Either Paradise or Hellfire, Choice is yours!

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Download Lecture By Shaykh Nabeel Al-Awdhi

The Companions of our Prophet Muhammed (SAW) used to gather to remember death so that they would benefit their souls by increasing in fear of Allaah and strive to gain His pleasure. If this was the case of the Sahaabah and they were the best of generations, the most pious and God-fearing of this ummah, then what about us? Surely, it means that we need to engage in the remembrance of Allaah(SWT) even more. After all, we are in far more need of this act of worship than they were.

Let us begin at the end of a man's life, in his last moments. He is lying on his death bed and his family are at his side. His father is calling for the doctor. His wife asks him: "To whom are you leaving us?". The man's little daughter asks him, "Why do you not answer me?", and his small boy cries but nobody responds to him. This is the situation Allaah, The Most High and The Most High, has informed us about:

"Nay, when the soul reaches the throat, and it is said: "Who will cure him now?". The dying person concludes that this is the time for departing. The leg joins the other leg."[Al-Qiyaamah: 26-29]

They place him in his shroud, his leg joins his other leg. Then he is carried upon the shoulders and taken to a dark hole. If he was a transgressing criminal he cries out: "Woe to it! Where are you taking it?"

"The drive that day will be to your Lord" [Al-Qiyaamah: 30 ]

Then he is lowered into this ditch and dirt is thrown upon him until he is sealed in it. If he was a criminal, Allaah - The Most Perfect and The Most High - says:

"So he neither believed nor did he pray. Rather he belied and turned away" [Al-Qiyaamah: 31-32 ]

This trangressor will remain in his grave alone, there will be no one to sit with him and no one to keep him company. He will feel the heat of the fire, smell its foul odour, and be tortured therein. This man's grave will squeeze in upon him so much so that the bones of his rib cage will cross each other. Despite all this punishment and all this torture and pain, he will hope that the hour will never be established. For this man knows that the hour is far worse and of he will be in greater loss on that Day.

The man hears 'As-Saakhah' from within his grave, and what is 'As-Saakhah'? It is the second blowing of the trumpet. This is when all that is in the graves shall be raised and resurrected.

So the criminal will cry: "Woe to us, who has woken us from our resting place?" It will be said: "This is what the Ever-Merciful promised and the messengers where truthful"[Yasin: 52]

The earth will be torn away from above him. This man will see the heavens being cleft asunder, the stars falling and being scattered, the oceans in their greatness bursting forth, burning, the graves will at that time bring forth their contents. Every person shall know what he has sent forth of good and bad deeds at that moment. [Al-Infitaar: 1-5]

Then he will raised up and driven to the crowding place: 'Al-Mahshar'. That day, the mother who is nursing her child will become careless of it, the mother who is carrying her child will drop her load. That day, mankind will appear as if they are drunk yet they they are not drunk. Indeed the punishment of your Lord is great. [Al-Hajj 1-2]

The mother will come to her son and say: "Oh my son, my breast was a container for you, my womb was a container for you. Oh my son I seek from you a hasanah (merit) that I may approach Allaah with. My son, do not be greedy towards me". In the world this son would have sacrificed his life, rather many lives for merely the happinness of his mother so how does he treat her now? He responds to her plea: "Get away from me! Leave me! Indeed I am in need of this merit more than you."

"So when 'As-Saakhah' comes. That day a man will flee from his brother, from his mother and his father, from his wife and his children. That day every man shall have enough to make him careless of others." [Al-Abasa: 33-37]

So mankind will wait in this crowding place for 50,000 years, after which Allaah, The Most Perfect and The Most High, will come to judge them. So He will call the criminal and say to him, "Oh so and so, did I not give you of the cold water to drink? did I not give you a healthy body? Did I not give you many bounties? What have you done with all that which I bestowed upon you?"

So the man replies, "I have done nothing my Lord."

So he lies to his Lord on that day. Allaah says: "Where are the witnesses!". So the Angels come and bear witness that this criminal did not pray in those moments of prayer, he drank, fornicated, lied, cursed and insulted. He turned away from belief and was proud and arrogant. So the criminal says to his Lord, "I do not acceptaccept a wintness except one from myself."

His Lord replies to him, "And you have that?"

