Part 3 Fear of Allah and Concern for the Hereafter

Fear of Allah and concern for the hereafter is the basis for success in life and the foundation of Islamic spirituality (Tassawuf). This is the reason Nabi ﷺ made an effort to bring these two qualities in to the ummah. At times Nabi ﷺ would mention virtues and the benefits of these qualities and at other times he would shed light on the might of Allah and the frightening description of the hereafter to instil the fear of Allah and concern for the hereafter.

When these two qualities exist in the heart, a person’s life changes. A person is saved from his desires, making it easier to follow the deen properly. Nabi ﷺ through his noble advice and admonishment inculcated these two qualities in the people, the result of which was the society which was an example of immorality in the eyes of the world now became an example in front of the entire world due to its high morals and ethics. Today we need to return back to the teachings of the Messenger ﷺ to achieve our former glory, for this reason I will mention a few ahadith:

1) Ubayy bin Ka'b (ra) reported: "When a third of the night had passed, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) stood and said: 'O you people! Remember Allah! Remember Allah! The Rajifah (that thing which will make the earth and its system shake- The first trumpet) is coming, followed by the Radifah (The subsequent one- The second trumpet), death and what it brings is coming, death and what it brings is coming!'"

‎جامع الترمذی، کتاب صفۃ القیامۃ والرقائق والورع عن رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم، باب منہ، حدیث 2457

2) Shaddad bin Aws narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w) said:

"The clever person is the one who subjugates his soul, and works for what is after death. And the incapable is the one who follows his desires and merely hopes in Allah."

‎جامع الترمذی، باب حدیث الکیس من دان نفسہ، حدیث 2459

3) Ibn Mas'ud (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

"The feet of the son of Adam shall not move from before his Lord on the Day of Judgement, until he is asked about five things: about his life and what he did with it, about his youth and what he wore it out in, about his wealth and how he earned it and what he spent it upon, and what he did with what he knew."

‎جامع الترمذی، کتاب صفۃ القیامۃ والرقائق والورع عن رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم، حدیث 2416

4) Anas (ra) reports: Nabi ﷺ entered upon a young man while he was dying. So he said: "How do you feel?" He said: "By Allah! O Messenger of Allah! Indeed I hope in Allah and I fear from my sins." So the Messenger of Allah said: "These two will not be gathered in a worshipper's heart at a time such as this, except that Allah will grant him what he hopes and make him safe from what he fears."

‎جامع الترمذی، باب الرجاء باللہ والخوف بالذنب عند الموت، حدیث 983

5) It was narrated that ‘Aishah (ra) said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: ‘O ‘Aishah, beware of (evil) deeds that are regarded as insignificant, for they have a pursuer from Allah. (I.e. accountability).

‎سنن ابن ماجہ، باب ذکر الذنوب، حدیث 4243

6) It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“There is no believing slave who sheds tears, even if they are like the head of a fly, out of fear of Allah, and they roll down his cheeks, but Allah will forbid him to the Fire.”

‎سنن ابن ماجہ، باب الحزن والبکاء، حدیث 4197

May Allah grant us the ability to adopt his fear, have concern for the hereafter and forgive our sins.

‎آمین بجاہ النبی الکریم

Wasalam

Muhhamad Ilyas Ghumman

Karachi, Pakistan

Thursday 9th February 2017

Translated by: Mawlana Yousaf Baig