Sermon Two: Your Companion in the Grave

Qais ibn 'Asim said: I came to the Prophet with a delegation of Bani Tamim. He said to me, 'Bathe with water and leaves of the lotus tree.' I did what he ordered me and returned to him, and I said, 'Admonish us with an admonition from which we can benefit.' He said:

O Qais! Indeed, there is humiliation with celebrity.
And there is death with life.
And there is Hereafter with this worldly life.
And for everything there is reckoning.
And there is a guardian over everything.
And there is a reward for every good deed.
And there is a punishment for every bad deed.
And there is an end for each life.

Qais! You must have a companion which will be buried with you while it is alive, and you will be buried with it while you are dead. If it is an honorable one it will honor you and stick to you, and if it is a base one it will shame you and hand you over; then it will not be resurrected except with you, and you will not be resurrected except with it, and you will not be asked except about it. Therefore, make it good and do not relax except with it. And if it is evil, stay away from it. It is not other than your deed.

Note: The leaves of the lotus tree were used for cleansing like soap.

Sermon Three: Be Ready

Abu Darda said that the Messenger of Allah addressed us on a Friday saying:

O people! Repent before you die. And embark upon good deeds before you become occupied. And connect what is between you and your Lord by remembering Him all the time and, indeed, you will be happy. Give much sadaqah (charity) so you will be endowed by Allah. ANd bid good to others so you protect yourselves, and forbid evil unto others so you will be victorious.

O people! The smartest among you is the one who remembers death the most, and the wisest among you is the one who is best ready for it.

Indeed, among the signs of wisdom are shunning the falsehood of this life, turning toward eternal life, being fully equipped to live in the grave, and being ready for the resurrection.

Sermon Four: Guideposts

Ibn 'Abbas reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying in a sermon:

O people! You have guideposts, so follow your guideposts. And you have an end, so turn toward that end. Indeed, a believer is living between two worries; worry about a passed period of life for which he doesn't know how Allah will treat him, and what is left of his life wherein he doesn't know what Allah has decreed for him. So the 'Abd (servant of Allah) must control himself for his own sake, and must derive benefit from his world for his Hereafter, and from his youth for his old age, and from his life for his death.

By Whose hand Muhammad's soul is! There will be no second chance after death, and there is no other abode after the worldly abode except Paradise or Hell.

Sermon Five: Turbulent Life and Qur'anic Intercession

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah addressed us and he said:

"O people! Indeed, there is no good in life except for a speaking scholar and a comprehending listener.

"O people! You are living in a Hudnah, and you move very fast. You are aware of the night and the day, how they wear out the new, and make close every far away thing, and bring forth every promised thing."

Al-Miqdad said, "Messenger of Allah! What is Hudnah?"

He said: "A turbulent life. If matters get mixed up for you like the darkness of the night, you should resort to the Qur'an. It is indeed an intercessor. Its intercession is accepted, and it is a believed witness. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise, whoever puts it behind him, it will drive him to Hell. Indeed, it is the clearest guide to the best path. Whoever speaks through it is truthful, and whoever practices its commands will be rewarded, and whoever judges by it will be just."

Sermon Six: The Qualities of Faith

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah said:

The Iman (faith) of any 'Abd (servant of Allah) will not be complete until he acquires five qualities:

1. Trust in Allah
2. Entrustment to Allah
3. Submission to Allah's orders
4. Acceptance of Allah's decrees
5. Perseverance in the face of Allah's trial

Moreover, whoever loves for the sake of Allah, hates for the sake of Allah, gives for the sake of Allah and withholds for the sake of Allah, that person's faith is complete.

Sermon Seven: The Muslim and the Believer

Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying in his sermon:

O people! The 'Abd (servant of Allah) will not be considered a Muslim unless people are safe from his hand and his tongue.

And he will not attain the status of a believer unless his neighbor is secure from his evil deeds.

And he will not be considered Muttaqi (warding off evil) until he avoids the unobjectionable out of fear of committing the objectionable.

