Central Khutbah: “The Greatest Success is to Save Yourself and Your Family from Destruction on the Day of Judgment”
Allah, the Most High, says: “O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.” (At-Tahrim, 6.)
He also says, the Most High:
True believers are those who fear Allah both in private and in public, as mentioned in the verse: “Indeed, those who fear their Lord unseen will have forgiveness and a great reward.” (Al-Mulk, 12.)
A believer protects himself and his family by observing the boundaries set by Allah, the Most High, in accordance with the well-known hadith: “Be mindful of Allah, and He will take care of you.” Ibn Rajab said: “Being mindful of Allah” means: “Be mindful of His commands, prohibitions, rights, and limits.” You will be mindful of Allah’s commands by fulfilling them. You will be mindful of His prohibitions by avoiding them, and you will be mindful of His rights by respecting them and His limits by not transgressing them—you would not exceed the limits of His commands or prohibitions. Allah, glorified and exalted be He, praised such people in the Quran and called them guardians when He said: “This is what was promised to every penitent [and] guardian.” Abdullah ibn Abbas, in interpreting Allah’s words, glorified and exalted be He, “guardian,” said that it is the one who guards (watches over) Allah’s limits. From this, we see how baseless is the expression present among our people and unfortunately attributed to our Lord Allah, glorified and exalted be He, which is: “Take care of yourself, I will take care of you,” because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, clearly indicated in this hadith that Allah will protect the one who is mindful of His commands, prohibitions, rights, and limits: “Be mindful of Allah.” We have mentioned the general meaning of the Prophet’s words: “Be mindful of Allah,” and now we will move on to their detailed explanation, trying to present what is most important.
- The most important thing, or rather the first thing we must strive to guard (take care of), is prayer. Allah, glorified and exalted be He, says: “Guard strictly the prayers, especially the middle prayer, and stand before Allah with devotion.” (Translation of the meaning of Al-Baqara, 238) The Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “…whoever guards it (i.e., prayer), it will be a light, a proof, and a salvation for him on the Day of Judgment, and whoever does not guard it, it will be neither a light, nor a proof, nor a salvation for him on the Day of Judgment, and on the Day of Judgment, he will be with Pharaoh, Karun, Haman, and Ubayy ibn Khalaf.”
Falling into prohibitions, especially in times of abundance and comfort, can be a path to destruction.
According to Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“Indeed, I know people from my community who will come on the Day of Judgment with deeds as great as white mountains of Tihama, but Allah will turn them into scattered dust.”
Thawban then asked him:
- O Prophet of Allah, describe them to us, bring them closer to us, so that we are not like them.
The Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then said: - They are your brothers, of your race, who pray at night as you do, but when they are alone with the prohibitions of Allah, they transgress them.”
(Ibn Majah)
The greatest calamity is to lose oneself and one’s family on the Day of Judgment. Muslim men and women are devoted to the upbringing of their children and the preservation of the family because they firmly believe in the Hereafter and in the judgment on the Day of Judgment, i.e., the examination of the trusts that were given to us, and one of those trusts is precisely our children, that is, our family.
Just as they do not allow their children and family to be lost in this world, believers are even more committed to not losing their families in the Hereafter, for that would truly be the greatest loss and calamity, as mentioned in the verse: “Say: ‘Indeed, those who lose themselves and their families on the Day of Judgment are truly in loss.'” (Az-Zumar, 15.)
Instead, Muslims and Muslim women hope and constantly pray to Allah to reunite them with their children and their parents in Paradise.
And what will complete the joy and happiness of the believers in Paradise is that their children and descendants will join them in Paradise, as Allah, the Most High, said: “And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith—We will join them with their descendants, and We will not deprive them of [anything] of their deeds. Every person, for what he earned, is retained.” (At-Tur, 21.)
Ibn Abi Hatim reports a narration from Abdullah ibn Abbas in which he said: “Allah will reunite the children of the believers with their parents, even if their children were at a lower level in Paradise, to perfect their joy.”
▪ I ask Allah not to make us among those whose good deeds are reduced to dust by Allah, and who are recorded with Him as hypocrites.
▪ I ask Allah to register us among His sincere servants, among those who will deserve His forgiveness and mercy!
(Central khutbah by the religious leader Hafiz Hilmija Redžić on August 9, 2024, at the “Association Islamique et Culturelle – Al Rahma” in Differdange)
