A Trembling of the Heart… and the Lord's Forgiveness (Sermon)

A Trembling of the Heart… and the Forgiveness of the Lord The First Sermon Praise be to Allah, Who opens the doors of His mercy to those who turn to Him, and who washes away the sins of His servants with the tears of awe. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, Who made the fear of Him a security, and the seeking of refuge in Him a salvation. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger; he was the most awe-struck of people before Allah, and the greatest of them in hope in Him. May Allah send prayers and peace upon him, upon his family, and upon his companions, the possessors of living hearts and radiant faces. As for what follows… O servants of Allah: In an age in which the breaths of life have quickened, and the clamor of material things has multiplied, a hidden heedlessness has settled upon the hearts, and the souls have grown bold in sin with a strange boldness. And this boldness did not take root in the hearts except on the day that the fuel of "fear of Allah" diminished within them. Indeed, the fear of Allah is not a whip that drives us away from His mercy, but rather it is a "security" that binds our hearts in the time of trials, and a guide that takes our hands to Paradise in this abode of deeds, which is followed by the Hereafter and the Reckoning. Reflect with me, O servants of Allah, upon this moving scene that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, relates to us about a man who lived before us; he was immersed in his pleasures, and he indulged himself in sins until his records turned black. But when death drew near to him, his heart awoke suddenly, and its foundations trembled with fear of meeting Allah. He gathered his children and said with a trembling tongue: "What kind of father was I to you?" They said: "The best of fathers." So he gave his strange will: "When I die, burn me, then grind me, then scatter me in the wind, for by Allah, if my Lord is able to reach me, He will surely punish me with a punishment He will not inflict upon anyone among the worlds" (narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim). And in another narration: half of it on land and half of it in the sea. The man died, and his sons carried out his will out of filial piety toward him; the body was burned, the remains were ground, and the ashes were scattered in the wind between land and sea… he thought, in the midst of his fear and ignorance, that he might escape from Allah! But… who is there for the scattered and the dispersed except He who knows the weight of an atom in the heavens and the earth? With a single word: "Be"… and lo, the scattered ashes gather together, and lo, the man stands whole before the Creator, exalted is His majesty. His Lord, the All-Knowing of the secrets of the breasts, asked him: "What compelled you to do what you did?" So he answered with the truth of the broken servant: "Your fear, O my Lord." Oh, how wondrous! The Reckoning did not argue with him about the past of his sins, nor did He hold him accountable for his ignorance of His power when he thought that the ashes might escape; rather, He, the Exalted, looked upon that sincere "trembling" that shook his being out of fear of Allah and exaltation of Him, the Exalted and Most High… so the Merciful Lord did nothing but overtake him with His mercy, and envelop him with His pardon, and He forgave him all of his sins! Yes, O servant of Allah, for the sincere fear is your gateway to the precious commodity of Allah; the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever fears, sets out at night, and whoever sets out at night reaches the destination. Know that the commodity of Allah is precious, know that the commodity of Allah is Paradise" (narrated by al-Tirmidhi, and authenticated by al-Albani). And this is the Master of the humble, peace and blessings be upon him, whose previous and subsequent sins were forgiven, who lived in this awe out of love and exaltation, and he said: "I see what you do not see, and I hear what you do not hear. The sky has groaned, and it has the right to groan. There is no space of four fingers' width in it except that there is an angel placing his forehead in prostration to Allah. