HEEDLESSNESS FROM MEETING OUR LORD
PART 2
THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM IS AN ULTIMATUM
If we are heedless on an individual level, that heedlessness will permeate into our family structures, our immediate society and ultimately, our nation.
Allah SWT has promised that He will not destroy any nation that had not been given the message from Allah SWT. Once the message is delivered and the people are still heedless of their meeting with their Lord, that is when the evidence against them is established; upon which Allah SWT will replace them with sincere slaves who merit the carrying of this covenant.
That is because your Lord would not destroy the cities for wrongdoing while their people were unaware. (Al-An`am 6:131)
Does the above message alarm you? If the heedlessness continues, destruction is imminent – if not in this generation, then the generation of your children. It is time to wake up from your passivity and instil awareness in your thoughts, deeds and actions. Do it now before it is too late.
SUCCESS VS. FAILURE
Allah SWT divides those who are vigilant about their meeting with their Lord and those who are not into two separate categories; one group will reach success and the other is doomed to fail:
The successful ones are those “who are certain that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him.” (Al Baqarah 2:46)
While the regrettable are those who will be told: “So taste [punishment] because you forgot the meeting of this, your Day; indeed, We have [accordingly] forgotten you. And taste the punishment of eternity for what you used to do.” (As-Sajdah 32:14)
The Prophet SAW said: “Whoever loves the meeting with Allah, Allah too, loves the meeting with him; and whoever hates the meeting with Allah, Allah too, hates the meeting with him.” (Bukhari)
If you sincerely love to meet Allah, it means that you are to a certain degree, preparing for it. However, if the thought of meeting Allah SWT fills you with apprehension, then it is not too late to reassess your way of life. If you are indifferent about thought of meeting Allah SWT, it is time to wake up to the reality that the meeting will take place whether or not it pleases you.
The meeting with Allah SWT is inevitable, and it is up to you to prepare so that it is a successful one.
HEEDLESS UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE
Allah SWT warns us that most of the mankind will fall in the trap of shaytaan and will remain heedless until it is too late. At the moment of death, they will find that all the illusions of the duniya are stripped away and the reality of the situation will fall into sharp focus. By then however, they will powerless to do anything about it. Their limbs will be stiff and lifeless to assist them, and their tongue will be silenced forever. This is not a trivial matter.
And [when] the true promise has approached; then suddenly the eyes of those who disbelieved will be staring [in horror, while they say], “O woe to us; we had been unmindful of this; rather, we were wrongdoers.” (Al-Anbiya 21:97)
[It will be said], “You were certainly in unmindfulness of this, and We have removed from you your cover, so your sight, this Day, is sharp.” (Qaf 50:22)
This heedlessness from the eventual meeting with his Lord will be the cause of greatest regret for a person on the Day of Judgment. Yet, there would not be any means of turning back the clock to do things differently. By then he will permanently saddled and branded with the burdens of his actions on earth. All his good deeds would be nullified by his continuing heedlessness of meeting Allah.
[You disbelievers are] like those before you; they were stronger than you in power and more abundant in wealth and children. They enjoyed their portion [of worldly enjoyment], and you have enjoyed your portion as those before you enjoyed their portion, and you have engaged [in vanities] like that in which they engaged. [It is] those whose deeds have become worthless in this world and in the Hereafter, and it is they who are the losers. (At-Tawbah 9:69)
At such time, Allah SWT promises him that He will neglect the person the same way that the person neglected Allah SWT during his lifetime.
The hadith mentioned under the heading of “Meeting With Allah Is Certain” above continues to say that Allah SWT would sit in judgment upon His servant and say: “O, so and so, did I not honour you and make you the chief and provide you the spouse and subdue for you horses, camels, and afforded you an opportunity to rule over your subjects?” He would say: “Yes.” And then it would be said: “Did you not think that you would meet Us?” And he would say: “No.” Thereupon Allah SWT would say: “Well, We forget you as you forgot Us.”
Allah SWT says in the Qur’an:
Those will have lost who deny the meeting with Allah, until when the Hour [of resurrection] comes upon them unexpectedly, they will say, “Oh, [how great is] our regret over what we neglected concerning it,” while they bear their burdens on their backs. Unquestionably, evil is that which they bear. (Al-An’am 6:31)
Who took their religion as distraction and amusement and whom the worldly life deluded.” So today We will forget them just as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs and for having rejected Our verses. (Al-A’raf 7:51)
Those who denied Our signs and the meeting of the Hereafter – their deeds have become worthless. Are they recompensed except for what they used to do? (Al-A’raf 7:147)
And it will be said, “Today We will forget you as you forgot the meeting of this Day of yours, and your refuge is the Fire, and for you there are no helpers. (Al-Jathiya 45:34)
If you are reading this, then it’s not too late. For the stopwatch only ends when death overcomes you, the clock only stops ticking when your heart stops beating. The time for action is now.
WE HAVE ALREADY TESTIFIED
Allah SWT, the Creator of heaven and earth knows the argumentative nature of humans and has already forewarned us that knowledge of Allah SWT has been given to all souls and the excuse of not knowing Him will be dismissed on the Day of Judgment.
Allah SWT reminds us that all humans, from Adam AS to the last of us, bore witness before in the kingdom of the souls to the oneness of Allah SWT, the Supreme. The verses below inform us that Allah SWT offered this covenant to various creations and all rejected the responsibility, except for mankind. Thus, this covenant, along with the message brought by all the Messengers and Prophets, and all the creation, including ourselves, that manifest the glory of Allah SWT will bear witness either for us or against us. Allah SWT says:
Indeed, we offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man [undertook to] bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant. [It was] so that Allah may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the men and women who associate others with Him and that Allah may accept repentance from the believing men and believing women. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.(Al-Ahzab 33: 72-73)
And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we have testified.” [This] – lest you should say on the day of Resurrection, “Indeed, we were of this unaware.” (Al-A’raf 7: 172)
We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness? (Fussilat 41: 53)
From the above, it is clear that Allah will make us bear witness against ourselves. We were brought to earth during which Allah will trial us with weakness, temptation and the persuasions of the devil. In the meantime He also gave us the medication and weapons to conquer our weaknesses and the enemy. Whoever obeys his Lord will be vigilant about the message, and be careful about how he spends his time, resources and bounty his Lord gave to him. If he neglects the message, he will become easy prey for the devil to tempt him with material life and make him forget the Hereafter and meeting his Lord.
