Dhikr is a great treasure of Allah ta'ala and a gift for us. A person may be powerful or affluent in society, however, he may not be given the ability to attend the mosque and the gatherings of dhikr. In reality, when Allah ta'ala bestows His grace upon an individual, then even the most sinful people are invited to his gathering and are forgiven by Him.
Our lives are a reflection of His disobedience, we are immersed in sin and we worship our own desires. Thus, we are very grateful that Allah ta'ala has allowed us to partake in this blessed gathering.
Forgiveness is the objective of every human being and our departure from this world should be based upon it. If we are forgiven, our return to Allah ta'ala will be a successful one. If we have accumulated worldly assets, yet, failed to achieve forgiveness, then we will be punished by Allah ta'ala.
The biggest success for an individual is that he attains the pleasure of Allah ta'ala in this world despite living a life of hardship. Such a person will enter Paradise without reckoning.
The patient people are those who gather solely to remember Allah ta'ala whilst those around them are immersed in the enjoyment and luxuries of the world. They sacrifice their desires and designate their time for dhikr. Allah ta'ala will treat his beloved servants who demonstrated patience, in a special manner.
We should avoid fixating upon our difficulties and sorrows because it is due to our hardships, our statuses are increased and we are recognised in the Hereafter. It is also due to these special people that Allah ta'ala distributes the rain and wealth around the world.
All angels and the creation focus upon the Dhaakir and they are ordered by Allah ta'ala to love him. He is recognised in the Heavens and the angels send Durood upon such a believer.
We are expected to crush our own desires and follow the obedience of Allah ta'ala in order to please Allah Him.
Before we undertake a journey, we plan and prepare. We pack our luggage and due to our extensive planning, our journey towards our destination becomes easy. The more concern we have for our planning, the more comfortable our journey becomes.
Similarly, we are all travelling to the Hereafter with every passing moment. This journey is towards our final abode and it does not come with a return ticket. Our journey towards our grave is the ultimate journey, so we must have great concern for our Hereafter and ensure we have packed our goods.
If we fail to develop concern for our graves, we will fail to prepare for it.
Nabi ﷺ developed the Noble Companions and taught them the concern for the Hereafter. With regards to his educating the companions, he placed most emphasis upon this, which is why the Noble Companions demonstrated great concern of the Hereafter which reflected in their preparation for it.
Nabi ﷺ ensured that the Noble Companions never became attached to the world and continuously reminded them of the greatness of Paradise in parallel to the world.
Developing constant focus and concern upon the Hereafter grants us the greatest success in the Hereafter. When we have true concern for the Hereafter, we go on to fulfil a beautiful preparation for the Hereafter. Those who prepare for the Hereafter, their death becomes unique
Many of us demonstrate concern for the world, whilst abandoning preparation for the Hereafter. Thus, we face great deception.
All our worship and deeds should be focused towards the Hereafter. Our five time prayers should bring us towards the focus of the Hereafter. Unfortunately, our attention becomes diverted in prayer, when in fact, we should shun worldly thoughts whilst praying.
A believer should exercise greater focus and concern towards those actions which will lead him to a successful Hereafter and pay little attention to worldly matters.
One who follows the path of the Prophet ﷺ, will certainly face hardships in life. Thus, he should not seek comforts in the world, rather, he must focus upon the Hereafter. As a result, he will pass As-Sirãt with ease.
We should avoid seeking results and enjoyment from this world. Rather, we should assign our affairs to Allah ta'ala and continuously seek His pleasure.
If we developed true concern for the Hereafter, we wouldn't beg for worldly things. Our life would become smooth and we would perform actions for the purpose of the Hereafter.
When we prioritise this world instead of the Hereafter, every thing we do and possess, will be contaminated by the world. In other words, our deeds will be related to the concern we have.
“A man came to Ibn `Abbas رضي الله عنه, and said to him: `O Abu Al-`Abbas, Allah ta'ala says, "And the heavens and the earth wept not for them, nor were they given respite) — do the heavens and the earth weep for anybody?" He replied, `Yes, there is no one who does not have a gate in the heavens through which his provision comes down and his good deeds ascend. When the believer dies, that gate is closed; it misses him and weeps for him, and the place of prayer on earth where he used to pray and remember Allah also weeps for him..." [Tafseer Ibn Kathir]
How to develop the concern and worry for the Hereafter?
