Have You Talked With Your Children About The Day of Judgment Lately?

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

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Sometimes our concern for our children is everything except their life in the Hereafter. We send them to good schools to get good degrees so they can land in good jobs when they graduated. We work tireless to save money for our children so they are set for life. Will they? What is going to happen to them in the Day of Judgment?

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَ‌بَّكُمْ وَٱخْشَوْا۟ يَوْمًا لَّا يَجْزِى وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِۦ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّ‌نَّكُمُ ٱلْحَيَو‌ٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّ‌نَّكُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْغَرُ‌ورُ‌ ﴿٣٣﴾ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ عِلْمُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ ٱلْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْ‌حَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِ‌ى نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِ‌ى نَفْسٌۢ بِأَىِّ أَرْ‌ضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ‌ۢ ﴿٣٤﴾

O Mankind, fear your Lord and fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the Deceiver. (33) Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. (34)

[Qur'an, Luqman 31:33-34]

It is very important that we have frequent conversations with our children about the Day of Judgment and life of the Hereafter. Not once or twice, not just send them to Shaykhs, youth camps, Islamic conferences or retreats, but we ourselves talk with them about it, everyday. The Qur'an mentions the Day of Judgment in almost every page of the 600 pages of the Qur'an. If we read the Qur'an everyday, which we should be doing and also doing it as as a family, we will be reminded of it and it will spur us to work on what is permanent -- life in the Hereafter, which is either Paradise or Hell.

أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ لَهُۥ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ تَجْرِ‌ى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ‌ لَهُۥ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَ‌ٰ‌تِ وَأَصَابَهُ ٱلْكِبَرُ‌ وَلَهُۥ ذُرِّ‌يَّةٌ ضُعَفَآءُ فَأَصَابَهَآ إِعْصَارٌ‌ۭ فِيهِ نَارٌ‌ۭ فَٱحْتَرَ‌قَتْ ۗ كَذَ‌ٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْءَايَـٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُ‌ونَ ﴿٢٦٦

Would one of you like to have a garden of palm trees and grapevines underneath which rivers flow in which he has from every fruit? But he is afflicted with old age and has weak offspring, and it is hit by a whirlwind containing fire and is burned. Thus does Allah make clear to you [His] verses that you might give thought. (266)

[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 266]

Allah wants us to think the volatility of the things we own and everything that we have -- the money that we save for our children, the house, the job, the title, the status, the fame or popularity, etc. They can disappear just like that, if Allah wills.

If you think you are doing well with your finances, remember you are not doing anything to be in that situation. The moment you think you are set or the moment you think you are in charge, you strike yourself a great danger of Allah removing everything from you. You are not bad people if you have a good job, savings and house is paid off but it is problematic if you stop considering that Allah who sets you and that you are in need of Him all the time.

It's better that you spend your time with your children talking about how they are going to be reunited with you in the Day of Judgment than working extra for that extra money for them. This could be your bonding time with your children in this life and will resume in the Paradise inshaa Allah.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَ‌بِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَـٰقِيهِ ﴿٦﴾ فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ ﴿٧﴾ فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرً‌ۭا ﴿٨﴾ وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُ‌ورً‌ۭا ﴿٩﴾ وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ وَرَ‌آءَ ظَهْرِ‌هِۦ ﴿١٠﴾ فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُوا۟ ثُبُورً‌ۭا ﴿١١﴾ وَيَصْلَىٰ سَعِيرً‌ا ﴿١٢﴾ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فِىٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُ‌ورً‌ا ﴿١٣

O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion and will meet it. (6) Then as for he who is given his record in his right hand, (7) He will be judged with an easy account (8) And return to his people in happiness. (9) But as for he who is given his record behind his back, (10) He will cry out for destruction (11) And [enter to] burn in a Blaze. (12) Indeed, he had [once] been among his people in happiness; (13) Indeed, he had thought he would never return [to Allah]. (14)

[Qur'an, Al-Inshiqaq 84:6-14]

May Allah not leave us alone even for a blinking of an eye. May Allah grant us works that are most pleasing to Him and enable us to worship Him with excellence. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazak Allahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam.