Maut Ek Atal Haqeeqat By Sheikh Zafar Noman Makki Hafizahullah #asalislam #zafarnomanmakki

Maut Ek Atal Haqeeqat - Death: An Inevitable Reality

Today's Ijlaas-e-Aam is being held at Masjid Hafiz Zahoor, near Parque. According to Salaf's instruction, this jalsa and this bazaar was started with recitation of Quran. After that, in this Ijlaas-e-Aam, my topic was also clarified, on which topic I have to talk.

In reality, this topic has also been adopted by the people of Jamia. If today's bazaar, today's jalsa, if it is said that it has been organized on a specific topic according to Salaf's instruction, then this is not wrong. In Salaf's time, only Kitab-ul-Riqaq was recited.

Kitab-ul-Riqaq means, Imam Bukhari has created a separate book, a separate heading, a separate chapter, Kitab-ul-Riqaq. Riqaq means softening. So, for today's bazaar, both the topics, the topics chosen by both of us, are related to these things and these Hadiths.

The Reality of Life in This World

That is why today, the most important thing is that we understand the reality of our life in this world, and while understanding the reality of life, we prepare for our hereafter. Because according to some people, yesterday a person was saying that, Maulana, it seems that this hereafter, grave, all these things have become only about Mimbar-ul-Mihrab. People's deeds and people's activities, it does not seem so by looking at people's lifestyle.

It does not seem so by looking at people's lifestyle, that there is something about the hereafter, there is something about the grave, or leaving this life. So, the most important thing is that we should listen to all these things, and along with Haram and Halal, we should know all these things, because this is the most bitter reality of life, and all of us have to face this. And if we understand this, and after understanding this, if we implement this in our life, then we will be saved from a lot of bad things.

The Quranic Reality of Death

After the sermon, I read a verse of Surah Aal-e-Imran in front of you. It was a very famous verse. Allah Almighty, in that verse, described the reality of life. And He stated that, in this life, in this world, whoever breathes, whoever Allah has blessed with life, whoever is breathing, it is time for his breath to stop.

Allah said that, "Every soul will taste death. And you will be paid in full on the Day of Resurrection. So whoever will be saved from the Fire and will be admitted to Paradise, he will be successful."

And if you see, in this world, not only humans, but all the animals, all of them will die. Every soul in this world will die. But, especially in relation to humans, this matter becomes more sensitive.

Why Death is More Sensitive for Humans

Why does this matter become more sensitive in relation to humans? Allah explained the reason for this in the next part of the verse. In relation to humans, this matter becomes more sensitive because the other creatures, the other animals, they have no account of reward or punishment. They have come to this world. After completing a certain period of their life, they will leave this world. After that, their life ends here. For them, their life ends here. And for us humans, a new life starts from here.

So Allah said, this matter becomes more sensitive for humans. Why is it more sensitive? "And you will be paid in full on the Day of Resurrection." Because we humans, all of us, whatever we have done in this world, whatever work we have done, the way we have spent our days and nights, according to that, we will be given full reward.

This is one reason why this matter is more sensitive for humans. Because we have to account for every moment of our life. We have to face رب العالمين in the battlefield. We have to face رب العالمين and answer the questions of Allah.

And the second reason is that no creature in this world is more eager than a human being. There is no creature in this world. The most eager human being in this world who in his lifetime, if he gets thousands of years of life, then also he will want to get another thousand years to fulfill some more desires in his life.

Allah said, that no one wants to live a thousand years, but no one is going to live such a long life. So there are two reasons why people are more sensitive to death. One is that they will have an account and a book. The other is that people are very greedy.

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that Adam's children grow old. Humans grow old. But there are two things in his heart that remain young forever. The love of this world and its actions. No matter how old a human becomes, even if you ask a 70 or 80 year old, it is not that the love of this world will be less in his heart.

This is the specialty of human life. That he will love the world. And his desires will be so great that he will stop breathing, but his desires will not be fulfilled.