"The day when we shall seal their mouths, there hands will speak to us and their legs will bear witness to that which they used to earn" [Yasin: 65]

So he turns to his skin and says to it: it was only for you that I was arguing.

"Nay, when the earth is shaken a true shaking and your Lord comes with the Angels in rows. That day the Fire will be brought near. That day man will remember but how will that remembrance avail him? He will say, 'Woe to me! Would that I had put forth something for this life.' " [Al-Fajr: 21-24]

This man then remembers. This criminal remembers that when he heard the call for prayer and he did not respond to it. He remembers when he woke and the sun had already risen yet he had not prayed al-fajr. This man remembers when he abused this one, when he slandered that one, when he earned that unlawful wealth, when he struck this one and killed that one. This criminal remembers every sin with which he disobeyed Allaah with.That day all his remorse and regret amounts to nothing.

Then Allaah will say, "Seize him and fetter him. Then throw him into the blazing fire. Then put a chain which is 70 cubits long through him. Indeed he did not used to believe in Allaah, The Most Perfect,The Most High."

The Angels will then drag him upon his face into the fire.

As he enters it he will see his friends from the world already present.

"Every time a nation enters it curses it sister nation" [Al-a'araaf: 38].

So he is greeted with curses and given a wretched abode in which to abide. The fire encompasses him from all sides roasting, burning his skin completely,

"Whenever their skins have been done (burnt away) we replace them with new skins so that they may taste of the punishment" [an-Nisaa: 56].

Their food in the fire is Ad-Daree' (a thorny plant).

"No food will they have except Ad-Daree'. It neither nourishes nor removes hunger"[Al-Ghaashiyah: 6-7]

When they eat it they choke due to the thorns. So when they are choking they ask to be rescued with water, so they are rescued with an intensly boiling water which grills their faces when they appoach it. When they drink from the water, due to its heat, it cuts their intestines and causes them an increased pain.

They eat from Az-Zaquum. They eat a bitter fruit which cannot be tasted.

"Indeed the tree of Zaquum will be the food of the sinners. Like boiling oil, it will boil in the belies, like the boiling of scalding water. It will be said : Drag, sieze him and drag him into the midst of the blazing fire. Then pour upon his head the torment of boiling water. Taste! You were pretending to be the Mighty the Generous" [ad-Dukhaan: 43-49]

Due to this intense pain, suffering and anguish they are experiencing they call upon the guardian of hell-fire,  "They call, Oh Maalik let your Lord destroy us" After many years he responds to them with two words "You are staying" [43:77].

After all of this, they have one last chance and they call upon their Lord, "Oh our Lord we were indeed astray! Oh our Lord we were indeed misguided, we did fall short. Return us to the world so that we can do good instead of that which we used to do."

Allaah replies to them, "Rot in it and do not speak to me. After this they do not speak nor do they utter."

They are then called from afar, "Oh dwellers of the fire, do you know what this is?" They reply, "Yes that is death in the form of a ram." Death is then slaughtered in a place between Al-Jannah an An-Naar. It is said to the dwellers of the fire, ever-lasting life without death.

As for the other group, the ones who obeyed their Lord in this world, let us describe briefly their fate:

When he is placed into his grave it is widened and made spacious for him. He smells the sweet fragrance of Al-jannah and feels some of its comforts. He sleeps in his grave like a bride on her wedding night who no-one shall awaken except her beloved. When the cry comes he is gathered to the crowding place and waits there for 50,000 years. This time passes as if it were the time between Zohar and Asr. Then the Lord of the worlds comes to make judgement, so He calls His slave saying, "Oh my slave, do you not remember that sin, do you not remember this sin." So the slave replies, "My Lord I have perished!" So Allaah replies to him, "I hid it in the world fo you and this day I forgive it."

This good man is handed his book in his right hand. Due to his happiness he runs to the people and says "Take it; read my book. Indeed I used to think I would meet my accounting."
"So he will be in a content life" [Al-Haaqah: 19-21]

Then he will be crowded from a group of al-jannah.

