Khutbahs
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Life Only Starts When You Die | Khutbah
Dr. Omar Suleiman reflects on the verses of the Quran that refer to “life” exclusively in the sense of the hereafter, and why it's important we shift our perspectives accordingly.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. We begin by praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and bearing witness that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is his final messenger. And we ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon his final messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. The prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him, and those that follow in their blessed path until the day of judgment. And we ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahuma ameen. Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to imagine yourself for a moment in the trenches with the messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. During Al-Khandaq. During one of the most pivotal moments in the seerah of our beloved prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. When they are building a trench and the consequence of that trench being properly constructed and that strategy working is one of life or death. Meaning the companions of the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam were not sufficiently armed from a dunyawi perspective, from a worldly perspective, nor organized in terms of the ranks of armies that they would typically do so for battle. But the strategy from a worldly perspective was all dependent upon this one working. Building a trench that would protect the messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam and the companions of the prophet, may Allah be pleased with them. And all of the residents of Medina from the onslaught of the largest army that the Arabs had ever seen. And the hypocrites whispering, Inna al-nasa qad jam'u lakum, Though it was a different occasion, the spirit of which, the people are large in number, you're ruined. And the hypocrites from within, assisting against our prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, committing treason.
And the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam starving, not eating for days upon days upon days, with the stones tied to his stomach, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, to prevent death, to prevent starvation. And in that desperation, Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam rises up and he looks towards these young companions. Most of them in their twenties and thirties, and they're building a way up this trench, and they're covered in mud. And he looks at them, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and he says, Allahumma laa'eesha illa'eeshu al-akhira, faghfir li'l-ansar wa'l-muhadira. Allahumma laa'eesha illa'eeshu al-akhira. Oh Allah, there is no life except for the life of the hereafter. There is no life except for the life of the hereafter. To be able to say that at a moment where death is so imminent, where one intrusion of the ditch would ruin the entire strategy from a worldly perspective, and you're very likely facing a genocide, and to say with confidence and certainty, Allahumma laa'eesha illa'eeshu al-akhira. Oh Allah, there is no life except for the life of the hereafter. This isn't real. This is not real. And particularly when he makes dua for the ansar and the muhajireen, the people of Medina and the people of Mecca. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is looking at the youth of the ansar, young people whose fathers also died young, but not fighting for Islam or not doing anything noble, but fighting for tribalism. Young people who did not get to live the normal life of youth. And Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is looking at them to say,
laa'eesha illa'eeshu al-akhira. That the real life is not here anyway. Your true life is after you pass away. There is something beautiful about this and profound, as we live in a day of age where we have al-mawt al-fujaa, sudden death. People die young, sometimes suddenly. We lost a great man, Sheikh Muhammad al-Sharif rahimahullah ta'ala, 47 years old, suddenly died in salat al-maghrib last week. People die young, al-mawt al-fujaa. And sometimes you see someone die young and you think to yourself, they did not live a full life. They didn't get to have from this dunya what other people have from this dunya. You see a young person and you have huzn, you have grief. They could have had so much more in this life. They didn't get to graduate, they didn't get to get married, they didn't get to have this happen and this career happen, and visit this place and have this. And sometimes you see religious young people, practicing young people, and you say they're missing out on life. They're missing out on this dunya. And as a form of tughyaan, it is a form of rebelliousness to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, that we have a self-imposed time lag within our lifetime, where we have decided that you don't get serious about deen until later on in life. As if it's guaranteed. Let me enjoy my youth, let me do the things that other teenagers do. Not expecting to die as a teenager. Then let me do the things that other college students do. Not expecting to die as a college student. Then, that other young couples do. Not expecting to die while you're still a young couple. That you want to live your full life early. And then later on, I can retire and become religious. I can start going to fajr. I can start going to the masjid. I can start becoming practicing. I can start doing this and start doing that. As if it's guaranteed. Why? Because of an idea that life is early.
I need to take advantage of life. I need to enjoy my life while I still have it. And your messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, Allahumma laa aisha illa aisha al-aakhira. Oh Allah, there is no life except for the life of the hereafter. To suggest that life actually starts from the moment of death. By the way, dear brothers and sisters, the khutbas of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam were surah Qaf. Reminders of just the hereafter. Because if you change your perspective for a moment, everything else falls into place. Life starts from the moment of death. Your true life actually starts when you die. Now if you think about how powerful and transformative of a concept that is, and then read the ayat of the Quran. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says to us in surah an-Nahl, man amila saliham min zakarin aw untha Whoever does good, male or female, wahuwa mu'min, and they are believers. falanuhyiyannahu hayatan tayyibah Then we will give them a good life. A good life. We will give them a good life. Certainly, there will be things in this dunya that you experience of jannatul yaqeen, the paradise of certainty in the heart. But a good life is not here. The good life is what comes after. It's where true hayat is. It's where true life is. And subhanallah, you look at the opposite of that.
