Today is 26 December 2014, and the last Friday of
December, and also this is the first Friday of the month of Rabi’ul Awwal 1436
AH.
A new chapter in our lives is opening; a moment which
we must seize and reflect upon and also to meditate on the life which God the
Almighty, Allah (twt) gave us. Certainly, human life is like a flame we lit in
the morning and which is put out in the evening. For the world in general, we
enter a new year. Some prepare resolutions for this year, some reflect on their
actions over the past year while others have fun and forget the next day and
what will happen to them.
As for the believers, the people of understanding,
they know very well that time is running out and it is a year in their lives
which has died away; such days, nights, moments which they shall never live
again, because what's past is past, and shall not return. They realize they are
getting older and that the time of the encounter with the Lord is coming. Those
who are truly pious and sincere, who consider this temporary world as a prison,
it is with joy that they reflect on their encounter with God. This is confirmed
in the following Hadith:
Some companions came to our beloved prophet Hadhrat
Muhammad (sa) and asked him, “Who is the most intelligent person?”
He
replied, “Those people who remember death most and prepare for it most.
These are the intelligent ones; they have excelled in the nobility of this
world and the honour of the hereafter.”
The Sahaba (companions) asked: “What destroys
passions?” He replied: “Death.” (Ibn Majah, Tabraani)
Kullu nafsin-zaaa-‘iqatul-mawt.
Every soul shall taste death. (3: 186)
Death does not differentiate between the big, the
small, the rich, the poor, the one who is elderly or the young, and it does not
act on racial discrimination; therefore it is a reality which affects every living
thing on this earth.
If we forget death, then everything in this world
reminds us that immutable truth. Everything has an end. The sun sets each day;
likewise our life will cease one day. Anything that is inhabited by the breath
of life tirelessly reminds us of its end. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) said: “Every man
wakes up in the morning amidst his family and death is closer to him than his
shoelaces.” Umar (ra) used to say: “O Umar, death suffices
as a counsellor.” The Holy Prophet said in an authentic Hadith: “If
you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much.”
In life we have to make provision for death. It is our
constant companion. If we wake up in the morning, we are not sure to witness
nightfall, and if we are doing our prayers, we are not sure to finish them. The
believer is the one who has no fear of death, and instead accepts this truth
and does everything so that every moment he spends on earth is animated by good
deeds and sincere prayers to bring the pleasure of Allah on him.
Days pass by at full speed. Our beloved Prophet
Hadhrat Muhammad (pbuh) also passed through death, as well as Jesus, son of
Mary. It's a shame today, the day after Christmas to see how many people honour
a festival which is not of Christian origin. The true Christian should
definitely be a true follower of Jesus and not follower of pagan customs, of
ancient legends, which have been fabricated to destabilize the evangelical
teachings. That's also why Islam was established, to restore the kingdom of God
on earth, to preserve His commandments and the teachings of all the prophets of
God.
Oh Muslim, your Lord is a merciful God. Do not let
yourself be bamboozled by the temptations of Satan who wants to tear you away
from the arms of your Creator. Ponder over the time of your death, when you
shall come naked before the Absolute Master, your life as an open book for the
final judgment. You are Muslim; be a Muslim and not follower of so-called
modern trends. Be a Muslim, a true one and be a Christian, a true one, since
the true follower of Jesus is indeed that Muslim who believes in all prophets
of God and holds them in high esteem and has love for them in his heart for the
love of God. Oh Muslim, submit to God; your time is limited on earth. With the
light of your faith, let shine the true teachings of Islam in the four corners
of the world.
Oh Allah, have mercy on us, and make us Your sincere
servants who meditate day and night on our next meeting with you, smiling while
waiting for our place in Heaven, in the comfort of Your mercy which twinkles as
one of the brightest stars to give us comfort in this world and the next. Oh
Allah have mercy on the sick, the poor, the rich, the ignorant, and other
categories of people so that they finally realize that real life is a life full
of You and nothing but You. Ameen.
-Extracts from the Friday Sermon of 26 December 2014 ~03 Rabi’ul Awwal 1436 AH, delivered by the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius at London, UK.