The Jannah has eight gates and between each gate is a distance that would take 40 years to traverse. There comes a day when the gates are crowded. So as this slave of Allaah enters Al-Jannah he is greeted with salaam (peace). He sees before him 4 rivers:

"... In it are rivers of water, the taste and smell of which are not changed. Rivers of milk of which the taste never changes, rivers of wine delicious to those wo drink and rivers of clear and pure honey ..." [Muhammad: 15]

He has therein a house and he knows this house as he knows his dwelling in this life. His house is made from bricks of gold and silver. In it he has wives from the Hoorul-'een.

"And Hooron 'een, like untouched, unseen, precious pearls. A reward for what they used to do." [Al-Waaqiah: 22-24]

"Indeed we have created them a special creation, made them virgins, loving only their husbands of equal age." [al-waaqiah: 35-37]

Every time they cohabit with their husbands they return to being virgins.

Outside this house he has a tent, in it he has wives. When he goes to one of them, the other does not see him.

In Al-Jannaah the righteous slave has everything he desires, wishes and wants. He neither feels extreme heat nor the bitter cold:

"They will see there neither the excessive heat of the sun nor the bitter cold." [Al-Insaan: 13].

There is not a tree in Al-Jannaah except its trunk is made of gold. When he requires its fruit he does not need to get up from his place, since it comes to him:

"The bunches of fruit thereof hang low, within reach" [al-insaan: 14].

"They are served by youthful boys who never age. If you were to see them you would think them scattered pearls" [al-Insaan: 19]

So he resides therein, tranquil and at ease. No pain, no ill feeling and no foul speech. Life without death, lasting with no end.

These are not mere stories that we tell to amuse ourselves or scare one another, rather they are the destinies of the ones who obey Allaah and those who disobey. Allaah calls His slaves to repentance many times in every day so avail these opportunities. Repentance has only three conditions, that you be sincere to Allaah, that you leave the sin and that you make a firm resolve that you never return to the sin.

So be the children of the Hereafter and not the children of this life; a party in Paradise and a party in the Hell-fire,  Either you perform good deeds that leads to Jannah (paradise) or  to perform bad deeds that leads to the Hell fire, Choice is completely yours!

Courtesy Of: kalamullah.com

Is Human being has a Great Capacity for Self-Delusions?

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah.

There are two things one should be take heed of if one wishes to attain success and felicity:

1) To know the details of the means of attaining good and evil, and to be clear about these through witnessing them in the world around, through one's own experience and that of others, as well as through reports one has heard about earlier and latter nations. One of the most effective means for attaining this is pondering over the Qur'an, for along with the sunnah, it clearly explains the paths to good and evil. If you turn your attention to them, they will suffice you. They will inform you of Allah's treatment of the obedient, and of the sinners. Moreover, apply what you read to practical experience, and you will see the illustration of this - that Allah is true, the Messenger is true, the Qur'an is true, and that Allah fulfills His promise. History contains details of the paths to good and evil mentioned in the Qur'an and sunnah.

2) Beware of deceiving oneself with regard to these paths. This is very important, for the servant knows that sin and heedlessness are harmful to him in his world and the Hereafter, and yet he may deceive himself:

Through relying on Allah's pardon and forgiveness, by procrastination of repentance, by performing istighfar only verbally, by doing good deeds [after impetuously sinning], by knowledge, by justifying his sins by the argument of destiny, by citing examples of people committing similar sins, or by following in the footsteps of ancestors and elders.

Many people think that they can perform some sin, and then if they say "Astaghfirullah" the sin will disappear. Or, they may deceive themselves with ahadith such as: "Whoever says "SubHaanallaahi wa-biHamdih" one hundred times in a day, his sins are taken off from him, even if they be like the foam of the ocean." Or "A servant committed a sin and then said, 'O Lord! I have committed a sin, so forgive me,' and so he was forgiven . . . . then Allah says, 'My servant knows that he has a Lord Who forgives sins, and takes [to task] for them. I have forgiven My servant, so let him do as he wishes.'"

Such people cling to the texts of hope, and hold fast to them with both hands, and put [all] their reliance in them, such that if they are reprimanded for committing some sin, they will recite all that they known about Allah's mercy and forgiveness. Some went to excessive limits in this, such that they claimed that to remain free of sins is being ignorant or under-estimating Allah's mercy and pardon.