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much…" (narrated by al-Tirmidhi, and graded as hasan). And the righteous predecessors would weep; not because they fell short in acts of obedience, but out of fear that they might not be accepted from them! Al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: "Indeed, the believer has combined righteousness and awe, and indeed, the hypocrite has combined wrongdoing and security." And this is Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, who wept at his death, and the people asked him, so he said: "They are but two handfuls; a handful in the Fire and a handful in Paradise, so I do not know in which of the two handfuls I am!" O beloved ones, the salvation, all the salvation, is in tears that flow in seclusion out of bashfulness before Allah; for 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: "What is the salvation?" So he said to him: "Hold your tongue, let your home suffice you, and weep over your sin" (narrated by al-Tirmidhi, and authenticated by al-Albani). And it is that same tear that shelters you in the shade of His noble Throne: "…and a man who remembered Allah in seclusion and his eyes overflowed" (agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim). I say this, and I seek forgiveness from Allah for myself and for you and for all the Muslims… The Second Sermon Praise be to Allah, and that suffices, and peace be upon His servants whom He has chosen… As for what follows: Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, and know that the true fear is not a passing episode of weeping that ends with the end of the sermon, and then we return afterward to our sins and our desires. The fear that Allah wants from us is "practical fear." Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: "The praiseworthy fear is that which restrains you from the prohibitions of Allah." It is the same fear that was embodied in the Prophet of Allah, Yusuf, peace be upon him, when the sin was made ready for him in its most beautiful form, and the doors were locked, and it was said to him: "It is easy for you," so his heart cried out before his tongue: "Far be it from Allah!" The true fear: is that which holds your tongue back from backbiting, gossip, and lying, out of modesty before Allah. The true fear: is that which prevents you from wronging your wife, or consuming the wealth of people, or being disobedient to your parents. The true fear: is that which, when your foot slips into sin, immediately drives you to the threshold of humility and repentance, fearing that death may overtake you while you are in disobedience. And the more the heart of the servant is filled with the knowledge of Allah, the greater his fear of Him becomes; "Indeed, only the learned among His servants fear Allah." Musa (peace be upon him) asked his Lord: "Which of Your servants is the most knowledgeable?" He said: "The one who fears Me the most" (narrated by Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilya). So fear Allah, O servants of Allah, and renew the fear in your hearts. For whoever fears Allah in this world, He will make him secure on the Day of the Great Tremor, and will ease for him the agonies of death and the graves, on the Day "you will be presented, and nothing hidden from you will be concealed." Now, send prayers and peace upon the one whom Allah has commanded you to send prayers and peace upon. "Indeed, Allah and His angels send prayers upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, send upon him prayers and send peace in abundance" (Surah al-Ahzab: 56). O Allah, send prayers and peace and blessings upon Your servant and Your messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions. O Allah, we ask You for Your fear in secret and in public, and for the word of truth in contentment and in anger, and for moderation in wealth and in poverty. O Allah, fill our hearts with the exaltation of You, and with modesty before You, and with turning toward You. O Allah, cover our faults, and make us secure from our terrors, and cause us to die while You are pleased with us, O the Generous. O Allah, have mercy on us with Your vast mercy, and forgive us what we have done before and what we have delayed, and grant us well-being and pardon us, and make us among those whose deeds are accepted. O Allah, exalt Islam and the Muslims, and humble shirk and the polytheists. O servants of Allah: "Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded" [Surah al-Nahl: verse 90]. So remember Allah, the Magnificent, and He will remember you, and thank Him for His blessings and He will increase you. "And the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows what you do" [al-Ankabut: 45].