O people! Whoever fears the night attack keeps moving all night, and whoever moves all night arrives safely to his destination. You will know the result of your deeds after you die.

O people! The believer's intention is better than his actions. The sinful's intention is worse than his actions.

Sermon Eight: Cause and Effect

Ibn 'Abbas said the Prophet said:

When any one dedicates himself to Allah, Allah takes care of all his needs in this life. And he who dedicates himself to the worldly life, Allah hands him to it.

For anyone who tries to commit an act through disobedience to Allah, it will be farther away from him than he hoped, and it would be closer to him if he tried through piety.

And whoever seeks the praise of people through disobedience to Allah, all those who praised him will turn and dispraise him.

And whoever pleases people through the displeasure of Allah, He will put them under their scorn.

And whoever pleases Allah through the displeasure of people, Allah will protect him from their evil.

And whoever improves his relationship with Allah, Allah will improve his relationship with people.

And whoever improves his mind, Allah will improve his open actions.

And whoever works for his heavenly life, Allah takes care of his worldly life.

Sermon Nine: The Harvest of the Human Tongue

Ibn 'Umar said the Prophet said:

"O people! Indeed, you will die and you will go to Allah. May Allah have mercy on an 'Abd (servant of Allah) who talked and earned goodness, or kept quiet and stayed safe.

"Indeed, the tongue controls the person more than anything else.

"Surely, all the human's talk is against him except the remembrance of Allah, or bidding good, or forbidding evil, or making peace between the believers is for him."

Mu'adh said: "O Messenger of Allah! Will we be judged by what we say?"

He said: "Is there anything which throws people into Hell except the harvest of their tongues? He who wants to be safe, he should control what his tongue says, and guard his heart, and do good deeds and limit his hopes."

A few days later, the following verse was revealed:

"There is no good in much of their secret conferences save (in) him who enjoins sadaqah (almsgiving) or kindness or peace-making among the people. Whoso does that, seeking the good pleasure of Allah, We shall bestow on him a vast reward." (an-Nisa' 4:114)

Sermon Ten: The Believer's Vehicle

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari said the Messenger of Allah said:

Do not curse the worldly life! It is indeed a good vehicle for the believer through which he can do good deeds, and through it he will be safe from evil.

If the 'Abd (servant of Allah) says, 'God damn this life,' life will say, 'May God damn the one of us who is more disobedient to his Lord.'

Sermon Eleven: Remembrance of Death

'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah said:

You should remem ber death very often. Indeed, if you remember it while you are in distress, it will make it easy for you and you will accept it, so you will be rewarded by Allah.

And if you remember death while you are wealthy, it will make you dislike your wealth and you will give it away, so you will be rewarded by Allah.

Death cuts hopes short, and the passing of nights brings death near.

A human being is between two days, one day that has already passed in which his deeds are recorded and sealed, and a day that has not come yet, and maybe he will not reach it.

The 'Abd (servant of Allah), when he dies and is laid down in his grave, will see the reward of what he committed in his life, and how little his wealth which he left behind will help him. Maybe he accumulated it illegally or swindled people of their rights.

Sermon Twelve: Everything is Decreed

'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas said the Messenger of Allah said:

O people! Indeed, livelihood has been decreed and no human will exceed what had been decreed for him; therefore, seek your livelihood easily.

And the span of life is limited, no one can exceed what had been decreed for him; therefore, rush without delay to do good deeds before life is over.

All deeds are computed, none will be forgotten, neither small nor big; therefore, commit many good deeds.

O people! Indeed, there is ease in moderation, and there is sufficiency in economization, and there is comfort in abstinence.

For every deed there is a reward.

Everything which is coming will be here very soon.