Some deceived people cling to the notion of fatalism; that the servant has no free-will and that he is compelled to commit sins. Other cling to the notion of irja' (false hope), claiming that faith is merely affirmation, and that deeds are neither a part of faith nor have any effect upon it. According to their claim, the iman of the most sinful of believers is just like the iman of the angels Gabriel and Michael.

Some are deceived by their fathers and elders, thinking that they have a rank before Allah, such that they would not leave them to perish. They take this by analogy from the behavior of worldly kings, who might grant a favor or pardon to someone based on the merits of his father or relatives. Such people are used to being taken out of difficult situations by their fathers, and are under the impression that this may happen in the Hereafter too.

Others deceive themselves by reasoning that Allah has no need of punishing them since He gains nothing from it, and He does not lose anything by showing them mercy. Such a person may say, 'I am in dire need of His mercy, and He is not at all needy of [anything]. if a poor, thirsty person were in dire need of a drink of water from someone in whose premises there flows a river, he would not be denied it, and Allah is more generous, and more expansive in mercy.'

Others are deceived by ridiculous misinterpretations/ misunderstandings, e.g.:

"Your Lord will give you, so that you become pleased." [Surah Duha, 5] he says: I am not pleased to enter the Fire. This is despicable ignorance, and clear lies, for he should be pleased by what Allah is pleased by, and it is not against Allah's pleasure to punish the oppressors, wrong-doers, evil-doers, traitors and those persistent on major sins. "Allah forgives all sins." [Surah Zumar, 93]

This is also despicable ignorance, for this verse refers to those who repent; otherwise it would imply invalidation of the verses threatening punishment for the sinners. This is specified by another verse,

"Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, and He forgives anything beneath that to whomever He wills." [Surah Nisa,48] Also, "None will burn in it except the most miserable one who rejected and turned away [from the truth]." [Surah Layl, 15-16]. This is a specific fire from among the various levels of Jahannam, and moreover the fact that only the rejecters will burn in it does not rule out that others may enter it. "[Hell] has been prepared for the unbelievers." [Surah Baqarah, 24]. The fact that it has been prepared for the unbelievers does not rule out that sinful Muslims may also be punished in it, just as the fact that Heaven "has been prepared for the pious" [Surah Aali-`Imran, 133] does not rule out that people with the smallest grain of faith may enter it even if they were not pious.

Some are deceived by fasting the days of `Ashura and `Arafah, such that some may even say that the fast of `Ashura' expiates the whole year, and the fast of `Arafah remains as a surplus of reward. Such people have failed to realize that the fast of Ramadan and the 5 daily prayers are greater and more noble than the fasts of `Arafah and `Ashura, and that [it is understood that] sins are [only] forgiven as long as major sins are avoided. So, [fasting] from one Ramadan to another, [praying] from one Jumu`ah to the next, act in a mutually strengthening manner to achieve forgiveness of minor sins, provided major sins are avoided. So, how then can an optional fast expiate every major sin of a person while he still persists upon the sins, and has not repented from them? Also, it is possible that these two optional fasts expiate all sins in totality, but that this has certain prerequisites and conditions, such as avoidance of major sins, or that the expiation is achieved in conjunction with other good deeds, much the same as the 5 daily prayers and the fasting of Ramadan expiate minor sins in conjunction with the avoidance of major sins. "If you abjure the major things which you are prohibited from, We shall expiate you your evil deeds. [Surah Nisa, 31]

Some are deceived by the hadith Qudsi, "I am according to the good expectation/thought of My servant. so let him think of Me as he wishes." i.e. that whatever he thinks I will do to him, I will. But, good expectations can only be with good conduct, for one who does good expects that his Lord will deal with him well, will not break His promise, and will accept his repentance. As for the one of evil conduct, who persists upon major sins, oppression and other evils, the desolation of sin, wrongdoing and [other] prohibited things prevent him from having good expectations of his Lord. This is something we witness in everyday life. A disobedient employee who has run away with company property will not have a good expectation of his boss. The evil of wrong deeds cannot coexist with good expectation. The best in expectation of his Lord ['s mercy] is the most obedient to Him. Hasan Basri said, "The believer has good expectation of his Lord, so he make his deeds good. But, the evil person has bad expectation of his Lord, so he does evil."

