In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds. And may God's blessings be upon Muhammad and his pure progeny.
We mentioned two points. The first point is that we usually make the mistake of thinking that time is separate from us. We think that time is what passes, while we are stationary. The days go by, but we remain.
Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) reminded us that this thought is mistaken. You yourself are time. Every day that passes, "You are but a collection of days" (Innama anta ayyam). "Whenever a day passes, a part of you is gone" (Kullama mada yawmun dhahaba ba'duka). With each day that goes by, it is you who has passed. It is the pages of your life that are constantly being turned, drawing ever closer to the end.
The second point is that we have wasted many opportunities and we do not know how many we have left. Perhaps our time will end today, or in the coming days, the coming month, the coming year. In any case, the remaining time is very short. But Satan, by means of our health and youth, deceives us and constantly suggests to us that there is still time.
The next point is, what should we do in the remainder of our lives, in this remaining opportunity? One of the most important actions we must take is to not be deceived by Satan and to have absolute certainty, a belief in our hearts, that the end of our work, the time of our death, is very near. This belief will greatly help in our reformation. Now, let me make a point. It is true that the remembrance of death is bitter. For most of us, the thought of death is bitter. But dear friends, if a reality is a reality, we must accept it, whether bitter or sweet. We should not forget it because of its bitterness. If the reality is bitter, meaning we will certainly face it, it is foolish to forget it. If we forget it, we lose the readiness to face it. The encounter with this bitter reality then becomes a torment itself. Whereas, if we are prepared, perhaps its bitterness will fade and it will become a sweet event for us.
So, the first step in the remainder of life is to believe that the end of our work is very near. The Noble Prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family), said: "Indeed, life is limited; no one will exceed what has been destined for them." This means our life is finite. The amount that has been allotted for each person will not be delayed or advanced by a single day.
The Imam also said: "By God, all that has passed of your world is not equal to the threads of this cloak I have wrapped myself in." The life that has passed. And what remains of it is similar to what has passed; a similarity greater than the similarity of water to water. You see, what do you say about your past? You say it passed in the blink of an eye. The Imam says that the future until the moment of death is the same. In the blink of an eye, this remaining opportunity will also end, and a person's death will arrive.
And everyone will soon reach the abode of eternity... The Imam said: "And all are approaching a swift eternity and a near demise. So hasten to act while you have respite of breath and freshness of being, before you are seized by the throat and regret is of no avail." This means everyone quickly travels to the eternal abode and departs from this world. Therefore, hurry to do good deeds while you are still given the chance to breathe and have the ability to remain, before your throat is seized, at which point remorse will be useless.
Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, the night and the day hasten in the destruction of lives." The night goes, the day passes. This succession of night and day hastens the annihilation of lives. And he said: "How can one rejoice in a life that is diminished by the hours?"
And he said: "For tomorrow is near to today." "How swift are the hours in a day, and how swift are the days in a month, and how swift are the months in a year, and how swift are the years in a lifetime." How impactful and beautiful are these narrations. The Imam says how quickly the hours pass in a day. Throughout the month, how quickly these days pass. Throughout the year, how quickly these months pass. And throughout a lifetime, how quickly these years pass.
Again, Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "A person's every breath is a step towards their death." With every breath you take, you move one step closer to the end of your life. He also said: "The duration, even if long, is short." Even if your life is long, this long life is very short. "And the past is a lesson for the one who remains." Those who have passed, those who were in the past, are a lesson for those who are present now. "And the dead are an admonition for the living." The dead are a sermon for the living. When the living think about or see these dead people, what do they say? They say, well, his time in this world is over, and we too will be like them one day. "For the day that has passed shall not return." Friends, pay attention: you who are 20, you who are 21, you who are 25, you who are 30—this 30-year period that has passed will never return to you as long as God is God. "Nor can a person be certain of tomorrow." No one is sure about their tomorrow. "Indeed, the first is a guide for the middle." The one who is first is a trailblazer for the one in the middle. And the one in the middle is a leader for the one who is last. And each is separate from the other. But what? Each will eventually join the other. Do you see? One person leaves the world earlier, another leaves after him, and another after the second. It's true that they are transferred to the next world separately, one by one, but in the end, they are reunited. And death... the Imam says: "And death is triumphant over all." "And the dreadful day is near for everyone." "And it is the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit, except for him who comes to God with a sound heart." On the Day of Resurrection, neither wealth nor children will be of any avail. What alone will be of benefit? Only one who comes to God with a sound, unblemished heart.
