The Final Moments - The Importance of a Good Ending

The Final Moments — The Importance of a Good Ending

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. That's a pretty weak response. This is Bloomfield Hills, guys.

Bismillah. What is it? Beverly Hills? Okay, well, it's Michigan. It's Ummah.

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. So, Bismillahir rahmanir raheem.

First of all, we feel honored being here with Sheikh Muhammad al-Masmari. Normally, we're trying to invite him to our place. This time, he pulled us to his place, which is rare, but now we're both here, alhamdulillah, right after our Taraweeh prayers.

It's an honor to be here with all of you. Inshallah, the topic of these 10 nights is titled The Final Moments. Anyone have any thoughts about what this means — Final Moments? Any thoughts? Brothers, what do you guys think? Before death — there you go.

It's not bad. Sisters, anything? The Final Moments? Anything? Did we give them a coffee today, Sheikh? What's going on? We're on a budget?

Introduction to the Theme

So, the idea is that in these 9 or 10 nights, inshallah, we will speak about different aspects of final moments — the final moment of an amal, of an act; the final moment of the Prophet's life; the final moment before we leave this world; the final moment of the month of Ramadan. Everything that has to do with finality, and everything that has to do with an ending. Because at the end of the day, the whole purpose of this theme is how we can prepare ourselves to end the month of Ramadan correctly, and by extension, how we can end our life correctly. So, inshallah, that will be the theme of our discussion.

So I started off because I wanted to make sure everyone knew what the theme was, and I'm not sure if Sheikh Abdullah knew what the theme was, so I want to make sure he's on the same page. He asked me, he's like, "You know what we're talking about?" I'm like, "No." So, now I'll let him take over with Sheikh Masmari, inshallah.

Before we go ahead, I just want to give a round of applause to Sheikh Masmari, inshallah. Give a round of applause, guys. I like to start my programs with claps. And all the volunteers here at Ummah, let's give them a round of applause, inshallah.

This place has vibes. I don't know what type of vibe it has, but it has a lot of vibes. It has muhabbah — love, connection, spirituality. And I can imagine, this late, all you youth here — not easy to witness this anywhere in America. But to see this here, it's a testimony. May Allah accept the efforts of those who are coming together to make this successful. We can see that, not just the love that we have for Islam, but also the appreciation of the great work that Sheikh Masmari and the team is doing. May Allah bless them, may Allah reward them, may Allah protect them, ameen.

How You End Things Matters

You know, we're going to have a conversation — pretending like you guys are not in this hall. We're going to keep it very informal, just keep it casual. At the same time, whatever we talk about on this topic — if we were sitting in Sheikh Masmari's sunroom, what would we talk about?

As we come into the last 10 nights, a lot of times people say it's about how you begin something:

But also:

How you end things. You can start off Ramadan, life, career, school, a relationship in the wrong way sometimes — not always. But then you can always correct yourself. We know this. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 3116; also referenced in Musnad Ahmad)

"Whoever's last words are لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ — he is going to Jannah, subhanAllah." So there is so much wrong in their life, but before they died, they repented.

Yes, it does matter when you start something — because in the beginning, the child's ear receives the Adhan. As a poet beautifully said:

You call the Adhan in the right ear to get this child ready for the journey of life — which is between Adhan and Iqamah — responding to Hayyala al-Salah, responding to the call of success. But then in the middle of this life, in this journey, you lose track.

You know, all you need is that one nafas — one breath — in your life, in the end, as you're leaving this world, to sincerely repent. And these are the last nights of Ramadan. So we want to take advantage of this.

The Du'a of the Final Nights — A Teaching of the Prophet ﷺ

And I will ask Sheikh Masmari some questions. Sheikh Masmari, may Allah protect him. We know that when Abu Bakr as-Siddiq asked the Prophet ﷺ what he should make du'a for at the end of his prayer — Abu Bakr, who is the Prophet's closest companion, says: "Ya Rasulullah, what du'a should I make as I conclude my prayer to Allah?" Can we talk about that du'a and why that du'a was selected and given to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq by the Prophet ﷺ?

So before I answer — what if I never knew the du'a? What, you didn't know the du'a? I'm just saying, you put me on the spot. What if I just didn't know it? You know, I have so much positive assumption in you. Thank you. And I've never seen someone smile at me this close. Not even my wife, so it's kind of weird. Like, all you do is hold my hand. You know, you're so close to me, you're smiling — I'm like, the only people that smile at me this close are my teachers, and I know the next thing is going to be trouble.

But Sheikh, I know Sheikh Masmari, mashaAllah, well-educated, mashaAllah, may Allah protect you.

Bismillah wa salatu wa salam ala rasulillah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala.

May Allah bless this gathering, shower upon us His mercy, and reward you all for joining and participating.

The Prophet ﷺ taught our mother Aisha a beautiful du'a — a du'a to be recited on these blessed nights:

"O Allah, You are the Pardoning, the Generous; You love to pardon, so pardon us."
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3513; declared Sahih)

This supplication is a supplication of seeking forgiveness — asking Allah to forgive us and to forgive us for our shortcomings, for engaging in actions that we shouldn't be engaging in. So, inshallah, keep this du'a, allow it to be recited throughout the night, as he ﷺ recommended. This is a prophetic recommendation. Your Prophet ﷺ recommended for this du'a to be said on this blessed night.

Also, my dear brothers and sisters, going back to the theme — and before I answer your question, Sheikh Abdullah — it has always been a blessing to be with you both at Miftah. May Allah put barakah in your efforts. Say it again. May Allah bless you in Miftah. And may Allah accept you all and keep you sincere and keep you strong and put barakah in your efforts. MashaAllah, amazing people. And mashaAllah, you see them everywhere engaging in da'wah, calling people to Allah. So, may Allah accept your efforts. Ameen.