Kutba from Mecca - Death

Death
Sheikh Salaah al Budayr
February 15, 2008 ~ Safar 8, 1429

All praise is due to Allah, the Magnificent, the Exalted. I praise Him for the favors and grace He has bestowed upon us. I bear witness that there is no God except Allah alone without any partners. He is glorified and well above being compared with anyone or anything. He is greater than any attribute of creation which will ultimately come to an end. I also bear witness that our Prophet and Leader Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is His servant and messenger, and the one who has been characterized by the best and most honored of traits and attributes. May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, and companions, the most best of companions and most honored family.

Oh Muslims, fear Allah, the Almighty, and give thanks to Allah for the favors and graces He has bestowed upon you all your life. Lessen your hopes in this life, and prepare yourselves for a sudden death, since there is no servant who has far-reaching hope except that it ends in sinful deeds. Allah says: "O you who believe! Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what you do." [Surah Hashr: Ayah 18]

Oh Muslims, you are in a place which is not meant to last forever, even if your life is lengthy. This life is a bridge for those who will cross it. It is a lesson for those who reflect and take examples and lessons from it. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception and deceiving things. This is a life that leads to death. When you look at the crowds of people, you see nothing but dispersion, and you only hear that so-and-so is ill or that so-and-so has died. Death is evident at all times, and we are neglectful of what will happen to us sometime in the future.

Oh you who is made for death and yet goes astray. Oh you who has listened to admontions giving you guidance and advice. Oh you who have indulged in awful sins, won't you stop, regret, and cry, and open your eyes to see goodness, and walk towards guidance so as to find the true goal into attaining true happiness. If you send and refuse and abandon and turn from the guidance, you will be surprised by your sudden death, and you will be told of your deeds. On the Day of Judgement, you will know who you disobeyed and you will cry tears of blood when remembering your deeds and the pursuits you followed in your life. Allah says "...On that Day will man remember, but how will that remembrance (then) avail him?" [Surah Fajr: Ayah 23]

Oh you who commit prohibited acts, stop! Oh you who commit sins, are you not ashamed and embarrassed? Oh you who oppose your Lord by commiting sins, slow down. Oh you who give yourself full freedom to do whatever you want and follow all that you desire, Allah the King, and His angels are a witness. Allah says: "Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it)." [Surah Qaaf: Ayah 18] Oh you whose heart is busy thinking about this and that girl. Oh you who is enjoying himself. Is there a covering over your heart? How much humiliation and disgrace in you? Oh you who has been disabled by deprivation. Oh you who has responded to sin, how many doors did you close in your pursuit of sin? How many times did you turn away from people who tried to advice you? How many prayers did you neglect? How many sinful looks did you have? How many people's rights have you taken? How many night clubs and places of sinful activity have you approached? How much evil have you spread?

Did you forget the time of your last breath, death; when the tongue becomes heavy, when the hands are loosened, and when the eyes gaze, and family and neighbords cry over you. Did you forget what happens to an individual at the time of his death, when his soul is pulled out, the hardships he experiences is severe. His moaning can be heard from afar, his color changes, his forehead sweats, and his right and left hands hit together against each other. The Messenger of Allah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam), and there is nobody more favorable to Allah than his messenger, when it was his time to die, he had a small pot with water in it next to him. He put his hand into the water and wiped his face with it and said "None has the right to be worshipped except Allah. Death has its agonies." [Saheeh Bukhari]

Where are the ones who we lived with for a long time, and then we forgot? Where are the ones whom we loved and treated with kindness? How many eyelids of our loved ones did we close in death? How many dear ones have we buried? How many close ones did we put into the grave, and yet we remain standing. Did death have mercy on anyone when they were sick or in a weak state? Did death leave money for the sake of his children? Did death give more time to a family man for the sake of his children? Where are those who were with us in the past days and years? There came to them the destroyer of joys, the stopper of desires, the divider of groups. Death made the masajid and places empty. You find them in the middle of graves, not down, not being able to remove the status they are in. And they cannot bring to themselves any benefit or harm. They await a day when nations will be called to their Lord, and all creation will be gathered and directed to the place of judgement. The people will tremble from fear and horror of that day. Eyes will shed tears, and hearts will break apart from the fear of being judged.

Oh servants of Allah! Take advantage of your lifetime that is going to elapse. Put entertainment aside, and stand up at night in repentance with regret, since such repentance is accepted. The forgiveness of Allah is accepted and His favors are evident. Therefore, if you have done bad deeds earlier in your life, hasten to do good acts, praising Allah the Almighty, and do not delay. Whoever has failed to do an obligatory duty, should do it, and whoever had a kafara that he should do, should do it. Moreover, whoever was unust to his fellow Muslim concerning his money, or honor, or anything else, should ask Allah the Almighty for forgiveness before there comes a day when he has no money. On that day, if he has a good deed, it will be taken from him according to the amount of his injustice. And if he did not have any good deeds, then bad deeds will be taken from the person who was treated unjustly and will be given to him. Hence, know that Allah ordered you with an order that He started with Himself, then by His glorifying angels, and then with you oh believers, both jinn and mankind.

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This post has been edited by Labibah: Mar 22 2008, 09:21 PM

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