Fourth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1443 A. H.
Taqwa and Its Broad Scope (4)
Of the Characteristics of the Muttaqun: {‘And they have firm belief in the Hereafter’}
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.
O Allah, confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad's good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.
One of the most important characteristics of the muttaqin is their firm belief in the Hereafter, and it represents one of the most important factors leading to Taqwa. Belief in the Hereafter does make them keep to Taqwa: {‘And they have firm belief in the Hereafter’}. So they do believe in the Hereafter and take Allah's promise and warning to heart.
It is known that one of the most important tasks of the Message, the Prophet, and the Holy Quran is bearing good tidings and delivering warning, as Allah describes His Prophet (Peace be upon him and His family) as a deliverer of good tidings and a warner, and the same description is also true for the Holy Quran.
So delivering the warning about the Hereafter comes as one of the most important tasks of prophets and messengers (Peace be upon them) and is considered as one of the most important subjects contained in Allah's holy books, the last of which are the Holy Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&F). Indeed, the Hereafter and the Last Day received great attention and enjoyed a detailed description that goes beyond introducing general titles without giving details, like introducing the title of the Day of Resurrection without giving details other than being a day for the reckoning and judgment.
There is a detailed description that focused on the first stage of the Day of Resurrection: the first blowing that ends life on the earth and inflicts destruction upon it and the heavens before taking a new form; and the second blowing that has to do with the Resurrection, the Reckoning, the precise details of the Reckoning, and then the Judgment (whether Jannah or Jahannam). So the detailed description highlighted every aspect of the aspects related to our life.
The Quran even sheds light on the psychological aspects a person will experience in those various events: in the ground of gathering for the Resurrection Day and what follows in Jannah or Jahannam. It highlights all that has to do with the different aspects of our life (food, drinks, clothing, and the kind of conditions a person will experience there) in a detailed way that indicates the importance of what is ahead of us.
Even though the Holy Quran emphasizes these truths, most people fall into a state of negligence. After all that repeated and undoubtable warning with all the great details it includes (such details that address every aspect of importance to the lives of people in a detailed manner), the overall state most people fall into is a state of negligence: Allah says, {‘The reckoning of the people has drawn near to them, while they are in negligence, turning away’}. So the state of gross negligence is what prevails among most people, making them turn away and display carelessness and lack of attention towards what they do and say and how they behave—some might go as far as to deny the Hereafter and the Afterworld.
Reminding oneself of the Last Day and getting ready for it as a characteristic of muttaqin
In addition to their firm belief in the Hereafter and in the promise of Allah and His warning, what really distinguishes muttaqun is their state of mindfulness and readiness. Indeed, they are always on their guard, ready, and mindful, so their actions, behaviours, and attitudes are balanced based on their awareness of the coming Reckoning and Judgment. They remain mindful, and when a state of negligence strikes them, such a state is not a permanent state and does not take long before they find their way out when receiving a reminder. They get out of that state of negligence and come to their sense when reminded. They are always mindful that the day of meeting Allah is approaching: {‘Those who are certain that they will meet their Lord and to Him they will return’}. Continuously thinking about the nearness of meeting Allah, they are vigilant, ready, and on their guard, and they are aware that they will be held accountable for their actions, positions, and behaviours. That is why Allah says, {‘Surely, when those who are muttaqin are touched by a glamour from Shaytan, they become conscious, and at once they are watchful’}. They may fall into a state of negligence, but it does not take long before they come to their sense and pay attention to their actions and attitudes and act based on faith.
When it comes to their relationship with Allah (Glory be to Him)—since belief in the Hereafter is part of our belief in Allah and His promise and warning—Allah says about them, {‘The believers are only those whose hearts tremble at the remembrance of Allah, whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Lord’}. Therefore, when Allah is mentioned, they get affected deeply in their hearts: {‘whose hearts tremble’}. They have real feelings and a living conscience, and they fear Allah's torment and feel shy before Him (the Almighty).
The state of being mindful of that undoubtable coming future is mentioned in the Holy Quran in a way that indicates its importance on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, a person who is mindful and lives in a state of alertness and readiness will get to know the fruit of being aware of the importance of the Reckoning and getting ready for the coming Day of Resurrection: Allah (Glory be to Him) tells us about this by saying,{‘Surely, I knew I would meet my Reckoning’}—that refers to how the righteous person will be on the Day of Resurrection after receiving his/her record in his/her right hand, a record full with pages that make him/her pleased and optimistic for having such good deeds that please Allah (Glory be to Him). It is then when s/he will realize the importance of taking into account the coming of the Reckoning, the Judgement, and the Day of Resurrection, and s/he will be saying, {‘Surely, I knew’} in this worldly life that {‘I would meet my Reckoning’}—‘that I will meet my reckoning and then the Judgment, which made me get ready, repent to Allah, remedy my shortcomings and misdeeds, turn to Allah (Glory be to Him), and do what He ordered me to do.’ That ended well for him/her.
