In the name of Allah
The All Compassionate, the All Merciful
26th Rajab 1444 (17th February 2023)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Jihad An-Nafs – Part 119
Purification of the heart-Part 61
As explained in my previous discussions that on the Day of Resurrection man will be brought to account for his every action on earth. According to the Holy Quran and traditions he will be asked about the fulfilment of his compulsory religious duties, like belief in Allah (s.w.t.) and His Messenger and fulfilling the rights of others. The Holy Prophet (s.a.) has said: “The son of Adam will not be dismissed from his Lord on the Day of Resurrection until he is questioned about four matters: his life on earth and how he lived it, his youth and how he utilized it, how he earned his wealth and how he spent it, and his love for the Ahlul Bait.”
This Hadith portrays that no one will enter paradise unless one succeeds in giving adequate replies to these four basic questions:
- How he spent his life on earth; whether he spent it in pleasing and obeying Allah (s.w.t) and His Apostle or in seeking the delights of this world.
- How he utilized his time as a youth; whether he made full use of his time when he was energetic and pleased Allah (s.w.t.).
- How he earned his wealth and how he spent it; whether he earned his wealth lawfully and spent it in helping the poor and the downtrodden.
- His love for the Ahlul Bait; the Ahlul Bait has been chosen by Allah (s.w.t) to lead and guide people. One who is a true believer declares his love for them through their actions by befriending and emulating them.
There are many Ayahs in the Holy Quran that urge us to be careful with our time on earth and not to be losers by straying from the right path:
Ayah 108 of Surah Al-Baqarah:“Do you like to question your Messenger (Muhammad) as Moses was questioned aforetime? He who exchanges faith for infidelity has verily strayed from the right path.”
Ayahs 116 and 136 of Surah An-Nisa: “Verily! God does not forgive those who associate anything with Him, but He forgives whom he pleases and whosoever associates any with God has indeed strayed far, far away.”
O you who believe! Believe in God, His Messenger and the Book which He has revealed to His Prophet (Muhammad), and the Book which He has revealed before (him), Whoever disbelieves in God, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day, he has indeed strayed off far away.”
Ayahs 103-106 of Surah Al-Kahf: “Say (O Our Prophet Muhammad) “Shall We acquaint you with the greatest losers?
They are those whose efforts are lost in the life of this world, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds!
They are the ones who denied the signs of their Lord, and in the meeting with Him; their deeds shall therefore be in vain, and He shall not assign any weight to them on the Day of Resurrection.Thus hell is their recompense, for what they disbelieved and held My signs and messengers with scorn.”
Second Sermon
The Holy Prophet (s.a.)’s mission
The Holy Prophet (s.a.)’s first embarked on his merciful mission on 27th of Rajab and I take this opportunity to congratulate Imam Mahdi (a.s.) and the Muslim Ummah. I invoke Allah (s.w.t.) to guide us to follow in his footsteps and to make us prosperous and triumphant against the enemies of Islam.
Allah (s.w.t.) sent Messengers to every nation who advised the people that they should worship Him alone and to refrain from worshipping false deities. However, the Holy Prophet (s.a.) was the leader of all the prophets; he brought the final revelation and completed the religion of Allah (s.w.t). His divine message which continued for 23 years proclaimed the Unity of God and demolished ignorance and disbelief. We must, therefore, appreciate the blessings of his official appointment and all the goodness that it brought. Although, the “first to be created was his light”, the Holy Quran does not deny the revelations that came before it; rather it testifies to their truthfulness and completes them. When speaking about the prophets that came before him, the Holy Prophet (s.a.) said:
“I am the prayer of my ancestor, Abraham and the glad tidings of Jesus. My position and that of the other prophets is like the following parable: A man builds a perfect and beautiful house but leaves one brick missing from a corner of the house. People come and gaze at the house. Noticing the missing brick they say: “Will a brick not be put in this niche?” Now, I am that brick and the last of the prophets.”
The great favor of sending messengers to the people is the greatest kindness of Allah (s.w.t) which started with the creation of mankind and continued until the death of the Holy Prophet (s.a.). Some relevant Ayahs are quoted below:
Ayah 42 of Surah Al-An’am: “Verily, We sent Messengers to nations before you…”
Ayah 94 of Surah Al-A’raaf: “We sent no prophet to a town, but We seized its people with distress and adversity so that they may humble themselves.”
Ayahs 36 and 63 of Surah An-Nahl: “Indeed, We raised in every nation a Messenger (who said): “Worship God (Alone) and stay clear of every kind of false deities (taught).” So among them were some whom God guided and among them were others on whom error was confirmed. … .
By God, Indeed We sent Messengers to people before you…”
Ayah 15 and 77 of Surah Bani-Isra’il: “….And We do not chastise people until We raised a Messenger among them.
This was Our way with those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you and you will not find any change in Our way.”
Ayah 59 of Surah Al-Qasas: “Your Lord destroys no town until He raises in its metropolis a Messenger rehearsing Our signs, to them …..”
Ayah 25 of Surah Al-Anbiya: “And We did not send any Messenger before you (O’ Our Messenger, Muhammad), but We revealed to him that: “Verily there is no god, but I, so worship Me (Alone).”
Ayah 47 of Surah Ar-Rum: “Indeed We sent Messengers before you to their people
and they came to them with clear proof, then We took vengeance upon those who were guilty; the succour of the believers were indeed incumbent upon Us.”
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