Stern Warnings

Rabi’  At-Thanni, 1432

Indeed, all praise and thanks are due to Allaah. We praise Him; seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek protection from Him from the evils of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomever Allaah guides, no one can misguide him, and whomever He sends astray, there is no other guide for him. I testify that nothing has any right to be worshipped except Allaah alone, having no partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger-may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, his family, companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgment. To proceed:

Assalaam alaykum wa rahmatullaah wa barakatuuh.

Last month was about hope and joy and mercy and all things good and beautiful. This month, I’m completing the verse I started therein and it doesnt take much to guess that as believers when there is hope, it most also be accompanied by fear in a balanced proportion.

إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا  ﴿١١٩

119. Verily, We have sent you (O Muhammad Peace be upon him ) with the truth (Islam), a bringer of glad tidings and a Warner.

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمُ ٱلْوَسِيلَةَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُۥ وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ كَانَ مَحْذُورًا﴿٥٧

57. Those whom they call upon desire means of access to their Lord (Allah), as to which of them should be the nearest and they hope for His Mercy and fear His Torment. Verily, the Torment of your Lord is something to be afraid of!

Its easy to talk about the good and to bask in its joy but talking about the warnings is much harder as I do not consider myself as being safe from it either because

 وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ ﴿٢٧﴾ إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ ﴿٢٨

27. And those who fear the torment of their Lord 28. Verily! The torment of their Lord is that before which none can feel secure.

On a reassuring end-note, I narrate an incident that occurred during the time of the Rasul (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) related that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered on a young man who was dying, and said to him: “How are you?” He said: “I hope in Allah and fear my errors!” the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “They (fear and hope) will not be combined in the slave’s heart in this situation, but Allah will give him what he hopes for and will grant him safety from what he fears.” [Sunan At-Tirmidhi]

I pray Allaah grants us all that we hope for and protect us from that which we fear, Aamiin.