رجفة قلب.. ومغفرة رب الخطبة الأولى الحمد لله الذي يفتح للمقبلين أبواب رحمته، ويغسل بدموع الخشية ذنوب عباده، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، جعل الخوف منه أمانًا، واللجوء إليه نجاة، وأشهد أن محمدًا عبده ورسوله، كان أشد الناس لله خشية، وأعظمهم له رجاء، صلى الله وسلم عليه وعلى آله وصحبه أولي القلوب الحية والوجوه النضرة. أما بعد.. فيا عباد الله: في زمنٍ تسارعت فيه أنفاس الحياة، وكثر فيه ضجيج الماديات، رانت على القلوب غفلةٌ خفية، وتجرأت النفوس على الخطايا بجرأةٍ عجيبة. وما نبتت هذه الجرأة في القلوب إلا يوم أن نقص فيها وقود "الخوف من الله". إن الخوف من الله ليس سوطًا يطردنا من رحمته، بل هو "أمانٌ" يربط على قلوبنا في زمن الفتن، ودليلٌ يأخذ بأيدينا إلى الجنة في دار العمل هذه، التي تعقبها آخرةٌ وحساب. تأملوا معي يا عباد الله: في هذا المشهد المؤثر الذي يرويه لنا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عن رجلٍ عاش قبلنا؛ غرق في ملذاته، وأسرف على نفسه بالخطايا حتى اسودّت صحائفه. لكنه عندما دنا منه الموت، استيقظ قلبه بغتة، واهتزت أركانه خوفًا من لقاء الله. جمع أولاده وقال بلسان يرتجف: "أيُّ أبٍ كنتُ لكم؟" قالوا: "خيرَ أب". فقال وصيته الغريبة: «إِذَا أَنَا مُتُّ فَاحْرِقُونِي، ثُمَّ اطْحَنُونِي، ثُمَّ ذَرُّونِي فِي الرِّيحِ، فَوَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ قَدَرَ عَلَيَّ رَبِّي لَيُعَذِّبَنِّي عَذَابًا لَا يُعَذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِنَ الْعَالَمِينَ» (رواه البخاري ومسلم). وفي رواية: نِصْفَهُ فِي البَرِّ وَنِصْفَهُ فِي البَحْرِ. مات الرجل، ونفّذ الأبناء وصيته برًّا به؛ أُحرقت الجثة، وسُحق الرفات، وذُرَّ الرماد في مهب الريح بين بر وبحر.. ظنًّا منه في غمرة خوفه وجهله أنه قد يفوت على الله! ولكن.. من للمبعثر والمنثور إلا الذي يعلم مثقال الذرة في السموات والأرض؟ بكلمة واحدة: "كُن".. فإذا بالرماد المتفرق يتجمع، وإذا بالرجل واقفًا سويًّا بين يدي الخالق جل جلاله. سأله ربه العليم بكنونات الصدور: «مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا صَنَعْتَ؟» فأجاب بصدق العبد المنكسر: «خَشْيَتُكَ يَا رَبِّ». يا لله! لم يناقشه الحساب على ماضي ذنوبه، ولم يؤاخذه على جهله بقدرته حين ظنّ أن الرماد يفوت؛ بل نظر سبحانه إلى تلك "الرجفة" الصادقة التي هزت كيانه خوفًا من الله وتعظيمًا له سبحانه وتعالى.. فما كان من الرب الرحيم إلا أن تداركه برحمته، وغمرهُ بعفوه، فغفر له ذنوبه كلها! نعم يا عبدالله، فإن الخوف الصادق هو بوابتك لسلعة الله الغالية؛ يقول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: «مَنْ خَافَ أَدْلَجَ، وَمَنْ أَدْلَجَ بَلَغَ الْمَنْزِلَ، أَلَا إِنَّ سِلْعَةَ اللَّهِ غَالِيَةٌ، أَلَا إِنَّ سِلْعَةَ اللَّهِ الْجَنَّةُ» (رواه الترمذي، وصححه الألباني). وهذا سيد الخاشعين صلى الله عليه وسلم، الذي غُفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه وما تأخر، كان يعيش هذا الوجل حبًا وتعظيمًا، ويقول: «إِنِّي أَرَى مَا لَا تَرَوْنَ، وَأَسْمَعُ مَا لَا تَسْمَعُونَ، أَطَّتِ السَّمَاءُ وَحُقَّ لَهَا أَنْ تَئِطَّ، مَا فِيهَا مَوْضِعُ أَرْبَعِ أَصَابِعَ إِلَّا وَمَلَكٌ وَاضِعٌ جَبْهَتَهُ سَاجِدًا لِلَّهِ، وَاللَّهِ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيلًا وَلَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا...» (رواه الترمذي، وحسنه). وكان السلف الصالح يبكون؛ لا لأنهم قصروا في الطاعات، بل خوفًا ألا تُقبل منهم! يقول