Signs For You and Me

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

All eyes are on the Middle East for the past few months. What is happening in the Arab world are Signs for us. The Signs of the Last Day (Day of Judgment) is actually have been all around us. Oppression and killings; Naked, destitute, barefoot shepherds compete in building tall buildings (see Dubai); Wine (intoxicants, alcohol) are drank in great quantities; Illegal sexual intercourse are widespread; The slave-woman will give birth to her master or mistress; Authority is given to those who do not deserve it (trustworthiness is lost); A trial (fitnah) which will enter every Arab household; Knowledge will be taken away (by the death of people of knowledge) and ignorance prevail; More earthquakes; Time is passing more quickly; and many more.

Each of these Signs is to remind us to be ready for the biggest Trial--the Day of Judgment. Even those who were nearest and dearest in this life will not be able or willing to help each other on that awful Day.

"That Day shall a man flee from his own brother, and from his mother and his father, and from his wife and his children. Each one of them, that Day, will have enough concern (of his own) to make him indifferent to the others." Qur'an Abasa 80:34-37

"The Day you shall see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling, and every pregnant one will drop her load, and you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet they will not be drunken, but severe will be the Torment of Allah."
Qur'an Hajj 22:2

Three metaphors are used for the extreme terror which the Day will inspire. (1) No mother abandons the baby at her breast in the greatest danger; yet that will happen in this Dreadful Hour. (2) An expectant mother carries the young life within her with great pride and hope, yet the terror will overpower the hope at this "Hour", and nature's working will be reversed. (3) Men ordinarily retain their self-possession except under intoxicants; here, without intoxication, they will be driven to frenzy with terror.

How do you get ready for the Day? You get ready by applying the laws of Allah in your life--by living Islam. You marry through Allah, raise your children through Allah, treat others through Allah, transact through Allah, do everything, mundane and otherwise, through Allah. At the end of the Day, you will be successful. Success is from Allah alone and you can only attain success by doing what He wants us to do in this life.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked when the Day of Judgment is going to be. His response was what do you do to prepare for it.
We don't know what is the remainder of our lives. Maybe we have another second, minute, week, month, a year or even 100 years, but our time on this earth will eventually end. It is more important to prepare ourselves for the End than knowing when is the End.

"Are they waiting for anything except the Hour, to come to them suddenly? But its Signs have already come!" (Qur’an, Surah Muhammad 18:18)

The time is always running, and when a wrong is done, the time for its punishment is approaching. No one should therefore wait--until they are old, or until they graduate, or until they go to hajj for example. The time for repentance is NOW. When the punishment comes, it is too late for repentance, and all admonition would be useless.

We ask Allah to forgive us and give us tawfiq (success). Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. JazakAllahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam