Ep.6 You Will Drown in Your Worst Deeds | Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda

If we allow ourselves to sink into sin in dunya, then we will drown on Judgment Day. 

In this episode of The Book of Heart Softeners, we reflect on the terrifying imagery of people drowning in their own sweat according to the weight of their deeds, while others are sheltered beneath the shade of their charity and sincerity. As the heat of the sun, the crowds of humanity, and the nearness of Jahannam converge, one question rises above all else: what have we prepared to protect ourselves on that Day?

This conversation explores the acts beloved to Allah—private charity, resisting temptation, tears shed in secret, love for His sake—and how small moments of sincerity become cooling shade when nothing else can offer relief.

Join Sh. Omar Suleiman and Sh. Ali Hammuda to remember that every sacrifice made for Allah in this world becomes shelter in the next.

Special thanks to Heenat Salma Farm for hosting and supporting this series, and to Caravane Earth for collaborating with us on this journey.

https://yaqeeninstitute.org

NOTE: Only vocals were used in the making of the soundtrack.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Shaidun Yom al-Qiyamah is absolute survival. And Shaidun Yom al-Qiyamah is a sign that Allah Almighty wants to give you Jannah.

SPEAKER_01 0:14

The second thing is, now the Prophet is giving you practical ways to construct your shelter on the Day of Judgment. We're not talking about building houses in Jannah yet. We're talking about constructing your shelter on the day of judgment. Abu Ray radiallahu anhu narrate that the Prophet said that the people will sweat so profusely on the day of judgment that their sweat will sink 70 cubits into the earth, and it will rise up until it reaches people's mouths and their ears. SubhanAllah, we have spoken about the idea of the land being bare. We've spoken about you being bare. So the land is bare, you are bare, and now this reality is about to be reconstructed, right? In accordance with your deeds, fully in accordance with your deeds. And when you think about the weather, what's the weather like, right? What's the atmosphere, right? And how that impacts you, both from a place of mood as well as from a place of comfort, right? There is weather that feels pleasant or looks pleasant, like when we talk about shade in Jannah, we're talking about comfort. But then there is weather that is severe, weather that actually impacts your very being. And I want to give you, just in the reconstruction of this reality, something that is so basic, inshaAllah, then Shaqhari, perhaps you can break this down for us, this idea of the sun and the sun being so close and what that actually means. Remember, as you were going to your grave, you were followed by two things that turned back. What were they? Your wealth and your children, right? Now, when it comes to your wealth, let's just take this very simple example. The Prophet said, Every single person has the shade of their charity until the people are separated. So there's one element of this, which is the equivalent of your personal shade on the day of judgment is your sadaqah, is the charity, is that which you spent. On the other hand, the Prophet mentioned that there will be people that will be swallowed into the ground. And those are specifically people that stole land from others. Right? So think about the difference, right? Your own elevation, you know, if you gave charity, you're being shaded from the sun. If you stole money, stole land from people, you're being swallowed into the earth. And the Prophet gave some other examples as well that relate to arrogance and oppression. When it comes to zakah, the Messenger of Allah tells us about people that did not pay zakah on their wealth, the right of the charity on that wealth, and that that treasure or that zakah is heated up and then it's branded on that person. So imagine with the heat of the sun, you also have heated metals on you as well, burning you as well. Okay, the Prophet mentioned someone who stole land, being suffocated or choked by that land. So you have this varying degree of both where the sun is in position to you, as well as where you are in position to the very land that you're standing upon. And the temperature is being controlled by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in accordance with what you gave, what you took, how you acted with what you had in terms of your possessions. Shaqhari, can you break down for us this whole idea of the closeness of the sun and the way that you are going to be interacting with the sun on that day?