The True Standard of Success

That is why Allah said that humans should think that this life, whatever it is, whoever it is, he has to leave this world. And after that, in the third part of the verse, it is said, now from here, the standard of success has changed.

The standard of success has changed from here. In the world, every person sets the standard of success for himself. The standard of success of someone's life is that until he does not make so much bank balance, until he does not earn so much wealth, until then he does not consider himself successful. Someone thinks that until he reaches that level of honor, he does not consider himself successful. Someone thinks about himself that until my children reach that level of honor and dignity, until then we will not consider ourselves successful in this world.

But as soon as the fire is extinguished, the standard changed from here. Allah said, if you want to know the standard of success, then listen to this. And implement this in your life. What is the real success in your life? Allah said that the man who is saved from the torment of hell, the man who is saved from the fire of hell, the same man is successful in reality. The man who is saved from the fire of hell and goes to heaven, the same man is successful in reality.

Because hell is not an ordinary thing, that you and I listen to the verses of hell and ignore it. The fire of hell has been mentioned, and we take it lightly and leave it. Rather, the fire of hell, these are loud slogans, these are big flames, these are blazing flames. This is such a fire, one part of this fire is in this world, the remaining 79% is in hell. This is such a fire, which has been burned for thousands of years. After that, this fire became black.

So Allah said that the man who is saved from the fire of hell, and goes to heaven, the same man is successful. And the verse was finished, and a very important message was given.

"The life of this world is nothing but a matter of pride." Friends, this world is a matter of deception. This world is a deception. Every man is a deceiver. Whether he is educated, or illiterate, or rich, or weak, or poor, every man is a deceiver. He is thinking that this life is going to be very long. The desires of this life will be fulfilled.

The House of This World vs The House of the Grave

Salaf used to say, by giving an example, the life of a man is going to be 50 to 60 years. How old is the age of the Ummah of Muhammad? Between 60 to 70 years. The age of my Ummah is between 60 to 70 years.

So Salaf used to say that, in the life of 60 to 70 years, a man builds his house. And he builds the best of the best houses. He builds the house above his status. There should not be anything in that house that is less. The best type of floor, the best type of tiles, the best type of mattress, the best type of bed. He does everything that he can. And then he proudly says that, I have built such a house.

So the house in which he has to live for 50 to 60 years, he is decorating that house like this. And the house in which he has to live for centuries, no one knows how many years he has to live in the grave. He has to live for centuries. Centuries will pass until the Day of Judgment is established. Until then he has to live in the grave. The man who died 100-200 years ago, he will live in the grave even today. And the one who dies today, when will the Day of Judgment be established? Only Allah knows.

So the house in which he has to live for centuries, he does not prepare to build that house. He does not think about how to build that house. And how will that house be built? That house will be filled with good deeds. That house will be filled with the remembrance of Allah. That house will be filled with prayers. The prosperity of that house will come from the worship of Allah.

No matter how prosperous this house is, no matter how good it is, it will be destroyed with our breath. With our breath, our relationship with this house will be destroyed. No matter how much we tear our eyes and look at our houses, tear our eyes and look at our children, but these children will also leave their families there. And this house, with our breath, will also leave us behind.

Now, the house that is ready to welcome us is the house of the grave. And no one knows when this welcoming will take place. When will this death come? No one knows. It is not as if a certain age has been set, that the one whose age is above 60 years will leave this world.

The Unpredictability of Death

In fact, this death is such that it has deprived so many children of their homes. This death is such that it has made so many children orphans. This death is such that it has made so many wives widows. This death is such that it has deprived so many families of their happiness. There is no guarantee as to when and at what time it will come.

When the appointed time comes, after that Allah does not delay. All plans should be made. All money should be invested. Children love their parents very much. Parents are very dear to them. A son does whatever he can for his parents. But does the time increase even after doing everything? Not at all. When the appointed time comes, there is no delay at all.

And whatever we are doing, Allah does not delay. And you and I also believe that the one we are running away from is an open reality. This is an open reality, but everyone avoids it. Everyone runs away from it.

