Participate in Your Funeral Procession

Author: Dr. Ayed Al Qarni
Translated from Arabic to English by Abu Abdullah

Before you die, I request you that you die now for just a minute. Close your eyes and think about your funeral while you are on the bier with the procession group. What state do you want to be after death? Be in that state now. Correct your mistakes. Improve your character. Ask forgiveness for your sins. Open a new page of good character and behavior. Wash your heart from hatred. Clean your conscience from betrayal. You will certainly be remembered for what you did so create the pens of truth. People are the witnesses of Allah on his earth. If they mention you well it will be an acceptable witness in front of the One and Only. If they mention you badly then what grief awaits you?

Indeed we are in the previous ground but we will have no disgrace and there is not for us in front of the shout and the noise that will abase us with it from the Hereafter except that we die only every day one minute – sixty seconds … So we reflect and we repent and we improve our deeds. If we live this minute every day we will return to be upright, loving the good, being useful to people, generous, mild-mannered and approachable. Whoever forgets death, he will live in forgetfulness and will not be watchful of his Lord and will not be accountable to oneself.

We are not more needful of internal peace and this is an issue of man with his self. This was indicated by the book “Don’t be concerned with small issues” by Richard Calson … but this issue originated from Islam from before…What is intended is that the heart of man is not colonized by resentment and hatred and that he makes it a green garden by love and faith. There are those from all delightful pairs from the benefits of character.

How unfortunate for him who fills his heart with rancor, hatred, fraud and envy until it becomes ruins, inhabited by snakes and scorpions.

It is obligatory for us to have mercy on ourselves before people from this destructive war inside us that do not benefit others.

Why don’t we free ourselves from the binding contract? Some of us trust that the people are its enforcers and fabricate for it a plan and he alone is good… and this is idle talk as the people have different beliefs and a lot of good and you will find good people everywhere.

 Look at the flower and do not look at its thorn and watch the moon and do not be engrossed in darkness.

But:

            The eye denies the sunlight due to its sickness

                                                And the mouth denies the taste of water from its ailment.

In Search of Happiness

Author: Dr. Muhammad Al Abdu
Translated from Arabic to English by Abu Abdullah

 

Every human in this life of the world longs for happiness and searches for it but first the question arises: What is happiness? It is wealth after extreme poverty or good health after sickness and strength after weakness. Or is it differentiation with wisdom and virtue?  Is it fulfilling desires and that man lives completely free without restrictions doing what he likes, even if it is against morality and religion? All these matters make it possible to help human mental state. Happiness is a real thing, not mental. So a scholar is happy with knowledge, a generous man is happy with generosity, and a hard worker is happy with the hard work. All of them are greater than he who is happy by eating, and drinking and acquiring things. Are these things the end of human dreams and his future?

Man, by nature always desires other things. He desires to get better or more beautiful things. So a rich man wants something else. Those who realize its idea search for what is greater. There is no end except that man reaches Allah, and is satisfied with Him and finds peace with Him through his worship of Him. And He is with him, protecting him and guiding him. When Omar Bin Abdul Aziz became the Khalifa, he aimed for himself something higher. He said “And nothing is everlasting except His Face”

Whatever man does he is contended. In the world there is devastating pain and sadness, so if one works for the Hereafter this sadness is cured and there is no other path (to happiness).

Happiness is that man has a clear goal which he strives for. This is the big aim confirmed by Revelations. Whenever he exerts himself in this path he is satisfied. Belief in Allah provides man with purification of his soul and mental peace; and courage in his heart. So do not feel very happy concerning what befalls you nor be sad about what is lost. When we look at a man’s face, we can perceive the sadness within him, even if his exterior in terms of his clothes and his smile deny this. The rivalry in acquiring things takes a big portion of their concentration and closes for them the window of true happiness. From among the miracles of the Quran is that it describes this prominent phenomenon which is taking place in our times. The Most High said: “They will pile up wealth, until they will visit the graves”. In such manner, life hastens away from them, so that they spent their time increasing (wealth) until death comes to them.

Happiness is not in comfort that most people strive for. Rather, happiness for the most part is in difficulty, and solving the problems with a satisfied soul and overcoming weakness. The inert man is who does not want to face great task and dangers. This inert man lives completely on others like a funeral corpse being carried on the shoulders of others. The happiness in pain which is followed by success, and in the sadness that is followed by joy and opening of the chest, and in subjugating what is in the universe to reform humans and to make people realize the meaning of humanity.