The action which develops worry for the Hereafter, is the dhikr of Allah ta'ala. A person who develops this concern is recognised by the creation and he is considered an intellectual person.
That prayer and Quran Memorisation which does not create concern for the Hereafter, cannot benefit a person.
Allah ta'ala has laid great emphasis of the Hereafter within the Quran. We should not chase worldly things which are beyond our control, like marriage and children. Rather, we should place our trust in Allah ta'ala and rely upon Him.
"Hadhrat Mu’adh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه reported: I asked Nabi, “Among which deeds are most beloved to Allah?” The Prophet said, “That you die while your tongue is moist with the remembrance of Allah.” [Ibn Hibbān Shareef]
"O believers! Do not let your wealth or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. For whoever does so, it is they who are the ˹true˺ losers." [63:9]
One cannot merely succeed through Dhikr, particularly if he performs dhikr for the sake of the world and with incorrect intentions.
Dhikr does not grant one benefit if it has not granted him the concern for the Hereafter.
A believer can only succeed once he connects himself to a teacher. The Noble Companions were developed through the company of their Sheikh and not through Dhikr. This shows that company of the Sheikh is important alongside dhikr, otherwise, one is not able to attain concern for the Hereafter. Even dhikr itself is prescribed by the Sheikh.
The attendants of the Prophet ﷺ are those Noble Companions who served him and served his Deen. Due to their great sacrifices, they were granted special supplications by the Prophet ﷺ.
Similarly, the students with the highest level are those who serve the Sheikh. The level of the attendant is very high, because he not only has concern over his dhikr, rather, he has concern for his Sheikh.
This service to the Sheikh earns him more concern for the Hereafter than the student who merely performs dhikr. This is because he earns greater Tawajjuh from his Sheikh in return.
The attendant has a concern that he will be reprimanded for not performing the task of the Sheikh and he quickly performs the task. He is constantly focused upon his Sheikh. He gains most Tawajjuh due to Him earning the pleasure of Allah ta'ala.
We must submit ourselves to a teacher and assign ourselves over to his teachings. In such a way, we will develop the concern of the Hereafter and depart this world having earnt success.
Dhikr is a great treasure of Allah ta'ala and a gift for us. A person may be powerful or affluent in society, however, he may not be given the ability to attend the mosque and the gatherings of dhikr. In reality, when Allah ta'ala bestows His grace upon an individual, then even the most sinful people are invited to his gathering and are forgiven by Him.
Our lives are a reflection of His disobedience, we are immersed in sin and we worship our own desires. Thus, we are very grateful that Allah ta'ala has allowed us to partake in this blessed gathering.
Forgiveness is the objective of every human being and our departure from this world should be based upon it. If we are forgiven, our return to Allah ta'ala will be a successful one. If we have accumulated worldly assets, yet, failed to achieve forgiveness, then we will be punished by Allah ta'ala.
The biggest success for an individual is that he attains the pleasure of Allah ta'ala in this world despite living a life of hardship. Such a person will enter Paradise without reckoning.
The patient people are those who gather solely to remember Allah ta'ala whilst those around them are immersed in the enjoyment and luxuries of the world. They sacrifice their desires and designate their time for dhikr. Allah ta'ala will treat his beloved servants who demonstrated patience, in a special manner.
We should avoid fixating upon our difficulties and sorrows because it is due to our hardships, our statuses are increased and we are recognised in the Hereafter. It is also due to these special people that Allah ta'ala distributes the rain and wealth around the world.
All angels and the creation focus upon the Dhaakir and they are ordered by Allah ta'ala to love him. He is recognised in the Heavens and the angels send Durood upon such a believer.
We are expected to crush our own desires and follow the obedience of Allah ta'ala in order to please Allah Him.
Before we undertake a journey, we plan and prepare. We pack our luggage and due to our extensive planning, our journey towards our destination becomes easy. The more concern we have for our planning, the more comfortable our journey becomes.
Similarly, we are all travelling to the Hereafter with every passing moment. This journey is towards our final abode and it does not come with a return ticket. Our journey towards our grave is the ultimate journey, so we must have great concern for our Hereafter and ensure we have packed our goods.
If we fail to develop concern for our graves, we will fail to prepare for it.
