Your Actions Will Be Exposed | Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda | Ep.4

The only way that you are confronted by your money on the Day of Judgment is either for it to testify against you because you used it wrong or for it to testify for you because you spent it right. Your family will flee from you because of the terror of the Day of Judgment or they will testify on your behalf because of the goodness that you did for them. Let's go back to renew in our hearts the sense of awe of يوم القيامة plus what gratitude to Allah that he has given us these names and these details and these colors and these textures to enable you and I to make that preparation and to not be caught off guard in any shape or way or form.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6520)

He said that I heard the Prophet ﷺ say that the people will be gathered on the Day of Judgment on reddish white land like a pure loaf of bread. He said or other than him ليس فيها معلم لأحد - There will be no landmark for anyone to make use of. So you long for the meeting with Allah.

You rush and chase after the things that will benefit you for that meeting. You don't worry about other people's journey, you worry about your own. And now you arrive at the land of the Day of Judgment, the land of the assembly and it is like a reddish white land, a pure loaf of bread with no landmarks at all.

Shaykh, what is the purpose of this hadith in this particular collection and what benefit can we derive from it? الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله. So maybe we can start with some of the key terms mentioned in the hadith just to unpack them. Though from the translation I think it's quite self-evident.

So the Prophet ﷺ describes the land, the plane of resurrection and he describes it as being بيضاء, he describes it as being بيضاء, meaning white. But then he says عفراء, which in the use of the modern day Arab, it's not so clear as per what it means. The linguists like Ibn Faris mention عفراء, it means خالصة البياض, imagine of utmost purity, white of the utmost purity.

Others have mentioned like Al-Qadi Ayyad that العفر, it's in reference to البياض المائل إلى الحمرة, meaning white that has a pinkish tinge to it, a hue of pink. So it's off red, this is the texture or this is the surface of يوم القيامة. كقرصة نقي, like a pure loaf or a disc of bread that has no brand or no impurity within it whatsoever.

And we've heard as well from one of the narrators, Sahl or somebody else, that it has no landmarks. So there's nothing that you can lean on. There's no trees that you can say this is city such and such or village such and such.

There are no hills, there is generally no shade, there are no dips, there's no valleys, there's nothing that you can clutch onto or hold or fiddle with. It's a pure land and it's not the land of this world. And that is why Ibn Hajar, he says commenting on this hadith, he said this hadith is a subtle dig at the life of this world.

He said it is a subtle dismissal of the life of this world. He said the fact that we have the description of يوم القيامة in this way is an indication that all connection has been severed to the life of this world. Meaning it is a brand new land.

Allah said on the day when the land will be replaced with another land and so will the heavens. The question here that poses itself is why does the plane of resurrection need to be of this purity? Why do we have these very specific descriptions? What does it mean to me as Ali or Sheikh Omar or yourselves my brothers? For us to know that this land is like a pure loaf of bread, that this land is pure, that this land has a pinkish hue to it. What does that do for you? The Prophet ﷺ not only doesn't speak in vain, but he also wouldn't say something unless it carries huge benefit, a transformational benefit for you.

The idea here is يوم القيامة will be a time and a place where the justice of Allah Almighty will be dispensed in a way that has never happened before. And so the earth is purified in a way to match the justice and the purity of what will be dispensed and distilled on that day. So the plane of resurrection is a land that has never seen a sin before.

No idol was worshipped here. No genocide has ever happened on this land. No trench was ever dug here. No child ever lost a limb. No bomb has ever erupted here. No ego was frustrated too. No sin has happened here. Why? Because the justice of Allah Almighty is about to be expressed here. And so the land matches the purity of what is going to happen.

And that is why the Prophet ﷺ said in another hadith which means that Allah will gather the first and last on a single plane of resurrection and so the caller will be heard by all and everybody will be seen by all. سبحان الله Shaykh, I got goosebumps as you were just talking about it because it is something like I actually want you to think about as you climb out your grave on the day of judgment and you see it. What a sight.

Now symbolically, there's so much that the ulema have derived from it. The main benefit that you will have nothing to benefit you because that is the reflection of Sahl himself who is the narrator of the hadith. The idea that not stained by our sins, your heart was once that pure place and it was stained by your sins. The black stone that we see at the Ka'bah was once pure but stained by the sins of man and so unstained.

But there's another benefit that some of the ulema mention that also comes to light. That when the sins are brought forth on that day, they are so pronounced because they are being brought forth upon a land that is unstained by them.

So just think of it this way, there are private sins that you may have been struggling with and that you're seeking help from Allah to overcome and you're hoping for his forgiveness and you really want to overcome them. And بإذن الله تعالى those will be sheltered and forgiven on the day of judgment. But then there are some people that think they're getting away with their sins and they're not getting away with their sins.

Allah has merely delayed the exposure and when they're brought out in 4k and on the day of judgment, it's so much more than that. They're there for everyone to see and there's nothing that can hide them. That's something for us to think about that just because you are concealed or you are immune to consequence or so you think for those sins in this world does not mean that they're not going to be brought back out and brought to light.