Sermon Thirteen: Taken by Surprise

Anas ibn Malik said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying in some of his sermons and admonitions:

O people! Don't you see those who are taken by surprise and are disturbed while most secure, those who lived in error and followed their lusts, until the messengers of their Lord came to them [i.e. until they died]. So they could not accomplish what (in their life) they hoped for, nor could they return to what they lost. Rather they came to what they committed and they regretted what they left behind. However, regret did not help them since every thing had been decreed. May Allah bestow His mercy on a person who committed good deeds, spent his wealth moderately, spoke the truth, controlled his desires and did not let them control him, and disobeyed the urges of his false self so he did not perish.

Sermon Fourteen: Guidance

Abu Hurairah said the Messenger of Allah said:

O people! Do not offer wisdom to those who do not value it, otherwise you abuse it; rather offer it to those who deserve it, else you do them injustice.

Do not punish ill-doing persons; otherwise, you lose your virtue.

Do not behave hypocritically; otherwise, your deeds will come to nothing.

Do not be misers, being misers diminishes your goodness.

O people! Matters are three; a matter which its guidance is clear, you should follow; and a matter whose misguidance is apparent, you should avoid; and a matter which is ambiguous, this matter you should return to Allah, the Exalted.

O people! Let me inform you of two matters simple but their reward is great. Never is Allah met with two matters like them; they are, silence and good manner.

Sermon Fifteen: The Best and the Wisest

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said the Messenger of Allah delivered a sermon which made people cry and feel concerned. I remember the following portion from it:

O people! The best person is an exalted person who humbles himself and shuns worldly pleasure while he is wealthy and submits to justice while he is powerful and perseveres when he is able to fight back.

And the best among people is an 'Abd (servant of Allah) who acquires sufficient means for living in this world, and shrinks from indecency, and supplies himself with provision for an (eternal) trip, and prepares himself for moving.

Indeed, the wisest among people in an 'Abd who knows his Lord and obeys Him and knows his enemy (Satan) and disobeys him, and knows his eternal abode and prepares it and knows the closeness of his journey and he prepares his provision for it. Indeed, the best provision is that accompanied with Taqwa (piety), and the best action is that preceded by Niyyah (good intention). The person who has the highest status with Allah is the one who fears Him the most.

Sermon Sixteen: Fighting Uncertainty, Lust and Anger

Abu Hurairah said the Messenger of Allah said:

People will be undermined on the Day of Judgment by one of three things:

1. Either by uncertainty in the religion to which they committed their lives,
2. Or by a lust which they chose,
3. Or by an anger for personal pride.

If you meet uncertainty, clear it with certainty, and if lust faces you, wipe it with abstinence, and if you are faced with anger, protect yourselves from it with forgiveness.

On the Day of Judgment a herald will call, any one who has a reward from Allah let him stand up! Those who forgave others, stand up.

Don't you see the saying of Allah, the Exalted: "Whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah." (ash-Shura 42:40)

Sermon Seventeen: Sufficiency and Abundance

'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud said the Messenger of Allah said:

Allah (Glorified and High) says, 'O son of Adam! You are given your sustenance every day, none the less you are sad. And every day your life gets shorter, nonetheless you are happy.

You have what suffices you, but you seek what makes you rebellious.

The little does not content you, and the abundance does not satisfy you.

Verily, if you are secure in your home, and your body is healthy, and you have food enough for one day, it is as if you gained the whole world.

Sermon Eighteen: The Price of Forgiveness

Abu Hurairah said: One day while the Prophet was sitting around, he started laughing. He was asked, 'What makes you laugh, O Messenger of Allah?' He said:

Two men of my Ummah knelt down in front of my Lord, the Exalted, and one of them said, 'My Lord! Restore for me my rights from my brother.'

Allah Ta'ala said, 'Give your brother back his rights.'

He said, 'O Lord! Nothing is left of my good deeds.'

The complainer, 'Lord! Let him carry some of my sins.'

At that moment, the Prophet's eyes overflowed with tears, then he said, 'Indeed, that day is an awesome day where people need their sins to be carried for them.'

Then he said: Allah Ta'ala said to the complainer, 'Raise your head up and look at the gardens!'

And he raised his head up, and saw what overwhelmed him of goods and grace, and he said, 'Lord! For whom is all this?'

