The Glory and Might of a Mukmin

Our noble Messenger 'Alaihish Shalatu was Salam was visited by the Angel Gabriel (Jibril). Then Jibril said to him,

يا محمَّدُ ! عِشْ ما شئتَ فإنَّك ميِّتٌ...

"O Muhammad, live as you please, indeed you will pass away. Love the one you love, surely you will part with him. And do what you will, for you will surely be rewarded by Allah. Know that the honour of a mukmin is in his night prayer, and his strength when he does not need people." (A narration issued by Imam At-Thabrani in his Mu'jam and authenticated by Shaykh Albani Rahimahullah).

Archangel Gabriel said to the Messenger of Allah, "O Muhammad, please live as you please, you will pass away." All humans, all of us will definitely pass away. Allah says,

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ

"Every soul will taste death." (QS. Ali 'Imran[3]: 185)

Death is a certainty. And after death is what we should think about. Because after death we will be given by Allah a reward according to what we practice in the world.

Prepare ourselves for death. Our noble Messenger 'Alaihish Shalatu was Salam told us to remember death a lot. He said,

أَكْثِرُوا ذِكْرَ هَادِمِ اللَّذَّاتِ الْمَوْتَ

"Do your best to remember the destroyer of pleasures, which is death."

No matter how rich we are, no matter how good our lives are, we will still pass away. We will be wrapped in a shroud and then put in a grave. There are no friends, no one who will help us except our deeds.

The mobile phone that we always hold will leave us. The friends we love so much will leave and forget us. Our wives and children will also go and leave us. We will be alone in the grave, visited by the angels Munkar and Nakir, and asked, "Man Rabbuka?" Who is your God? Who is your prophet? What is your religion? Are we ready, my brother, for that day? For whoever is safe in his grave, then what follows is even easier. And whoever is not safe in his grave, said the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam), then what follows is even harder.

"You may live as you please, but you will surely die. Love whom you like, but you will surely part with them."

Separation is certain, my brother, with those we love. Maybe we leave them first or they leave us first. What is clear, loving someone should not be excessive. It is mentioned in a narration,

أَحْبِبْ حَبِيبَك هَوْنًا مَا عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ بَغِيضَك يَوْمًا مَا

"Love your brother whom you love according to his level. He may become your enemy one day."

وَأَبْغِضْ بَغِيضَك هَوْنًا مَا عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ حَبِيبَك يَوْمًا مَا

"Just hate the person you hate. Maybe one day they will change and become the person you love."

Then Archangel Gabriel said, "Do whatever you want, however you want. You will be rewarded by Allah." Allah said,

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ ‎﴿٧﴾‏ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ ‎﴿٨﴾

"Whoever does a good deed the size of a mustard seed will see its reward. And whoever does an evil deed the size of a mustard seed will see its reward." (QS. Az-Zalzalah[99]: 7-8)

My brother, on that day nothing will be hidden. So the kafir were astonished and said,

…مَالِ هَٰذَا الْكِتَابِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصَاهَا…

"What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it is written down neatly in it?" (Al-Kahf[18]: 49)

We will all be rewarded for what we say, for what we type on our mobile phones, what we say to friends, to our wives, to our children, what we say to people. What we see and what we look at, what we hear with our ears, even what we do with our feet and what we do with our hands, will all be recompensed. All will be questioned by Allah and rewarded.

Then Archangel Gabriel said, "Verily, the glory of a believer lies in his night prayer," at a time when people are fast asleep with their pleasures and desires. Instead, he wakes up to seek the pleasure of his Lord, forsaking all the pleasures of this world to seek the pleasure of Allah Rabbul 'Izzati wal Jalalah. Indeed, this man is one of those whom Allah admires. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,

"Our Rabb, Allah, is in awe of two people; (1) The one who fights in the cause of Allah. When his army is defeated, he does not want to run away. If he runs away, he will face a severe punishment from Allah. So he continues to advance until he dies and is a shaheed. (2) The one who wakes up at night and gives up the pleasures of sleep to earn the pleasure of his Rabb."

Truly, Allah is in honour of such a servant, my brother. That is the glory of a servant, able to abandon his desires and his passions, and become a servant who truly devotes himself to Allah, the Almighty. Admitting his weakness, recognising that he is a servant of Allah who needs His grace.

Then, said Archangel Gabriel, "And his might, when he has no need of man." That is, a believer does not expect human help. What he expects is help from Allah alone. It is taboo for him to beg, because he knows that begging is a humiliation. The real humiliation for a person is when he is the one whose hands are below, he wants his hands to always be above, helping people in difficulty. That, my brother, is the glory and might of a believer.