This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Heart To Heart. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

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Transcription:

Reflections #7: Facing Reality on the Day of Judgement

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah , who created us, sustains us, and has blessed us with Islam. All praise is due to Allah who has made us from amongst the ummah of His beloved Prophet Muḥammad . May Allah send salutations upon the Prophet , his Companions, his family, and all the prophets before him. And may Allah protect those of us who choose to tread in their path.

Assalāmu ‘Alaikum Wa Raḥmatullāhi Wa Barakātuh! In this session, I wanted to discuss verses 29-32 from Sūrah An‘ām where Allah says “They say, “There is nothing but this worldly life of ours, and we are not going to be raised again. If only you could see when they will be made to stand before their Lord! He will say, “Is this not true?” They will say, “Of course, by our Lord, it is.” He will say, “Then, taste the punishment, for you used to disbelieve. Losers indeed are those who deny that they will ever face Allah, until when the Hour will come upon them suddenly, they will say, “Alas! We have been negligent about it. They shall carry their burdens on their backs. Beware! Evil is the burden they carry. The worldly life is nothing but a game and fun, and the last abode is surely much better for those who fear Allah. Would you still not understand?”

Allah tells us to imagine the condition of a person who is standing in front of Allah on the Day of Judgment and who had not followed the objectives of their existence. They had not prioritized Allah . They had prioritized their own wants and desires over Allah’s will. And now, when they are standing in front of Allah for their reckoning and judgment, and Allah is asking them for the reason why they did what they did, they will have no answers.

Allah says that this is the mindset of a person who is going to find themselves at a loss in front of Him on the Day of Judgment. Because this person, while they are in this world, Allah says that they think there is nothing beyond the life of this world and will not be raised from the dead. In other words, a person thinks of this existence as their only existence. They think the life of this world is going to be the only time that they have, and that what they want to do, what they can do, takes priority over the wants and the will of anyone else, including Allah . So, if a person has this mindset in this world and they are thinking only in terms of this world and not the hereafter, a person will have no desire to do anything that does not please them at this moment. A person will always prioritize exactly what they want to do, how they want to do it, regardless of what they might be told.

Allah is asking us to imagine what this person who has not prioritized anything of their life for Allah , that when they are resurrected, something that they had rejected, and they are now standing in front of Allah , what would they say? What would they do? Allah tells the Prophet , and by extension us, that if only you could see when they will be made to stand before their Lord, and Allah will say: “Is this not true?” In other words, you are now alive. You had passed away. You were dust. You were gone. But now I have brought you back. Is this not true? Are you not facing reality? This is something that you had denied when you were in this world. This is something that you had denied when we had given you a chance and choice. And the only answer that you can give at that point, and the only answer these individuals will be able to give at that point is yes, it is true.

Allah will then say that there is nothing else for you to do but be punished because you disbelieved. You used to disbelieve in the fact that you will be made to stand in front of me. You used to reject the idea that my will should take priority over your own. You used to reject the idea that I knew better and that my revelation knew better than what you wanted to do. You felt that your intellectual capabilities were better at understanding and producing solutions that I had provided for you in my religion.

Allah continues and says that the losers are those who deny the meeting of their Lord until the Day of Judgment suddenly arrives. And then they say, if only we had not disregarded this. Alas, we had been negligent. We had disregarded this. At that point, they will carry their burdens on their backs. “Beware, evil is the burden that they carry.”

Allah says that there is no greater loss than the one who does not do what they had been created for. This is something Allah highlights in Sūrah ‘Aṣr as well: that human beings, mankind, is at a loss. And they are at a loss because they are not fulfilling the objectives of their existence. That they had been created for a higher purpose, that they had been created by Allah yet they choose to deny the existence of Allah . They choose to deny the sovereignty of Allah over them. They choose to reject what Allah has provided as a way of life and choose to follow what they feel is better, what they feel is right, what they feel is more palatable, what they feel is more fair, equitable, or equal.

Allah reminds each of us that on that day, every person who has denied Allah will say “We had been negligent”. We did not do what we were supposed to. Now, on this day, we must carry this burden. And it is an evil burden because the only way a person will be rewarded on that day if they rejected Allah is through punishment. Allah gives us a reminder throughout the Qur’an that the life of this world is nothing but play and the home of the hereafter is better.

This worldly life is nothing but a game and distraction. And the hereafter is the best home for those who believe in Allah , who are aware of Allah , who are conscious of Allah , who are fearful of Allah . Would you still not understand? Would you still not accept? Allah is very clear and upfront about the purpose of this world and the deceiving nature of this world.

Allah reminds us that this world is temporary. This world is a distraction. It is designed to be a distraction. It is designed to take you away from Allah and there are multiple ways of being tested. Allah has given us enemies that are within us, like our Nafs and desires, and enemies that are apparent and external, like the Shayāṭīn. And Allah has created all of this so that we can be tested in our true objective: will you put to the side everything that pulls you in different directions and will you go towards Allah ? This world is a distraction and ultimately, it is not going to help you. It can take you away from Allah and can give you that evil burden of the hereafter. This world is a place where you can make use of it to fulfill your objective. Allah tells us that for the person who fears Allah , for the person who is aware of their purpose, for the person who is conscious of Allah , then the hereafter is ultimately the best.

Because for the person who is conscious of Allah , this world will not be of any value. This world will only be of value so long as they are able to use it for the purpose of gaining closeness to Allah , for the purpose of fulfilling their objective. Allah says, I am upfront. My messengers are upfront. And you are being reminded of your purpose over and over. Will you still not understand?

May Allah guide us, give us knowledge that benefits us, and give us all the ability to do what is best. May Allah protect us all. Assalāmu ‘Alaikum Wa Raḥmatullāhi Wa Barakātuh.

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