May God Have Mercy...

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

We don't have 20 years to plan for our lives and thinking "I will start praying or obeying Allah or following the Sunnah when I am 40."

Each breath you take is a breath closer to death and perhaps your next breath is your last breath. Therefore, with every given breath we must be prepared for the last breath that we will take in this temporal life.

A man dies in accordance with what he had lived in, and is resurrected in accordance with what he had died in.

[Jami’us Saghir]

Death is the only certain thing in this life but most people don't give much consideration. Death will come unannounced, whether you are young or old, healthy or sick, rich or poor.

Allah says,

يْنَمَا تَكُونُوا۟ يُدْرِككُّمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِى بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ ۗ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَةٌ يَقُولُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِۦ مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّـهِ ۖ

Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction...

[Qur'an An-Nisa 4:78]

Think, in what state would you like to be when you breathe your last. Is it in a state of disobedience like dancing and clapping with loud and annoying music, the state of what some of my neighbors are in for the last many hours (it is now bedtime for many), or in a state of peace and contentment?

Whatever the soul is preoccupied with in this world, it will also be preoccupied with the same thing at the time of death. Of course there are exceptions. Even though we can be spending our entire life worshipping and doing good deeds, we should never take for granted that we will attain the mercy of Allah.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Allah will not show mercy to a person who does not show mercy to other people.

[Bukhari]

Allah is only merciful with those who show mercy to others.

[Bukhari]

Mercy is only removed from the one who is destined for wretchedness.

[Bukhari]

Be merciful to those in the earth, so the One above the heavens will be merciful to you.

[At-Tabarani and Al-Hakim with a Sahih chain]

May Allah have mercy on us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam