Al Qiyamah
14-03-07, 07:27 PM
The Best Remembrance
by Yasir Qadhi
There are many benefits we can extract from the last few verses of Surah Al-Hashr. These are verses known for their sweetness and beauty, and their conciseness, and profound meanings.
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala says:
Oh you who believe, have the taqwa of Allah, and let every person look to what he has sent forth for tomorrow (Al-Hashr 59/18).
This is an address from Allah to those who proclaim to be Muslim. Ibn Mas’oud said, “Whenever you hear the phrase ya ayuhal ladhina amanu, pay attention because it is addressed to you.”
The taqwa of Allah is the most comprehensive and concise legacy that Allah has given us in the Qur’an. Taqwa literally means to build a barrier, or to protect. It is a barrier you build to save yourself from the punishment of Allah. It is not a wall built of bricks and stones, but it is built by doing what Allah has told you to do and by abstaining from what He has prohibited.
Everyone should have taqwa of Allah and examine what they have prepared for tomorrow. Everyone is prepared materialistically for tomorrow, but Allah is saying to prepare for the real tomorrow – the Akhirah and the Day of Judgement.
We have in this world a few years or decades left in life. Compare that to infinity. This makes it seem as if that will happen tomorrow, even if we might have thirty or forty years of life left. Who amongst us knows when death will happen? A time will come when literally it will be your last day and last night on the face of this earth, and there will be a literal tomorrow.
Allah is reminding us metaphorically and literally to be prepared for tomorrow. Allah is also reminding us in this verse that we do not have any bosses in Islam. In our work we have a boss who oversees us. Similarly, in school professors and teachers will examine us. In our religion though, we have no bosses. No one will check if you prayed today or not. No one will check if you have been a good Muslim today or not. You have to do it for yourself. ‘Umar ibn al Khattab used to say, “Take a count of yourself before you will be taken account of.”
See what you have prepared for tomorrow. Imagine a teacher coming into class on the first day of class and announcing the questions for the final exam. If you pass this exam you pass the class. Is it conceivable that any person of intelligence will fail that class? Is it possible? Of course not.
Then why is it that even though we know the five questions that will be asked on the Day of Judgment, the vast majority of mankind will fail them? We will be asked about:
1. Our life, and what we did with it.
2. Our wealth, and how we earned it,
3. How we spent it,
4. Our knowledge, and how much we acted upon it, and
5. Our health, and what we did with it.
Even though we may have forgotten sins we have committed before, Allah has not forgotten about them. Even though we might forget some good we have done, Allah will bring it on the Day of Judgment and reward us for it. Allah is well aware of all that we do.
And do not be like those who forgot about Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala, so He made them forget themselves (Al-Hashr 59/19).
To “forget” means to not show any concern. If something is important to you, you never forget it. This is more than simple rejection of Allah. There are many who proclaim to believe in Allah, who profess eman, but do not worship Allah. They have forgotten Allah.
Allah causes those who forget Him to forget themselves. Those who reject Allah are the ones who are most conscious of themselves in terms of their material lives. They have not forgotten themselves. But this is not the meaning of forgetting here. When you forget about Allah, you forget about your purpose of life in the process. You forget why you are here, and what you are doing on the face of this earth. Why are you living when you do not have a God to worship?
That is why Allah describes the believers as having a light. Light tells you where you are, it tells you the obstacles, it tells you your purpose and how to get there.
Allah describes those who do not worship Him as wandering aimlessly in the dark. They do not have a goal. And even if they had one, they would not even know how to get there. So they wander around aimlessly following their desires. They have no purpose for life. They are worshipping themselves, because they have rejected a deity worthy of worship.
Verily, they are those who have gone astray. Had we revealed this Qur’an to a mountain it would have crumbled and shattered to dust out of a fear of Allah (Al-Hashr 59/21).
Allah is reminding us of the effectiveness and the power of this book. If it was revealed to a structure, an icon of stability like a rock or mountain, it would shatter to dust.
Allah describes the believers,
The believers are those who when Allah’s name is mentioned, their hearts tremble with fear .
