"Oh Allah, Don't Make Us From the Regretful"

Shaykh Yousaf Jahangir

Amma ba'd. For indeed the best of speech is the speech of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and the worst of affairs are newly invented matters, and every newly invented matter is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is a deviation, and every deviation is in the Fire.

There Is No Off Season for the Believer

We are commonly told that in the times of holidays we have time to waste, we have an opportunity to relax and kill time, and this we find has become common practice. But subhanAllah, as Muslims we are anything but common. Allah tells us about the nature of our ummah where He says:

"You, O Muslims, are the best of mankind." Why is that? You bring about good and you remove evil, and most importantly, you believe in Allah. So as Muslims we have high aspirations, we have lofty goals, and there is no off season and there is no time to waste when it comes to achieving and attaining our goals and ambitions — starting off with entering into paradise, earning Allah's mercy, earning Allah's pleasure. And this also translates into our worldly affairs. There is no off season in our religion.

When speaking about the value and the importance of time and making the most of these opportunities, Allah says:

"And when you have free time, that is the time to become productive, and draw closer to Allah." So for us to achieve success we have to be determined and focused and have consistency. And even though it may have become common practice for people to waste their time, the believer understands the advice of the Prophet ﷺ where he said:

"There are two blessings that the shaytan has deceived many people out of: having good health and having free time." About this the scholars explain — good health and free time are two jewels, they are two crowns that only the sick and the poorly can appreciate, and only the people that are busy and do not have the gift of time can appreciate what a great blessing time truly is.

Your Relationship with the Quran

You young brothers and sisters, it is important that you understand that as Muslims we have been gifted the Quran. And if we want to know how close we are to Allah and how close we are to His blessings and His happiness and His mercy, then ask yourself: where is my standing with Allah's book? What is my relationship like with the Quran?

We find the Quran is there to give us guidance, as Allah refers to it throughout the Quran itself — it is a book of guidance that Allah has blessed you with. Every situation you are going to go through in your life, Allah has blessed you with hidayah and guidance there. And this happens in many different forms. Sometimes Allah gives us very powerful life lessons in very direct verses which we can apply to every aspect of our lives, like where Allah says:

"And whoever fears Allah, Allah is going to make for him an exit strategy — Allah is going to make for him an escape." Whoever fears Allah, the one that is aware of his Lord, the one that is conscious of Allah — meaning throughout the different phases of our lives, any difficulty, any hardship that we face, the first thing that comes to our mind is our relationship and our worship of Allah. What does Allah want from me in this test and trial? How can I use this opportunity to get closer to Allah? What is the guidance of the Prophet in this situation?

And when we do this, "Allah is going to provide for us from means that we cannot even begin to imagine exist. And whoever puts his trust in Allah and truly relies upon Allah, Allah is going to be sufficient for that person."

Another way Allah gives us guidance in the Quran is that He teaches us the stories of the previous nations:

"We are narrating to you the best of stories" — of the previous prophets and messengers, and the nations they came to, and the reasons why they rejected the prophets and messengers — for us to ponder and reflect and take heed from.

The Inhabitants of Jannah and Jahannam

One of the ways Allah gives us guidance in the Quran is that He teaches us about the future — that which is going to happen. And as Muslims we know the most important events of the future that concern us is our final abode: Jannah and Jahannam. Allah teaches us about those places and He teaches us about the inhabitants of such places. And more importantly, Allah teaches us about the actions of the people of Jannah that they did that led them to paradise — may Allah make us from those people. Allah teaches us about Jahannam and the actions and the deeds that people did that led them to that evil abode — may Allah protect us all.

And when it comes to looking at the people of Jahannam and the actions and the deeds that they committed and they were consistent with — once they finally reach Jahannam — we find they have a very common theme among them, and that is their emotional state. They are overwhelmed with regret. They are overwhelmed with regret that they were given this opportunity and this gift and blessing of life, and they squandered it and wasted it on something that is not going to bring them any benefit in any way.

Allah summarizes this very powerfully in the Quran where He says:

That soul that was oppressive — that was a dhalim to himself and to those around him and to the laws that Allah has set there for us — if this person had the entire dunya to give as ransom, to set himself free from that punishment on that day, he would do so. "And these people are going to be overwhelmed in regret and grief when they see Allah's punishment" — may Allah protect us all. "And they are going to be judged in fairness, and nobody will be wronged."

The Lesson from the Grave

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was walking one day with his companions and they passed by a grave, and he ﷺ taught us a very powerful lesson. He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6415)

"Two units of prayer — two quick units — that which you people hold insignificant would increase this person in the grave in his righteous deeds, and they are more beloved to this man than the rest of your dunya." SubhanAllah. Meaning if this person could come back and he had the choice of having the entire dunya or praying two quick units, he would choose praying instead. Why is that? Because he understands the only thing that is going to benefit him — the only value in that life, the only currency in that life — is our righteous deeds and our worship of Allah. It is not anything from this dunya.