That is why Allah said that "Death has come with all its harshness. These are the things you used to run away from." These are the things you used to avoid. These are the things you used to not talk about. Today they have come. Now you cannot run away from them. Now wherever you take shelter, whether you are in the custody of doctors, in the ICU, in the CCU, wherever you are, you cannot leave this environment. You will return to that Allah.

We have done our activities behind the curtains. We have done our activities behind the people. Allah knows all of this. Allah is the One who keeps the unseen and the present in everyone's eyes.

The Greatest Reminder

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi)

This is why Salaf used to say, in fact this is a part of the Hadith of the Prophet. He said, the biggest thing is death. Thousands of speeches cannot affect your heart. Thousands of speeches cannot affect your heart as much as a death can affect your house. The death of a loved one can affect your heart as much as thousands of speeches cannot affect the prayers of thousands of scholars.

You must have heard the names of big celebrities. One of them was a player who used to play cricket in the past. I am giving this example because everyone knows him. A player used to play cricket in the past, Saeed Anwar. He was a very skilled player in his time. Those who were interested in this game, they know everything. How he used to play, how he used to walk, what was his fame in this world. How he used to play cricket in this world. What were the blessings of this world that people don't get. He used to live in all the blessings of this world.

Suddenly his life changed. Suddenly he got the news that his life has changed. He used to cover his life in the Islamic style. What happens, he saw the death of his loved one. He saw his innocent child. He saw his innocent child breathing his life in front of his eyes. He saw his innocent child's blood flowing from his eyes. The one who made such an impact on his heart that he broke all the forbidden things in his house, he broke all the musical instruments, he broke the television. To change the course of his life, he made a complete determination. After that, he takes a new life and presents himself in front of the world.

We disagree with his beliefs, but the way he presented himself in the Islamic environment, that is a lesson, that is an advice. That how death, that is why the Prophet used to say, that the biggest thing for advice is death. That the one whose heart is not shaken by death, the one whose heart cannot be shaken by death, then nothing can be shaken. The one whose heart cannot be shaken by death, then nothing can shake his heart.

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi)

That is why the Prophet used to say, that he is the most intelligent person. The one who acts after death, he is the most intelligent person. The one who lowers himself, lowers his soul, lowers his desires, and thinks about the life after death, he acts for that. And he is the biggest weak person. The biggest weak person is the one who is running after desires.

The one who is running after desires. He only remembers the verses of paradise, he forgets the verses of hell. He only remembers that Allah is Forgiving. He only remembers that Allah is Merciful. But he forgets that Allah also said, that the one who will take the path of my rebellion, the one who will take the path of hell, he will have to become the warner of hell. He forgets that Allah is the Lord of Revenge. He forgets that Allah's punishment is very severe.

He only remembers that Allah's mercy is great. But he forgets that Allah also said, that my punishment is terrible. There is no punishment like my punishment. He forgets everything. And he remembers that Allah's mercy is great. But Allah's punishment is also terrible.

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi)

That is why it is said, that who is the best person? The Prophet said, that the best person is the one, who will remember death the most. He will remember death the most. And the life after that, he will prepare himself the most.

Death is Inevitable - Even for the Prophets

Look, death is inevitable. No one can escape death. And when will it come? This is also such a test, about which there is no information. And this is the biggest problem of human life. That is why Allah has interpreted it as a problem. And said that this death itself is the biggest problem.

If no one would have died, then he would have been the Prophet. The poet says that if no one would have died, then he would have been the Prophet of Allah. But the Prophet himself had to die.

The Prophet himself had to die. And in such a harsh way, that if you and I read, we should read. We should read and think about ourselves. That when the Prophet, whose previous and subsequent sins were forgiven, his condition at that time was such that, Aisha says that I have your head on my chest. And in front of you, there is a bowl of water. You put your hand in it. You put your hand in it and put water on your forehead. You wipe it.

And from your blessed tongue, it comes out that what should be the last word when you leave this world? The last word. The family should also try that the last word should be the word of توحيد. From the blessed tongue of the Prophet, the last word is coming out from your tongue again and again.