You know Shaykh you mentioned the genocide سبحان الله, imagine when everything is dug up from under the rubble, right? And that idea that it will speak, the rubble will speak, it will testify all of the secrets all of its أسرار will come out on that day and be brought out for everyone to see. So that's a reflection and there's another reflection that everything you've built on this earth is now gone. And this will really take us into the fifth hadith بإذن الله تعالى when we get there because there's an internal component to this and then there's an external component.

The reputation you've built, the house that you've built, the tribe that you've built, tribe in the broadest sense of the word, your friend group, the banners, everything that has been constructed in the external sense that you sought safety in is no longer there. And that's not just physical structures, right? Everyone is on an equal plane which represents an equal standard of accountability for everybody. And a lot of times we resort back to our safety nets. They're called safety nets and safety mechanisms.

And سبحان الله we connect this to the hadith of the family and the wealth walking away, right? Once they walk away from you at the time of the grave, the only way that you are confronted by your money on the day of judgment is either for it to testify against you because you used it wrong or for it to testify for you because you spent it right. Your family will flee from you because of the terror of the day of judgment or they will testify on your behalf because of the goodness that you did for them.

And so the same family and wealth that left you at the grave confront you on that day of judgment, on that white plane. And you have to now deal with the consequences or, بإذن الله تعالى, reap the rewards in plain sight on a plain field where Allah brings it all back.

Before we came to this place to film Sheikh Omar, there was, at least by the time we arrived for me, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing unexpected. Why? Because the team did such a huge job in briefing us about what to expect, the details of the weather, what type of clothes we should be wearing, the brothers who will be sat with us. When we arrived, there was no surprise and الحمد لله we feel quite well prepared to receive you and to work with you.

This links immensely to the hadith that we're covering now because you think to yourself what benefit is there for us to know that يوم القيامة is white and the added detail that it's just off red as well, off pink. How does that benefit me in my growth? A hadith like this and the many that we have in our collection should renew in our hearts the sense of awe of يوم القيامة but also be gratitude to Allah for briefing us about what to expect on that long day that will be 50,000 years just as we are grateful to those who briefed us about what to expect when we come here.

These details are so that you and I are not caught off guard and this is what Ibn Abi Jamrah by the way says Sheikh in his sharh to this hadith, in his commentary to this hadith, he says that this is a sign of the ability of Allah and his mercy upon creation that he gives them the details needed so that they are not shocked when they see يوم القيامة though there still will be a shock but no one can say I didn't know. And this is how we interpret the many names of the day of judgment that have been given to us in the Qur'an.

It's to help you develop an image, a 4k image of what to expect and therefore to lessen the shock and to increase the chances of success. So you come out يوم القيامة and you realize that this is a texture that your feet have never felt before and this is a sky you're not used to seeing, this is a new ceiling and you remember I read this

On the day when the earth will be replaced with another earth and so will be the heavens and they will emerge to Allah the one prevailer. And then you see people climbing out of their graves in their millions, in their billions and flesh is being connected to bones and the jinn are meeting with the angels and the animals are being resurrected with the humans and you remember, this is why Allah called it يوم الخروج, the day of emergence.

Listen Allah says when the caller will call from a nearby place when they will hear the call in truth, that will be the day of emergence. And as you see hearts beating in terror, you remember why Allah called this day الغاشية, the overwhelming event.

Has news come to you about the overwhelming event? And as eyes gape in horror you remember why it's called القارعة, another detail given in the Qur'an, the striking calamity.

Allah said the striking calamity. What is the striking calamity? What will make you know what the striking calamity is? When people will be like scattered moths. And mountains will be like dispersed tufts of wool.

And then regret begins to crawl up your body and you remember the time that was wasted and the habits that were not repented from and the salah that was missed and the advice that was overlooked. And then you begin to be consumed by حسرة. And you remember سبحان الله, Allah called it the day of regret.

Allah said, warn them of the day of regret when the matter will be decided. And then here Sheikh Omar, people start calling out, blaming one another. The followers are blaming who? The one who was followed. And the worshipped are blaming those who worship them. And the oppressed are calling the oppressor. You killed me. Come, I have an account with you. You remember. This is why Allah called it the day of calling.

The believer of Bani Israel or the believer at the time of Firaun, he said, Oh, my people, I fear for you the day of calling. And then people across all generations are coming together. You remember, I read this in the Qur'an. It is the day of meeting. يوم التلاق

Allah said, He's the owner of the high degrees. Owner of the majestic throne. Sending revelation by His command upon whom He wills from His slaves. Why? To warn of the day of meeting. On the day when they will be exhibited. Nothing of their deeds will be hidden before Allah. To whom this kingdom belong to on this day. It belongs to Allah, the One, the Prevailer.

Why do I mention this, brothers? Let's go back to renew in our hearts the sense of awe of يوم القيامة plus what? Gratitude to Allah that he has given us these names and these details and these colors and these textures to enable you and I to make that preparation and to not be caught off guard in any shape or way or form.

Three Key Reflections

I want to bring it back to three things إن شاء الله for you in this regard. Number one, the idea that every distress for the believer is followed by a relief in proportion to them.

