Preparing for Death and Repentance

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الْوَاجِبُ عَلَى الْعَاقِلِ أَخْذُ الْعِدَّةِ لِرَحِيلِهِ

It is incumbent upon a sensible person to make preparations for his departure.

فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَعْلَمُ مَتَى يَفْجَأُهُ أَمْرُ رَبِّهِ

For he does not know when his Lord's command will suddenly overtake him.

وَلَا يَدْرِي مَتَى يُسْتَدْعَى

And he does not know when he will be summoned.

وَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ خلقًا كثيرًا غَرَّهُمْ الشَّبَابُ

And I saw many people whom youth had deceived,

وَنَسُوا فَقْدَ الأَقْرَانِ

And they forgot the loss of their peers.

وَأَلْهَاهُمْ طَوْلُ الْأَمَلِ

And the long duration of hope distracted them.

وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ الْعَالِمُ الْمَحْضُ لِنَفْسِهِ

And perhaps the pure scholar said to his self:

أَشْتَغِلُ بِالْعِلْمِ الْيَوْمَ

I will occupy myself with knowledge today,

ثُمَّ أَعْمَلُ بِهِ غَدًا

Then I will act on it tomorrow!

فَيَتَسَاهَلُ فِي الزَلَلِ

He then treats lapses lightly.

بِحُجَّةِ الرَّاحَةِ

using the excuse of comfort,

وَيُؤَخِّرُ الأُهْبَةَ لِتَحْقِيقِ التوبة

And he delays the resolve to repent,

وَلا يَتَحَاشَى مِنْ غَيْبَةٍ أَوْ سَمَاعِهَا

and he does not avoid backbiting or listening to it.

وَمَنْ كَسَبَ شُبْهَةً يَأْمُلُ أَنْ يَمْحُوهَا بِالْوَرَعِ

And whoever acquires a doubtful gain hopes to erase it by piety.

وَيَنْسَى أَنَّ الْمَوْتَ قَدْ يُبَاغِتُ

And he forgets that death may come suddenly.

فَالْعَاقِلُ مَنْ أَعْطَى كُلَّ لَحْظَةٍ حَقَّهَا مِنَ الْوَاجِبِ عَلَيْهِ

The sensible person is the one who gives each moment its due among the duties incumbent upon him.

فَإِنْ بَاغَتْهُ الْمَوْتُ، يُرَى مُسْتَعِدًّا،

If death suddenly overtakes him, he will be found ready.

وَإِنْ نَالَ الْأَمَلَ اِزْدَادَ خَيْرًا

And if one attained hope, he increased in good.

خَطَرَتْ لِيْ فِكْرَةٌ

An idea occurred to me.

فِيمَا يَجْرِي عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِنْ الْعَالِمِ

About what happens to many of the people.

مِنَ الْمَصَائِبِ الشَّدِيدَةِ وَالْبَلَايَا الْعَظِيمَةِ

Among the severe calamities and the great afflictions,

الَّتِي تَتَنَاهَى إِلَى نِهَايَةِ الصُّعُوبَةِ

which reach the very limits of difficulty,

فَقُلْتُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ

So I said, "Glory be to Allah!"

إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَكْرَمُ الأَكْرَمِينَ

Indeed, Allah is the most generous of the generous.

وَالْكَرَمُ يُوجِبُ الْمُسَامَحَةَ

And generosity requires forgiveness.

فَمَا وَجْهُ هَذِهِ الْمُعَاقَبَةِ

So what is the purpose of this punishment?!

فتفكَّرْتُ فَرَأَيْتُ كثيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ فِي وُجُودِهِمْ كَالْعَدَمِ

I reflected and saw that many people, in their existence, are like nothingness.

لَا يَتَصَفَّحُونَ أَدِلَّةَ الْوَحْدَانِيَّةِ

They do not examine the proofs of God's oneness.

وَلَا يَنْظُرُونَ فِي أُمُورِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَنَوَاهِيهِ؛

and they do not heed the commands and prohibitions of God Most High;

بَلَّ يَجْرُونَ عَلَى عَادَاتِهِمْ كَالْبَهَائِمِ

Rather, they follow their customs like cattle.

فَإِنْ وَافَقَ الشَّرْعُ مُرَّادَهُمْ فَبِهَا

If the Sharia agreed with their desire, then so be it,

وَإِلَّا؛ فَمِعْوَلُهُمْ عَلَى أَغْرَاضِهِمْ

Otherwise, they rely on their desires!

وَبَعْدَ حُصُولِ الدِّينَارِ لَا يُبَالُونَ

And after they obtain the dinar, they do not care.

أَمِنْ حَلالُ كَانَ أَمْ مِنْ حَرَامٍ

Was it lawful, or was it from something forbidden?

وَإِنْ سَهُلَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ الصَّلَاةُ فَعَلُوهَا،

And if the prayer is made easy for them, they perform it.

