The First Step of the Akhirah and It's Preparation
A child first resides in the womb of his mother. This is his initiation. From here, he receives nourishment and he has no other concern. He receives comfort and doesn't know that he will soon be released. Suddenly thereafter, his life transforms and he is released into the next world.
Just like the baby cries after leaving the relaxation of the womb, we also become comfortable in this world and we consider it our ultimate aim, forgetting that we will have to leave soon. One who has understanding, recognises his responsibilities and knows that he has another world to enter.
It is Allah ta'ala's massive bounty upon us that He has given us Ramadan and the acts of worship to remind us of our Hereafter, yet, most of us are lazy and do not prepare for our Hereafter.
A person who doesn't pray, is even more ignorant and lazy, as he has no concern for the Hereafter. He's more immersed in the affairs of this world. The benefit of prayer is that when a person begins praying, then light enters his life and he possesses the concern for the Hereafter. Thus, every deed a person commits, creates that concern.
Hadhrat Aishah رضي الله عنها mentions that when we are transferred from this world to the Hereafter, the first station we will stop at, is the grave. Hence, we should keep this station at the forefront and have concern for it.
Nabi ﷺ said that the tests and challenges of the grave are so severe that he has not seen a place more fearful than it. The grave is a ditch dug in the earth and each of us must enter it. There is no ease and comfort in the grave. Instead, there is severe darkness in the grave.
Nabi ﷺ has also stated that, "If I told you the reality of the grave, you would not bury your deceased." This was mentioned so that we can create concern for the Hereafter.
There are 2 types of people who enter the grave. The first are welcomed and reassured as he is the one who has prepared for his grave. His grave becomes widened for him, as far as his eyes can see and the windows of Paradise are installed in his grave. He also receives the breeze of Paradise in his grave.
The one who has not prepared for his grave, his ribs are squeezed until they overlap each other.
This life is not a game. We must prepare for the Hereafter instead of enjoying ourselves in this world. All lifelong we struggle in this world, but nothing in this world will go with us in the grave. Even one's parents and relatives will forget him in the grave.
We should visit the graves, recite Quran and send Isaale Thawãb for those who are deceased, as the deceased plead with us to send them reward.
Nabi ﷺ said to Hadhrat Fatimah رضي الله عنها, "Oh Fatimah, practice and earn now in this world whilst you can."
No one can do anything for us in this world so, we should do it ourselves now, as nobody will favour us in the Hereafter. We should build our own Paradise until our final breath and make our graves Paradise, so that we can depart from this world happily.
We repent and then commit the sin again. In reality, we should make a connection with Allah ta'ala now and repent for our sins. We should acknowledge all our sins, cry to Allah ta'ala, seek His forgiveness and promise not to repeat the sin. This is the method of repentance. In order to maintain our concern for the Hereafter, we should make a habit of doing this before we sleep every night. Sit on the mattress for a few minutes and contemplate. Mention all the sins you committed during that day and seek Allah ta'ala's forgiveness for all your mistakes. Thereafter, recite 'Astaghfirullah' three times before you sleep. In a hadith, it mentions that if a person does this, then Allah ta'ala will forgive all of his sins.
Hadhrat Muadh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه says that the grave is a dangerous place. There are snakes within the grave. When a person enters his grave, 90 pythons are released in his grave. We are informed of these events so that we can become alert and wake up to the reality.
If the station of the grave is made easy for us, then the plains of resurrection, the day of judgement, the crossing of the bridge, the accounting, all will be made easy for us. If one succeeds in the grave, then all the other stations will be made easy for him.
The action of dhikr helps one to prepare for his grave. The pious predecessors would mention Allah ta'ala's name hundreds and thousands of times in Ramadan.
Hadhrat Muadh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه reports that Nabi ﷺ said, “The son of Adam does not act with a deed better to save him from the punishment of Allah than with the remembrance of Allah.” [Ahmad]
Shaytan makes us lazy from dhikr which is why Nabi ﷺ gave a special warning regarding those who waste their time during Ramadan.