The state of alertness, attentiveness, and readiness muttaqin live in reaches to the point that helps them remain mindful and alert under all circumstances and situations, even when taking a sleep position: Allah says, {‘Their sides abandon their beds, invoking their Lord with hope and fear’}. They keep remembering the Hereafter, the Reckoning, and the eternal future even when lying on their beds, making them abandon their beds for good deeds, for remembering Allah (Glory be to Him), for acts of obedience, and for fulfilling their responsibilities and duties. This state of alertness and mindfulness prompts them to be quick to get back on track when getting aware of any shortcoming, sin, or mistake and to turn to Allah (Glory be to Him) in repentance: Allah speaks about them, {‘And those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember Allah then ask forgiveness for their misdeeds—for who forgives misdeeds except Allah? And they do not persist in their wrongdoing while they know’}. They are quick to return to Allah and remedy their shortcomings, mistakes, sins, and negligence, and they never persist in committing disobedience. That is because of their alertness.
This state of faith is the state of Allah's prophets and Auliya: Allah tells Messenger Muhammad (PBUH&F), {‘Say, “If I were to disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a great day”’}. In spite of his position as a prophet and messenger and his great and lofty rank with Allah, faith requires this: to keep remembering that great day and torment.
Allah (Glory be to Him) tells us about His Auliya that they say, {‘We fear a gloomy, dismal day from our Lord’}—the narrated story about Imam Ali (PBUH) and Fatima Al-Zahra. {‘We fear a gloomy, dismal day from our Lord’}: The mental and psychological state shows great care about and attention to that coming day.
The bad consequences of rejection and negligence
Others who fall into a state of negligence and forgetfulness do not show much attention to what they do or say and how they behave. Great deeds may be introduced to them—deeds that draw a person near to Allah, that are part of their faith-based commitments, and that are a must for their salvation, success, and wellbeing in this life and the Hereafter—but they do not respond or show interest and, instead, fall into state of rejection. When being warned against misdeeds and sins (whether the ones that transgress what Allah called to, the ones that fall into the category of what Allah has forbidden, or even the ones that have to do with their responsibilities and duties that Allah has appointed for them as part of their faith- and religion-based commitment), they do not respond, care, or show interest. They have hearts that are hardened and minds that are of no use, and the state of negligence and rejection is what controls them, as well as the state of deviation after their whims and desires that are all about this worldly life, the temporary enjoyment. Therefore, they are overwhelmed by the state of negligence as the Holy Quran tells us, {‘ are in negligence, turning away’}—that state is also accompanied with the state of rejection.
One of the facts that we and all humanity know is that this life in this world is temporary, no matter how ignorant and oblivious people are and no matter how fully attracted to life affairs they are. People may be oblivious of the fact that their interest in the other life is for the good of this life as well as the Hereafter. You do not need to ignore the Hereafter in order for you to enjoy a good worldly life, for they are both connected. Being mindful of the other life contributes to the wellbeing of your worldly life. On the other hand, highly imbalanced attitude; transgression; committing what is forbidden; and turning away from Allah, His way of life, and His guidance have horrible consequences in this life as well as in the Hereafter.
In this life, we live a temporary life with an appointed time; this is a matter that we all know. This life is about responsibility and trial. Then comes the life of judgement, where you get a reward of pure good to the highest level or you get horrible, everlasting torment to the highest level: The Hereafter is either pure good or pure evil. However, this worldly life is a field for people to fulfil responsibility, to be tested, and to work.
In this life, we are under the constant watch of Allah (Glory be to Him) and His angels. We do not go unnoticed by Allah nor by His angels whose main duties are to keep watching over us and document all our deeds, behaviours, and sayings: Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {‘Indeed, We created humankind and know what their souls whisper, and We are closer to them than jugular vein. As the two recording-angels— sitting to the right and the left—note . Not a word does a person utter without having an observer ready ’}. constant watch day and night under all situations, whether we are alone or together with other people. Wherever we are, wherever we go, and wherever we move, we are under constant watch that documents our actions and behaviours. That is because this life is a field of responsibility: Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘ Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds’}.