Nabi ﷺ developed the Noble Companions and taught them the concern for the Hereafter. With regards to his educating the companions, he placed most emphasis upon this, which is why the Noble Companions demonstrated great concern of the Hereafter which reflected in their preparation for it.
Nabi ﷺ ensured that the Noble Companions never became attached to the world and continuously reminded them of the greatness of Paradise in parallel to the world.
Developing constant focus and concern upon the Hereafter grants us the greatest success in the Hereafter. When we have true concern for the Hereafter, we go on to fulfil a beautiful preparation for the Hereafter. Those who prepare for the Hereafter, their death becomes unique
Many of us demonstrate concern for the world, whilst abandoning preparation for the Hereafter. Thus, we face great deception.
All our worship and deeds should be focused towards the Hereafter. Our five time prayers should bring us towards the focus of the Hereafter. Unfortunately, our attention becomes diverted in prayer, when in fact, we should shun worldly thoughts whilst praying.
A believer should exercise greater focus and concern towards those actions which will lead him to a successful Hereafter and pay little attention to worldly matters.
One who follows the path of the Prophet ﷺ, will certainly face hardships in life. Thus, he should not seek comforts in the world, rather, he must focus upon the Hereafter. As a result, he will pass As-Sirãt with ease.
We should avoid seeking results and enjoyment from this world. Rather, we should assign our affairs to Allah ta'ala and continuously seek His pleasure.
If we developed true concern for the Hereafter, we wouldn't beg for worldly things. Our life would become smooth and we would perform actions for the purpose of the Hereafter.
When we prioritise this world instead of the Hereafter, every thing we do and possess, will be contaminated by the world. In other words, our deeds will be related to the concern we have.
“A man came to Ibn `Abbas رضي الله عنه, and said to him: `O Abu Al-`Abbas, Allah ta'ala says, "And the heavens and the earth wept not for them, nor were they given respite) — do the heavens and the earth weep for anybody?" He replied, `Yes, there is no one who does not have a gate in the heavens through which his provision comes down and his good deeds ascend. When the believer dies, that gate is closed; it misses him and weeps for him, and the place of prayer on earth where he used to pray and remember Allah also weeps for him..." [Tafseer Ibn Kathir]
How to develop the concern and worry for the Hereafter?
The action which develops worry for the Hereafter, is the dhikr of Allah ta'ala. A person who develops this concern is recognised by the creation and he is considered an intellectual person.
That prayer and Quran Memorisation which does not create concern for the Hereafter, cannot benefit a person.
Allah ta'ala has laid great emphasis of the Hereafter within the Quran. We should not chase worldly things which are beyond our control, like marriage and children. Rather, we should place our trust in Allah ta'ala and rely upon Him.
"Hadhrat Mu’adh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه reported: I asked Nabi, “Among which deeds are most beloved to Allah?” The Prophet said, “That you die while your tongue is moist with the remembrance of Allah.” [Ibn Hibbān Shareef]
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ
"O believers! Do not let your wealth or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. For whoever does so, it is they who are the ˹true˺ losers." [63:9]
One cannot merely succeed through Dhikr, particularly if he performs dhikr for the sake of the world and with incorrect intentions.
Dhikr does not grant one benefit if it has not granted him the concern for the Hereafter.
A believer can only succeed once he connects himself to a teacher. The Noble Companions were developed through the company of their Sheikh and not through Dhikr. This shows that company of the Sheikh is important alongside dhikr, otherwise, one is not able to attain concern for the Hereafter. Even dhikr itself is prescribed by the Sheikh.
The attendants of the Prophet ﷺ are those Noble Companions who served him and served his Deen. Due to their great sacrifices, they were granted special supplications by the Prophet ﷺ.
Similarly, the students with the highest level are those who serve the Sheikh. The level of the attendant is very high, because he not only has concern over his dhikr, rather, he has concern for his Sheikh.
This service to the Sheikh earns him more concern for the Hereafter than the student who merely performs dhikr. This is because he earns greater Tawajjuh from his Sheikh in return.
The attendant has a concern that he will be reprimanded for not performing the task of the Sheikh and he quickly performs the task. He is constantly focused upon his Sheikh. He gains most Tawajjuh due to Him earning the pleasure of Allah ta'ala.
We must submit ourselves to a teacher and assign ourselves over to his teachings. In such a way, we will develop the concern of the Hereafter and depart this world having earnt success.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement. Ameen