Fajr Thoughts: Nearness to Him Part 18

The Ultimate Account.

In the name of Allah, the entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful

لِيَجزِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَحسَنَ ما عَمِلوا وَيَزيدَهُم مِن فَضلِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَرزُقُ مَن يَشاءُ بِغَيرِ حِسابٍ

وَالَّذينَ كَفَروا أَعمٰلُهُم كَسَرابٍ بِقيعَةٍ يَحسَبُهُ الظَّمـٔانُ ماءً حَتّىٰ إِذا جاءَهُ لَم يَجِدهُ شَيـًٔا وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفّىٰهُ حِسابَهُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَريعُ الحِسابِ ‎

That Allah may reward them [according to] the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty. And Allah gives provision to whom He wills without account. But those who disbelieved - their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing but finds Allah before Him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allah is swift in account. (24:37-38)

There is that moment in life when what we thought was real dissolves before us, like a mirage in the desert. One minute, we were convinced, utterly convinced, that we were walking toward something substantial, worth the effort, only to find it vanish at the very moment we reached.

The heart aches. SubhanAllah!

Allah paints this imagery and with the contrast in the two ayats, the picture is even more clear, balanced. One speaks of immense reward, limitless bounty, and the ultimate generosity, the other, of profound loss, deception, and ultimate reckoning

One is a path of sincere effort, multiplied in reward beyond measure, the other, a road of deception, where everything sought after turns to dust.

The mirage disappears, but what remains?

"But he finds Allah before him."

The traveler with the mirage does not find what he was chasing. He does not find fulfilment. He does not find escape. He finds Allah, waiting. Not with comfort, not with reassurance, but with an account in full.

Al-Haseeb - He is the ultimate accountant, keeps score and He is swift in account. And at this point, their is no delay, no second chances, no undoing.

This is a reality we cannot escape: all roads lead to Him, eventually.

Whether we have spent our lives chasing illusions or striving sincerely, we will meet Him in the end. The question is, in what state will we arrive?

Will we come forth with hands full of deeds that Allah multiplies beyond measure?

Or will we stand empty, parched, realizing too late that what we sought was never real?

The mirage was not the tragedy. The tragedy was thinking it was water.

The tragedy was never preparing for the moment when all illusions would disappear, and only Allah would remain, because He is always going to remain.

And that poor traveller in the desert reaches the water and finds no water, and is still thirsty. SubhanAllah!

Ya Allah, do not make us among those who chase mirages, who think they will find water, only to find nothing but Your reckoning. And if our hearts are attached to what does not benefit, let it fade like a mirage and bring us back to you before it is too late.

If you would like to reflect on least one ayah daily this blessed month, then go ahead and get your copy of Fajr Thoughts. It contains a summary of each juz, an ayah or passage from each juz, some notes from tafasir and then some questions to get you started on your reflections.