We should focus on the purpose of Ramadan - to prepare for our grave. We should take benefit from Ramadan, for if we waste Ramadan performing other actions, then we will become deserving of Allah ta'ala's curse.
Many are spending their Ramadan on temporary worldly gain. They use Ramadan to earn a higher turnover from their businesses or to take increased charity from the people. They plan in advance for Ramadan for the sake of worldly benefits. This is ignorance and a lack of reliance upon Allah ta'ala.
Allah ta'ala began Surah Fatiha with His dhikr and His praise. The whole universe praises Him, which is why we should not forsake His remembrance. We must remind ourselves that He is the Lord of the universe. If you remember this quality, then you will live your life according to the Quran. If you forget it, then you will be distressed over your sustenance and this sorrow will cause you to become lost in the world. You will lose out in Ramadan and prayer and your time will be wasted. You will be made a coward in this world. Allah ta'ala instructs us to trust that He will provide for us.
If one does not believe in Allah ta'ala being His Lord, then behind every worship, his objective will be, 'How do I earn money in the world?' This becomes his only concern.
The child that comes from the womb of the mother in to the world, comes with his sustenance written until death. The guest comes with his own sustenance and he feeds you as well. So we should not worry about these matters.
This final Asharah is full of rewards. Tonight is the night in which Allah ta'ala gives the reward for the one who fulfilled the purpose of Ramadan.
We should remember Allah ta'ala in abundance during Ramadan and put everything aside. This is the cure from the punishment of the grave. We should make a firm resolve in our hearts to partake in all the Dhikr Gatherings during these odd nights. We should disregard our tiredness and sit, even for a little while, without making excuses, because these days are extremely precious.
We should consider every odd night to be Laylatul Qadr. One should keep doing the dhikr of Allah ta'ala during this night because this is the reason Allah ta'ala has given us Ramadan. This is the deed Allah ta'ala loves, to the extent that, He announces His forgiveness, for those who partake and have consequently, prepared for their graves.
May Allah ta'ala remove our laziness. May Allah ta'ala reduce the love for the world and may Allah ta'ala increase our love for His deen.
A child first resides in the womb of his mother. This is his initiation. From here, he receives nourishment and he has no other concern. He receives comfort and doesn't know that he will soon be released. Suddenly thereafter, his life transforms and he is released into the next world.
Just like the baby cries after leaving the relaxation of the womb, we also become comfortable in this world and we consider it our ultimate aim, forgetting that we will have to leave soon. One who has understanding, recognises his responsibilities and knows that he has another world to enter.
It is Allah ta'ala's massive bounty upon us that He has given us Ramadan and the acts of worship to remind us of our Hereafter, yet, most of us are lazy and do not prepare for our Hereafter.
A person who doesn't pray, is even more ignorant and lazy, as he has no concern for the Hereafter. He's more immersed in the affairs of this world. The benefit of prayer is that when a person begins praying, then light enters his life and he possesses the concern for the Hereafter. Thus, every deed a person commits, creates that concern.
Hadhrat Aishah رضي الله عنها mentions that when we are transferred from this world to the Hereafter, the first station we will stop at, is the grave. Hence, we should keep this station at the forefront and have concern for it.
Nabi ﷺ said that the tests and challenges of the grave are so severe that he has not seen a place more fearful than it. The grave is a ditch dug in the earth and each of us must enter it. There is no ease and comfort in the grave. Instead, there is severe darkness in the grave.
Nabi ﷺ has also stated that, "If I told you the reality of the grave, you would not bury your deceased." This was mentioned so that we can create concern for the Hereafter.
There are 2 types of people who enter the grave. The first are welcomed and reassured as he is the one who has prepared for his grave. His grave becomes widened for him, as far as his eyes can see and the windows of Paradise are installed in his grave. He also receives the breeze of Paradise in his grave.
The one who has not prepared for his grave, his ribs are squeezed until they overlap each other.
This life is not a game. We must prepare for the Hereafter instead of enjoying ourselves in this world. All lifelong we struggle in this world, but nothing in this world will go with us in the grave. Even one's parents and relatives will forget him in the grave.