The Lord, 'For whoever pays Me its price.'

The complainer, 'Lord! Who has that (price)?'

The Lord, 'You.'

The complainer, 'With what?'

The Lord, 'With the forgiveness of your brother.'

The complainer, 'Lord! I forgive him.'

The Lord, 'Hold the hand of your brother and enter Paradise both of you.'

Then, the Prophet recited: 'Keep your duty to Allah, and adjust the matter of your difference.'

Sermon Nineteen: Fear and Security

Anas ibn Malik said the Messenger of Allah was asked, 'Who are those Awliya' (patrons) of Allah, those who will have no fear or grief?' The Messenger of Allah said:

They are those who look into the essence of worldly life while others look onto its surface.

And they worry about the delayed reward of this life, while others worry about its immediate reward.

And they kill of it what they fear will kill them.

And forsake of it what they know will forsake them.

Whenever any worldly matter jumps in their way they reject it. They abase any high rank worldly position which tries to dupe them.

Life to them is worn out but they do not renew it.

Their houses crumble and they do not reconstruct them. Love for their houses dies in their hearts but they do not revive it, rather they demolish it and build their Hereafter with it. They sell it and buy with it what will last for them.

They look at the people of this world falling down and they learn their lesson. Therefore, they do not find any security below for what they hoped for, nor a fear below for what they are worried about.

Sermon Twenty: The Best Provision

Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

O people! Aren't you the successors of past generations, and the remnant of preceding peoples?

They were wealthier and stronger than you. They were chased away from this world when they were most relaxed in it. And it betrayed them when they trusted it the most. The might of their tribe did not help them, nor a ransom was accepted from them. Therefore, prepare a provision for yourselves before you will be taken by surprise while you are not ready (for journeying). Then, no regret will help after the pen became dry (i.e. your life is ended and your fate is sealed).

Sermon Twenty-One: Anticipation

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said the Messenger of Allah said to me:

Be in this world as a stranger or a wayfarer and count yourself among the dead. If you wake up in the morning, don't think of the evening, and if you stay alive to the evening, don't think of the morning.

Save from your health to anticipate your sickness. And from your youth to your old age. And from your leisure to your occupation. And from your life to your death. And from your wealth to your poverty. Indeed! You do not know what you will be called in the future. (i.e. you do not know if you will be called righteous or evil, believer or unbeliever, in the Hereafter.)

Sermon Twenty-Two: Reckoning

'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying in one of his sermons:

O people! Don't let your worldly life distract you from your life Hereafter. And do not prefer your desires over the obedience of your Lord. And do not make your oaths a medium to your sins. And reckon yourselves before you will be reckoned (on the Day of Judgment). And pave the road for it before you are punished. And prepare your provision before you are removed from this world.

Indeed! (The Day of Judgment) is a stand of justice and a paying of dues and an inquiry of a duty.

He who warns others exonerates himself from the blame of not warning.

Sermon Twenty-Three: The Here and the Hereafter

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said: I heard the Messenger of Allah when he left 'Uhud while the people surrounded him and he was leaning on Talhah, saying:

O people! Embark on what you are charged with for the improvement of your Hereafter, and turn your backs to what you are guaranteed in your worldly matters. Do not use limbs that are nourished with His (Allah's) Grace to expose yourselves to His anger by disobeying Him. Get busy with seeking His Forgiveness. Concentrate your endeavor on getting closer to Him by obeying Him.

Indeed, he who starts his life with his portion of this world, his portion of the Hereafter will escape him and he will not seek whatever he desires of it (the Hereafter). And he who starts his life with his portion of the Hereafter, his portion of the world will accrue to him and he will attain whatever he desires of the Hereafter.

Sermon Twenty-Four: Beware of Excess

Abu Hurairah said the Messenger of Allah said:

Beware of the excess of food; indeed, the excess of food hardens the heart, and slows the limbs from obedience to Allah, and deafens the mind from hearing the admonition.

