Part One
Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, the Most Generous One to be sought and
the Greatest One to grant favours. He created man, who longs for eternal life and
cherishes long hopes morning and evening, when calamities announce the death of all
wishes and hasten the end of life.I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who
has no partners; none is greater or more exalted than He is. I also bear witness that our
prophet and master, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, who died without leaving
a dinar, a dirham or any wealth whatsoever as inheritance, and who neither built high
palaces nor competed for the fleeting pleasures of this world or had them in excess. May
Allah perpetually bestow His peace and blessings upon him and upon his family and
Companions.
O Muslims!
Fear Allah constantly and you will attain happiness, for it is through the fear of
Allah that great good and grace may be attained and that the evils surrounding us may be
averted and kept at bay. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
And Allah will deliver those who are the Muttaqun (pious) to their places
of success (Paradise). Evil shall touch them not, nor shall they grieve.
(Az-Zumar: 61)
O Muslims!
This life is despicable and is certain to vanish, while the hereafter is noble and
everlasting. This is something that the blessed, noble verses of the Qur’an often remind
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us of.Therefore, blessed are those who listen to beneficial lessons and pay attention to
clear morals, and then comprehend them with their hearts and minds and act in
accordance with them in words and deeds. Allah, Majesty be to Him in His Loftiness,
says:
And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement.
But far better is the house in the Hereafter for those who are Al-
Muttaqun (the pious). Will you not then understand? (Al-An‘am:
32)
And whatever you have been given is an enjoyment of the life
of (this) world and its adornment, and that (Hereafter) which is
with Allah is better and will remain forever. Have you then no
sense? (Al-Qasas: 60)
...Say: “Short is the enjoyment of this world. The Hereafter is
(far) better for him who fears Allah, and you shall not be dealt
with unjustly even equal to a scalish thread in the long slit of a
datestone.”
(An-Nisa’: 77)
...and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of
this world as compared with the Hereafter is but a brief passing
enjoyment. (Ar-Ra‘d: 26)
...Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But
little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared to the Hereafter.
(At-Tawbah: 38)
Nay, you prefer the life of this world, although the Hereafter is
better and more lasting. (Al-A‘la: 16-17)
The life of this world passes quickly and then comes to an end, while the bliss of
the hereafter is eternal and perpetual. The life of this world is but a brief, despicable
pleasure that is certain to vanish, while Paradise is an eternal and endless bliss.Al-
MustawridibnShaddad, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of
Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “By Allah, in comparison with the hereafter,
this world is similar to the amount of water that someone gets when he dips his finger in
the ocean. Let him then see what it returns with”(Reported by Muslim).The present life is
just like the tiny amount of water that stays on one’s finger after dipping it in the huge
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ocean and then withdrawing it, while the hereafter is the rest of this great, agitated ocean
with its rough, enormous waves.
O you who prefer the little and limited pleasures of this world to the hereafter,
which is more serious and more important! Do you not understand the true nature of this
worldly life?
I am surprised at one who is pleased with worldly pleasures,
And is deluded by pleasurable days;
Who favours settling in a wasteland
Over settling in a fertile, drizzly land.
Your life whose adornment has allured you,
Will soon come to an end.
O servant of Allah! O servant of Allah!Were the entire world and the like of it at
your disposal, what would remain of all that upon your death?
O dwellers of decorated houses!
Death will one day lodge you inside a grave.
I have seen you talking too much about this world,
And doing so only hardens the heart.
It is as if you did not notice the large number of those who pass away,
When you virtually see that happening with every sunrise.
I do not know, even if I intend to be guided aright,
Whether when I get up in the morning I will stay alive till the evening.
O servant of Allah!Every day brings one lesson after another, and death is sure to
prevent you from engaging in evil if you are truly one of those who are willing to refrain
from it. When then will you fear Allah and turn to Him in repentance? Is there a life other
than the present one in which we can do good deeds? Or are we moving to any place
other than the hereafter?How far that is from the truth! Indeed, some people have become
deaf to warnings and signs, and their hearts have overlooked clear morals.
Remember the appointed time of death,
And be fearful of it.
Shed tears over past sins,
And save your soul, or else you would lose it.
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Turn to your Lord, refrain from committing sins, and repent of the wrong you
have done.
For how long will I persist in deception and heedlessness?
Such is my endless sleep, so when will the day I wake up be?
Wasted has been a lifespan, one hour of which may be purchased
For as much wealth as the heaven and the earth contain; what a big loss!
Will you foolishly purchase the transient for the everlasting?
And buy Allah’s wrath for His good pleasure and Hellfire for Paradise?
Are you friend or foe to your own self?
For you seem to subject it to every calamity.
You have sadly sold it cheap indeed,
When it was not deserving of such a deal.