One ayah of the Quran, so powerful, and it comes in the context of surah al-Fajr. insan wa anna lahul dhikra Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, you're standing there on the day of judgment. You're not in a ditch. You're not in a ditch in this dunya, where the Prophet shalallahu alaihi wasalam tells you, laa'isha illaAAisha al-akhira You're standing there on the day of judgment. And everything is happening so quickly. dukkatil ardu dakkan dakka The earth is crushed to pieces. There is nothing even to hang on to. You know, you think about memorabilia. You think about physical specimens. The earth is completely reduced to pieces. It's no longer here. Everything that resembled this dunya is gone. Except for the deeds that have now carried into the hereafter. And then your Lord presides over the judgment. And the malaika are arriving, rows upon rows, saffa and saffa, they're lining up. You're seeing it all happening in front of you, the way you used to hear. And then hellfire is brought forth. Ji'a yawma idhin bi jahanna And then at that point, subhanAllah, listen. At that point, yawma idhin yatadhakkaru al-insan At that point there is dhikr. At that point you remember. And Allah says, wa anna lahu dhikra But what good is remembering at that point? What good is it to think about the consequences at that point? Yaqulu ya laytani qaddamtu lihayati This is the main verse. He says at that point,
Oh how I wish I put forth for my hayat, for my life. Ya laytani qaddamtu lihayati I wish I would have prepared for my life. Not I wish I would have made use of my life. I wish I would have prepared for my life. Because you're realizing at that point, laa'isha illa'isha al-akhira There is no life except for the life of the hereafter. Ya laytani qaddamtu lihayati Ya Allah, I wish I would have prepared for my life. This is a paradigm shift. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, man amila salihan min dhakarin aw untha wa huwa mu'min fala nuhyayannahu hayathan tayyiba wala najaziyannahum ajarahum bi ahsani ma kanu ya'manun We will give them a good life, a good life. And we will reward them in accordance with the best of their deeds. With the best of their deeds. Dear brothers and sisters, when you start to approach death as the moment of birth, as the moment when life starts, that doesn't make you a pessimistic person. Far less, it actually makes you a very optimistic person. Because you're preparing for something that you know is certain and that you know is real. Everything else in life, in this life, that you prepare for, there's some level of uncertainty. How many people die in a car accident on the way to their wedding? How many people right before they get to that step that they waited, your graduation, I'm not saying you shouldn't prepare for your graduation, but right before their graduation they pass away. Everything else in this dunya, uncertain. Death is certain, and what comes after it is certain. And so the believer is an optimist. Because they know that this life is only a matter to prepare for what is really life.
What we call life here is just a place to deposit. I'm at the bank of good deeds, depositing my good deeds. That's all. And so I don't feel like I have to hurry up and get it all in here. I have to live the best life. You know what, I might not see all of the most beautiful places in the world. I might never get to travel the world. But bi-idhnillah I will see jannah. I might not get to meet this person and that person. But bi-idhnillah I know that if I deposit properly, I will meet Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam at the hell. That's life. That's life. That's what I look forward to. I might not get to see my home renovations done. I might not get to see even the house bought. I might not get to see the car. But I know that that grave will be a garden of jannah if I deposit properly. Because Allahumma laa eesha illa eeshu al-akhirah. Oh Allah, there is no life except for the life of the hereafter. Not only will I not say, Ya laytani qaddamtu li hayati, had only I prepared for my life. But instead, be that person, man ootia kitabahu bi-yameenihi, who receives their book in their right hands. You get your scroll, you get your results. And the first thing they say, inni dhanatu anni mulaqin hisabiyah, I knew this day was coming. I knew it. I knew it. I knew that this day was coming. I knew that I would be handed a scroll in my left or in my right. I knew that I would be held accountable by Allah. Inni dhanatu anni mulaqin hisabiyah, fahuwa fee eesha terwadiah. So now live a good life. Now he lives in pleasure. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala make us amongst those
that live a life of pleasure forever in the presence of our beloved messenger, Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, under the throne of our Lord, in the highest level of paradise. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to pass through this journey in which we are traveling, ka ghareeb, aw aabiru sabeel, like a stranger, like a wayfarer, taking a rest under a tree. May Allah let our destination be nothing less than al-firdaws al-a'la, paradise, the highest level, with our Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. May Allah give us that perspective of laa eesha illa eeshan aakhira, that there is no life except for the life of the hereafter. So that when we pass through the trials of this short journey, we put them in perspective of the ultimate journey, the ultimate destination, the ultimate controller, the ultimate one to be desired. And that is Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allahuma ameen. Aqoolu qawli hadha wa astaghfirullah li walakum wa risala muslimeen. Wa innaahu wa athghafoorir raheem.
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