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- Al-Fawa'id (Points of Benefit) 1430 H
The two Resurrections: The minor resurrection and the major one:
Dear brother, let's ponder over a new wise saying from Al-Fawa'id (A collection of wise sayings by Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him) which is about the Two Resurrections: The minor resurrection and the major one. The minor resurrection is the stupor of death. Allah the Almighty says:
"And the stupor of death will come in truth"
Consider the following Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:"Who has created death and life"
Why did Allah the Almighty mention death before life? That is because when man is born he has too many options, but when the Angel of Death comes to him, he will have only two possibilities; he will either enjoy the everlasting bliss of Paradise or face the everlasting torment of Hell. Thus, you have two paths to follow; either the path which leads you to the everlasting bliss of Paradise, or that which leads you to the eternal torment of Hell.The real success is to prepare yourself for death:
Dear brother, the utmost success, excellence, intelligence, rationality and prosperity are not to live the past or the present, but rather to live the future. The most critical future event is the stupor of death. Allah the Almighty says:
"And the stupor of death will come in truth"
"Now We have removed your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!"
Some scholars said, "Your Love for something makes you completely blind to its disadvantages." They also said, "The deep affection for this worldly life is the root cause of every sin", because when someone is strongly attached to the worldly life, this love will make a covering on his vision (which will make him unable to discover the reality of the worldly life.)
"Now We have removed your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!"
Every human being in the world, even the most brutal tyrant, will discover that what the Prophets, peace be upon them, informed people was true. The evidence of that is mentioned in the following Noble Ayah in which Allah narrated what Pharaoh said:
"I am your lord, most high"
Pharaoh also said:"I know not that you have an ilah (a god) other than me"
Nevertheless, when drowning overtook him, he said, "I believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe". He went on saying:
"And I am one of the Muslims (those who submit to Allah's Will)."
But Allah the Almighty said to him:
"Now (you believe) while you refused to believe before"
Man's choice to believe in Allah is just a matter of time:
Consider the following critical point: Man has too many choices in his everyday life. For instance, he can choose the house he wants to buy, the girl he wants to marry, the work he wants to do and the place he wants to travel to. Hence, he has too many options concerning these matters, but when it comes to believing in Allah the Almighty, it is just a matter of time. Let me repeat it again: Regarding the innumerous matters related to his daily life, man has the free choice to accept or reject them; he may travel or not, he may get married to that girl or not or he may perform a certain job or not. However, believing in Allah the Almighty is a matter of time; he will either believe in Allah at the proper time (when he is still alive in the worldly life), or when it is too late (when the stupor of death comes) like Pharaoh. Thus, every human being on earth, whether he is a Muslim, a non-Muslim, an atheist, a secularist or ignorant will realize the truth when the Angel of Death comes to him, and the covering on his eye will be removed. Allah the Almighty says:
"Now We have removed your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!"
This is the minor resurrection. In fact, many people are only concerned about the Day of Resurrection, but before thinking about that Day, you should be extremely concerned about the minor resurrection; the stupor of death.
The major resurrection VS the minor resurrection:
Dear brother, the agony of death is the time when man meets Allah the Almighty, when his deeds is presented before Him and when he realizes Allah's Wisdom behind the reward and the punishment which Allah hastens to him in the worldly life, whereas the major resurrection is described by Allah the Almighty as follows:
"And the Trumpet will be blown, that will be the Day whereof warning (had been given) (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)."
The minor resurrection is mentioned in the following Noble Ayah:"And the intoxication of death will bring the truth;"
While the major resurrection is mentioned in the Noble Ayah below:
"And the Trumpet will be blown, that will be the Day whereof warning (had been given) (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)."
On the Day of Resurrection, everyone will come to meet Allah the Almighty accompanied by two angels; an angel which will lead him to trial, and the one which will bear witness against him. Allah the Almighty says:
"And every person will come forth along with an (angel) to drive (him), and an (angel) to bear witness."
It is similar to the way the accused man is driven to the worldly court where there is a judge and some witnesses. Thus, on the Day of Resurrection man will be driven to the trial with a witness, but who will bear witness against him? It is his limbs, his hearing, his sight, the land where he walks on, the angels who writes all his good and bad deeds, the places where he performs his deeds, his skin- which is a euphemism for committing adultery- with which he commits sins and so on… Allah the Almighty is the Most Fair and the Most Judge of judges.
The utmost success is leaving the worldly life pleased:
When I was at university, I studied the subject of intelligence in precise details, and what I liked the most was the following comprehensive and inclusive definition of it: "Intelligence is the ability to adapt". Thus, the real success is to keep in mind the most critical event in life after the one of your birth. When you were born, you entered the world of the living creatures. Allah the Almighty says:"Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was nothing to be mentioned?"
