Preparing for the Hereafter - Qari Zakaullah Saleem

Khuṭbah Opening

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Ammā ba'd — Indeed, the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ. The worst of matters are those that are newly invented, and every newly invented matter is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

The Command of Taqwā — Fear of Allah

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām says in Sūrat al-Ḥashr (Surah 59, Ayah 18):

O you who believed, fear Allah. Be dutiful to Allah. Be conscious of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām. And this phrase, this statement, this advice of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām is repeated over and over in His Book — Ittaqullāh, Ittaqullāh, Ittaqullāh — Fear Allah, fear Allah. Fear the punishment of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām. Have the fear within your heart of losing the mercy of Allah, of depriving yourself from the mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Fear Allah — Ittaqullāh.

Allah says in Sūrat al-Nisā':

We have advised you and those who were given the Book before you — Ittaqullāh, fear Allah. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala gave this advice to the people of the Book who came before us, and He advised us the same advice — Ittaqullāh, fear Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ used to say very often in his khuṭbas Ittaqullāh. In fact, the Prophet ﷺ included some verses of the Quran in his Khuṭbat al-Ḥājah — a verse from Sūrah Āl 'Imrān, the first verse of Sūrat al-Nisā', and then two verses of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb — and all contain the same common message: Ittaqullāh, fear Allah.

Why is Taqwā Repeated So Often?

What is the purpose of repeating this advice over and over? My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, the fear of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām — khashyatullāh and taqwā — is the only driving force for being obedient to Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām. This is the only fact, this is the only reason that you can stay obedient to your Lord, your Creator Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. And this is the only way to abstain from the disobedience of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām.

If you have the fear of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala within your heart, you will be regular in your five daily prayers. Without the fear of Allah you cannot establish five daily prayers. Without the fear of Allah you cannot fast during the month of Ramaḍān. Without the fear of Allah you cannot pay the obligation of Zakāh. Without the fear of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām you will never be able to sacrifice your health, your wealth, your time to go for pilgrimage, for Ḥajj, and visit the house of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām.

If you have the fear of Allah within your heart, you will be kind and gentle towards the creation of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. If you have the fear of Allah within your heart, then you will be dutiful to Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām first and foremost, and then you will be dutiful to those who have rights over you. You will be kind and gentle towards your parents only if you have the fear of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām within your heart. My sister, you will be obedient to your husband only if you have the fear of Allah within your heart. My brother, you will be dutiful to your wife, your family, and your children only if you have the fear of Allah within your heart.

So the fear of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām is the foundation. It is the most important thing. And in fact, the whole religion of Islam — the Book of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām, Al-Qur'ān al-Ḥakīm, the book that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has revealed for our guidance — it can be a source of guidance for you only if you have the taqwā of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām. And this is something that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has declared right at the beginning of His Book:

This is a book — there is no doubt in it — it is a source of guidance for those who have the taqwā of Allah, those who have the fear of Allah. If you do not have the fear of Allah within your heart, you might read the Book of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām from the beginning to the end, but you will still not be obedient to Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām. You will seek ḥalāl only if you fear Allah, and you will abstain from ḥarām — from earning ḥarām, eating ḥarām, drinking ḥarām, speaking ḥarām, seeing ḥarām, holding ḥarām — only if you have the fear of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām.

That is why Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala reminded us once again in Sūrat al-Ḥashr: O you who believed, fear Allah.

Allah's Promise for Those Who Fear Him

Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām says in Sūrat al-Ṭalāq:

Whoever fears Allah, Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām makes for him a way out from hardships and difficulties. Allah did not say that those who fear Allah will never face problems or difficulties or hardships or trials and tribulations in this dunyā. In fact, our beloved Nabī ﷺ has confirmed that the most severe trials and tribulations faced by the people amongst the creation of Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām are those of the prophets of Allah. The prophets and messengers of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala are the ones who are closest to Allah, yet they are the ones who face the most severe trials and tribulations, hardships and difficulties in this dunyā.

So Allah did not say if you fear Allah you will never face any problem. In fact, if you fear Allah, you may face more and more hardships and difficulties. But the only difference is: if you fear Allah, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will make and will create a way out for you, and Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will grant you provision from where you never thought of. And whoever puts his trust in Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām, Allah is sufficient for him.

Look at What You Have Prepared for Tomorrow

Allah says in Sūrat al-Ḥashr (Surah 59, Ayah 18):

And let every single soul look at what he or she has sent forward for tomorrow. Every single soul should look at what they have prepared for tomorrow. "Tomorrow" means your death — what is going to be faced after death, in your grave, on the Day of Judgment. Every single soul should look at what he or she has prepared for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the tomorrow that is the real one, not the tomorrow for which you plan in this dunyā — and you plan for the next ten years, or twenty years, or thirty years, or even for one century or beyond. Allah says: for the real tomorrow, what have we prepared?