Unsuccessful and miserable indeed are those who exchange the delights of the
Gardens of Paradise with false hopes, tempting amusements, lustful desires, and
abominable, shameful acts.Unsuccessful and miserable indeed are those who incur the
wrath of Allah, the Compeller, and squander their lives on distractions, sins, and wrong
deeds:
...Say (O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)):
“The losers are those who will lose themselves and their families
on the Day of Resurrection. Verily, that will be a manifest
loss!”(Az-Zumar:15)
O Son of Adam! I am addressing you, so listen carefully,
And incline not to this world, that you may benefit.
If you were to live a full thousand years,
Youwill inevitably see your end someday.
O you who have lost your religion!
Regaining your faith is the best thing to do.
Prepare good deeds you will be rewarded for
And choose for yourself which way to follow.
Be sure that all good you put forward for yourself,
Is kept with Allah for you and will never be lost.
As Allah, Exalted be He, says:
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...And whatever good you send before you for yourselves, (i.e.
Nawafilnon-obligatory acts of worship: prayers, charity, fasting,
Hajj and ‘Umrah), you will certainly find it with Allah, better and
greater in reward. And seek Forgiveness of Allah. Verily, Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful. (Al-Muzzammil: 20)
O Allah! Bestow upon us Your bountiful gifts and blessings and forgive us our
sins and wrong deeds, O Most Generous, O Most Great, O Bestower! O Most Merciful,
O Oft-Forgiving, O Acceptor of repentance!
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Part Two
All perfect and infinite praise be to Allah – praisethat entitles us to win His good
pleasure and draw nearer to Him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who
has no partners, a testimony whereby we hope to win our Lord’s forgiveness and mercy. I
also bear witness that our prophet and master, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger,
and His chosen prophet, whom He protected and favoured, and with whom He is well
pleased. May Allah bestow His peace upon him and upon his family, his Companions,
and those who follow his Sunnah and his guidance.
O Muslims!
Fear Allah, for fear of Allah is the best of all gains and obedience to Him is the
most honourable source of pride.
O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered
and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should
be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him
always], and die not except in a state of Islam [as Muslims (with
complete submission to Allah)]. (Al ‘Imran: 102)
O Muslims!
Wretched indeed are those who commit more sins, wicked deeds, and acts of
disobedience whenever Allah grants them more favours and blessings. Miserable indeed
are those who become more extravagant, deviant, and misguided whenever they get
richer and wealthier. And unsuccessful indeed are those who turn further away from
Allah and plunge deeper into error whenever they get more possession and
splendour.Allah’s blessings, gifts, favours and grace to them follow in succession: they
have food to strengthen them, water to quench their thirst, clothes to wear, homes to
shelter them, wives to look after them, and safety and security to protect them. Despite all
this, they insist on doing shameful actions, persist in doing wrong deeds, and continue to
disobey their Lord.
Such Divine gifts, favours, and blessings could in fact be a means to let them
increase in sin and to postpone their punishment. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
And let not the disbelievers think that Our postponing of their
punishment is good for them. We postpone the punishment only
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so that they may increase in sinfulness. And for them is a
disgracing torment. (Al ‘Imran: 178)
‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings be upon him, said:“If you see Allah giving a servant some of the
pleasures of this world in spite of his disobedience, then know that this is only to let him
increase in sin” (Reported by Ahmad).
O Allah! Guide us to do deeds that are pleasing to You. O Allah! Guide us to do
deeds that are pleasing to You, keep us away from acts of disobedience to You, and make
us among those who fear You, O Lord of the Worlds!
Ask Allah to bestow His peace and blessings upon Prophet Ahmad, the guide and
the intercessor of all mankind, for whoever invokes Allah to bless him once will be
blessed for it by Allah ten times over.
O Allah! Bestow peace and blessings upon your servant and messenger
Muhammad. O Allah! Be pleased with his four Caliphs, whose way is to be followed,
Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, along with all the Prophet’s family and Companions,
and also be pleased with us together with them, by Your mercy, O Most Generous!
O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and
glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims,
subdue polytheism and the polytheists, protect Your religion, and destroy the tyrants and
aggressors, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Keep our land, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, secure, stable, prosperous,
and powerful.
O Allah! Guide our leader and ruler, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to
what You love and accept, and lead him to the way of righteousness and piety. O Allah!
Guide him, his Crown Prince, his brothers, and his aides to do that which gives power
and glory to Islam and that which realizes the good of Muslims, O You Lord of the
Worlds!
O Allah! Grant security, stability, and prosperity to all Muslim homelands, O
Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Keep Muslims away from evils, wars, conflicts, disputes,
and trials, O Lord of the Worlds!
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O Allah! Cure the sick among us, relieve the distress of the afflicted among us,
release our prisoners, have mercy on our dead, and grant us victory over our enemies, O
Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Accept our supplication and answer our call, O Most Generous! O Most
Great! O Most Merciful!