Once I skimmed through a book, and I found that it was published 2 years before I was born. At that time I was nothing to be mentioned; I had no existence yet. Allah the Almighty says:
"Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was nothing to be mentioned?"
The most critical event is that you entered the worldly life and have become something to be mentioned; you have become a human being who has a civil registry document in which the date of birth, your father's name, your mother's name, the place of birth, and your sex were registered. Also, you have become a human being who has capabilities, character, talents and abilities. Thus, the most critical event which occurred to you is your birth. However, leaving this life is not less critical than coming to it. When the baby is born, all people around him are happy; they laugh, clap their hands, and utter trilling cries of joy, while the baby is crying alone! The utmost success is to be pleased alone when the Angel of death comes to you, and all people around you are crying.
The prudent man is he who programs his mind to think about death:
Dear brother, Allah the Almighty calls death in the Noble Qur'an "the calamity of death" (Al-Ma'idah', 106), because you will lose whatever you collect during your whole life in a second; the movable or immovable properties, houses, companies and foreign currency balances which are deposited in other countries as a reserve. Thus, you will lose whatever you possess and collect during your life (seventy years, for instance) when your heart stops because of a myocardial infarction, a stroke, a cardiac arrest, a malignant tumor, renal failure, cirrhosis, and so on. Hence, you will lose whatever you own in a second. There are many lessons around you but few people take admonition. Therefore, when you program your mind to always think about the most critical event in your future life, i.e. death, you will be a truly successful person.
Actually, there is a slight difference between success and prosperity; prosperity is achieved in this worldly life when you buy a land, for example, then due to exceptional circumstances its price doubles 200 times, which means – to use a contemporary terms- this wealth will benefit not only your children but also your grandchildren. This is the prosperity achieved in the worldly life. I heard about a man whose relative died and left one billion lira to the inheritors. After precise calculations, he found that his share was about 90 million lira, so he closed his small shop to carry out the transaction of inheritance. He exerted fairly hard effort for six months, but unfortunately he died before receiving his share of the inheritance! This is the reality of the worldly life. Allah the Almighty is the Best of the inheritors as mentioned in Surat Al-Anbiya' (21: 89).
Whoever prefers the Hereafter to the worldly life will gain them both:
The most critical future event is leaving this worldly life, as your status, power, character, wealth and high position are dependent on your heartbeat; when the heart stops you will die, and people will post your death notice on walls. You will not be a living creature anymore, but rather you will be a piece of news (people will inform each other about your death). Once, while I was on my way from Morocco to Damascus, the plane flew over Tunisia, and we had to wait an hour at Tunis airport. I saw from my window people putting a coffin with other luggage. That dead body had been treated as a human being when he was alive, but after his death he was treated like goods; he had to obtain documents and customs clearance exactly like goods. Many passengers were treated as human beings who had seats in the plane, but after their death they were treated like goods and had to return with luggage. Every creature will die and only the Glorified and the Mighty One remains.
The poet said:
No matter how long night might be,
dawn surely will break.
No matter how long one might live,
descending the grave is a must for him.
***
Every human being, no matter how long he lives,
will be carried one day in a coffin to be buried.
So if at a funeral you carry a coffin to the grave,
know that one day you will be carried in a coffin too.
***
Dear brother, once we escorted one of our brother in faith to his grave, may Allah have mercy upon him. When he was buried in his tomb, I was there, and it came to my mind that the wisest man among all inhabitants of the earth is he who prepares himself properly for the moment of death by performing righteous deeds, adhering to Allah's Orders and Prohibition, spending money on charity for the Sake of Allah, raising his children properly according to the teachings of Islam, applying the Islamic principles in his house, convincing his daughters to wear Hijab, providing his sons with financial aid in order to help them get married and so on…. It was said, "The ways to perform righteous deeds in order to get closer to the Creator are as countless as the number of the creatures' breaths". Thus, no one in the world is more intelligent or wiser than he who prepares himself for the moment of death.
Due to working in the noble field of Da'wah (calling people to Allah), I hear about some of our noble brother in faith who are enormously wealthy and who are fairly interested in spending money on charity, feeding the hungry, caring for the needy and spending money on the foreign seekers of Islamic knowledge (the students who came from foreign countries to learn about Islam in order to get back to their countries as Islamic missioners). Whenever I meet one of those rich people I say to him that he is one of the wisest people in the world, because he prepares himself for the moment of death. Actually, whoever prefers the Hereafter to the worldly life will gain both of them, and worldly gains will undoubtedly come to him. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"Whoever is too busy with the Qur'an for remembering Me and asking Me, then I shall give him more than what I give to those who ask."