Beware of the excess of looking; indeed, it sows lust in the heart and creates foolishness.

Beware of being greedy because greed fills the hearts with strong avidity and seals the heart with the seal of the love of this world, and it is the key for bad deeds and the cause for foiling good deeds.

Sermon Twenty-Five: Truth and Falsehood

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

O people! Truly, it is goodness which is to be hoped for, and evil which should be abandoned, and a known falsehood which is to be avoided, and an ascertained truth which is to be sought, and a very close Hereafter which is to be worked for, and a worldly life which is almost over; therefore, it is to be shunned.

Sermon Twenty-Six: Adornment

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

Adorn yourselves with (Allah's) obedience, and put on the veil of the fear (of Allah). And make your Hereafter for yourselves, and strive for your final residence.

You should know that very soon you will depart (from this world) and you will end with Allah. Nothing will help you there except a good deed which you have sent ahead, or a good reward which you already gained.

Indeed, you will arrive at what you sent ahead of you, and you will be rewarded according to what you committed. Therefore, do not let the low adornments of this world deprive you of the high ranks in Paradise.

Faster than you expect, the veil and doubt will be removed (i.e. you will die) and each person will find his final abode.

Sermon Twenty-Seven: Halting and Anticipating

Abu Hurairah said the Messenger of Allah said in one of his sermons:

O people! Do not be like the one who was deceived by this life and dazzled by hope, and misled by false hope, who settled in a fleeting abode which soon will be removed. Indeed, what is left of your world compared to what already has passed of its existence is like the rest of a traveler or the milking of a camel. Therefore, for what are you halting? and what are you anticipating? It is like seeing it before me, by Allah! that the delusion you are in will never be. Then be ready for the quickly coming move and prepare your provision for the trip. You should know that every human being will come to what he sent before him and will be sorry for what he left behind.

Sermon Twenty-Eight: The Field of Action

'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

O people! Hope is extended, death is advancing and the return (to the Lord) is the field of action. He who is happy with what he gained is a winner, and he who is distressed about what he missed is regretful.

O people! Indeed, greed is a poverty, renunciation is wealth, contentment is comfort, seclusion is a form of worship, work is a treasure, and the worldly life is a mine.

By Allah! It will not please me to have what has passed of your world for the fringes of my cloak: and what is left of it (this world) similar to what had passed exactly like the similarity of water to water. All will be exhausted very soon, so hurry (in doing good) while you still have time and you have stamina, before you lose your last breath. Then no remorse will help you.

Sermon Twenty-Nine: Three Categories of the Ummah

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

My Ummah will be of three categories in this world:

1. The first will have no desire in hoarding wealth and treasuring it. They do not work for owning and monopolizing it. Their satisfaction of this world is with what allays their hunger and covers their bodies. Their wealth in this world is what suffices them to reach the Hereafter. To those there shall come no fear upon them neither shall they grieve.

2. The second category loves earning money through the most lawful means and spending it in the best manner. They help the needy. Indeed, it is easier for this kind of person to their blood relatives and do favor to their brethren and support starving than to earn a dirham unlawfully or to spend it where it should not be spent, or to withhold it from its rightful owner, or to treasure it until he dies. Those if they are audited will be punished; however, if they are forgiven they will be safe.

3. The third category loves hoarding money lawfully and unlawfully and keeping away from where lawfully it should be spent. If they spend it, they spend extravagantly and hastily, and if they hold it, they hold it out of stinginess and monopoly. Those are the ones on whose hearts the worldly life holds the reins until it leads them to the Fire through their sins.

Sermon Thirty: Refreshment and Pleasure

Anas ibn Malik said the Messenger of Allah said:

Indeed, it is a weakness of faith to please people by displeasing Allah, and to praise them for Allah's bounty, and to dispraise them for what Allah did not bestow on you.

Indeed, sustenance is not attained through the greed of a greedy, and it is not prevented through the aversion of the averse.

Allah, may His name be blessed, by His wisdom made the refreshment and the pleasure emanate (of the soul) from contentment and faith, and He made worry and sadness emanate from doubt and anger.

