Prepare For The Upcoming Tests

Bismillah

This life has consequences. There are opportunities for good and there are also dangers that lie before us. The dangers are not just worldly dangers, but there are dangers in the future. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam came as a giver of good tidings (mubasyirin) and warners (mundhirin).

 

Human being are created heedless and propensity to heedlessness and immediacy. Prophets warned about  upcoming tests. There is the test in the grave and the intense test of the Dajjal (false messiah). Dajjal is coming in the future and you don't know if you will be around when he comes, but you know you will face the grave. 

 

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is someone who received revelation from Allah regarding the unseen and what he tells us is the Truth. The nature of the Prophet's knowledge (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) is revelation. This is distinct from our knowledge which is merely acquisitional. The role of the Prophet is reminding, encouraging and warning. 

 

The testing of the grave is a reality. We will be questioned in the grave and the answer is not through one's intelligence or some tricks but the clarity and ease of the answering the questions is in accordance to the strength of faith or the degree of certitude (yaqeen). 

 

How do one cultivate faith? Faith increases with all that increases one's state of obedience to Allah and its diminishment is by its diminishment of one's good deeds. Faith has a strength and that fluctuates in accordance with what one's state of outward and inward obedience to Allah is. Outward obedience is outwardly obeying Allah, and inward obedience is such matters like how is one's hope, fear, gratitude of Allah, reliance and trust upon Allah, good opinion of Allah, and steadfastness.

 

The reality that there is a testing in the grave, it should give us urgency especially given that we don't know when we will end up in the grave. People like to talk about "is this the end of time", "when is Dajjal coming", etc. You should have fear of that, but you have an end of time, which is the moment you die. And you have a dajjal that isn't far from you, which is the shaytan. If you feel free from the shaytan then you are probably sufficiently affected by the shaytan for that to be a grave concern. A lot of people live in implicit denial of their death and the grave. 

 

Dajjal will lie, deceive and mix Truth with falsehood. He will claim the status of lordship and makes it appears as if God is doing it, but the one who has faith has clarity, for nothing done through originated means, even if subtle, could be the action of God. Allah does not create by means. He is not dependent on any means. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam gave us keys to be protected from the fitnah (trials) of Dajjal. The most important is to take care of one's faith. Keep the company of the learned and the righteous and to have good companionship from the people of taqwa. The only safety is strength of faith and strength of practice upon the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. In testing time, it is critical to be more guided by the people of knowledge, to look up to the righteous, to have companions from the people of taqwa. When tested, the shaytan, likewise the dajjal, is closer to one alone and further from two. 

 

May Allah enable us to follow on the footsteps of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and save us from the trials and tribulations of this life and the next. Aameen.

Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa ala aalihi wasahbihi wassallaam.