Again, from Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), he says: "Let no occupation divert you from working for the Hereafter, for the time is short." The time we have in this world is very short. It is not worth doing something that will not have a positive result for our Hereafter. He says that whatever you do, be mindful that it has a consequence in the Hereafter.
He also said: "O servants of God, know now, while tongues are free, bodies are healthy, limbs are nimble, the field of action is vast, and the opportunity is wide, before the chance is lost and death arrives. So, consider its arrival upon you as a certainty and do not await its coming." O servants of God, be aware, right now, while your tongues are free, your bodies are healthy, your limbs are able, the field for action is vast, and the opportunity is great, before the chance is lost and death descends. Pay attention to this last part; he says: Consider the coming of death as certain and realized, not as something you are waiting for. Meaning, say that death has already arrived, not that it will come later.
Let me read some sentences from Imam Khomeini (may God have mercy on him) that are very, very impactful. He said in one sentence: "These few days will pass, whether in pleasure and enjoyment or in suffering and hardship." These days that we are in the world, even if you spend them all in pursuit of happiness and intoxication, they will eventually pass. And if you spend them all in thought of self-reformation, self-purification, even if it is difficult, it will also pass. But see what the result is. The result of both endures as long as God is God.
In another statement, he said: "O dear one, O reader of these pages, take a lesson from the state of this writer who is now under the soil and in another world, ensnared by his own ugly deeds and unbecoming morals. While he had the chance, he spent his precious life in vanity and vain desires, and wasted and nullified that divine capital. Be mindful of yourself, for you too will one day be like me, and you do not know which day that will be. Perhaps it is now, as you are engaged in reading. If you delay, the opportunity will be lost. O my brother, do not postpone these matters, for they cannot be postponed. How many healthy and sound people have left this world through a sudden death, and we do not know what their fate is. So do not waste the opportunity and count every moment as a blessing, for the matter is of great importance and the journey is very dangerous. If your hand is cut short from this world, which is the farm of the Hereafter, it will be too late, and you will not be able to reform the corruptions of the soul. You will reap nothing but regret, bewilderment, torment, and humiliation. The friends of God were not at ease for a single moment and did not cease to think about this journey full of fear and danger. The states of Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon them), the infallible Imam, are astonishing. The lamentations of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), the absolute saint, are bewildering. What has happened that we are so heedless? Who has given us assurance except for Satan, who postpones our tasks from today to tomorrow? He wants to increase his companions and supporters and to resurrect us with his character, among his group and his followers. That accursed one always makes the affairs of the Hereafter seem easy and simple in our eyes and makes us heedless of the remembrance of God and His obedience with the promise of God's mercy and the intercession of intercessors." This means Satan comes and suggests to us, whispers to us, "Oh come on, don't be so hard on yourself. God's mercy is so vast that no matter how much you sin, in the end, there is forgiveness." Or, for example, he says that the Imams (peace be upon them) will intercede for us on the Day of Resurrection. You can sin as much as you want; just saying 'I am a Shia' is enough. But he says, alas, this is a false appetite and one of the traps of the cunning and deceit of that accursed one.
So, what is the summary of today's discussion? The summary of today's discussion is that in the time that remains, one of the best and most urgent things to do is to constantly tell ourselves that we are not here to stay in this world. We live for a limited time in this world; we have an end, and our end will arrive in the blink of an eye. And peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.
Dear friend, if you have any questions or comments about the text, please log in and leave a comment.