And the reality is we see the grave as something so far and something so distant. It is something which every single one of us is going to pass through and go through. And we have been given an opportunity, my brothers and sisters, to act now. We have been given the gift of life to make change, to worship Allah to the best of our abilities, because Allah has clearly told us — on that day there is going to be people who are living in happiness and in luxury and in ease and in Allah's blessings and His pleasure, and no harm or anxiety is going to touch them. But then the opposite holds true also: there is going to be those people that are overwhelmed with regret. May Allah make us from those people that utilize our opportunities and the blessings He has given us to draw closer to Him.

Voices of Regret in the Quran

One of the ways that Allah speaks about regret on the Day of Judgment is that Allah quotes the people of regret and how they are going to react and some of the statements they are going to make. One of the ways Allah does this is that He quotes them using the term: "O woe to me! If only I had done such and such. If only I had prepared for this day. If only I had not done such and such. If only I did not hang around and mix and follow such and such person."

Surah Al-Fajr: The Regret of the Heedless

From these ayat is where Allah speaks in Surah Al-Fajr, a surah that many of us are familiar with, where Allah says: "And on that day the fire of hell is going to be brought forward. On that day every single person is going to remember and take heed — but how do you expect remembrance and taking heed to benefit you now? You have had the opportunity to do righteous deeds. You have had the opportunity to stop sinning. Now is the time to be rewarded in accordance with what you put forward in your life."

"That person is going to say: 'O woe to me! If only I had prepared for my life — for my true life.'" His existence in this dunya he is going to forget about — it is going to mean nothing to him. And on that day nobody is going to punish the way Allah is going to punish. And it is going to be said to the righteous soul:

"O tranquil soul, O righteous person, return back to your Lord — you are going to be pleased with that which Allah has prepared for you and Allah is pleased with you — because you have made the most of the opportunities of this life, you have invested in your akhira, and you did not become lost and confused in this life. So enter into My paradise and enter among My righteous slaves." May Allah make us from them.

Surah Al-Haqqah: The Book in the Left Hand

From the ayat which speak about regret in the Quran is that very powerful passage in Surah Al-Haqqah. That person who is given his book in his left hand — a form of humiliation and ultimate disgrace on that day — he is going to say:

"O woe to me! If only I was not given my book of deeds. If only I did not know my reckoning and the judgment that I am going to face. If only there was some escape. O woe to me! If only this was the end of me. My wealth has not benefited me in any way. That which I held of value and significance — my power, my friends, my house, my family — whatever it is has disappeared and is of no benefit to me."

Surah Al-Furqan: The Regret of Bad Companionship

From the verses that speak about regret on the Day of Judgment is at the end of Surah Al-Furqan — very powerful life lessons for every single one of us, especially you younger brothers and sisters. Allah is informing us of that day again: the zalim, the oppressor, the one that wronged himself and wronged those around him — he is going to bite on his hands in grief and misery and regret and fear and sorrow:

"O woe to me! If only I followed the Prophet's example. If only I followed the sunnah of the Prophet. If I learned about his manners and his character and I brought that into my life, I would not be in this situation today."

A few verses after that:

"O woe to me! If I did not take such and such person as a close friend. If I did not follow this influencer. If I was not addicted to social media that is destroying my soul. If I did not hang around and take as my company people that are taking me far away from Allah — people that are not going to benefit me in this life or the next."

Allah now is giving us the definition of a good friend and a bad friend. Why is this man regretful from taking this person as a close friend? Because "he sent me astray after Allah's remembrance came to me." Alhamdulillah, we are in the masjid and we are all Muslims and we are being reminded of Allah. But one of the ways that shaytan is going to send us astray is by sending us friends — so-called friends — that are going to take us away from Allah's remembrance and Allah's worship and Allah's guidance.

Allah ends this verse by saying: "And shaytan" — referring to this person as a devil from humankind — "is treacherous. You need him and you think you can depend on this person — he is going to be treacherous and vanish and disappear." This shows us the true quality of righteous company and good friends.

Act Now, Before It Is Too Late

There is a lot more that could be said, but time does not permit. It is important that we ponder and reflect over our life choices and who we associate with, and we ask ourselves: if I die today, am I going to be from those people that Allah is pleased to meet and He is happy to meet and He loves to meet? Or am I from those people that are going to be overwhelmed in regret? May Allah protect us.

If we are from the people of regret, then Allah has given us the chance and the opportunity to make a change today and right now — because we have the gift of life. We have not entered our graves. We have the opportunity to act and bring change and better ourselves and return back to Allah.

Du'a

We ask Allah He makes us from those people that He loves to meet — those people that love to meet Him. We ask Allah for an easy reckoning when we meet Him, and that He does not make us from those people that are overwhelmed in regret.

Allah, bless us with iman, guidance, and protection in times of ease and in difficulty. Allah, do not prevent our hearts from taking heed from Your guidance. Allah, take our souls and You are pleased with us. Allah, let our best deeds be our final deeds. Allah, awaken us from our heedlessness and bless us with righteous company and positive influence.

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