بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
It's another Friday. It means another week has passed by us. It means we have lost the opportunity to do much good that we have procrastinated. Likewise, whether we do good today or not, this day will pass us. This only means that we will lose a whole week of opportunity to do much good and to do that extra good deed if we procrastinated (again), and we are that much closer to the day of judgment, which will begin with our own death.
Allah reminds us of this Day at the beginning of Surah Kahf and at various places in the Surah.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَا ۜ ﴿١﴾ قَيِّمًا لِّيُنذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا ﴿٢
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. (1) [He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward (2)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:1-2]
وَيَوْمَ نُسَيِّرُ ٱلْجِبَالَ وَتَرَى ٱلْأَرْضَ بَارِزَةً وَحَشَرْنَـٰهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا ﴿٤٧
And [warn of] the Day when We will remove the mountains and you will see the earth prominent, and We will gather them and not leave behind from them anyone. (47)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:47]
وَعُرِضُوا۟ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ صَفًّا لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۭ ۚ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّن نَّجْعَلَ لَكُم مَّوْعِدًا ﴿٤٨
And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, [and He will say], "You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointment." (48)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:48]
وُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًۭا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا ﴿٤٩
And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one. (49)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:49]
If one dies with Faith in the Oneness of Allah (a believer), his abode will eventually be Paradise. He might be punished for a time in Hellfire for his sins but he will eventually get into Paradise. If one dies without Iman (a disbeliever), his abode will be Hellfire till eternity.
So, we should be afraid to face what might be coming in the future--the punishment of the grave and Hellfire. We should protect ourselves against this. This is the basic meaning of taqwa, doing something to place between ourselves and the wrath of Allah. How do we do this? By running to Allah.
First, we repent to Allah from our slips. Then we start working on our character. Our character is the way that we are. The nature of character is second nature. If you are a generous person, you don't have to stop to think to give charity, to be hospitable to your guests, to make du'a for a sick person, etc. If you are a merciful person, you don't stop to think to help the needy and the oppressed, to feed the poor or a hungry animal, and so on.
Indeed, the weightiest thing that you can bring to the Day of Judgment is not something you did but the way that you are--your character.
"Verily, of the most beloved to you to me and the closest of you to me in the seating of Judgment Day, are the most excellent of you in character." (Tirmidhi)
So, the best good deed you can do today is to pick one trait that Allah doesn't like and change it into what Allah pleases--ingratitude into gratitude, arrogance and pride into humility, selfishness into thoughtfulness, impatience into patience, wastefulness into prudence, greed into charity, anger into calmness, unkind into merciful, heedless of Allah into mindful of Allah, etc. This is the thing you are going to bring back to Allah. It is the weightiest thing you can busy yourself with--your character.
You can make this drastic change through taqwa (Godfearingness, piety, righteousness, consciousness of Allah) and repentance. Through them change takes place. Taqwa is the fuel to make one wants to change and repentance keeps the flame going.
If there is no taqwa, there is no impetus for change, and when repentance dies the flame slowly dies with it. You make this change for the sake of Allah. That is why it makes it a great form of worship. You intend to transform your bad character traits for good and better traits for the sake of Allah. You resolve to please Allah and avoid His anger and repenting from your slips. The whole process is for the sake of Allah. As you get closer to this transformed character, the more natural it becomes. Your great reward is the fact that you acquired that character.
"What most enters people into the Garden? Taqwa of Allah and good character." (Ahmad)
"Surely those of taqwa shall be in in the Gardens and Rivers, in an Assembly of Truth, in the Presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent." [Qur'an, Qamar 54:50-51]
People of taqwa will always have Allah to take care of the needs.
"...And those who fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things." [Qur'an, At-Talaq 65:2-3]
The Qu'ran is a guide for those who have taqwa.
الٓمٓ ﴿١﴾ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢
...This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - (2)
[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:2].
Moist the tongues with istighfar (say, astaghfirullah -- I seek forgiveness of Allah) everyday until you die, and learn the Qur'an and recite a good portion daily. You can start today...at least make a sincere intention to read Surah Kahf every Friday.
May Allah grant us taqwa and noble character. May Allah bless your Friday. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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