You are saying that "There is no god but Allah. There is no true God other than Allah." This is the summary of our life. After that you are saying "The severity of death, you don't know." You are saying that the severity of death. Aisha is saying that again and again it comes out from your tongue that لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ.

After that the Prophet started saying "Indeed, death has its agonies." After that you put your head, you lift your head up and you would have lifted your hand up first and then you would have flown and your hand would have become loose. And when I saw the condition of the Prophet at the time of his death, I did not get scared. I was not surprised.

When the Prophet, whose next and last sins are forgiven, the condition of the Prophet is that you are saying, لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ, إِنَّ لِلْمَوْتِ سَكَرَاتٍ, then what is the condition of other people?

The Prophet was asked by Hazrat Ka'b, Hazrat Ka'b says that he was asked by other people, that at the time of the death of the Prophet, what was your condition? You tell me. Can you explain it? What condition are you in? So he said, it seems like there are a lot of thorns in my body, which have been pulled down on my stomach. There is no part of my body that is not touching the thorns. A lot of thorns were pulled down on my stomach, and they were not just stuck in my stomach, but they were stuck in every part of my body. And then all the thorns were pulled together. The rest of the body remained in the same stomach. This is the kind of captivity.

The Prophet's Advice About Death

That is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when you see all these things, he would definitely give advice. In the midst of the Companions, when the graves were being dug in the Baqi, there was a stick in the Prophet's hand. He would start digging the ground with it. The Companions would see that he was digging and at the same time, tears would come out of the Prophet's eyes that the ground would become wet.

After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would address them and say, "My Companions, prepare yourselves for such a day. Prepare yourselves for such a day. Because the one whom you have brought today, tomorrow someone will bring you, tomorrow someone will bring us. No one is successful in this. No one has any option. It is a different matter that someone is more afraid and someone is preparing for it. Otherwise, coming and going is for everyone."

That is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "My Companions, prepare yourselves for such a day. Even if you assume that you have lived for thousands of years, then what is the consequence after that?"

Allah sent an angel of death to Moses (peace be upon him). Moses (peace be upon him), in the words of Hadith, Moses refused and he slapped him. Moses, the angel goes to him and says, Allah, you have sent me to such a person, to such a person who does not want to die. Allah says to the angel, "Go and tell Moses that the ox that you have, the ox that is near you, turn your hand on that ox and no matter how much hair you have, in exchange for every hair, I will give you one more year."

The angel comes and says, "O Moses (peace be upon him), this is what happened." Moses said, "What will happen after that?" He said, "Death will come after that." Moses (peace be upon him) said, "Then I am ready to die right now."

Not every person can be exempted from death. If anyone could be exempted from death, it would be the Prophet, it would be the prophets. But when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the last Prophet and Messenger, then he did not get a chance. Then the other people, the other prophets, the other saints, the other righteous people, no one could be exempted from death. In what heedlessness should we live our lives?

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi)

That is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say to the Companions, "Look, when these good days are passing, remember those days. Remember those days when it is said that death, the death that cuts the pleasures, remember that death. How does it cut the pleasures? Remember the death that cuts the pleasures."

That is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say that when a person remembers the pleasures, his life becomes pleasant. When a person remembers the pleasures, he thinks about how much pleasure he has got, how much time he has got, how much money he has got, how much wealth he has got, how much respect he has got. How long is this? He thinks about this and remembers Allah and the hereafter.

And when a person is in trouble and remembers death, he thinks about this and reassures himself that how long is this trouble of the life of this world? How long is this trouble? This trouble is for a very short time. This trouble will end with the temporary life of this world. The temporary life of the hereafter, if we spend our life by doing something that pleases Allah, then there is eternal success. Eternal success is easy.

Living as Strangers in This World

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

This is why the Prophet used to say, "We are not living in this world thinking that this is the eternal life. In fact, we should live in this world the way the foreigners live. We should live the way the foreigners and the travelers live."

