Parables of the Qur’an

Episode Fourteen

Amr Khaled

The Story of Good Endings & Bad Endings

In the name of Allah[1], the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. All Prayers and Blessings of Allah Be upon our Master, the Prophet of Allah.

I welcome the new audience of various nationalities.

A Reminder of the episodes’ motto:

The motto of the episodes is ‘I shall live by the Qur’an’, and our aim is for the youth (boys and girls), after this program, to love the Qur’an after understanding it and its stories, and to know, therefore, how to deal with the rest of the Qur’an.

Qur’an and Ramadan:

How many times have we recited all the Qur’an? How many parts of the Qur’an have we read? We can easily recite all the Qur’an in a month, in twenty days, in fifteen days or even ten days, but we should not attempt to finish it in less than three days. Nevertheless, and in consideration of our circumstances and our daily occupations in this modern life, we should at least try to recite all the Qur’an twice in Ramadan in addition to third time in the taraweeh[2] prayer.

We know that whoever recites even a single letter of the book of Allah would be rewarded a hasana[3] which would be then multiplied by ten.  Just imagine the quantity of good deeds you can gain especially in the month of Ramadan as the good deeds are multiplied.  We have to live by the Qur’an with our mind and heart.

This Episode’s Basic Idea Is The Good and Bad Ending:

Today, the story is about a man who was killed while fighting with the Prophet (SAWS)[4] and his companions.  The companions thought he would be awarded with Jannah (paradise) but the Prophet (SAWS) told them he would go to hell for he could not bear his wounds and had killed himself.

How will our ending be?  How will the end our life be?  There are people who lived all their life obeying Allah (SWT) but just before they died they have changed and their life ended in disobeying Allah (SWT).

The Prophet (SAWS) always used to pray and ask Allah (SWT)[5] for a good ending and to make the last of our good deeds the best.

How can we apply this Ayah[6]? "O you have believed, be pious to Allah with His true piety, and definitely do not die except as Muslims."  (TMQ, 3:102).[7]

A man may act like the people of paradise all his life but when he is close to death he may act like the people of hell.  This is because he has worked only outwardly and has left the bad things inside him, which have ruined his good deeds.

People’s attention is directed to the outer appearance, while the inside is deeper, more beautiful and important.

Today’s Story:

It was mentioned in the Qur’an what can be translated as “And thus We expound the signs and possibly that they would return” (TMQ, 7:174). “And recite to them the tiding of him to whom We brought Our signs, yet he stripped himself out of them; (i.e., he abaudoned them) then Ash-Shytan (The all-vicious one, i.e., the Devil) followed up after him, (and) so he became of the misguide” (TMQ, 7:175).  These Ayahs tell the story of a man who had knowledge and who was religious; a believer and a worshipper, but inside this man was something bad. He loved to be famous and of rank.  He discarded of his knowledge and faith, for the sake of fame and ranking, as the skin would peel off the body.

Examples of Good Ending:

Here are some examples of good endings which Allah Has ordained for his righteous worshipers such as our master Bilal Ibn-Rabah (AR)[8] who said to his wife, at the time of his death, when she cried, “what a disaster for me!"," Don't say that, rather say what a joy for me! Tomorrow I will meet the beloved Muhammad and his companions”.

There was a man whom I met three years ago when I was in Arafah[9]. He was with his wife and both were in their fifties. It was one hour before Maghrib (sunset) prayer and as the man was about to complete reciting the whole Qur’an, he called his wife to complete it together. As he was reading Surat[10] al-Ikhlaas he felt some pain but he endured it until he finished. He then invoked Allah and passed away.

Nevertheless, there are some youths who die while taking drugs inside bathrooms, and some others who die drunk.  There is a true story about a young man who was driving while drunk and collided with another car. He said before he died: “I am afraid to meet Him, I cannot meet Him”.

Allah says what can be translated as, “(It will be said:) "Indeed you were already in (a state of) heedlessness of this. Then (now) We have lifted off from you your covering; so your beholding today is very sharp.” (TMQ, 50:22).  In that day you would see the angels and everything would be clear.

Or would you rather die like Sheikh al-Ghazali who died while defending Islam against those who were fighting it?  He had a sudden heart attack and kept saying “There is no god but Allah”.  When he died he was buried in Al-Baqui’[11] , although he lived in Egypt because he was in a conference in Saudi Arabia at the time.  The men who buried him were astonished that they could not find a place to bury him except between Imam Malek and Ibrahim (the son of the Prophet (SAWS, and thus he was buried there.

Do you want to have an ending like the one of Omar Ibn-Abdul-Aziz who kept smiling on his death bed while reciting “That is the Last Home. We make it for the ones who would not like exaltation in the earth nor corruption, and the (fortunate) End is for the pious” (TMQ, 28:83) then he died. It was as if the Ayah is talking about him and Allah Has made him read it at his final moments.