This means their eman shoots up. If the mountain can shatter, surely our hearts can tremble. If the mountain can be crushed and destroyed, surely our eyes can shed a tear or two. Allah reminds us about the real power of the Qur’an and the fact that it is us who have become hard hearted towards it. And Allah then says, and this is the main point:
He is Allah (la ilaaha illAllah).
There is no deity, no being, no object worthy of our worship, our veneration, our love, our hope, our sajdah, our fear, our tawakkul, or our sabr, except for Allah. This is the meaning of la ilaaha illAllah.
How will you know who Allah is? Has any human being seen Allah? No human being has seen Allah, yet. The greatest blessing that a believer shall be given is to look at Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam did not see Allah. He was asked by A’isha, “Did you see your Lord?”
He said, “Light. How could I see him?”
Light is the hijab of Allah. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Were this hijab to be removed, then the bright light of His face would destroy all that it sees.” The creation could not bear to look at Allah, so Allah out of mercy to the creation has a hijab.
Have we spoken with Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala? We know Musa spoke with Allah directly, and we know that the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam spoke with Allah directly in the journey of ‘Isra wa Miraj. But we have not spoken with Allah, so how do we know about Allah?
Immediately after Allah tells us not be to among those who have forgotten Him, He then mentions His names and attributes so that we will know Him. Our primary source of knowledge about our Creator is His names and attributes. Have you ever wondered why the Qur’an is full of Allah’s names and attributes? Allah’s names and attributes are much more than the prohibitions and commands in the Qur’an. They are much more than the descriptions of Jannah and Nar, and the stories of the prophets of old.
His names and attributes are the fundamental building block of our eman. How can we love Allah when we do not know who He is? How can we fear Allah when we do not know His names and attributes? How can we put our trust in Allah when we do not know His descriptions?
Knowledge of Allah is attained through His names and attributes. That is why, right after the verse where Allah says, "Do not be amongst those who have forgotten Allah," He mentions some of His many names and attributes.
--
2 be continued
As Salaamu Alaykum :)
by Yasir Qadhi
There are many benefits we can extract from the last few verses of Surah Al-Hashr. These are verses known for their sweetness and beauty, and their conciseness, and profound meanings.
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala says:
Oh you who believe, have the taqwa of Allah, and let every person look to what he has sent forth for tomorrow (Al-Hashr 59/18).
This is an address from Allah to those who proclaim to be Muslim. Ibn Mas’oud said, “Whenever you hear the phrase ya ayuhal ladhina amanu, pay attention because it is addressed to you.”
The taqwa of Allah is the most comprehensive and concise legacy that Allah has given us in the Qur’an. Taqwa literally means to build a barrier, or to protect. It is a barrier you build to save yourself from the punishment of Allah. It is not a wall built of bricks and stones, but it is built by doing what Allah has told you to do and by abstaining from what He has prohibited.
Everyone should have taqwa of Allah and examine what they have prepared for tomorrow. Everyone is prepared materialistically for tomorrow, but Allah is saying to prepare for the real tomorrow – the Akhirah and the Day of Judgement.
We have in this world a few years or decades left in life. Compare that to infinity. This makes it seem as if that will happen tomorrow, even if we might have thirty or forty years of life left. Who amongst us knows when death will happen? A time will come when literally it will be your last day and last night on the face of this earth, and there will be a literal tomorrow.
Allah is reminding us metaphorically and literally to be prepared for tomorrow. Allah is also reminding us in this verse that we do not have any bosses in Islam. In our work we have a boss who oversees us. Similarly, in school professors and teachers will examine us. In our religion though, we have no bosses. No one will check if you prayed today or not. No one will check if you have been a good Muslim today or not. You have to do it for yourself. ‘Umar ibn al Khattab used to say, “Take a count of yourself before you will be taken account of.”
See what you have prepared for tomorrow. Imagine a teacher coming into class on the first day of class and announcing the questions for the final exam. If you pass this exam you pass the class. Is it conceivable that any person of intelligence will fail that class? Is it possible? Of course not.