SPEAKER_02 4:11

Alhamdulillah salatu wa sallam ala rasurillahi wa ala alihi wa sahabihiman wala. So one thing is to be afraid on the day of judgment. Another thing is to be drowning in your fear. That is the scene which this hadith illustrates for us. People who will be almost fully submerged in their own perspiration. And praise be to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, how two people can be side by side on Yom al-Qiyamah, one person shaded, enjoying this journey to paradise, and another person literally being gagged by their own perspiration. Today, sweat perspiration is a mercy from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It is a sign that your system is working, that your body is alive, that your existence is fighting for you. It's a sign of health. So you heat up, the hypothalamus sends a signal to your sweat glands, and all of a sudden droplets, as we know, begin to form on our body. And the idea is that with the evaporation of these droplets, heat is drawn away from our vital organs, from the heart, from the lungs, from the blood vessels. We cool down. And it is precisely this system that enables the athlete to cross the finish line without collapsing. And it enables the child to run in the summer months without passing out, and it enables us to survive fevers when we're ill. It's a protective mechanism from Allah. You perspire today, you say Alhamdulillah, it's a sign that you're alive and well. On Yom al-Qiyamah, we have a completely different image being illustrated here. People who are almost drowning in their own perspiration. And this isn't because of record-shattering rainfall. This is purely the product of human perspiration because several sources of heat that have all converged in one horrific way. And the most painful thing about this, brothers, is that there isn't anyone whom we can blame if we find ourselves experiencing this other than ourselves. Because there is another hadith that gives a vivid description of the perspiring that will happen in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Mikhdad, where the Prophet says, People will be submerged in their sweat on the day of judgment in accordance to their deeds, in accordance to their doings. And then he explains, listen to this illustration. He said, He said, Some people will be up to their ankles in sweat, some people up to their knees in sweat, other people up to their waist ties in sweat, and others will be completely submerged in perspiration. And the Prophet to illustrate this, to make it vivid, he pointed to his mouth, trying to stay above it just to breathe. Now, as you alluded to, Shaykh Omar, the heat of Yom Qiyamah is from several sources that have all come together. The first and most obvious of them is the sun. The sun today that hangs over our head by a distance of around, what is it, 93 million miles or so? And despite that, we can have heat waves today that can cause you to feel so dizzy or even pass out. And countries will have certain legislation about a certain temperature whereby if it exceeds it, then you're not legally allowed to be exposed to direct sunlight because it's just unhealthy. Here in Qatar, I think it's 32.1 degrees last time I checked. And that's a sun that is what? 93 million miles away from our heads. On Yom Qiyamah, the sun is brought forth. Kamiqdari meal, the distance of a meal in Arabic. And the narrator of this hadith says, I don't know what is meant by a meal. He said it's one of two. It's either the meal, the human distance, the mile equivalent, or it's the meal, which in Arabic is in reference to the stick that is used to apply kohal to the eye. And what is that? One or two inches. So that is the sun as source number one of the heat. And then you have the second source, which is the colliding of the many billions of bodies coming together on one plane of resurrection. They call today scientists this phenomena the heat domes. When many people come within a small area and people are breathing and colliding, it's suffocating. So extend that to all of the generations to have ever walked the earth, all appearing together on one space, the type of heat that will happen as a result of that. That's source number two. Then you have source number three. What is that, brothers? Any ideas? Jahannam. Which is another source of heat. Allah said, Waji ayum ma'in be Jahannam. On the day when we will bring the day we will bring the hell fire. That's the day when man will remember. But what will remember to do for him on that day? And Muslim narrates that the Prophet said, describing the moment that Jahannam arrives, he said, Jahannam will be brought on the day of judgment from 70,000 rains. And upon every one of those rains will be 70,000 angels bringing it. Allah said describing this moment in the Quran, when Jahannam sees them from a distance place, a distant place. Notice what Allah says. Not when you see Jahannam, when Jahannam sees you. So it's a creature that talks and breathes and speaks and feels and communicates when Jahannam sees them from a distant place. These are three sources of heat that converge in this horrific, terrifying way that shows that when we speak about shade on Yomul Qiyamah, this is not just a luxury. This is not an optional add-on. That would be nice. Shade unyomul qiyamah is sanity. Shade unyomul qiyamah is absolute survival. And shade unyomal qiyamah is a sign that Allah Almighty wants to give you Jannah, and that is the most promising aspect of the shade, not what it gives you just on Yom al Qiyamah, but it is a sign of what Allah has prepared for you after that shade.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

