‘When I Die’: A Reminder

  

‘Every soul will taste death and you will be paid in full only on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is kept away from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have triumphed. The present world is only an illusory pleasure.’ (3:186)

‘Bear in mind that the present life is just a game, a diversion, an attraction, a cause of boasting among you, of rivalry in wealth and children. It is like plants that spring up after the rain: their growth at first delights the sowers, but then you see them wither away, turn yellow, and become stubble. There is terrible punishment in the next life as well as forgiveness and approval from God; the life of this world is only an illusory pleasure. So race for your Lord’s forgiveness and a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believe in God and His messengers: that is God’s bounty, which He bestows on whoever He pleases. God’s bounty is infinite.’ (57:22) 

‘Lord, inspire me to be thankful for the blessings You have granted me and my parents, and to do good deeds that please You; admit me by Your grace into the ranks of Your righteous servants.’ (27:20)

Life is transient in this world, and the lost moment never comes back. It is our responsibility to be conscious of our precious opportunity in this world before go forever from here to the Hereafter: to be good, and to do good; to uphold justice and to help God and His messenger/s, in our times among the people. On the Day of Resurrection and of Judgement, we are to give an account of our deeds- good and bad- to the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, our Lord Almighty as we await our rewards- the Paradisical Gardens of Divine pleasure and nearness in the world to come; or, our punishment- the Hellfire of Divine Anger and Rejection, God Forbid.  

 

Reproduced Below is a powerful reminder on the big picture of human life in this world, and the forthcoming accountability that everyone of us need to be prepared for, in the world to come after death and departure from here; a devout Muslim writer of Arab descent has left behind a succinct statement of our essential beliefs on individual accountability on the Day of Judgement when we face the chronicle of our records before God:

‘Tarbiyyat’ Lessons- 6

  

A God-centric approach can enable and empower us to deal with shifting fortunes in personal and social life. As humans, our hearts experience a range of emotions in the varied settings of life. Hence, we encounter both moments of ecstasy and agony; of fortune and misfortune; of happiness and sadness; of hope and despair. Islam prescribes temperamental moderation and a well-balanced approach to issues that affect the individual at the deepest level; teachings that are essential for personal mental health and emotional stability, and for collective well-being of the community at large. It envisages that in times of ease and comfort, we should remain grateful to God for all the blessings of life, and remain within the bounds of Shari’ah, and not commit excesses while taking our fill of pleasure. Likewise, we should turn to our Creator and invoke His sublime attributes in our low moments: times when we experience misfortune and sorrow; feel a huge void at the loss of a dear one, or feel sad and depressed after a sincere relationship falls apart. Indeed, at such emotionally-vulnerable points, to find the inner strength to cope with the vagaries in our fortunes; we could and should rely entirely on God’s mercy and hope for His grace through spiritual invocations and Duahs.  

In a recent series of messages with his spiritual disciples and followers, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius provides fascinating insights on human emotions and related Islamic teachings on Divine remembrance to empower people struggling with emotional burdens in vulnerable situations.

 

Read the Messages Below:

On Life Lessons- 5

On Marriage:

To every man, the Day you marry your wife, is the day Allah places a trust and responsibility on you to give her the rights as a wife, and she becomes your family, your comforter, the mother of your children, so fear Allah as in regards to your duties as husband.

To every woman, when you marry your husband you leave your birth home and you become a real woman. Your husband becomes your family, your maintainer and protector, the father of your children, your friend and lover so treat him well and follow him to the ends of the earth, fear Allah in regards to how you treat him.

Marriage in Islam completes half of your Deen. Do not be swayed by good looks, or money as these will come and go; marry a man who truly fears and loves Allah, who puts Islam first before anything. 

Financial Sacrifice- 2

  

In his Friday Sermon of 15 September 2023~29 Safar 1445 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius gives an exposition on the larger theme of financial sacrifice in the Divine Way. Continuing on the theme from previous week, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underscores that true believers only seek God’s approval and pleasure in obeying His prescriptions and prohibitions and it is they who inherit Paradise as a reward for their goodness in this world. Just as the rich are on trial on how they conduct with the possessions they have been entrusted with, the needy also have obligations of patience and goodness in the Divine Law of life.

Elaborating on the theme of a Qur’anic verse identified at the beginning of the sermon (13:23), Hazrat Saheb (aba) notes that the true believers perform their social obligations and do all the services that they render only for the sake of God’s countenance: they do not do charity or other good deeds for selfish reasons, or out of pride or religious ostentation. Needy believers endure hardships caused by restricted means of livelihood, or other emotional deprivations, and yet they do not incline to evil and bad deeds, remaining steadfast in faith, in goodness and in fact, they also race to do good in their own way. Diligent in the performance of devotional prayer at prescribed times; disciplining the self and its inclinations in this temporary world; being mindful of the reckoning before the Lord on the Day of Judgement, true believers are hopeful of the enduring rewards of God’s pleasure and blessings in the Hereafter.  

Divine Punishments & Rewards

  

The System of Divine Punishments & Rewards

 عَسٰی رَبُّکُمۡ اَنۡ یَّرۡحَمَکُمۡ ۚ وَاِنۡ عُدۡتُّمۡ عُدۡنَا ۘ وَجَعَلۡنَا جَہَنَّمَ لِلۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ حَصِیۡرًا ﴿۹

 

“It may be that your Lord will have mercy on you, but if you repeat (your crime) We shall repeat (the punishment), and remember that We have made hell a prison for the disbelievers.” (Bani Isra’il 17: 9).

 

There is disgrace, humiliation for those who cause trouble in this temporal life and in the Hereafter; this humiliation as well as the punishment that Allah will give to these types of people will be much more humiliating and painful than all the earthly punishments that you can ever think of.

 

The Message of the Holy Quran is addressed to all of you. Those who have faith and demonstrate this faith in their intentions and actions, they will surely get their spiritual reward which is a reward that is beyond any earthly reward that a person can ever conceive.