When you go abroad, when you go for a business trip, when you finish your work quickly, and you think about how to go back to your country, to your city, to your people. You don't feel like going there. You remember the people. How can we go back to our people? How can we go back to our country, to our homes? Similarly, we have to live in this world, and we have to live thinking that the life of this world is temporary. And after that, we have to go to such a place, which is eternal life.

When the Prophet used to narrate this hadith, he used to say, Allah says, "Whatever the evening, if the sun sets today, no one should comfort themselves, no one should give themselves this opportunity, no one should make themselves understand that tomorrow morning will come. When the evening comes, don't wait for the morning, and when the morning comes, then don't wait for the evening."

The Benefits of Remembering Death

He does not repent of his sins. Other than that, the second illness in which he is afflicted, the second illness in which he becomes aware is that he does not get contentment. No matter how much he gets, he does not get contentment. He loves wealth so much that wealth keeps coming, but his desires do not diminish. And the third is that the diseases in his heart do not go away.

And the one who remembers death, when he commits a sin, he immediately repents. When he commits a sin, he immediately repents. If he commits a sin, he does not give himself a chance. In fact, in front of Allah, he immediately bows down and asks for forgiveness.

And in the same way, whatever he gets in the world, he is content with it. He always has the feeling that whatever he gets, he has to spend it lawfully. If he goes on the path of Haram, then tomorrow this Haram will destroy the life of our grave.

That is why, friends and elders, we should wake ourselves up from this sleep of heedlessness. We should not sleep in such a sleep that when the angels come in front of us, when we wake up from the sleep of heedlessness, when we wake up when the door of repentance is closed.

Self-Reflection and Preparation

That is why, we should sit in solitude and think how is our life going on? How is our life going on? What are we doing? How are we doing? The best way to improve yourself in a day is to sit every night apart from your wife and kids and sit and think that in the 24 hours that have passed what have we done for Allah? What have we done for the religion of Allah? How much time have we spent? And what have we spent all the time on? Are those things, those tasks going to benefit us in the hereafter or are they going to create more problems for us in the hereafter?

O elders and friends, this death is going to come to all of us. After that, the stage of the grave will start which is very scary.

The Prophet used to say that "I have seen the most terrifying scene in this world. I have seen the most terrifying scene. But I have not seen a more terrifying scene than the grave. The details of the grave have been told to me. The torments of life have been shown to me. I have not seen such a torment in this world."

That is why the Prophet said "If you know what I know, then reduce your desire and increase your desire. You go out to the deserts. You stop enjoying your wives on your beds."

That is why Hazrat Usman was a great man. He had the good news of heaven. When he used to stand near the grave, he used to cry so much. His slave said that I have heard you talking about heaven and hell. You talk about heaven and hell. You talk about the affairs of the hereafter. But you do not cry like you cry about the grave.

At the same time, Hazrat Usman said that I have heard from the Prophet that the grave is the first destination of the hereafter. The destinations after that are more severe than that. The one who has left this destination of the grave. The one who has found salvation from this destination of the grave. The stages after that are going to be easier for him. And the one who is stuck in the life of the grave. The one who has become a victim of torment. The one who could not answer the question in the grave. The stages after that are going to be more difficult for him. Because he has to face Allah.

Conclusion and Prayer

Allah is giving a book and a calculation in front of Allah. The questions and answers will be given. And when the questions and answers will be given, how will we be present in front of Allah? Yes, only at that time can he find salvation. The one who makes his desires as a slave to Allah's orders. The one who spends his life thinking that tomorrow he will be present in front of Allah. The same person will be successful in this world and the same person will be successful in the hereafter.

We pray to Allah the Almighty for this. Whatever we have heard about death, whatever we have heard about the hereafter, may you enable us to follow all of them. Whatever we will hear about the hereafter, whatever we will hear about destruction, may you enable us to follow all of them. May you create tenderness in our hearts. May you create fear and anxiety in our hearts. May you enable us to live our lives according to your commands. May you enable us to be cured of our diseases. May you enable us to leave this world. May you enable us to have a place in heaven. And may all of us have a good ending. This is the end of our prayer.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.