Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Bismillahir- Rahmanir-Rahim

1. Opening

Beloved friends whom Allah loves, In this modern world, we often measure a person’s intelligence by IQ scores, rows of academic degrees, or shrewdness in seizing business opportunities. But have we ever reflected on how Islam defines the truly “intelligent person”? From a spiritual-scientific standpoint, true intelligence—_spiritual intelligence_—is the human ability to prepare for the most certain future: death and the life thereafter.The intelligent and wise are those who use every heartbeat to consistently gather provisions. They plant taqwā and fear of Allah, so that when the Angel of Death comes to take them, they do not meet him with hysterical regret, but with a smile of readiness.

Let us listen to the words of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he was asked who among the believers is the most virtuous and most intelligent:

أَكْثَرُهُمْ ذِكْرًا لِلْمَوْتِ وَأَحْسَنُهُمْ لِمَا بَعْدَهُ اسْتِعْدَادًا أُولَئِكَ الْأَكْيَاسُ

“Those who remember death most often and are best in preparing for what comes after it—they are the truly intelligent.”[HR. Ibn Mājah ]

On the other hand, how great is the loss of those deceived by the mirage of this world. They spend time amassing unlawful wealth, committing injustice, and feeling safe from Allah’s punishment, as if death will never knock on their door. Allah SWT says about these heedless people:

فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ

“So leave them to engage in vain talk and play until they meet their Day which they are promised.”

[QS. Az-Zukhruf: 83]

2. Lessons dan Message

There was a true story that shook the heart about a successful businessman admired for his wealth. He had just finished building a palace-like luxury home, complete with the most advanced security system. On the night of the housewarming, after the invited guests went home, he sat on the magnificent sofa in his living room, smiling proudly as he gazed at his asset. But that very night, a sudden heart attack struck. He collapsed to the floor, crawled alone with no one hearing, and breathed his last on the expensive marble floor. The lavish house he spent years building—he never even got to sleep in it for one night. He departed to meet his Lord empty-handed, leaving all the luxury that immediately became a contest among his heirs.

Let us liken this life to a student entering a national exam room. The exam time is only 60 minutes. The intelligent student will immediately focus, hold the pen, read the questions carefully, and answer them one by one to pursue a passing grade.Meanwhile, the foolish student is busy admiring the beauty of his exam desk, busy taking selfies with the question paper, even chatting and bullying his friends. When the proctor shouts, “Time’s up, submit your answer sheets!” the foolish student only then realizes his paper is still completely blank. Death is the shout of “Time’s up!” from the Angel of Death.

It’s funny how we modern humans behave—our level of preparation is often reversed. If we’re going on a vacation out of town or abroad for just a week, the preparation can take months. Buying new clothes, making a passport, booking hotels, even buying a spare power bank so our phone won’t die on the way.But strangely, for a long journey to the realm of barzakh_—which can last thousands of years with no way back—we often take it easy. We have no “provisions” at all, yet our confidence is sky-high. When asked, _“Are you ready to die?” the answer is, “Easy, I’ll wait until I’m old.” As if there’s a guarantee from the Angel of Death that the queue for taking souls goes by age number? How funny—thinking the Angel of Death has to send a WhatsApp message first before coming

3. Conclusion and Closing

Dear friends, let us change our standard of intelligence starting today. An intelligent person is no longer the one most skilled at hoarding the world, but the one most skilled at using his world to purchase Allah’s pleasure in the Hereafter. Death is not the end of everything; it is the beginning of proof whether we lived as wise people or as losers.Let us be consistent in improving our dailydeeds, shunning injustice, and always conditioning our hearts to be ready whenever our exam time is declared over by Him

. والله أعلم بالصواب

الحمد لله رب العالمين

Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Abu Sultan Al-Qadrie