“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem.
Al hamdu lillahi nahmaduhu wanasta’eenahu, wanastagh-firuhu, wanatoobu ilayhi, wana’oothu Billaahi min shuroori an-fusinaa, wamin sayyi aati a’maalinaa. May- Yahdillahu fa huwal muhtad, wa may- yudlill falan tajidaa lahu waliyan murshida. Wa ash-hadu an Laa ilaaha ill-Alláh, wahdahoo laa shareeka lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhoo warasooluh”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It is a well-known fact that every living creature’s life has an end, and there is a lifespan for this world too. When that time is over, everything in this world, everything in the universe will collapse, will be nothing; only Allah will remain eternal.
With the life of the hereafter, Akhirat, eternal life will start. Allah SW will recreate mankind with his soul and body and every individual will be asked what he did in the life of the world.
Allah SW has been testing mankind with life and death. This is the reality of life’s journey. The end of this life is not the end. On the contrary it is a beginning.
There are three simple questions, to which it is very important to give the answers. The first one is: where do we come from? The second one is: where are we going? And the last one is: who are we? If we get the right answers for these three questions we will obtain Paradise in the hereafter.
Let me explain the itinerary of the journey of life.
The journey of life didn’t begin with birth and will not come to an end with death. Life’s journey began when we were in Paradise as souls. After that we were dressed in bodies in the uterus. Then we came to life in the world. We are in the queue now. From here we will go to the life of the grave and after that we will reach the last stop, the hereafter. That means everlasting life.
People are not left to this world without any responsibility; each person will be asked what he or she did in this life. So we have to understand this fact and we have to prepare for the Judgment.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Allah SW created man as the best among His creatures and endowed him with reason. He SW gave him the abilities of thinking, understanding and determination. And He SW created other things for the service of human beings. Because of these distinctive features, man has some duties towards his Creator. Allah SW emphasizes this fact in Suratul Qiyama 36:
Does man think that he is to be left to wander without an aim?”
Dear Muslims,
The reason for man’s creation as the most perfect creature, Ahsrafi Mahluq, and the reason why everything in this world was placed under the command of human beings is for them to believe in the Creator and try to adjust their whole lives according to His Divine Orders. Because the meaning of being created is nothing other than to serve Him. Let us see what Allah SW says in Suratuz Dhariyat 56:
“And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me.”
So, Dear Muslims,
There is no time limit for being good servants while we are alive. We have to try to be good human beings, to remember Allah SW in our every second, until the last breath we take.
Dear Muslims,
We should never forget this fact, that man in his life and death, in his belief, attitudes and behavior, is in an examination.
Allah SW is testing us with everything around us. He SW gave us mind, revealed to us the Divine Messages and the Holy Books and also sent us His Prophets. In short, He SW taught us good and evil, and gave us freedom of determination in this examination. At Doomsday everybody, even the Messengers, will be asked what they did in this life.
So, Dear Muslims,
This will happen and we have to be ready for that Day in our every second, because as you know, nobody knows when death will meet us.
May Our Lord help us on this difficult journey. What an excellent Friend He is, and what an excellent Helper!
Ammaa ba’ad:
Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, wa alaa áli Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.