GatewaytoQuran
Many
a days go by in which we don’t even think about the most important meeting of
your existence? Let’s have a look at six ways you can prepare for the
appointment of all appointments— standing before Allah ‘azza wa jall!
Allah says: And they will be presented before
your Lord in rows, [and He will say], You have certainly come to Us just as We
created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an
appointment.[Quran, 18:49]
The
appointment is made
Can
you imagine the moment of the Day of Judgement when Allah Himself will come
with the angels, and Paradise and Hell will be brought forward? And
your Lord comes with the angels in rows. [Quran, 89:22]
You
know that you will soon stand before Him, personally, one by one, to be judged.
People are divided into two categories: 1). people with bright faces, due to
their happiness, standing there looking at their Lord, and 2). people with
darkened faces, due to their bad deeds. [Some] faces, that Day, will be
radiant, looking at their Lord. And [some] faces, that Day, will be
contorted, expecting that there will be done to them [something] backbreaking. [Quran,
75:22-25]
Start
thinking about yourself standing there . . .
If
you get your book (of deeds) in your right hand, you will go to Paradise, and
may Allah make us one of them. If you receive your book in your left hand you
will go to the Hellfire; may Allah save us.
Apart
from your book of deeds there will be more witnesses for you on the day. Let’s
learn a preparation lesson from each of them, inshaa’Allah!
1. Add good things to the book of your deeds.
Allah ‘azza wa jall continues in surah
Al-Kahf, the surah which is a sunnah to read on Friday, the day the
Resurrection will occur: And the record [of deeds] will be placed
[open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will
say, “Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great
except that it has enumerated it?” And they will find what they did present
[before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one. [Quran 18:49]
The
Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said: The first
thing the people will be accountable for on the Day of Judgment is prayer,
Allah will say to His angels: ‘Look at my servants prayers. Were they complete
or not?’ If they were complete it will be written as complete. If they were not
fully complete Allah will say: ‘See if my servant has voluntary prayers, if he
has them Allah will say: Complete his obligatory prayers shortage with his
voluntary prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be dealt with in the same
manner. [Ahmad, Abu Dawood, An-Nasaa’i, Al-Haakim]
Action: Make it your priority to pray your five
daily prayers on time and learn to understand whatever you recite in them to
increase your khushoo.Remember this hadith and let it motivate you
to do those extra sunnah prayers.
2. Use those limbs wisely.
This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and
their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they
used to earn. [Quran, 36:65]
Action: Be aware of how you use your limbs. When
you are about to go to a place with forbidden (haraam) activities,
remember this moment when your actual legs will tell Allah ‘azza wa
jall. When you are about to touch somethingharaam, whether it
be your tablet to listen to music, or your remote control to watch something
forbidden, think of the moment your hands will reveal you, while in the world
you might have been able to keep it behind closed doors.
3. Remember that angels are listening.
There are two angels, one on your left and one on your
right, who record everything you do or say. Think about this. It might not be
visual now, but it is real and it will come back to you. Man does not
utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record]. [Quran,
50:17]
Action: Note here that each word you
say will be recorded. Here is a great reminder for one of the most common major
sins we commit: gheebah(gossip or backbiting). Remind yourself that
everything you say about a person that they would not like you to mention to
others, even if it’s true, falls under gheebah. Whenever you
feel tempted to speak about someone in a wrong way, visualize the angel sitting
next to you, ready to write each word down.
4. Deal justly with others.
Both
the justice and injustice you’ve done to other people will be presented on this
day.
Action: Whenever you have wronged someone, force
yourself to make it up and don’t delay. Why? Imagine the angel of death
comes to take your soul before you said that deserved “sorry” and you will find
yourself in need of just one more good deed on the Day of Judgement to be
admitted to Paradise.
But
wait— the people you wronged will come and take away your good deeds! Whoever
wronged his brother with regard to his honour or any other matter, should seek
his forgiveness today, before there are no longer any dinars, or dirhams; and
if he has any righteous deeds, they will be taken from him, in accordance with
the wrong he did; and if he has no hasanaat, some of the sayi`aat of his
counterpart will be taken and added to his burden.[Authentic; Al-Bukharee]
5. Ask Allah to make you of the people of the Quran.
And the Qur’an is a proof for you or against you [Authentic;
Muslim] and So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness
and we bring you, [O Muhammad] against these [people] as a witness? [Quran,
4:41]
Action: Ask Allah to make you of the people of
the Quran, of those who recite correctly, understand and apply its lessons and
instructions, and work for it. Spend at least each day a certain amount of time
on the Quran. And strive for intercession of the Prophet. How? By reviving his
sunnah! Make it a mission to learn a new sunnah at least each week, practicing
it and conveying it to others.
6. Let the earth testify good of you; move around to make sujood.
That
Day it (the Earth) will declare its information (about all what happened over
it of good or evil) [Quran,
99:4]
Action: A beautiful example is how the earth will
testify of where you prostrated. A simple tip is to make sujood on as many
different places as possible; for example move around for your voluntary prayer
after your obligatory prayer so more places of the earth will testify for you,
inshaa’Allah!