Death means the end of the only opportunity temporarily available
After that, this life ends with death, which is the end of this life. Death represents the end of this life, and it seals the record of deeds: your deeds. It seals the record with all the deeds it contains: If good, you win, but if bad and filled with shortcoming and negligence, you lose and perish. Death also means no further opportunities: There are no further opportunities after death, for the only opportunity provided to you is these days you are living in this temporal life, which has an appointed time and then ends. However, you do not know when it ends and when death will fall upon you. You do not know when you will leave this life. You are not assigned to a specific time to know when your life ends: Every day might be the last day of your life, and every night might be the last night of your life. Therefore, it is important for one to be always ready and on guard, so if s/he leaves on any day or any night, s/he is ready. But if a person is in a state of heedlessness, this is too dangerous a state.
Allah assures us and reminds us of this fact, which we see in the reality of our life, and we see every day that human caravans leave this life: Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘Everyone shall taste death’}—everyone. No one can keep that away from him/her, push it back, defend him/herself against it, exclude him/herself, or shield him/herself from it, no matter whoever that person is (a king, a leader, etc.) and however his/her abilities, capabilities, intelligence, relations, or influence are. Indeed, nothing can push death away from him/her.
That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘Then why do you not when reaches the throat, and you are at that moment watching? And We are closer to him than you, but you do not perceive. If you are not subject to retribution, then why do you not bring that back, if you are truthful?’}. No person can push that away from anyone, however dear and important s/he is; no one can protect anyone from that.
That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘Then why do you not when reaches the throat, and you are at that moment watching? And We are closer to him than you, but you do not perceive. If you are not subject to retribution, then why do you not bring that back, if you are truthful?’}. No person can push that away from anyone, however dear and important s/he is; no one can protect him/her from that.
As Allah says in another verse, {‘And spend something out of the substance which We have bestowed on you’}—spend, for it is for your own good. {‘And spend something out of the substance which We have bestowed on you before death should come to any of you and he should say, “O my Lord! Why did You not give respite for a little while? I should then have given in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good”’}. S/he asks for a delay for even a short time—some may ask for a few-days respite—so that s/he will better his/her deeds, but gaining an extra period of time is impossible.
{‘O my Lord! Why did You not give respite for a little while?’} S/he will realize the importance of spending and giving charity for the sake of his/her salvation in the eternal future. {‘I should have been one of the doers of good’} means to make myself good and my deeds right in order to be one of doers of good, but will this request avail him/her?—however urgent or honest it is! Allah says, {‘But to no soul will Allah grant respite when the time appointed has come; and Allah is well acquainted with (all) that you do’}. Therefore, death is the end of the sole opportunity that cannot be compensated, no matter how many appeals are made. The person will continue to ask for a new opportunity, starting from death, but also on the Day of Resurrection, and even in Jahannam : {‘And they scream aloud therein, “Our Lord, take us out. We will do good, unlike what we used to do”’}. They urgently appeal to Allah for help, but He replies, saying, {‘Did We not give you a lifelong enough to take warning if you were going to? And the warner came to you. So taste ’}. This life is the opportunity you have, the hours you spend, the time you waste, and these deeds you are asked to do—some of these deeds are great deeds that make your scale of good heavy, lead to your salvation, and draw you near to Allah. Nevertheless, you do not take them seriously! Thus, everyone is in need to realize the importance of this fact, so that s/he could correct him/herself and get ready at an early stage.
Danger lies in remembering late
To remember when death strikes you or when the Resurrection takes place on the Day of Resurrection won't avail the person and will, instead, become part of his/her severe anguish and regret! That is because s/he will realize that s/he could have exploited the opportunity that Allah gave him/her.
{‘But no! When the earth is pounded to dust, pounding after pounding; and your Lord comes with the angels, rank after rank; and on that day, Jahannam is made to come forward—on that day man remembers, but how will that remembrance (then) avail him? He says, “If only I had put forth something for my life”’}. In life, advice was served to you, as well as reminders, and you had many opportunities (like Ramadan and great deeds: Jihad in the cause of Allah, spending in the cause of Allah, and righteous deeds) that were enough to grant you salvation, success, and safety from torment. Allah promised that gardens will be the reward: {‘gardens with rivers flowing beneath’}. However, you turned away, and you were careless and neglectful. Even worse, some people get irritated when they are asked to do good deeds, as if they were offended. They reject what leads to their victory, welfare, and success here and in the Hereafter. So, some may live in a state of negligence; they do not care nor remember that the great eternal life is to come and that it deserves to be ready for because its good is absolute and its evil is absolute and endless.
