Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillahir- Rahmanir-Rahim
1. Opening
Beloved friends whom Allah has blessed, when we see poverty, hunger, or drought afflicting a region, a mistaken whisper often flickers in the heart: “Is Allah unable to provide sufficient sustenance for them?”From the standpoint of both science and revelation, that view is entirely false. The reserves of energy, water, and sustenance that Allah has scattered throughout the universe are boundlessly abundant
.وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا عِنْدَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَعْلُومٍ
“And there is not a thing but that with Us are its storehouses, and We do not send it down except according to a known measure.”
[QS. Al-Ḥijr: 21]So why does restriction of sustenance occur? It is not a sign of Allah’s weakness, but an instrument of education, discipline, and Divine management. Allah measures the sustenance of His servants with extreme precision so that humans do not become arrogant, transgress, and corrupt the earth
.وَلَوْ بَسَطَ اللَّهُ الرِّزْقَ لِعِبَادِهِ لَبَغَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَكِنْ يُنَزِّلُ بِقَدَرٍ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّهُ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيرٌ بَصِيرٌ
“And if Allah had extended provision for His servants, they would have committed tyranny throughout the earth. But He sends down in an amount which He wills. Indeed He is, of His servants, Acquainted and Seeing.”
[QS. Ash-Shūrā: 27]
Remember, life in this world is about the test of choosing in time. When death arrives, the veil of the unseen will be forcibly lifted. Every human being—including the most defiant and tyrannical, like Pharaoh—will suddenly awaken and see the truth of the Hereafter with piercing clarity.
لَقَدْ كُنْتَ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ هَٰذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنْكَ غِطَاءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ الْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ
“You were certainly in heedlessness of this, and We have removed from you your cover, so your sight today is sharp.”[QS. Qāf: 22]
Yet faith at the moment death arrives is of no benefit. The true believer is one who chooses to believe and obey before it is too late. For in the Hereafter, every person must bear personal responsibility absolutely. Even Satan—who once diligently tempted us—will wash his hands and refuse to be blamed. This is clearly recorded in Satan’s most heartbreaking sermon:
وَقَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ لَمَّا قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَوَعَدْتُكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِيَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا أَنْ دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِي ۖ فَلَا تَلُومُونِي وَلُومُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ
“And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, ‘Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves...’”[QS. Ibrāhīm: 22]
Thus the truth of what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in a noble hadith:
فَمَنْ وَجَدَ خَيْرًا فَلْيَحْمَدِ اللَّهَ وَمَنْ وَجَدَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا يَلُومَنَّ إِلَّا نَفْسَهُ
“…So whoever finds good [on the Day of Judgment], let him praise Allah; and whoever finds other than that, let him blame no one but himself.” [HR. Muslim)
2. Lessons and Message
Worldly tests in the form of life’s hardships are not expressions of Allah’s hatred, but emergency brakes so our souls are not dragged into the abyss of arrogance. The world is a place to plant, not a place to harvest the yield. Learn to take full responsibility for every moral decision we make today, and stop looking for excuses or blaming other creatures for sins we commit consciously.
Let us imagine the atmosphere on the Plain of Maḥshar later, when millions of people stand in utter fear awaiting their turn for the Reckoning. In a corner of that crowd, a man appears, head bowed wearily, weeping blood as he laments the pile of sins from his life in the world. Suddenly, he sees a pitch-black creature who used to whisper laziness and lust into his ears. Overflowing with rage, the man screams, “This is all because of you! You dragged me into this Hell!” Yet that creature—Satan—only stares coldly and mocks, then delivers his cruelest sermon: “I had no remote control to move your body. I only whispered an invitation, and you walked willingly. Now, don’t blame me—blame yourself!” What a belated and heart-rending regret, when a person realizes he traded eternal Paradise for fleeting pleasure, and now there is not a single being he can lean on or share the burden of sin with.
Let us make a simple analogy. Faith in this world is like buying a train ticket while still inside the station. Buying a ticket at the official counter, paying properly, then boarding the carriage is a very wise choice. Now, imagine someone arrogant. He refuses to buy a ticket, breaches the gate, then recklessly jumps onto the roof of a fast-moving train. When the train is speeding and nearly reaches its destination, a ticket inspector suddenly appears. As the nose of the train is about to stop, the man panics, shoves money forward, and shouts, “Sir! Sir! I want to buy a ticket now, sir! I believe now that this train has an inspector!” What do you think the officer’s answer would be? Of course the officer would reply, wittily yet firmly, “Sorry, boss, the ticket counter has been closed since this train departed! Now is not the time to buy a ticket—now is the time for you to get off and pay the fine!”The lesson: Pharaoh once tried to buy a “ticket of faith” in the final moments of his life, when the waves of the Red Sea were already rolling over his neck. The spectacles of his inner sight were forcibly removed by death; he saw the truth, then declared belief. But sadly, the train of life had already reached the final station. Time was up, and his ticket was flatly rejected! So be a wise person who buys the ticket of faith while the counter of our lifespan is still open by Allah today.
3. Conclusion and Closing
Blessed brothers and sisters, scarcity of sustenance in this world is a form of Allah’s mercy—as an instrument of discipline so His servants do not transgress. Remember that faith is a matter of timing; to believe before seeing is nobility, whereas to believe after the veil of death is lifted is futility that yields eternal regret. In the Hereafter, there is no room for blaming one another, for every soul carries its own record.
Let us turn every test of lack in this world into a means to draw closer to Allah SWT. Do not wait until tomorrow to repent, for we never know whether tomorrow we will still hold the steering wheel of free will, or whether our eyes have already been forcibly opened by the Angel of Death. May Allah keep us far from regret at the end of time.
. والله أعلم بالصواب
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
Abu Sultan Al-Qadrie