So there's the distress of dying. We started off with من أحب لقاء الله whoever wants to meet Allah. For the believer, when they die and they experience the pain of those moments of death, there's a moment where their soul is taken to Allah and Allah writes it down. May Allah write us down in the highest scrolls. اللهم آمين. So there's a comfort.

The day of judgment which is far more severe than this moment of death. There is the fear and the trepidation of what takes place and the proceeding of the day of judgment and then there is the meeting with Allah in Jannah which will put all of that to ease. But you just have to make sure that you're on that climb. That's the point. Are you on that climb?

The second thing that I will mention is the shattering of this earth first. We talked about the illusions being shattered before the new realities being constructed. So imagine and of course the day of judgment تقوم على شرار خلق الله as the Prophet ﷺ said will be established on the worst of Allah's creation. The earth completely trembling. ما لها What's happening, right? Everything that you thought was stable not being stable, the stars falling from the sky, the galaxies crashing, all of it coming to show its reality and then a stable constructed earth where nothing will be lost or a constructed surface where nothing will be lost.

And the third thing that I want you to think about in conclusion, when you were born your book of deeds was empty. It was all white pages, right? Right now, no matter how old you are, you filled those pages with something. What's in your book right now? Because on the day of judgment you receive a book. You either get it in your right hand or you get it in your left hand.

You're either proud to open it up and to walk around through the day of judgment, through that plane of the day of judgment, هاؤم اقرؤوا كتابيه Everyone come read my book. These are the deeds you didn't know about but I was rewarded for. Or you're trying to hide the book behind your back because of the shame. What's in your book right now?

The hope though, and this is important, is that with أستغفر الله, a sincere استغفار, a sincere seeking forgiveness from Allah, no matter what bad deed is on those pages, it can be wiped out and in fact replaced by a good deed so long as it's repented for while you are still here. May Allah clear our record, clear our hearts and allow us on that day when the land is cleared to only have our good put forth. اللهم آمين. آمين. May Allah bless you.

Questions and Answers

May Allah bless you. We'll take questions. Are there any hadith about which people will be in the best positions on the day of judgment? Which groups of people or people that did certain actions?

There are multiple hadith about banners on the day of judgment. The banners of the truthful ones versus the banners of the deceitful. The legions of martyrs led by Hamza, سيد الشهداء, the master of the martyrs. And the المؤذنين, the people of Adhan led by Bilal, سيد المؤذنين.

There are so many different qualities and groups of people. There are those who will be amongst the ones that forgave when it was very difficult. And Allah, when he says:

That whoever forgives and reconciles, then his reward is with Allah. And as al-Hassan says, that on the day of judgment, there will be a point where no one will be asked to stand or allowed to stand up to receive the reward except for those who fit this ayah. من عفا وأصلح Those who forgave and those who reconciled.

The point is, is that you want to distinguish yourself enough with a good deed that you will be identified by that good deed on the day of judgment. That's your banner. You want to do that good deed to a point that it becomes a station and you become identified by that good deed. We're identified by our marks of wudu, by our salah, by our forgiveness, by our charity. By judging in truth the hadith of the seven that are shaded under the throne of Allah. Be distinguished by your good deed.

When people speak of you in this world after you are buried, let them bury you with that good deed. This was a person who was always in the masjid. This was a person that always used to give. This was a person that always used to do that. And then on the day of judgment, let Allah decorate you with that good deed. Any questions?

Is there anything in particular that defines people who will not be judged? Yeah, الحمد لله, there will be certain group of people who will meet Allah without a حساب. And this was mentioned in the Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abdullah ibn Abbas, where the Prophet ﷺ spoke about a group of 70,000 people who will enter Jannah without any prior accountability.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 218)

And he says that they are لا يسترقون. They don't request ruqya. They don't believe in omens. They don't cauterize themselves with fire. And upon their Lord, they rely.

Now, of course, these first three categories that you just heard about, these are legitimate means of treatment, right? Cauterization or ruqya or their likes. But the idea here is that their reliance upon Allah Almighty reached such a pinnacle that they don't ask for these things. So if somebody cauterizes them or treats them or somebody offers them ruqya, they don't reject it. It's not from the sunnah to reject it. But their reliance upon Allah and dependency is such that, what? They don't seek these things out.

And generally speaking, the fourth statement captures this and more, which is, and upon their Lord they rely. So that's in your trade, upon their Lord they rely. When they invest, upon their Lord they rely. When they are searching for marriage, they stay within the parameters of halal. Upon the Lord they rely. For such a people, Allah Almighty will give them access to Jannah without any prior accountability.

And of course, there are other categories, like the martyrs. And Nasa'i narrates in his sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ was asked a question,

(Sunan an-Nasa'i, Hadith 2055)

Ya Rasulullah, Messenger of Allah, Why is it that believers will be tested in their grave? Except the martyr. Why is he spared?

He said, because sufficient is the glimmering of swords over their heads in battle as a test. They've made the down payment. They've already tested in the life of this world and it costed them their lives. So why do they need to be tested again in their grave? That is another category who will be honored in this way on يوم القيامة. والله أعلم.