Islam Guidance

SERMON 28 - About the Transient Nature of this World and the Importance of the next World

So now, surely this world has turned its back and announced its departure while the next world has appeared forward and proclaimed its approach. Today is the day of preparation while tomorrow is the day of race. The place to proceed to is Paradise while the place of doom is Hell. Is there no one to offer repentance over his faults before his death? Or is there no one to perform virtuous acts before the day of trial?
Beware, surely you are in the days of hopes behind which stands death. Whoever acts during the days of his hope before the approach of his death, his action would benefit him and his death would not harm him. But he who fails to act during the period of hope before the approach of death, his action is a loss and his death will harm him. Beware and act during a period of attraction just as you act during a period of dread.
Beware, surely I have not seen one who covets Paradise asleep nor dreads Hell to be asleep. Beware, he whom right does not benefit must suffer the harm of the wrong and he whom guidance does not keep firm will be led away by misguidance towards destruction.
Beware, you have been ordered insistently to march and have been guided as how to provide for the journey. Surely the most frightening thing which I am afraid of about you is to follow desires and to widen the hopes. Provide for yourself from this world what would save you tomorrow (on the Day of Judgment).

Sayyid ar-Razi says the following: “If there could be an utterance which would drag the neck towards renunciation in this world and force action for the next world, it is this sermon. It is enough to cut one off from the entanglements of hopes and to ignite the flames of preaching (for virtue) and warning (against vice). His most wonderful words in this sermon are: `Today is the day of preparation, while tomorrow is the day of race.’ The place to proceed to is Paradise while the place of doom is Hell.’ Besides the sublimity of these words, the greatness of their meaning, the true similes and factual illustrations, there are wonderful secrets and delicate implications the rein.”
It is his saying that his place to proceed to is Paradise while the place of doom is Hell. Here he has used two different words to convey two different meanings. For Paradise he has used the expression “place to proceed to” but for Hell this word has not been used. One proceeds to a place which he likes and desires and this can be true for Paradise only. Hell does not have the attractiveness that it may be liked or proceeded to. We seek Allah’s protection from it. Since for Hell it was not proper to say “to be proceeded to” Amir al-Mu’minin (p.b.u.h.) employed the word doom, implying the last place of stay where one reaches even though it may mean grief and worry or happiness and pleasure.
This word is capable of conveying both senses. However, it should be taken in the sense of al-masir or al-ma’al, that is, the last resort. Qur’anic verse is “Say: Enjoy you (your pleasures for a while), for your last resort is into (hell) fire” (Qur’an, 14: 30). Here, to say sabqatakum, that is, “the place for you to proceed to,” in place of the word “masirakum,” that is, your doom or last resort would not be proper in any way. Think and ponder over it and see how wondrous is its inner implication and how far its depth goes with beauty. Amir al-Mu’minin’s utterance is generally on these lines. In some versions the word sabqah is shown as subqah, which is applied to a reward fixed for the winner in a race. However, both meanings are close to each other because a reward is not for an undesirable action but for a good and commendable performance.

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