Extra Seats In Heaven & Hell

After praising Allah azza wa jal and testifying to his unique oneness and to the finality of Prophethood being in Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and after reminding myself I knew of the Taqwa of Allah. And welcome my brothers and sisters to the house of Allah subhanho wa taala.

Brothers and sisters, any one of you and I'm sure there are many who has gone through a sudden near death experience.

They often say we often say that it's hard to describe the feeling you have in the moments you realize you're still alive. Like I actually dodged the bullet, my life actually flashed before my eyes and I'm still here. The exhilaration that comes with that the relief, the clarity, the gratitude.

I'll never forget my very first car crash was a was a horrific one car flipped on the highway and spun out and had to climb out of the back windshield. You almost can't believe it, like I actually made it I actually survived there was actually By Allah's grace, no scratch, but you can't actually put into words the experience, how ecstatic you are. And the reason I mentioning this is that, you know, the past

few days, I've been reflecting on a theme that you find in the Quran and the Sunnah about the hereafter, that

of the perfect completeness of the pleasure, the delight,

the Felicity and joy you find in Jana in paradise, is the fact that you just miss the fire, and there actually was a seat in the fire literally with your name on it.

And that you didn't land in that seat. You see, we know from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is one of the people of paradise go to Paradise, and the people of the fire go to the fire, there's going to be empty seats remaining in heaven and hell, because there is a seat for each of us in both places.

And so when the people of Jenna go to Jana, there happens a redistribution of the property, and you inherit the seats that weren't filled.

And likewise in the fire, there's going to be a redistribution of the estate of the territories because of the seats that were not filled.

And so this just as it will increase the people of the fire in anguish, it will also compound the exhilaration for the people of paradise, not just that I have a bigger estate, but that was my spot. And I don't have to go there. And this is captured best or most elaborately in the Quran, at least in sort of a soft fat. You know, and you have to hear the Ayah from a few if prior because the context is very telling. It's an elaborate description of the completeness of the experience.

Allah azza wa jal speaks about the torment. Then he says Illa rebels Allahu Klaasen and exempt from this are the most devoted cert servants of God. Hula econda Whom risco maloom for them will be a very well known no secret about it an exclusive provision they're gonna be provided with something exceptional. And then he goes on to list some of it and he says fair like it's gonna involve fruits, fruits like you've never imagined.

Well whom McGraw moon and they will all be honored and distinguished and prestige they're in. This is one of the things they will have Allah Azza Genesis fee Jannati name and they will be enjoying meadows and gardens of pure delight.

Isla pseudo remoter Karbolyn and they will be sitting in these gardens on cushions, no labor, everyone's reclining. Sudo. And then he says moods have Karbolyn and they will all be facing each other. Like not just Are you relaxed physically, but even emotionally you will not see the back of anybody's head. No one's going to walk away from you. There's going to be no disputes, there's going to be no more separations. You're not even going to have uncertainty is that so and so you're always facing each other in a way that will only be pleasurable. Allah azza wa jal describes it as pseudo remota Karbolyn then he says you will call for a lay him because see me mine and then there will be

distributed you get served you don't get up. Distributed. Among them are cats wineglasses. A cats is a container for drink, and especially for nectar and wine. distributed among them are goose cats made out of marine

Rain is a running stream and endless float. The streams erupt where you want them to for refills from a flowing stream Bay law letting the sheriff be in the law and the Arabic language means something radiant are glowing so the drink that you're drinking that comes out of these streams will be glowing

will be like a starlit sky

and delicious to all those who drink it he said meaning there's no debate on I don't like this one. Can I get another one? It's delicious to every last one who consumes it? May Allah Allah certainly Sherry Bean, and then he says laughy have Hold on. Well whom and how you in the phone? It involves no harm. Notice he's covering every quality. He's disqualifying every defect. This drink what else is its description. It involves no harm to not harm your head. You won't get disoriented, intoxicated, go bump your head or like fall over and none of that it will be if we can use this phrase a harmless high a harmless euphoria.

Level don't fear it has no harm it will not harm your head nor will it harm your body it will not you know poison your organs like alcohol does. It will not cause you the the nausea that comes with the hangover after you're done drink none of it no harm in it. While at home I can hear you on the phone. Nor will it ever be interrupted. There's no like seasons and sales and discounts and access and none enough no gatekeeping no limitations no interruptions while at home and hang the phone. Then he says why in the home called zero to 13. And they will have and this is in particular to the men because they conquered their greatest desire which is the desire for women. For them he says is

caught us in auto part of fear in our in our wide eyed brights and this is of what appeals to a man almost a universal appeal. wide eye but he says there cost there are too tough women whose eyes are not just beautiful but downcast. And that's every man's dream for his wife to not look at any man in the universe but him wives with wide eyes that are downcast with their gazes lowered care and who never you don't Maknoon as if they are guarded pearls. You know women wear pearls to beautify themselves.

