Let me ask myself and you a question. What would we pay to get the blessing of Allahﷻ and a promise of His Forgiveness when we meet Him?

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَـٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ

Baqara 2: 155-157   And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return. They are those on whom are the Salawat (blessings) from their Rabb, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones.

My brothers and sisters, we are witness to the terrible devastation of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, which have also affected Lebanon and Jordan. As Allahﷻ promised us, He will test us. He tests people in different ways as He mentioned. For some, the test is very personal, catastrophic, devastating. For others like us, it is a test of our compassion and our Yaqeen in the Aakhira. I got news that my teacher, Shaikh Abdullah Al-Thalaj’s wife, lost her parents, sister, brother-in-law and their two children, three generations. All died when the building they lived in, collapsed. May Allahﷻ grant them Shahada and Jannatul Firdous without Hisaab. The reaction of Shaikh Abdullah and his wife is a reflection of the wealth of Islam. He said to me, “Wallahi Shaikh Yawar, what Allahﷻ will give them is much better than what they had in the Dunya. So, Alhamdulillah we accept the Qadr of Allahﷻ and ask for His Mercy and Forgiveness for them and us.” My brothers and sisters, how can we thank Allahﷻ for this Deen except by practicing it and truly working for the Day when we will meet Him. For those, Allahﷻ said:

مَآ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَن يُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُۥ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

Taghabun 64: 11   No calamity befalls, but with the Leave [Qadr] of Allah, and whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart [understand His Qadr and accept it with equanimity], and Allah is the All-Knower of everything.

I saw this in practice today when I spoke to my friend. I request you to please make dua for him and his wife and family. My brothers and sisters, Allahﷻ sends us reminders every day about the one reality that we seem to ignore and that is our meeting with Him. Every time we hear about the death of anyone or participate in a Janaza, it is a reminder to us that one day, it will be me that people will be talking about and praying for. And that day can be today. It can be right now. It is a sign of intelligence to prepare for something which is totally certain and not to be caught unawares. But when we look at our lives, what do we see? Do we see someone – I mean ourselves – who is busy preparing for the Aakhira or someone who doesn’t really believe in the Aakhira? Actions are the only and most certain proof of belief. Let’s ask, ‘What do my actions show?’

Let us reflect as we look at the horrific scenes of destruction in Turkey and Syria. Thousands killed. Thousands injured and thousands homeless in the harsh winter. Everyone lost everything. May Allahﷻ have mercy on them and on us all and keep us safe from all calamities. It is at times like this that we realize exactly how fragile we and our lives are. We live on a globe of liquid fire of molten rock. Try to melt a rock and you will see what I mean.