Indeed, if you leave anything for the sake of Allah, Allah will give you better than it: and if you do anything for the sake of Allah, Allah will reward you for it. Therefore, direct your effort and your work to the Hereafter in which the reward of the forgiven will never be exhausted, and the punishment of the condemned will never end.

Sermon Thirty-One: Seeking Sustenance

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said the Messenger of Allah said:

I told you everything which moves you away from Fire, and I guided you to everything which brings you closer to Paradise.

The Holy Spirit inspired me to say that no person dies until his sustenance is completed; therefore, take it easy in earning your sustenance. Don't let the slowness of your sustenance urge you to seek the bounty of Allah by His disobedience, because Allah's bounty is gained through obedience to Him. Every human being has his sustenance which undoubtedly will come to him, and whoever is pleased with it, it will be blessed for him and it will suffice him, and for whoever is unhappy with it, it will not be blessed for him and it will not suffice him. Indeed, sustenance seeks a man as his fate (death) seeks him.

Sermon Thirty-Two: The Happy and the Unhappy

Mu'awiyah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying in a sermon of one of the feasts:

O people! Indeed, worldly life is an abode of tribulation and a place of worry and suffering. The minds of the happy are removed from it and it is forcefully pulled away from the hands of the unhappy. Therefore, the happiest people are those who shun it, and the most unhappy people are those who desire it. Indeed, it misleads those who seek its advice, and leads astray those who obey it, and unfaithful to those who surrender to it.

The successful one is the one who turns his back on it, and the doomed is the one who plunges into it.

Goodness is for an 'Abd (servant of Allah) who fears his Lord in this life, exhorts his soul, sends forth his repentance and restrains his lust before this worldly life ejects him into the Hereafter. Then he turns within the gray, uninhabited, dark earth where he cannot add any good deed or remove any evil deed.

Then he will be resurrected and will be sent either to an eternal pleasure of Paradise or to a Fire which is doom inexhaustible.

Sermon Thirty-Three: Roll Up Your Sleeves

Anas ibn Malik said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

O Muslims! Roll your sleeves up, indeed, the matter is very serious. And get ready because the departure (from this world) is very close. Take along provisions, the journeying is very far. Lighten your loads because there is an insurmountable obstacle while only people with a light load can cross. Indeed, before the Hour (the Day of Judgment) there are very hard affairs, great horrors, and difficult times in which the oppressors will rule. And the godless will be leaders, and those who bid good will be suppressed, and those who forbid evil will be treated unjustly. So prepare for all of this the faith in Allah and resort to good deeds and force yourselves on it and if you persevere the hardship you will wind up with the eternal joy.

Sermon Thirty-Four: Relaxing the Heart and the Body

Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah admonishing a man:

Desire what Allah has and Allah will love you, and renounce what people have and people will love you. He who renounces this worldly life relaxes his heart and his body in this world and in the Hereafter.

Some people who have good deeds as great as the mountains will come on the Day of Resurrection and nevertheless they will be ordered to be thrown into the Fire.

Someone said, 'O Messenger of Allah! did they perform their prayers regularly?'

The Messenger of Allah said: They used to pray, fast and worship Allah during a portion of the night, but when any temptation of this life appeared to them they jumped at it.

Sermon Thirty-Five: An Abode of Absurdity

'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

O people! This world is an abode of absurdity, not an abode of straightness, and an abode of distress, not an abode of joy. Whoever knows it will not be jovial for affluence nor distressed for misery.

Verily, Allah created the world as an abode of affliction and the Hereafter is an abode of success. He made the affliction of this world a cause for the reward of the Hereafter, and the reward of the Hereafter a compensation for the affliction of this world. So He takes in order to give and He tries in order to reward.

This world passes very quickly and turns unexpectedly. Therefore, beware of the sweetness of its suckling for the bitterness of its weaning, and abandon its present joy because of its future distaste.

