By Sheikh Salah Al-Budair – 03 Thul Qadah 1435

His Eminence Sheikh Salah Al-Budair, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday khutbah entitled, “Repentance before Death”, in which he talked about the importance of hastening to repent of sins before it is too late.

Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, Whose blessings cannot in the least be counted, and Who says about those who desist from their crimes and repent of what they have committed:

“… if they cease (from disbelief) their past will be forgiven …” (Al-Anfal: 38)

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners – a testimony of one who has seen the light guidance and realized the truth; and I bear witness that our prophet and master, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, the quintessence of virtue, goodness, generosity, and honour. May Allah bestow His peace and blessings upon him and upon his family, his Companions, and all those who follow their example and draw from the fount of their knowledge.

Now then, O Muslims!

Fear Allah, for fear of Allah brings about happiness, keeps harm at bay, and removes ignominy.
You ought to fear Allah in every moment,
And you will find its positive consequences on the Day of Long Reckoning.
Verily, fear of Allah is the best outcome,
And it is the best provision for the departing traveller.
There is no good whatsoever in a long life,
If you depart it without piety.

O Muslims!
Death awaits all people, disasters befall them all, and the vicissitudes of life leave no one unharmed.

O you who perceive lessons with your own eyes and listen to admonitions with your own ears! O you who have been reached by the warner and have heard his words! Advance towards your Lord in all humility, seek refuge in His door of bounty repentantly, raise your hands in prayer, showing your great need for Him, and pray humbly to Him, saying:

O Allah! I am Your disobedient servant and I have come to You
Admitting my sins and calling upon You.
If You forgive me, You are Most Worthy to forgive,
And if You turn me away, who else will have mercy on me?

O you who are overburdened with sins! O you who have given free rein to your pleasures in all kinds of vanity! O you who have been deafened and blinded by evil desires and have thus been sickened, grieved, expelled, and kept away from the right path! O you who fight against your Lord by doing what He abhors! O you who disobey His commands, feeling secure against His Plan! Repent of your sins and ask your Lord for forgiveness.

Repent of your sins and weep out of fear
Of what has been recorded against you in your scrolls of deeds.
What misery a servant will be in
When he stands before his Lord without repentance!

Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ari, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah extends His Hand in the night so that the sinners of the day may repent, and extends His Hand in the daytime so that the sinners of the night may repent, until the sun rises in the west [which is one of the signs of the Day of Resurrection]” (Reported by Muslim). Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If anyone repents before the sun rises in the west, Allah will accept his repentance” (Reported by Muslim). Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, will accept the repentance of His servant as long as the death rattle does not reach his throat” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi).

Therefore, repent before you go through the affliction of the death rattle, the pain of the final gurgling, and the moment of sudden death. Make amends before death strikes, for then it will be too late to repent. Allah, Glorified be He, says:

“Say: “O (you) ‘Ibadi (my slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Az-Zumar: 53)

O Allah! Help us awaken from heedlessness and grant us sincere repentance before death, O All-Hearing, O Ever Near, O Responsive to prayers!