How can someone claim to have good expectation of his Lord when he is like a runaway, and is doing things which displease and anger his Lord, and has abandoned His orders, and is at war with Him. How can one have good expectation of his Lord if he thinks that He does not see him? "And, you used not to conceal yourself, lest your hearing, sight and skin testify against you, but you thought that Allah does not know much of what you used to do. And that, your expectation which you entertained about your Lord, has destroyed you, so you have become among those lost/ruined." [Surah Fussilat, 23] So, these people, who thought that Allah did not know much of what they did, actually had ill- expectation of their Lord, and that destroyed them. Such people are deceived if they think they will directly enter Heaven; they are fooling themselves; Satan is leading them astray and beguiling them.

Ponder over this.

Consider: how is it possible for one's heart to be certain that one is going to meet Allah, that Allah sees and hears all that he does, and knows his secret open affairs, and that he will be made to stand before Allah, answerable for all his deeds - how can one be certain and aware of all of this, and yet persist upon things which displease Allah; persist upon abandoning Allah's orders, neglecting His rights, and yet claim that he has good expectation of Allah?!!

Abu Umamah Sahl ibn Hanif reports: `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr and I entered upon `A'ishah and she said: If only you had seen the Messenger of Allah in one of his illnesses; [when] he had 6 or 7 dinars. The Messenger of Allah ordered me to distribute them [in charity?], but the pain of the Messenger of Allah kept me from doing that, until Allah cured him. Then, he asked me about them: "What have you done? Had you distributed the 6 dinars?" I said, "No, by Allah. Your pain had kept me from doing so." He asked for them to be brought [to him], and put them in his hand then said, "What would be the expectation of Allah's prophet if he met Allah with these in his possession?"

What, then would be the expectation of the people of major sins, and the oppressors, if they were to meet Allah with these sins and forfeited rights of people on their backs? If their claim that they entertained good expectations that Allah would not punish evil and wrongdoing people, were to benefit them, then everyone could do as he wished, doing everything that Allah has forbidden, provided he kept good expectation of Allah, thinking that the fire will not touch him. Subhanallah! How deceived can one be? Prophet Ibrahim said to his people, "Is it a lie, gods besides Allah, that you desire? What then is your expectation of the Lord of the Worlds?" [Surah Saffat, 86] i.e. what is your expectation of Allah, what do you expect He will do to you if you meet Him having worshipped other than Him?

So, if we reflect over this, we will realize that good expectation of Allah is equivalent to good deeds, for one is moved to good deeds by good hope of Allah, that He will reward him for his efforts and accept them. Otherwise, good expectation along with pursuit of whims and desires and lusts is incapacity.

In short, good expectation can only occur if the means for salvation are pursued. Pursuit of the means to destruction cannot accompany good expectations.

Someone might claim: It might, based on the expansiveness of Allah's mercy and forgiveness and generosity, and that His mercy exceeds His wrath, and that punishing does not benefit Him, nor does forgiveness harm Him. The reply is: Allah is indeed most generous and merciful, but this is in the appropriate place. Allah is also described as possessing wisdom and might and inflicting retribution, seizing with might, and punishing those deserving punishment. So, if the good expectation is based merely on some of Allah's attributes, then the righteous and the evil, the believer and the unbeliever, would equally be candidates for it. But, the names and attributes of mercy do not benefit the unbeliever or similarly one who has neglected his duty and exposed himself to Allah's curse. Rather, good expectation of Allah is for one who repents, regrets his sins and desists from the. This is good expectation, whereas the first is deception.

"Those who believe, and those who perform hijrah and jihad in the path of Allah - they are hopeful of Allah's mercy." [Surah Baqarah, 218] So, these people are the ones who can be truly hopeful of Allah's mercy; not the evil and sinful people. "Then, your Lord is, to those who make hijrah after they have been persecuted, and then perform jihad and are patient/steadfast - indeed, your Lord is, after that, Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Surah Nahl, 119] So, the knowledgeable one is he who puts hope in its correct place, whereas the deceived one is he who puts it elsewhere.

Translator: Suheil Laher 

Courtesy Of: Islaam.com

Source: Al-Jawab al-Kafi li-man sa'al `an al-Dawa' al-Shafi, kalamullah.com