The women in Jannah the believing women and the wives they will be the pearls. They will not need pearls though they will have all the jewelry they desire. But they are going to be like this prize the jewel that here in this world, we go to the bottom of the ocean to find that perfect Pearl within the shells.

And then Allah goes on to see after all of that. Here's the part about the seat I could have had the friends that could have sent me elsewhere.

For Apple Bella bow to whom that's the context now in the context of covering all of the bases of bliss of the bliss is one of them walks up to another for acapella Babu whom you know,

and he asked them a question. He says Ana in the canary is called Corinne. I used to have a friend, somebody's not here. I used to have a friend someone I knew, friend, colleague, associate whatever, spouse, may Allah forbid, but I used to have a friend. You have Kulu in Nicola middle, Musa Duquesne. And he used to say to me, you are actually of those who believe you actually believe in God. You actually believe in religion, you believe in the hereafter? At either? mitzner What Kuhn Turabian whatever. I'm in lmrda noon, the verses continue to report to us the badgering he will recall, he used to tell me, you claim that after we die and decompose and become Deus, God's gonna

put us back together again and interrogate us. Are you crazy? You actually believe God, someone's gonna do that to us.

God, and tomato, Leone, and this man in paradise says to the people he's speaking to in paradise, won't you look, look where look into the hellfire. It will actually be a dimension of the pleasure they will see it in a way that will cause them no harm because now they're in Jannah.

So for Thala Ferrara who FISA injure him, and so he will look and of course, they will look to because everybody is agreeable and Jana, but he will look and he will see his friend in the midst the ISSP Salwa dead center of the fire, meaning surrounded by torment from every angle, may Allah protect us and you and then what is he say the exhilaration of realizing you escaped right what I began the whole day with he will see

Allah Tala Hain Ketola total Dean, he will say by Allah, you almost dragged me down with you.

I almost believed you. I almost doubted. I almost gave into the pressure, the harassment, the jokes, the rolling of the eyes I almost gave in. I almost buckled you almost to Dean means pulled me down. While Oh learning to rugby, like when to middle my body and worried not for the favor of my Lord. It wasn't my wit. It wasn't just like a strike of random luck or fortune. Were it not for the favor of my Lord. I would have been of those present meaning in there with you.

And then he says to himself, listen to this passage. FMR. NanoBeam 18.

Are we really not going to die in Jannah now he almost can't believe it. Is it really over? Is the fight finally over? Are we really not gonna die Illa Melton, Allah woman, the bean aside from our first death on we already died, and we're actually never going to get tormented again. No torment in the fire or even emotionally he there's no more torment. There's no more ill.

And then he concludes by saying in had the whole fellows love them, this is certainly the greatest success limitedly had polyamory, Cameroon, and let for this every worker work. This is what deserves energy. This is what deserves focus and attention

to lock that image in because there are other images. And you can reflect on the flip side, even if the I don't spell it out. Imagine someone as some have called it the most tragic story imaginable. Imagine someone in the Hellfire who notices empty seats. And he says where are my friends? And they say to him after you die, they repented they became better people. You're here alone. Imagine that. May Allah forbid. You know, our dean doesn't let us wait for sort of modern studies and empirical data about social conditioning and we're all products of our environment. It told you listen, don't lie to yourself, you and everyone knows deep down inside you approve of those you hang out with you

approve of it. And if you approve of it, that means you will not be very far from mimicking it replicating it in yourself or else why do you tolerate being there unless exceptional case you had to be there. But if you get complacent with this, you will not be able to resist the impact it will have on you even the Arab even before Islam before the Quran and Sunnah even this was common knowledge any honest person was they used to say the Arab or Sua Haibo said hey, you're a Sahib. Whoever you keep close your companion is your sag will pull you down. It is involuntary, this unconscious it cannot be resisted. And they used to even say Don't tell me who you are. Tell me who

your friends are. I'll tell you who you are. And better than that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to say, Allahu Allah, Dini Khalili, the human being will always be on the same religious levels, commitments trajectory of their closest circle, Khalil is the closest side right? Whoever you keep closest you will follow their religious path.

You know, this is so true when they say like, you will be the sum of the five closest people to you. Guaranteed.