Do not strive to construct a home whose destruction Allah has decreed. And do not befriend it while Allah wanted you to stay away from it. That causes you to be exposed to His wrath, worthy of His punishment.

Sermon Thirty-Six: Owning What is Borrowed

Anas ibn Malik said the Messenger of Allah said:

O people! Fulfill your duties to Allah sincerely and truthfully and strive hard to please Him. Be certain of the end of this world and the eternity of the Hereafter. Work, for after death soon you will find that it is as if this life never existed and the Hereafter is always there.

O people! Every one in this world is a guest and what he owns is borrowed. The guest will leave and the borrowed will be returned.

Indeed, this world is a ready commodity, the godly and the ungodly can eat from it. The Hereafter is a true promise, a Just King rules in it.

May Allah have mercy on a person who takes care of himself and prepares for his grave while he is alive and free to move and act before his appointed time is over and his action stops.

Sermon Thirty-Seven: A Permanent Dominion

Abu Dharr al-Ghifari said the Messenger of Allah said to a man while he was advising him:

Minimize your desires so poverty will be easy for you and minimize your sins and send forth your wealth ahead of you so that you will be happy to follow it. Be satisfied with what you earn so reckoning (on the Day of Judgment) will be easy to you. Do not be preoccupied with what is guaranteed for you so that you are distracted from what is made incumbent upon you. What is decreed for you will never escape you and you will never catch up with what is denied from you. Therefore, do not strive for what will be exhausted, rather work for a dominion which will never end in a permanent abode.

Sermon Thirty-Eight: The Seeker and the Sought

'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:

Whenever the love of this world dwells in the heart of an 'Abd (servant of Allah), three things stick in his heart; a worry whose toil never ends, endless poverty, and a hope which will never be materialized.

Indeed, this world and the Hereafter are seekers and sought. The seeker of the Hereafter is sought by this life until his living is completed. And the seeker of this world is sought by the Hereafter until death grabs him by the neck.

Indeed, the happy person is the one who chooses eternity, whose is lasting oer perishable life, whose toil never ends. The person who sent forth to his destination from what he has now in his hands before he leaves it to those who will be happy to spends it while he labored very hard to accumulate it and save it.

Sermon Thirty-Nine: The Children of This World and the Children of the Hereafter

Abu Hurairah said the Messenger of Allah said:

Here is the world which has turned its back and moved away and the Hereafter clearly moving closer.

And you are in a working day which has no reckoning... soon enough you will be in a reckoning day which has no work.

Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, gives the material of this world to whom He loves and to whom he hates; however, He does not give the Hereafter except to those He loves.

Verily, this world has children and the Hereafter has children. You should be the children of the Hereafter and not among the children of this world.

The worst I fear for you is pursuing desire and extended hopes. Pursuing desire swerves your hearts away from the truth, and long hope turns your endeavor toward this world. With these two desires no one derives any good in this world or in the Hereafter.

Sermon Forty: Warning!

Anas said the Prophet said:

There is no home except that the angel of death stands at its door five times every day. And if he finds a person whose sustenance is exhausted and whose time is over, he casts upon him mortal throes whose torments envelop him and whose agony engulfs him. Then some of the women of his household uncover their hair, some beat their faces, some weep, and some scream with agony.

Seeing all that, the angel of death (on him be peace) will say, 'Woe to you! Why are you so frightened? and why are you so sad? By Allah! I did not deprive anyone of you of his sustenance, and did not expedite his assigned time, and I did not come to him until I was ordered to come, and I did not seize his soul until I asked permission, and I shall return again and again until I leave none of you behind.'

[The Prophet said:] By Whose hand Muhammad's soul is! If they see his place and hear his words they will forget their dead and weep for themselves. When the dead is carried on his bier, his soul hovers over it while calling very loud, 'O my family! O my children! Don't let life fool you as it fooled me, and don't let it deceive you as it deceived me. I accumulated wealth lawfully and unlawfully, then I left it behind to others. They are enjoying it and I am accountable for it. Beware of what has happened to me!'