We should visit the graves, recite Quran and send Isaale Thawãb for those who are deceased, as the deceased plead with us to send them reward.
Nabi ﷺ said to Hadhrat Fatimah رضي الله عنها, "Oh Fatimah, practice and earn now in this world whilst you can."
No one can do anything for us in this world so, we should do it ourselves now, as nobody will favour us in the Hereafter. We should build our own Paradise until our final breath and make our graves Paradise, so that we can depart from this world happily.
We repent and then commit the sin again. In reality, we should make a connection with Allah ta'ala now and repent for our sins. We should acknowledge all our sins, cry to Allah ta'ala, seek His forgiveness and promise not to repeat the sin. This is the method of repentance. In order to maintain our concern for the Hereafter, we should make a habit of doing this before we sleep every night. Sit on the mattress for a few minutes and contemplate. Mention all the sins you committed during that day and seek Allah ta'ala's forgiveness for all your mistakes. Thereafter, recite 'Astaghfirullah' three times before you sleep. In a hadith, it mentions that if a person does this, then Allah ta'ala will forgive all of his sins.
Hadhrat Muadh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه says that the grave is a dangerous place. There are snakes within the grave. When a person enters his grave, 90 pythons are released in his grave. We are informed of these events so that we can become alert and wake up to the reality.
If the station of the grave is made easy for us, then the plains of resurrection, the day of judgement, the crossing of the bridge, the accounting, all will be made easy for us. If one succeeds in the grave, then all the other stations will be made easy for him.
The action of dhikr helps one to prepare for his grave. The pious predecessors would mention Allah ta'ala's name hundreds and thousands of times in Ramadan.
Hadhrat Muadh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه reports that Nabi ﷺ said, “The son of Adam does not act with a deed better to save him from the punishment of Allah than with the remembrance of Allah.” [Ahmad]
Shaytan makes us lazy from dhikr which is why Nabi ﷺ gave a special warning regarding those who waste their time during Ramadan.
We should focus on the purpose of Ramadan - to prepare for our grave. We should take benefit from Ramadan, for if we waste Ramadan performing other actions, then we will become deserving of Allah ta'ala's curse.
Many are spending their Ramadan on temporary worldly gain. They use Ramadan to earn a higher turnover from their businesses or to take increased charity from the people. They plan in advance for Ramadan for the sake of worldly benefits. This is ignorance and a lack of reliance upon Allah ta'ala.
Allah ta'ala began Surah Fatiha with His dhikr and His praise. The whole universe praises Him, which is why we should not forsake His remembrance. We must remind ourselves that He is the Lord of the universe. If you remember this quality, then you will live your life according to the Quran. If you forget it, then you will be distressed over your sustenance and this sorrow will cause you to become lost in the world. You will lose out in Ramadan and prayer and your time will be wasted. You will be made a coward in this world. Allah ta'ala instructs us to trust that He will provide for us.
If one does not believe in Allah ta'ala being His Lord, then behind every worship, his objective will be, 'How do I earn money in the world?' This becomes his only concern.
The child that comes from the womb of the mother in to the world, comes with his sustenance written until death. The guest comes with his own sustenance and he feeds you as well. So we should not worry about these matters.
This final Asharah is full of rewards. Tonight is the night in which Allah ta'ala gives the reward for the one who fulfilled the purpose of Ramadan.
We should remember Allah ta'ala in abundance during Ramadan and put everything aside. This is the cure from the punishment of the grave. We should make a firm resolve in our hearts to partake in all the Dhikr Gatherings during these odd nights. We should disregard our tiredness and sit, even for a little while, without making excuses, because these days are extremely precious.
We should consider every odd night to be Laylatul Qadr. One should keep doing the dhikr of Allah ta'ala during this night because this is the reason Allah ta'ala has given us Ramadan. This is the deed Allah ta'ala loves, to the extent that, He announces His forgiveness, for those who partake and have consequently, prepared for their graves.
May Allah ta'ala remove our laziness. May Allah ta'ala reduce the love for the world and may Allah ta'ala increase our love for His deen.