The Five Questions on the Day of Judgment

In order to understand this āyah of the Quran, we should look at the ḥadīth of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, reported by Imām al-Tirmidhī and Imām Ibn Mājah, on the authority of Sayyidunā Abū Barza al-Aslamī, may Allah be pleased with him. The Prophet ﷺ says:

(Jāmi' al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2417; Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 173 — on the authority of Abū Barza al-Aslamī, may Allah be pleased with him)

A servant of Allah will not be able to move his feet before Allah on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked five questions, and he must answer all these five questions.

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, this is what we need to prepare for. We need to prepare the answers to these questions. If you are struggling and making efforts to prepare the answers for these questions, then thank Allah — the One who has given you the ability to do so. But if you have not prepared anything, then today is the time. Now you have the opportunity and you have the chance to rectify yourself. That is why Allah said: every single soul should look at what it has prepared for tomorrow.

The Prophet ﷺ says a servant of Allah will not be able to move his feet from his own place until he is asked five questions and he must answer. But before I mention these five questions, ponder and reflect on this ḥadīth and the wording of it. The Prophet ﷺ is saying every single person will be asked these five questions. But the Day of Judgment, the Day of Resurrection, is not the day of the test — rather this life is the test. The Day of Judgment is the day of result and outcome. So why are we going to be asked these questions?

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, the answer is that the answers will already be ready — already recorded in the book of your record, in the books of your deeds. But the purpose of this ḥadīth is that your record of deeds will be looked at in five different angles.

The First Question: Your Entire Life

The first question that will be asked — the first angle upon which you will be judged — is your whole life: where and how you spent your life. You will need to answer Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala for this question. Your record of deeds will be looked at, and you cannot lie and you cannot cheat and you cannot deceive on the Day of Judgment. In the dunyā you might find many excuses, but before Allah Dhul Jalāl wal Ikrām you will have no excuse.

Rather, Allah says in the Quran in Sūrat al-Isrā':

For every single human being We will fasten his record to his neck, and on the Day of Judgment We will bring forth a book that he will find wide open before his eyes. And then Allah will say: Read your own book, read your own record — enough for you today to hold yourself to account, make the judgment yourself about yourself.

In Sūrat al-Kahf, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:

The book of deeds — your record — will be wide open before your eyes, and you will see the criminals, the people of guilt, fearful of what is written in that book. They will say: woe to us, woe to us! What type of book is this? It did not leave any small matter, any major matter, any big or small — but it has counted every single thing.

Allah says: on that day Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will inform them of what they have done in this dunyā. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has recorded every single thing — every single act they did in this dunyā, every single deed is recorded in the book of their record. But they themselves might have forgotten. You disobeyed Allah — you forgot, but it is recorded in the book of deeds. You abandoned the ṣalāh — you forget, but Allah has recorded. You disobeyed your parents — you forget, but Allah has recorded. You showed your arrogance to others, you swore at others, you backbited others, you lied to others, you cheated others, you treated others in a bad way — it is all recorded but you might have forgotten.

Allah says:

They will find whatever they have done in this dunyā present before their eyes, and your Lord does not oppress anyone.

The Second Question: Your Youth

The second question — and it is harder than the first one — is that every single one of you, every single male and female, every elder and youth, will be asked about your youth: how and where you spent the days and nights of your youth. You will need to answer to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

The Third Question: Your Knowledge

The third question will be about his knowledge — whatever he knew about the religion of Allah, whatever he knew about the do's and don'ts, ḥalāl and ḥarām. He will be asked based on the amount of his knowledge. And on that day, my dear brother and sister, you cannot make an excuse that you did not have enough knowledge of the dīn. Who amongst the Muslims does not have knowledge that the five daily prayers are an obligation upon him? Who amongst the Muslims does not know that fasting during the month of Ramaḍān is wājib? Who does not know amongst the Muslims that zakāh is one of the pillars of Islam? Who amongst the Muslims does not know that performing Ḥajj is an obligation and a pillar of Islam?

You cannot make an excuse on the Day of Judgment. Yes, you can make an excuse today before the people, before the creation of Allah, in order to find a way out — but before Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala you will be asked about the knowledge, be it little or large. Whatever you have known in this dunyā about the religion of Allah, you will be asked whether you acted upon that knowledge or not.

The Fourth and Fifth Questions: Your Wealth

And then the fourth and fifth questions — the last two questions — are related to something that we die for in this dunyā. Something that we die for in this dunyā, and this is none other than the wealth of this dunyā.

The first of these two questions: you will need to answer Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala for every single pound and penny you earned in this dunyā — whether it was from a ḥalāl source or a ḥarām source, through lying or cheating or deceiving, or earned in a ḥalāl way, having the fear of Allah within your heart.