Examples of a Bad Ending:

Here are examples of the opposite: A friend told me that while he was traveling once from Cairo to London by plane, he was seated beside a man who looked very prestigious and who had a bag he cared about very much.  During the flight his death approached, and he started to sweat and suffocate and the signs of death appeared on him.  My friend knew immediately that the man was dying, and therefore urged him to say the Shahadah[12] but the man said: “Give me my bag; this word is so heavy I cannot say it”.  Although these words are so easy but your tongue may betray on the day you need them most.

The Rule to guarantee a good ending:

There is a rule to guarantee a good ending and Ramadan is an opportunity to practice it and concentrate on it.  The law can be summarized in these simple words: sincerity to Allah.

Definition of Sincerity:

Sincerity means that all your life, work and behavior are for Allah (SWT).  Everything you do is for Allah.

You should always try to have a secret deed with Allah from time to time.  Such as a charity you donate in pure sincerity, or a help you give someone in need or resolving problems among family members for Allah.  Struggle with yourself, and pray to Allah to grant you sincerity, and make the intention to live in sincerity.  Allah says what can be translated as, “Say, “Surely my prayer, and my rites, and my living, and my dying are for Allah, The Lord of the worlds.” (TMQ, 6:162).

Allah Was not number one in the lives of all the bad examples I gave, all their aim was for other things rather than Allah (SWT).

Verses About Sincerity:

The following verses are about sincerity:

Allah says what can be translated as, “And in no way were they commanded anything except to worship Allah, making the religion His faithfully (and) unswerving, and to keep up prayer, and bring the Zakat; (i.e., pay the poor-dues) and that is the Religion most upright .”  (TMQ, 98:5).

Allah says what can be translated as, "Say, “Surely I have been commanded to worship Allah, making the religion faithfully His." (TMQ, 39:11).

And Allah says what can be translated as, “Verily the faithful religion is for Allah. And the ones who take to themselves patrons apart from Him (say), “In no way do we worship them excepting that they may bring us near in proximity to Allah.” Surely Allah will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ among themselves. Surely Allah does not guide him who is a liar, a most disbelieving (person).” (TMQ, 39:3).

If you succeed in dedicating your life to Allah, which means to transfer all you want in life to things that please Allah, you can guarantee a good ending. 

Thus, the decisions of marriage and having children who would worship Allah and making every effort to bring them up to become good Muslims, can be transformed into intentions of sincerity to Allah.

Earning money can be transformed from a personal benefit to a pure intention if the money is spent in the sake of Allah, and for helping the family and the poor.  If you have a sincere intention to Allah, then every effort you do in your life will be added to your balance of righteous deeds.

Your studies, your hard work, and all the nights you stayed up late will all be added to your balance of good deeds if you did them with the intention of achieving success for Muslims or for making inventions that would benefit them. 

It is not necessary to do our good deeds secretly in order to guarantee sincerity.  There might be a man, for example, who would be crying alone in his room but wishing people would see him, while another might be worshipping Allah surrounded by thousands and yet he is not aware of them because Allah is his aim.  Allah (SWT) Says: “The ones who expend their riches by night and day time secretly and in public, then they have their reward from the Providence of their Lord, and no fear will be on them, neither will they grieve.” (TMQ, 2:274).  Sincerity of worship in public has ample rewards, for the Prophets and the companions of the Prophet were public figures.

Here is a nice quotation, “Whoever maintains sincerity for forty days, would have springs of wisdom appear in his face and on his tongue.”  Can you concentrate on making it for forty days? Sincerity will always save you.

Sincerity has rescued Yusuf (AS)[13] (Joseph) “And indeed she already designed on him, and he (would have) designed on her, had he not seen the proof of his Lord. Thus it was, that We might turn about from him odious (deeds) and obscenity. Surely he was one of Our most faithful bondmen.” (TMQ, 12:24), and with sincerity Musa (AS) (Moses) had become the interlocutor of Allah “And mention in the Book M‍ûsa; (Moses) surely he was most faithful and he was a Messenger, a Prophet.” (TMQ, 19:51).

There are people over whom Satan has no power. Allah says what can be translated as,  “Said he, “Lord! Then respite me till the Day they will be made to rise again.

"Said He, “Then surely you are among the respited,  “To the Day of a known time.”

“Said he, “Lord! For (the fact) that You misguided me, indeed I will definitely adorn for them (i.e., make “evil” attractive to them) in the earth; and indeed I will definitely misguide them all together,” “Excepting Your bondmen among them, who are most faithful.” (TMQ, 15:36-40).