Then, after all these events {‘When the earth is pounded to dust, pounding after pounding’}—it changes completely and becomes an area where the Reckoning and Judgement take place; the command of Allah comes, so does His angels and His reckoning for all creatures. Amidst such changes that also see Jahannam be brought forth—{‘And on that day, Jahannam is made to come forward’}—and when a person sees Jahannam and the greatest torment of Allah and sees the eternal, dark destiny (which is truly terrible, severe, and painful), it is then that s/he wakes up. It is a dangerous state for a person not to remember unless when s/he sees Jahannam. This kind of negligence is definitely dangerous. Therefore, s/he does not benefit from remembrance: Remembrance is only useful when you are still here in this world, paying attention when reminded of Allah's verses. Do not be one of those who, when reminded of Allah's verses, they reject them; do not be one of those about whom Allah says, {‘And when reminded, they pay no attention’}, and do not be like those about whom Allah says, {‘Who does greater wrong than he, who, when reminded of his Lord's verses, turns away from them?’}.
Here , when you remember by Allah's verses, you can move while you still have the chance (life) to do good deeds that ensure your salvation, success, and welfare here and in the Hereafter. Through that , you feel the value of life, as you are connected to Allah (Glory be to Him), doing good and great deeds that get you to be exalted and honoured and preserve your human dignity. In the Hereafter, this will get you to Jannah , to safety from Allah's torment, to great bliss, and to great win. It is here where you still have the chance to start paying attention.
However, if you continue to be overwhelmed by negligence and keep turning away, you will only remember when Jahannam is brought to you—how will that be beneficial to you? Allah says, {‘But how will that remembrance (then) avail him? He says,“If only I had put forth something for my life”’}. That time will not be the time for remembering nor for lectures, sermons, or advice. Everything is over, and the time of the Judgement has come: {‘He says,“If only I had put forth something(good) for my life.” So, that day, no one can punish as He will punish, nor can anyone shackle like He will shackle’}.
Wake up! You are the one addressed here, and the Day
of Resurrection is near!
Notice! Some of the problems about a lot of people is that when someone speaks about the Hereafter, when someone warns of the Hereafter, of the Reckoning, of the Judgement, and of Allah's reward and punishment, they behave as if it were not their business or their concern, as if they would not die or be brought to life again, and as if they would not be called to account. (They behave as if they had nothing to do with all these matters.) This is stupidity, denial, negligence, and foolishness, and this will not benefit them, help them, or protect them. Attendance on the Day of Resurrection is obligatory for everyone; there is no escape.
In addition, some people live in a state of rejection and carelessness: When you speak about the Hereafter, they think you are speaking about something that is far away. They think that the time has not come yet to care about it, to focus on it, or to pay attention to it. They think it will come later. They look at it as an issue that is very far away. They think that this issue is so far away that its time has not come yet. they are busy with other issues now; however, other issues—however serious they are—should not hinder any person from caring about the Day of Resurrection.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘The time of people's judgment has drawn near.’} That means it is close, so do not think that it is still too far, when will the Resurrection, the Reckoning, the Judgment, the Day of Resurrection, or the Fire come?—as if they were are too far so that you do not need to bother yourself with them yet. Allah says, {‘The time of people's judgment has drawn near.’} He also says {‘The Hour has drawn near’}. We (the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad) are the last ummah, and we live in the last historical era of the life of humans. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&F) was the last of all the prophets and messengers of Allah, as the Resurrection and the Hour is approaching. He is one of its signs, and its signs have come. He is one of the signs of the approach of the Hour because he is the last of the prophets and messengers. So the Day of Resurrection is near. It will come at a sudden and unexpected time, and people will be shocked by its coming, all people! It will not come at a specific and well-known time. No one knows when it will come except Allah (Glory be to Him): He is the only One Who knows the time of its coming, for He says, {‘It is too tremendous for the heavens and the earth, and will only take you by surprise’}. It takes people by surprise, and when it comes, many people (if not all of them) will be in a state of absentmindedness, never expecting that it draws nearer. This shows us the importance of being constantly ready.