((As long as they (believers) worship Allah regularly in Masajid (and serve Allah's creations), Allah takes care of their affairs.))
I heard many stories about people who were very busy with performing righteous deeds, and Allah the Almighty facilitated their daily needs; their marriage, study, work, and raising their children in the Islamic way. Thus:
((As long as they (believers) worship Allah regularly in Masajid (and serve Allah's creations), Allah takes care of their affairs.))
Man is considered intelligent, wise and successful when he acts upon Allah's Order:
Dear brother, death is the greatest lesson one can learn. You may have a fairly wealthy relative whose luxurious house is about 500 m2, its price is 180 million lira, its floor is covered with Italian tiles and it is furnished elegantly; you can see valuable paintings and modern gypsum board ceiling designs in it. Whenever I enter such a luxurious house after the death of its owner in order to express condolence to his family, I ask myself: Who chose this tile? Who bought these valuable paintings? Who chose these decorations? It is the deceased. Where is the deceased now? He is in his tomb!
At the beginning of seeking Islamic knowledge, some scholars advised me to follow funerals even if the deceased is not one of my acquaintances or relatives. People put the dead in his casket first, and when they reach the grave, they lift the lid, hold the dead, put him in the tomb and put a slab on his tomb. After that, they bury him, and everything comes to an end. What will the final destination of that descended be? It will either be Paradise with eternal blessing or Hellfire with everlasting torment. Accordingly, the real intelligence, wisdom, triumph, success, prosperity and excellence are manifested when you get yourself ready for the hour of death. You are allowed to marry, work and excel at your work or your study, but you are supposed to do these things according to Allah's Order. In other words, you should reject any doubtful matter, even if it an astronomical amount of money. In fact you will not benefit from this amount of money, but you will be held accountable for it. I am not exaggerating when I say that you will not benefit except from the things you use in your daily life, such as the shirt you wear, the bed you sleep on, the food you eat and so on. Thus, provision is related to the things you benefit from, while your earning is related to your financial capital.
The foolish person is he who is completely heedless of being held accountable:
Dear brother, it becomes fairly obvious to you that the minor resurrection is the stupor of death. Allah the Almighty says:
"And the stupor of death will come in truth:"
"And every person will come forth along with an (angel) to drive (him), and an (angel) to bear witness."
Dear brother, the major resurrection is the Day of Resurrection. It is the Day when Allah the Almighty will gather all people and call them to account for their deeds. In the lecture I gave yesterday, I told you that most scholars said that the evidence of the Day of Resurrection was informative; it was taken from the Noble Quran and Sunnah, while other scholars like Ibn Al-Qayyim said that the evidence of the Day of Resurrection was a rational one, because Allah the Almighty is the Utterly Just. In this worldly life some people are rich while other ones are poor, some people are powerful while other ones are weak, and in some countries people are indulging in sins while in other occupied countries, people are greatly oppressed, and they are starving. For example, in Gaza, 1300 women and children were intentionally killed. Their enemy used giant helicopters and bomber aircrafts in order to destroy the civilians' houses and to kill women and children. Will the one who did that be saved from punishment? No, he will not, because his safety contradicts the Existence of Allah, the Utterly Just. Thus, it is absolutely impossible. Allah the Almighty says:
"So, by your Lord (O Muhammad, peace be upon him,), We shall certainly call all of them to account.* For all that they used to do."
"Let not the free disposal (and affluence) of the disbelievers throughout the land deceive you.* A brief enjoyment; then, their ultimate abode is Hell; and worst indeed is that place for rest."
By Allah, no one in the world is more foolish than he who does not take into consideration that he will die and will be held accountable for all his deeds.
Leaving this life is the most critical future event:
By Allah, dear brother, no drop of blood that was and will be shed on the earth from the time when Adam was created till the Day of Resurrection, but the one who shed it will be held accountable for it on the Day of Resurrection. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"A believer continues to guard his Faith (and thus hopes for Allah's Mercy) so long as he does not shed blood unjustly".
Scholars excluded the blood of the one who was killed while inflicting the prescribed punishment upon him, like applying the death penalty on the killer, because Allah the Almighty takes it upon Himself, and no one will be held accountable for it. Thus, the utmost success is to live the future and to prepare yourself for the most critical future event which is leaving this worldly life.
Once I found an old tape of voicemail messages of my answering machine which I used 10 years ago, and when I listened to it, I found that 12 people of those who left messages in my voicemail at that time are now dead. Similarly, after one hundred years, no one of us will remain alive in this world. Thus, the real success is to live the future and to program your mind to always think about the stupor of death. Allah the Almighty says:
"And the stupor of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!"
"Now We have removed your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!"
