Khutbah: Good Friday: 6 April 2012 by Shayk Sadullah Khan

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Patience in dealing with Realities of Life and the Inevitability of Death

We are grateful for life, which is an amaanah, a trust and a test of deeds
Allah has granted us death and life in order to test us through our deeds (Q 67:2) and remember that the test of life may incorporate … fear, hunger, loss of property, loss of life and loss in the fruits of labor; all of which can be borne by those who patiently persevere; acknowledging that we are from Allah and unto Him is our return.(Q 2:155)

Easter

As this is Easter weekend, there is the belief central to this period among our Christian brothers and sisters that Jesus died on the cross this day (Good Friday); that he was crucified and then resurrected. Because he died on the cross he atoned for the sins of his followers who are believed to be (like all humanbeings) born in sin.

Muslims accept Jesus as a great prophet, revere his exemplary mother Mary (peace be upon her), and believe that Jesus is the Messiah; but Muslims do not accept the major concepts that are central to the commemoration of Easter..

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Christ, according to Muslim belief, did NOT die on a cross[Q4:157] but was rather elevated by Allah and saved from being killed [Q4:158].

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Not having died, Jesus could NOT have been resurrected[Q4:156]

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Babies are born pure (fitrah) and no one is born in sin neither bearing the sin of any one as no one bears the burden of another [Q17:15].

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Since Muslims do not believe in the doctrine of Original Sin, there is no theological need for the all-atoning sacrifice of Jesus (pbuh) through his crucifixion and resurrection.[Sins are those acts we deliberately incur by our choice of actions, we are responsible and hence personally accountable.] In Islam there is no notion of redemption for one’s sin by another. Each one is accountable for himself/herself [Q 99:7-8] and for each person according to his/her personal striving[Q 2:286].

Dealing with the Reality of Death

For Muslims, Death is a reality. We witnessed passing of father of our Imam Dr Rashid Omar the past week. During the past year CMRM has lost four elders … Boeta Achmat Saban, Boeta Achmat Gamieldien, Aunty Aisha Van Rooyen, Aisha Wagiet, and young ones like Fawaz Ajam. The community is saddened but we acknowledge the fact that life is a kaleidoscope of inescapable situations; health and sickness, joy and sadness, gain and loss, laughter and tears, birth and death, joy and grief…

We live in a universe of cause and effect, the consequences of which are inescapable. Fire burns, diseases infect, time ages, germs destroy, water drowns … these facts have moral and social implications, and all of these are realities with which we have to contend. It is how we are able to deal with these realities that will determine how we chart the course of our lives. A sage once said; Life is not the way it’s “supposed to be”. Life is the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.

Death is Inevitable
Each living thing must eventually die (Qur'an 3:185) There is no avoidance of birth or death except to utilize the interval effectively. Allah did not make this world a permanent place. This is a temporary world and everything here is finite and all things have a time limit. Neither are the good things of this world forever nor are the bad things eternal.

We note that tragedy carries a tremendous power within it. Power to cause grief, power to cause mourning, and power to cause sadness. It also carries power to cause cooperation, power to cause reflection, and power to cause change.

Faith puts Grief in Perspective

So, though faith may not in itself prevent grief,

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Faith does put grief in perspective.

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Faith provides a philosophy of living that emphasizes the realities of life and the inevitability of death in the larger context of existence. That is why patience is strongly emphasized as a means of coping with the trials and tribulations of daily living. Ponder over the Qur’anic reminder, Be sure that you shall be tested with some form of fear and hunger, loss in possessions or lives or the fruits of your labor, but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. [Qur’an 2:155]

Keys to Sabr /Patient Perseverance

Understand and acknowledge the fact that life, wealth, health, youth, friends, dear ones are all temporary; that from Allah we come and unto Allah is our return. Living in this world is a short phase in our existence and there is an eternity that follows. Our status in the existence beyond this life depends, by the mercy of Allah, on the good we do in this life. Glad tidings to those who patiently persevere; acknowledging that we are from Allah and unto Him is our return.[Q 2:155] and that Allah is with those who patiently persevere" (Quran 2:40). Little wonder that "Patience is half of Faith" and that Allah loves those who are patient [3:146]

We Realize:

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“When going to sleep do not assume you will live to see the dawn, when waking up do not assume you will live to see the sunset; take precaution from your health against sickness, take from your life what will benefit you in death.

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"Live life to the full, because what matters most is not the length, but the depth of life". [writer, Ralph Waldo Emmerson] Some people live a lifetime in 20 years while others survive 80 years and have not learnt to live as yet. Live! Don't just survive.

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We must find more ways to help in sharing the burden of others and to make life more pleasant. We must learn to forgive any hurt or injuries that come our way and treat others as we wish to be treated in every encounter. We must be more cognizant of the fact that our smiles, our words, our expressions, our support; each can make the difference to someone somewhere who is wrestling with a misfortune of life.

What Really Matters

We realize more than ever that all life will come to an end someday, that our existence in this world seems like a brief crack of light between two long periods of darkness, that death is certain and … wherever you are death will reach you [Q 4:78] ; that every day we live is a day further from our birth and every breath we breathe is a breath closer to death. As certain as we are about the occurrence of death, so uncertain are we about its timing and we are therefore instructed by the Prophet (pbuh), act as if every act could be your last.