Or, you know, so many people are critical of certain behaviors, conduct that their parents have qualities. You just wait,

the things you detest, even not just those you like, meaning it's unconscious, that'll be used soon enough. So much of that will be used soon enough.

And think of also life partners, the choice of marriage, this is a choice of your future. There'll be nothing after Islam that boosts you up or drags you down. Like the person you choose to lock yourself behind four walls with,

you know, youth many times with good intentions that I do understand the struggle, and I do try to help out wherever I can. But they just they they're superficial about the way you think about it in very dangerous ways. Technically, I can marry her right? Yeah, technically, you can marry her. And technically you can get hit by lightning and still survive. It's not something you should bank on.

Even if she were to agree, even if she were Muslim, and to promise you that the kids are fine. Yeah, we're gonna make sure they're missing. If she's not practicing Islam, and you're above

against Islamic need to be the spender then who's going to teach them Islam. Exactly. Right? Forget the kids, you yourself, you yourself, who's going to wake your preferred if you don't wake up refreshed on your own and your spouse doesn't wake up refreshed on her own, which one is going to wake the other up? And that's it. That would be the end of it. There are people that have come so far in their Deen mashallah, because they insisted on choosing someone that's just a little bit better than them in the commitment to help them.

There has to be some sort of compatibility but a little better. They looked upwards when it came to Dean.

There are so many brothers who chose to come to the message, you see, you don't think it's a big deal. But when will you and him have the same reference point your brother from the message, let's meet at Asia, that's a decision about a lifestyle that affects your whole course of your living, we're going to meet it the Asia means we're gonna meet other people also brain Asia, which means our friends might know each other and choose 1000s from each other. And there's probably going to be a good deed to be learned here or a charity to collaborate on, or we're going to pray for each other we're gonna memorize for and it changes everything.

And likewise, if you surround yourself with people to tell you, yes, the girl across the classroom with a guy, I think they're a good match for you, that will affect the course of your life. So far, I have very good friends in my life, who went through very difficult times. Despite being more committed to the dean than me. As soon as they got blindsided by the culture of their work. There was a blur between I have to be here it's my job and what happens before and after hours.

And everything that you're imagining they fell into so many people

allowed their guard to be down with colleagues that would badger them about the truth of Islam and they dismissed it one time and two times and 10 times and 20 times till finally it happens right? They're like no that one can't be I gotta go check that one out. And so the wedge the chink in the armor happened, and then it becomes a very different path later on.

You cannot choose whether or not your friends impact you. You can only choose who your friends are going to be.

A whole lot Holly has stuck for a lot all the money welcome.

Alhamdulillah who either are salatu salam ala moana, Viva shadow Allah, Allah illallah wa hola Sharika who are shadow under Muhammad and Abijah? Who whenever you who are solo.

And of course Allah azza wa jal made it very clear that those who are not careful with who they pick, as friends will be those that have unimaginable regrets and settle for con he said Subhana Allah to Allah ye oh my god, the volume or Allah date.

The day that the wrongdoer you know, when you're upset, remorseful, you bite onto your finger or your nail, Allah azza wa jal in the exaggerative tense, it is a figure or rhetoric convention of rhetoric to explain to you just how severe he says the person will be biting onto their entire hand,

like a superlative expression, biting his own hand his whole hand, saying, I wish I followed Allah and His Messenger, I wish I had not taken so and so is my friend. Those are the two top regrets.

And he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to you that the good friend from the bad friend, the good associate companion colleague, whatever it's going to be from the bad one is like the perfume cellar, and the blacksmith, they will impact you. He said, The perfume seller will either sell you something, or they're going to gift you something, or at least you're going to enjoy just inhaling the fragrance, some good is going to come out of it. No way around it. And the blacksmith as well for the bad friend, they're either going to burn your clothes

or they're going to burn you or you're just going to experience a horrible congestion from the smoke in that area. So that is how it's going to be so collect like treasures, those who you keep close.

Those that will protect you from destroying yourself and help you build out yourself and pray for you in your absence and attend for you your janazah and send those beautiful messages we always see around about starting an ongoing charity for you after you're gone build out through your Athleta and intercede for you on the Day of Judgment in sha Allah Allah. May Allah azza wa jal grant us the best companions in this life and the next make us of those that are exhilarated for discovering we escaped our seats in the fire on the last day Allahumma Amin, may we and all of our loved ones be of those whose Felicity and joy is compounded many times over when we meet Allah azza wa jal make it a

blessing and beautiful reunion with unending bliss and relief