If you look at the impact of your actions here, first as they relate to others, you know, think about the coolness that charity brings to others, brings to their chest, right? The relief that it brings to their chest, right? Someone who's in debt and you pay off their debt, someone who owes you money and you forgive their loan. Think about how expansive their chest suddenly feels, right? They can breathe now because when you're in debt or when you're in poverty, you're suffocating. They can breathe now. On the other hand, think of someone that you're wronging, may Allah protect us, right? And burying someone in debt or stealing from someone and the way that they are suffocating due to the financial circumstances you are placing them in. So you are being paid back in a very specific way. And Allah, out of his mercy, by the way, and out of his justice, allows for some of these consequences to be felt in this life as well. So you give charity to someone, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala puts barakah, puts blessing in your wealth. And so as a result, your wealth increases, and so you find greater relief and greater joy in the wealth that you have here, greater shade, greater comfort from your wealth here. On the other hand, when a person steals or resorts to impermissible means, then they find that there is a loss of barakah in their wealth, there's a loss of blessing in their wealth. And as a result of that, it gives them no benefit, gives them no comfort, no joy. So there's a preview of sorts to the day of judgment. But beyond that, so your personal shade is your sadaqah, right? Beyond that, the Prophet mentions seven people that are shaded under the throne of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, seven categories of people. Now Imam ibn Hajj al Rahimullah ta'ala wrote a book on the different khisa, the different stations. Al-Mul Sulati ill allian, those that lead to the shade on the day of judgment. And he illustrates tens of categories that can be derived, but they all have a common theme. And the Prophet mentions to us these seven categories of people. So imagine on the day of judgment when it's not just your personal charity that is shading you, but it's the throne of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that is shading you. Okay? And the Prophet goes through and he mentions a just ruler. He mentions uh young people that grow up in the worship of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. I'll paraphrase for the sake of time. He mentions someone whose heart is attached to the masjid. He mentions two people who love each other only for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He mentions someone who is called by a woman of great beauty and status. And he said, no, I fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So someone who resists temptation. He mentions someone who gives charity in secret. And he mentions someone who sheds tears in secret. So these are the seven categories. Again, I'm going very quickly because I want to focus on the underlying theme. Ibn al-Kayyim Rahimallah says the underlying theme here is muhaalafatulhawa, that they all resisted something for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The just ruler resisted power. The young person that was called to adultery and fornication resisted lust. Someone resisted ego. Someone resisted greed, right? All of these forms of resisting temptation for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, holding yourself for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And now you find yourself after you've resisted recognition, resisted ego, resisted lust, resisted power. Now you're finding that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala brings you under His throne on the day of judgment. And imagine the view looking out and seeing everybody else sweating, drowning in their sweat, and you under the throne of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. There's something I want you to think about very practically here. Number one, you don't need to be special to fall into any of these categories. You just need to be sincere. None of these categories, or at least there is no person who can make the claim that they can't fall into any of these categories, right? Despite whatever wealth you may or may not have, position you may or may not have, right? Who can claim that they don't belong to any of these categories, or they can't belong to any of these categories? So that's the first thing I want you to think about here. The second thing is now the Prophet is giving you practical ways to construct your shelter on the day of judgment. We're not talking about building houses in Jannah yet. We're talking about constructing your shelter on the day of judgment. This is shade for survival, not serenity. Serenity will come in paradise with the nai sa'a under the coolness of those trees and under the coolness of that shade. This is survival. How do you build your shelter? Because this is a land that you will stand on for some time until you go on to your permanent destination. And you want to be prepared and bring it with you. You know, Shaykhari Subhanallah, when you go for Hajj, you see people that make the preparations for minna and muzdarifa, for example, and things of that sort, right? And that sleeping bag makes a world of difference if you brought it with you in Mzdarifa. You know? So what are you doing every day to construct that shade for yourself? And last thing I'll say, Shaykhari, I remember I asked one of my teachers, uh, where are the shuhada? Where are the martyrs? Because we've seen so many of these shuhada in Ghazza. And he said, Allah knows best, but the Prophet said that they are in chandeliers suspended from the throne of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So they're in a league of their own, right? They have their place. And when you talk about Muha Alafatul Hawawa resisting the desire to live, right, when they were faced with a situation where they put their lives on the line for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So, what have you resisted for the sake of Allah to where He will now provide you coolness on that day and His shade on that day when there is no shade except for His?

SPEAKER_02 17:18

There is a statement where they say that Ajiza Uminjin Salaman, as you sow, so shall you reap. It is the way of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that many a times the good deed that Allah Almighty offers, or the reward that He offers for a good deed, there is a connection between them. They match in one way or another. So, as was mentioned by Shaykh, that the undercurrent covering all of these seven categories is a certain heat that was suppressed in the life of this world. So the first of the seven categories, as you mentioned, al-imam ulad al-a just imam. The temptation is to not be just because you have the power to execute your will. He suppresses that heat. Go through all of the seven, you'll find the same theme. Young man whose heart was attached to the masjid. The temptation is to not be attached to the masjid because your life's ahead of you. He suppresses that heat. A person who was invited by a beautiful and high-ranking woman to commit what is impermissible. He suppresses that heat. So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala rewards this type of behavior. And because of that former suppression, Allah Almighty suppresses the heat of Yom al-Qiyamah for them because they've done that down payment already in the life of this world. Barakallahu fikum, let us see if we have any questions from yourselves.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

I can ask one question. Shaykh Ali, you mentioned that Jahannam is this creature that sees, hears, and speaks. When I feel a lot of us think of Jahannam, we just think of a big fire. Is there any hadith, narration, or verse that kind of clarifies what Jahannam really is?

SPEAKER_02 19:02

Yeah, Jahannamat ubilla is anything but a pure furnace or simply a chaotic ball of fire. Rather, it is a very sophisticated creature of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that has a voice, it has a neck, it has eyes. On Yom al Qayyama, we have been told that a neck of Jahannam will crane forth and it will look over into people on the plane of resurrection and it will tell people whom it is preparing itself for. We know of the colour of Jahannam, we know of the many names of Jahannam, we know of the heat of Jahannam, we know of the different ways that it punishes its people both physically and psychologically. And no doubt this is one of the many aspects that helps a Muslim stay in line, a constant reminder, not just of what paradise is, but especially when a person is in the former years of his or her life, to also remember that there is a destination called Jahannam. And though it's not very popular today to speak about it, it is one of the two or one of the many Islamic concepts that should be revived in our hearts time and time again.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

Remember fear and hope. If you only talk about Jannah, then you're at risk of delusion. Right? When you ask like us, uh subhanAllah psychologically, fear tends to motivate us to the point of survival. Hope tends to push us to acts of excellence. When you think about fear of consequences in your own life, if I don't do this, this is what will happen to me. That gets you to the bare minimum of survival. But then talking about Jannah is where you think about the extra rewards, the extra sabaka, the extra, you know, recitation of this dhikr and that dhikr. But sometimes fear of failure is the necessary motivation that you need to fall in line and to not end up facing those consequences.