Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaathuhu
This is your brother Ismail Bullock for The Daily Reminder. Now brothers and sisters, I am standing here in the graveyard. Why am I standing in the graveyard? This is my home and this is your home. This is where ultimately we will be. We are here, as we know, in this earth for a short period of time, but are we living our lives as if we are here, as the Prophet (Muhammad ﷺ) said: "Be in this world like you are a stranger" or "a person who is just walking through it - a traveler who is just passing through a country." Are we living this life? Or are we saying to ourselves: "In sha Allah you know, it's true, death is a reality!"
Allah tells us in the Quran that death is a reality...when he says...that: "Indeed! The intoxication of death has come in truth. This is what you're afraid of." This is what we're afraid of, this is what we hide from! But can we, in realty hide from this O brothers and sisters? And Allah created us to worship Him but Allah tells us also why He created life and death, when He says: "It is he (Allah) Who Created Life and death to see which of you are the best in deeds." So are we living that life of good deeds? Are we living a life of righteousness? Or do we say: "Come on, I've got plenty of time. I'm only 20. I'm only 18. I'm only 30. I know I have to be good. I'll be good In sha Allah, when I'm 30, when I'm 40, then I'll pray! Then I'll grow beard, Then I'll do the things of Islam (that) I'm supposed to do", but this grave yard I am standing in here, these people next to me - are of various ages. They all thought the same thing. They all thought they had that extra year, that extra day, that extra minute, but in reality they didn't! And none of us know, O brothers and sisters, when we are going to die.
Allah subhanahu Wa Ta'ala tells us...Allah subhanahu wa Ta'alla says that: "No person, no soul knows what will, what they will put forth tomorrow, what will happen tomorrow, what they will do tomorrow" and then He finishes by saying "and no soul (no person) knows when, or which land, where they will die." This is the reality! So are we willing to take that risk? As they say "Now is the time, now is the time to make that change!" And to bring a bit of realty of this grave, Uthman (RadiyAllahu Anhu) as reported by his freed slave Haani, he said that: "Uthman (RadiyAllahu Anhu), he would, when he was mentioned about Jannah (Paradise) to him, or about Jahannam, the hellfire, he wouldn't cry, but when he went to the grave, so he said to him: "Ya Uthman, when we mentioned paradise and hellfire you do not cry, but when we come here...to this place, the grave, you cry!" (and he would cry until his beard will be full of the wetness of his tears - and they said) why is this? - Paradise?! Jahannam?! You didn't cry but you cry about grave!" and Uthman (RadiyAllahu Anhu) replied and said: "Surely it is because the Prophet (ﷺ) said...that: "The grave is the first stage of the hereafter. So whoever is successful in this stage is successful thereafter and whoever is unsuccessful and has failed in this stage of the grave, he has failed and unsuccessful in hereafter""
By Ustadh Ismail Bullock
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