and for what purpose we spend our numbered breaths. Whether we use every single moment of our life stock in accordance with the purpose of our creation and existence.
Honorable Brothers and Sisters!
There is a short period of time our Lord has endowed us with for our test in the world. We call it “life.” A life wasted cannot be considered a proper life. Life is best when spent with goodness and niceness. Life is best when adorned with humane and moral virtues. Life is best when built with an awareness of obligation and trust, faith and good deeds.
Brothers and Sisters!
Our Prophet (s.a.w.) says, “The feet of the son of Adam shall not move from before his Lord on the Day of Judgement, until he is asked about five things.”3 The first thing is life and what we did with it. عَنْ عُمْرِهِ فِيمَا أَفْنَاه We will be asked where and how we spent our life, how we spent our time, and in short everything we did.
Brothers and Sisters!
The second question we will be asked on the Day of Reckoning is, وَعَنْ شَبَابِهِ فِيمَا أَبْلاه where and how we spent our youth. We must always keep this question in our mind. Because we can sometimes make the mistake of delaying prayer and good deeds for after youth. But the Prophet (s.a.w.) described the ideal youth as وَشَابٌّ
نَشَأ فِي عِبَادَ ةِ رَب هِ “Youth who find joy and peace in worshipping their Lord.”4
Honorable Believers!
Another question that will be asked to us on the Day of Reckoning وعَنْ مالِهِ مِ نْ أَيْنَ اِكْتَسَ ب هُ، وَفِيمَ أَنْفَقَه will be about the wealth Allah blessed us with. Our Lord will ask us “Where did you earn your wealth, and where did you spend it? Did you abide by what is forbidden and what is lawful? Did you protect the rights of the poor and needy?” Because wealth, fortune, all means and earnings are entrusted to us by the Almighty Lord. They should not take hold of our mind, heart, and future.
Brothers and Sisters!
Another question that will be asked to us before our Lord وَعَنْ عِلْمِهِ مَاذَا عَمِلَ فِيمَا عَلِمَ is about knowledge. We will be answering the following questions on that day: Did you do deeds with your knowledge? Did you use it for the good and benefit of humanity or turn it into a weapon for evil? Did your knowledge lead to spreading of good among people or did you make it a means for mischief, sedition, and troublemaking? Did your knowledge guide your life, morals, and relationships?
Honorable Brothers and Sisters!
The end of each year is actually the beginning for a new one. Then, let’s take the opportunity for this new beginning and ask ourselves again the aforementioned questions. Remember: At the end of a year gone by, it is completely unbecoming for a believer to forget about themselves and their purpose of creation and display unlawful attitude and behavior that in no way comply with our values. It is worrying that the first hours of a new year are turned into waste with new year entertainment of other cultures and other worlds. It is saddening that the hours which must be spent contemplating on good & bad deeds, good and evil are wasted on gambling and games of chance like the lottery with the desire of getting rich without working.
Brothers and Sisters!
May the Almighty Lord grant us to spend the rest of our life in a better and more blessed way than the past. May He prevent us from leading a life that we cannot account for.