الحسن البصري -رحمه الله-: «إن المؤمن جمع إحسانًا وخشية، وإن المنافق جمع إساءة وأمنًا». وهذا معاذ بن جبل -رضي الله عنه- يبكي عند موته ويسأله الناس، فيقول: «إنما هما القبضتان؛ قبضة في النار وقبضة في الجنة، فلا أدري في أي القبضتين أنا!». أيها الأحبة، النجاة كل النجاة في دموعٍ تسيل في خلوة حياءً من الله؛ فقد سأل عقبة بن عامر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "ما النجاة؟" فقال له: «أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ لِسَانَكَ، وَلْيَسَعْكَ بَيْتُكَ، وَابْكِ عَلَى خَطِيئَتِكَ» (رواه الترمذي، وصححه الألباني). وهي الدمعة ذاتها التي تظلك تحت ظل عرشه الكريم: «.. وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ خَالِيًا فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاهُ» (متفق عليه). أقول قولي هذا، وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين … الخطبة الثانية الحمد لله وكفى، وسلامٌ على عباده الذين اصطفى.. أما بعد: اتقوا الله عباد الله، واعلموا أن الخوف الحقيقي ليس نوبة بكاءٍ عابرة تنتهي بانتهاء الخطبة، ثم نعود بعدها إلى ذنوبنا وشهواتنا. الخوف الذي يريده الله منا هو "الخوف العملي". يقول شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية -رحمه الله-: «الْخَوْفُ الْمَحْمُودُ مَا حَجَزَكَ عَنْ مَحَارِمِ اللَّهِ». هو ذات الخوف الذي تجسد في نبي الله يوسف -عليه السلام- حين تهيأت له المعصية في أبهى صورها وغُلّقت الأبواب وقيل له ﴿ هَيْتَ لَكَ ﴾، فصرخ قلبه قبل لسانه: ﴿ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ ﴾! الخوف الحقيقي: هو الذي يمسك لسانك عن الغيبة والنميمة والكذب حياءً من الله. الخوف الحقيقي: هو الذي يمنعك من ظلم زوجتك، أو أكل أموال الناس، أو عقوق والديك. الخوف الحقيقي: هو الذي إذا زلت فيه قدمك بالخطيئة، دفعك فورًا إلى عتبة الانكسار والتوبة، خوفًا من أن يباغتك الموت وأنت على المعصية. وكلما امتلأ قلب العبد بمعرفة الله، زادت خشيته له؛ ﴿ إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ ﴾. سأل موسى -عليه السلام- ربه: "أيّ عبادك أعلم؟" قال: "أخشاهم" (رواه أبو نعيم في الحلية). فاتقوا الله يا عباد الله، وجددوا الخوف في قلوبكم، فمن خاف الله في الدنيا أمّنه يوم الفزع الأكبر، وخفف عنه كربات الموت والقبور، يوم ﴿ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَىٰ مِنكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ ﴾. هذا وصلوا وسلموا على من أمركم الله بالصلاة والسلام عليه، ﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا ﴾ (سورة الأحزاب: 56). اللهم صلِّ وسلّم وبارك على عبدك ورسولك نبينا محمد، وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين. اللهم إنا نسألك خشيتك في الغيب والشهادة، وكلمة الحق في الرضا والغضب، والقصد في الغنى والفقر. اللهم املأ قلوبنا تعظيمًا لك، وحياءً منك، وإقبالًا عليك. اللهم استر عوراتنا، وآمن روعاتنا، وتوفنا وأنت راضٍ عنا يا كريم. اللهم ارحمنا برحمتك الواسعة، واغفر لنا ما قدمنا وما أخرنا، وعافنا واعفُ عنا، واجعلنا من المقبولين. اللهم أعز الإسلام والمسلمين، وأذل الشرك والمشركين. عِبَادَ اللَّهِ: ﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ ۚ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴾ [سورة النحل: الآية 90]، فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ، وَاشْكُرُوهُ عَلَى نِعَمِهِ يَزِدْكُمْ، ﴿ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ ﴾ [العنكبوت: 45].