وَإِنْ لَمْ تُسَهَّلْ تَرَكُوهَا

And if it was not made easy, they left it!

وَفِيهِمْ مَنْ يُبَارِزُ بِالذُّنُوبِ الْعَظِيمَةِ مَعَ نَوْعِ مَعْرِفَةِ الْمَنَاهِيِ

Among them are those who brazenly commit grave sins while having only a limited knowledge of the prohibitions.

وَرُبَّمَا قَوِيَتْ مَعْرِفَةُ عَالِمٍ مِنْهُمْ وَتَفَاقَمَتْ ذُنُوبُهُ

Perhaps the knowledge of a scholar among them grew strong, while his sins worsened.

فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّ الْعُقُوبَاتَ وَإِنْ عَظُمَتْ دُونَ إِجْرَامِهِمْ

And I realized that the punishments, even if severe, fall short of their wrongdoing.

فَإِذَا وَقَعَتْ عُقُوبَةٌ لِتَمْحَصَ ذنبًا

So when a punishment befalls to test a sin,

صَاحَ مُسْتَغِيثًا بِهِمْ تَرَى هَذَا بِأَيِّ ذَنْبٍ

Someone calling to them for help cried out: "Do you see this? For what sin?!"

وَيَنْسَى مَا قَدْ كَانَ مِمَّا تَتَزَلْزَلُ الأَرْضُ لِبَعْضِهِ

And he forgets what had been, even when the earth trembles because of part of it!

وَقَدْ يُهَانُ الشيخ فِي كِبْرِهِ حَتَّى تَرْحَمُهُ الْقُلُوبُ

An old man may be humiliated in his old age until people's hearts have mercy on him.

وَلَا يَدْرِي أَنَّ ذُلَّكِ لِإِهْمَالِهِ حَقٍّ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي شَبَابِهِ

He does not realize that this is the result of his neglect of the right of God Almighty in his youth!

فَمَتَى رَأَيْتَ مُعَاقِبًا فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لِذُنُوبٍ

So when you see someone being punished, know that it is because of sins.

مَنْ أَحَبَّ تَصْفِيَةَ الْأَحْوَالِ فَلْيَجْتَهِدْ فِي تَصْفِيَةِ الْأَعْمَالِ

Whoever loves to purify his inner states should strive to purify his deeds.

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَأَنَّ لَوْ إِسْتَقَامُوا عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ لَأَسْقَيْنَاهُمْ مَاءً غَدَقًا

God, the Exalted, said: If they had remained steadfast on the path, We would have given them abundant flowing water.

وَقَالَ أَبِي سُلَيْمَانِ الْدَّارَانِيِ مَنْ صَفَّى صُفِّيَ لَهُ وَمَنْ كَدَرَ كَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ

Abu Sulayman al-Darani said: Whoever purifies himself will be purified, and whoever becomes clouded will be clouded.

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنَ فِي لَيْلِهِ كُوْفِئَ فِي نَهَارِهِ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنَ فِي نَهَارِهِ كُوْفِئَ فِي لَيْلِهِ

Whoever does good in his night is rewarded in his day, and whoever does good in his day is rewarded in his night.

وَكَانَ شيخ يَدُورُ فِي الْمَجَالِسِ ويقول مَنْ سَرُّهُ أَنْ تَدُومَ لَهُ العافية فَلْيَتَّقِ الله

There was a sheikh who went from gathering to gathering and would say: Whoever wants his well-being to last, let him fear God.

وَكَانَ الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ يَقُولُ إِنِّي لَأَعْصِيَ اللَّهَ فَأَعْرِفُ ذَلِكَ فِي خَلْقِ دَابَّتِي وَجَارِيَتِي

Al-Fudayl ibn Iyad used to say: I do disobey God, and I perceive that in the nature of my mount and my female servant.

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا يَحِسُّ بضربةٍ مبنَّج

And know that one does not feel a cushioned blow.

وَإِنَّمَا يَعْرِفُ الزِّيَادَةُ مِنَ النُّقْصَانِ الْمُحَاسِبُ لِنَفْسِهِ

Only the one who holds himself accountable can distinguish increase from decrease.

وَمَتَى رَأَيْتَ تَكْدِيرًا فِي حَالٍ

And whenever you notice a disturbance in your state,

فَاذَكُرْ نِعْمَةً مَا شَكَرْتَ

So remember the blessing you did not give thanks for.

أَوْ زَلَّةٍ قَدْ فَعَلْتُ

Or a lapse I have committed.

واحذر مِنْ نِفَارِ النِّعَمِ

And beware of the withdrawal of blessings.

وَمُفَاجَأَةِ النُّقَمِ

and the sudden onset of misfortunes,

وَلَا تَغْتَرَّْ بِسَعَةِ بِسَاطٍ الْحُلْمِ؛

Do not be deceived by the wide expanse of forbearance.

فَرُبَّمَا عَجَلَ اِنْقِبَاضُهُ

So perhaps its contraction was hastened.