Satan is a disbeliever and he wants everybody to go astray away from the right path, but a disbeliever has no power over the faithful.

Sincerity is the title of Hajj[14] and Umrah[15]

Allah (SWT) made sincerity the title for hajj and Umrah.  In answering the call to pilgrimage (Talbiah)[16] we say pronouncing one’s coming to Allah in obedience," Here I come, Allah, in obedience!”.  I usually go to Umrah every year with a group of youth.  We would first go to Madinah[17] then to Makkah while wearing Ihram[18] clothes.  Before starting I would tell them that we would only repeat talbiah, a prayer which Jibril (AS) (Gabriel) has taught the Prophet (SAWS) and which he in turn has taught his companions.

We should repeat this prayer sincerely during Ramadan even if we do not go to Umrah.  Today’s story is short but has a profound meaning: Try to be sincere and you would guarantee being under the shade of Allah’s Throne on the day when there would be no shade except His and when the weather would be very hot, as the sun gets close enough to burn but not to kill.  Some people’s sweat would reach their ankles, for others it would reach their knees, and others still would swim in their own sweat or would drown in it.  Yet, you would be standing under the shade of the Throne of the All-Merciful because you were sincere.

Seek sincerity and discover the pleasure that will overflow your heart with joy.  Consider this ayah “And surely in (the) cattle (there) is indeed a lesson for you. We give you to drink of what is in their bellies, even between filth and blood, exclusively (pure) milk, palatable to the drinkers. ” (TMQ, 16:66).

The first step to sincerity is to have an intention before doing anything.  For example, when buying new clothes, have the intention of becoming an example for the elegance of a religious female.  In addition, when doing sports, have the intention to spend all your suppressed energy in a good way instead of spending it in a forbidden way.

Sincere Intention:

It has been said that Omar Ibn Abdul-Aziz used to have an intention for every move he made.  Do not lose the reward of your Umrah in the last week for any reason.

Sincerity burns all sinful deeds in the heart and all the other faults such as arrogance, jealousy, greediness, and avarice.  The second step is to pray for sincerity.

Examples of Sincere people:

We need sincerity like that of Khaled Ibnul-Waleed (RA) who was a victorious leader, and who, when Omar Ibnul-Khattab (RA) dismissed him, worked even harder and said that his conquers were for the sake of Allah not Omar.

We need sincerity like that of Zeinul-Abideen Ibn-Al-Hassan Ibn-Ali who, for years, used to give food in charity by putting it in front of the houses of the poor without them knowing.  People did not find out about that until he died, when they saw a black line, while washing him, on his shoulders caused by carrying the charity on his back every day.

If you are sincere in your intention and prayers, Allah (SWT) would make you feel it in your heart.  Persistence is one of Allah’s secrets.

Finally, you can obtain sincerity with prayers, by having an intention when doing any job, and by reciting Qur’an with the intention that Allah Grants you sincerity. Always remember that.

Translated by: The English Convoy – Dar al-Tarjama

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[1] Allah = The word Allah is the Arabic term for God. Although the use of the word "Allah" is most often associated with Islam, it is not used exclusively by Muslims; Arab Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews also use it to refer to the One God. The Arabic word expresses the unique characteristics of the One God more precisely than the English term. Whereas the word "Allah" has no plural form in Arabic, the English form does. Allah is the God worshipped by all Prophets, from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

[2] Taraweeh = The extra night prayer performed in Ramadan.

[3] Hasana = The reward from Allah, recorded for performing a good deed, and accounted for on the Day of   Judgement.

[4] SAWS =(Salla Allah allayhe Wa Salam)=All Prayers and Blessings of Allah be upon him.

[5] SWT = Suhanahu wa Ta'ala  [Glorified and Exalted Be He].

[6] Ayah = A verse in the Qur’an.

[7] TMQ = Translation of the Meaning of the Qur’an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an.  Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

[8] (RA)= Radya Allah anhu. [May Allah be pleased with him].

[9] Arafah = Done during Pilgrimage to Makkah.

[10] Surat = A chapter, the Qur’an is comprised of 114 surahs.

[11] Al-Baqui’ = Muslim burying ground near Madinah.

[12] Shahadah = The Muslim declaration of faith, that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

[13] (AS)= Alayhe as-Salam [All Peace of Allah be upon him].

[14] Hajj = The Pilgrimage to Makkah during the first half of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, and is the fifth pillar of  Islam.

[15] Umrah= Voluntary short pilgrimage that can be performed at any time of the year.

[16] Talbiah = Answering the call to pilgrimage.

[17] Madinah = Where the prophet Muhammad (SAWS) emigrated with his companions in 622 AD.

[18] Ihram = A state of consecration for hajj. Includes dress and or prayer.