Also, death is the line that separates people from the Hour. The ones who do not live its events, all that separates them from it is a short break which is death. It is a short break, so any person who thinks it is still far away, s/he will be shocked to feel how close it is. The oblivious will notice how time will pass incredibly fast and the Hereafter will come suddenly. The state that separates you from the Hour of Resurrection is like a night's sleep, some of a night, or some of a day; therefore, you feel fully aware as if it were just a very short period between you and the Day of Resurrection: It comes quickly. They even get shocked. Allah affirms this fact of the Day of Resurrection and of how their feelings and calculations will be: {‘And on the Day the Hour will arrive, the wicked will swear that they did not stay more than an hour’}. Imagine how they will feel! It seems like they will be absolutely certain that the time that had passed since the moment of their death until the moment of their resurrection was an hour. They will even swear! This is how you will think of the period between your death and your resurrection.
The ones who go further in their estimate, Allah says about them in the Holy Quran, {‘They will whisper among themselves.’} They will talk amongst themselves very quietly; all are in a state of quietness: {‘And voices will fall before the Merciful. You will only hear a whisper’}. So they never raise their voices; they speak quietly, and they marvel at how fast the Day of Resurrection and the Hereafter have come. Then, they disagree about the calculation, and their estimations of the time that has passed since the moment of their death until the moment of resurrection differ.
{‘They will whisper among themselves: “You only stayed there ten ”’}. For some of them, this is the highest estimate that they can imagine, which means that the one who gives the highest estimate to that period of time will say ten nights (about ten nights). Note how the amount of that time in this life pass on you, whether you are on travel, in work, or in a period of time associated with a particular duty. That means that the time is short, too short, as if there were no time. However, those are the estimates of just some of them: Those who went farthest in their estimation, the longest period of time.
, {‘We know best what they will say—the most reasonable of them will say, “You stayed no more than a day”’}—the smart ones, those who have more reasonable calculations and estimations. {‘The most reasonable of them will say, “You stayed no more than a day!”’} Those who back their calculations with reasoning, will say the time was less than ten days: {‘You stayed no longer than a day!’}
This is how people estimate that period on the Day of Resurrection: They see it a short period, as if it were one day, an hour, a single evening, or a single morning according to the different estimations. And for those who exaggerate, they will say ten nights have passed, so it will pass fast on people, making them see it too short when it falls upon them.
The day of great regret for the oblivious and truth-rejecting people
The Day of Resurrection (the Day of Reckoning) is not a day of festival on which people gather for ordinary matters; it is the Day of the Final Decision: the Day of Judgement. On that day, everyone will attend against his/her will, whether s/he likes it or not. You cannot refrain from attending, hide, escape, or evade the situation. In this worldly life, you evade a lot of great deeds and important matters, or when things become complicated, you stay home abstaining from every deed that pleases Allah (Glory be to Him). On the Day of Resurrection, you will attend by force, whether you are pleased, angry, or however your state is: {‘Yet they will all be brought before Us’}. So everyone will be brought for the Judgement. {‘There is none in the heavens or the earth who will not return to the Compassionate in full submission’}—everyone will come without exceptions. {‘Indeed, He fully knows them and has counted them precisely’}: No one will be forgotten, overlooked, or not found in the records so that they could be forgotten. {‘Indeed, He fully knows them and has counted them precisely. And each of them will return to Him on the Day of Resurrection all alone’}. This makes it clear that everyone will come.
Therefore, the regret of the oblivious, the forgetful, and the truth-rejecting people on the Day of Resurrection will be deeply great. That is because they used to forget about that day and did not get themselves ready for it, since they did not recognize the value of the opportunities that Allah has given to them in this life. The warning, as well as the reminder, was introduced to them, but they turned away. They had opportunities—think of how many opportunities Allah provides us with. One of the opportunities is the month of Ramadan, which is the best of all months, whose days are the best days, whose nights are the best nights, and whose hours are the best hours. In addition, rewards on deeds are doubled in it, and the night of Qadr comes in it. Another opportunity is the great deeds that have been mentioned to people, such as Jihad in the cause of Allah, spending in the cause of Allah, and the good deeds that make scales heavy on the Day of Resurrection. Allah has promised who does these deeds to be safe on the Day of the Greatest Terror and to remain calm on the day of heart-troubling: The hearts are almost out of the chests and the necks, and they are breaking out in their throats because of how horrible the horror is. However, Allah promises safety, tranquillity, Jannah , and the great bliss in Jannah that Allah has described. Some people do not pay attention nor care, and they are oblivious and turn away. However, there , such people will regret and mourn. Allah will tell them, {‘So taste for neglecting the meeting of this Day of yours’}. Forgetfulness, negligence, and carelessness will lead to nothing but horrible regret.
That is enough for today.
We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success in seeking what pleases Him. O Allah (Glory be to You), have mercy on our martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. O Allah, accept our fasting, night prayers, and good deeds. You are All-Hearing!
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.