Then why is it that even though we know the five questions that will be asked on the Day of Judgment, the vast majority of mankind will fail them? We will be asked about:
1. Our life, and what we did with it.
2. Our wealth, and how we earned it,
3. How we spent it,
4. Our knowledge, and how much we acted upon it, and
5. Our health, and what we did with it.
Even though we may have forgotten sins we have committed before, Allah has not forgotten about them. Even though we might forget some good we have done, Allah will bring it on the Day of Judgment and reward us for it. Allah is well aware of all that we do.
And do not be like those who forgot about Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala, so He made them forget themselves (Al-Hashr 59/19).
To “forget” means to not show any concern. If something is important to you, you never forget it. This is more than simple rejection of Allah. There are many who proclaim to believe in Allah, who profess eman, but do not worship Allah. They have forgotten Allah.
Allah causes those who forget Him to forget themselves. Those who reject Allah are the ones who are most conscious of themselves in terms of their material lives. They have not forgotten themselves. But this is not the meaning of forgetting here. When you forget about Allah, you forget about your purpose of life in the process. You forget why you are here, and what you are doing on the face of this earth. Why are you living when you do not have a God to worship?
That is why Allah describes the believers as having a light. Light tells you where you are, it tells you the obstacles, it tells you your purpose and how to get there.
Allah describes those who do not worship Him as wandering aimlessly in the dark. They do not have a goal. And even if they had one, they would not even know how to get there. So they wander around aimlessly following their desires. They have no purpose for life. They are worshipping themselves, because they have rejected a deity worthy of worship.
Verily, they are those who have gone astray. Had we revealed this Qur’an to a mountain it would have crumbled and shattered to dust out of a fear of Allah (Al-Hashr 59/21).
Allah is reminding us of the effectiveness and the power of this book. If it was revealed to a structure, an icon of stability like a rock or mountain, it would shatter to dust.
Allah describes the believers,
The believers are those who when Allah’s name is mentioned, their hearts tremble with fear .
This means their eman shoots up. If the mountain can shatter, surely our hearts can tremble. If the mountain can be crushed and destroyed, surely our eyes can shed a tear or two. Allah reminds us about the real power of the Qur’an and the fact that it is us who have become hard hearted towards it. And Allah then says, and this is the main point:
He is Allah (la ilaaha illAllah).
There is no deity, no being, no object worthy of our worship, our veneration, our love, our hope, our sajdah, our fear, our tawakkul, or our sabr, except for Allah. This is the meaning of la ilaaha illAllah.
How will you know who Allah is? Has any human being seen Allah? No human being has seen Allah, yet. The greatest blessing that a believer shall be given is to look at Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam did not see Allah. He was asked by A’isha, “Did you see your Lord?”
He said, “Light. How could I see him?”
Light is the hijab of Allah. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Were this hijab to be removed, then the bright light of His face would destroy all that it sees.” The creation could not bear to look at Allah, so Allah out of mercy to the creation has a hijab.
Have we spoken with Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala? We know Musa spoke with Allah directly, and we know that the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam spoke with Allah directly in the journey of ‘Isra wa Miraj. But we have not spoken with Allah, so how do we know about Allah?
Immediately after Allah tells us not be to among those who have forgotten Him, He then mentions His names and attributes so that we will know Him. Our primary source of knowledge about our Creator is His names and attributes. Have you ever wondered why the Qur’an is full of Allah’s names and attributes? Allah’s names and attributes are much more than the prohibitions and commands in the Qur’an. They are much more than the descriptions of Jannah and Nar, and the stories of the prophets of old.
His names and attributes are the fundamental building block of our eman. How can we love Allah when we do not know who He is? How can we fear Allah when we do not know His names and attributes? How can we put our trust in Allah when we do not know His descriptions?
Knowledge of Allah is attained through His names and attributes. That is why, right after the verse where Allah says, "Do not be amongst those who have forgotten Allah," He mentions some of His many names and attributes.
--
2 be continued
As Salaamu Alaykum :)