And then the second question will be: where have you spent it? Whether you spent it in order to please Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, or simply in order to fulfill your desires of this dunyā.

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, these are the five questions that we need to prepare for. And this is what Allah has reminded us in this āyah: and let every single soul prepare and look at what they have prepared for the Hereafter, for tomorrow.

And then Allah concludes the āyah again:

O you who believe, fear Allah. Allah is reminding you to look at what you have prepared for tomorrow. As for Allah — Allah is completely aware of what you are doing in this dunyā.

Do Not Forget Allah — Lest You Forget Yourself

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says after this āyah — Āyah 19 of Sūrat al-Ḥashr:

And do not become like those who forgot Allah — and then as a result of this, Allah punished them by making them forget themselves in this dunyā. If you forget Allah — the One who created you, the One who showers His mercy day and night upon you, the One who provides for you, the One who is your sustainer and your Lord, your Rabb, the One who created you and to Whom you owe His rights — if you forget Him, He will make you forget yourself. What does this mean?

The ḥadīth of Rasūlullāh ﷺ explains this — a Ḥadīth Qudsī reported by Imām al-Tirmidhī on the authority of Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him. The Prophet ﷺ says:

(Jāmi' al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2654 — on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him; declared Ḥasan by al-Tirmidhī)

Allah says: Take time out from My worship. What will be the benefit of this? Allah says: If you take time out for My worship, then I will fill your heart with richness — with ghinā — and I will close down all the ways and paths of poverty for you. Despite having nothing of this dunyā, you will feel yourself the most rich amongst the creation of Allah, if you take your time out in order to worship Allah.

But unfortunately, we try to deal with Allah the other way around. We say we don't have time; we are too busy in the matters of this dunyā. We are busy in our worldly matters — in our business, job, family matters — and we merely find just a couple of minutes within 24 hours to establish the ṣalāh, to perform the five obligatory prayers. But Allah says: this is not the way to deal with Me. You must take time out for My worship, and if you do so, then I will fill your heart with richness and I will close down all the ways and doors of poverty for you.

And then Allah has warned us as well: and if you do not do so — if you do not take time out for My worship, and if you continue making excuses that you don't have time to learn the Book of Allah, you don't have time to establish the five daily prayers, you do not have time to learn the dīn of Allah, you do not even have time to understand the tawḥīd of Allah — if you continue making excuses, then listen to this warning: Allah says I will fill your hands with the worldly matters, with the business of this dunyā. You will be occupied dissolving your problems one after another, and you will never be able to sort out your problems of this dunyā. And I will never close the doors of poverty for you. Despite having a large amount of the wealth of this dunyā, you will continue feeling yourself a poor person and you will have the desire to earn more and more and more.

This is what Allah says: do not become like those who forgot Allah, and then as a result of this Allah made them forget themselves. If you do not take time out for the worship of Allah, then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will punish you in a way that He will make you forget yourself, and you will never be able to sort out your problems and the matters of this dunyā.

Prepare Now — Before Ramaḍān and Before Death

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, as we know the month of Ramaḍān is not far — it is very close. But I request, and I remind myself first and foremost and then you all, all my brothers and sisters in Islam: prepare for your Hereafter today and now. Because none of us has any guarantee that he or she is going to live until next week. We have no guarantee whatsoever. We need to prepare today.

And remember — the month of Ramaḍān is not the month in which you initiate the acts of worship. Rather, the month of Ramaḍān is the month in which you increase the acts of worship. If you are regular in your five daily prayers, you increase the acts of worship — you increase your ṣalāh during the night, you fast during the day, and then you increase the amount of the recitation of the Quran that you used to read every single day.

But if you are not used to these acts of worship before the month of Ramaḍān, then what would happen? What happens to every one of us — or most of us — every single Ramaḍān? From the beginning until the end of the month, we are occupied in making plans: tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow I am going to read this much portion of the Quran. The month of Ramaḍān comes and goes, and you are never able to read the Quran — because before the month of Ramaḍān you were not used to reading the Quran on a daily basis. So the month of Ramaḍān is to increase the acts of worship.

So if you want to truly benefit from the month of Ramaḍān, then rectify yourself today and now, and prepare for the answers that you will be asked on the Day of Judgment.

Du'ā — Closing Supplication

May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala allow us to prepare for our Hereafter. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala give us tawfīq and ability to be prepared for the answers of all these questions. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala give us tawfīq and ability to have His fear in our hearts at all times. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala allow us to rectify ourselves. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala accept our deeds of worship. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala give us tawfīq and ability to abstain from ḥarām, from His disobedience. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala allow us to stay obedient to Him and to His Messenger. May Allah grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of Hell. May Allah not take us to account if we forget or make a mistake. May Allah not burden us with a burden as He has burdened those before us. May Allah not burden us with what we have no power to bear. Forgive us, forgive us, and have mercy on us — You are our Master, so help us.