Title of the Sermon: The Final Test
Elements of the Sermon:
The last trial the believer will face
Faith is what grants steadfastness during questioning in the grave
Righteous deeds are the believer’s companion
The sleep of peace or the life of misery?
All praise be to Allah, who, out of His mercy, has made faith beloved to His close servants and has made them firm upon it in the face of trials and the legions of disbelief. And by His justice, He has led the people of falsehood astray, and so they have earned loss. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is the servant and messenger of Allah. May Allah send abundant peace and blessings upon him.
To proceed:
I advise you, servants of Allah, to have true taqwā of Allah and to remain mindful of Him in both public and private, for He says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
﴾O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims. ﴿ [Āl ʿImrān: 102]
Servants of Allah:
Salman al-Fārisi (may Allah be pleased with him) once passed by a group of Muslim guards stationed on a frontier of Islam. They were defending Islam and its people in the path of Allah, and it seemed that fatigue and hardship had overcome them. So he brought them glad tidings with the words of the leader of all prophets and warriors, our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ.
He said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘Standing guard for one day and night in the path of Allah is better than fasting and praying for a whole month. And if he dies while in this state, the deeds he used to do will continue for him, his provision will continue to be granted, and he will be safe from the trial (of the grave).’” [Reported by Muslim]
What a great virtue there is in standing guard for Allah’s cause! How beautiful it is for a Muslim to die as a martyr or a murābiṭ (guard) in the path of Allah!
Why is that? Because the martyr and the murābiṭ are safe from the fitnah (trial) of the grave.
A man once asked the Prophet ﷺ:
“O Messenger of Allah! Why is it that the believers are tested in their graves, except for the martyr?”
He replied: “The flash of the swords over his head is enough of a trial.” [Reported by al-Nasāʾī]
Do you know what trial this is? It is the final test.
The Prophet ﷺ described it, saying: “It is the last trial that will be presented to the believer.” [Reported by Aḥmad]
Every soul—believer, hypocrite, disbeliever, and evildoer—will face this test. All will be questioned. But only the one whom Allah grants firmness will remain firm.
That’s why, whenever the Prophet ﷺ completed the burial of a dead person, he would stand by the grave and say: “Seek forgiveness for your brother and ask for him to be made firm, for he is now being questioned.” [Reported by Abū Dāwūd]
What will you be asked about, O servant of Allah? And who are the ones who will question you? And how will you respond?
As for the ones who will question you—they are two angels. The Prophet ﷺ described them, saying: “They are two angels, black and blue—meaning extremely dark. One of them is called Munkar, and the other is Nakīr.” [Reported by al-Tirmidhī]
So how will your heart feel at that moment? Will it be gripped with fear or filled with peace?
As for the believer, he will sit up without fear or panic. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave us this glad tiding in a hadith reported by Ibn Mājah.
As for the questions, the Prophet ﷺ told us clearly what they will be. When the believing servant is placed in his grave, “Two angels come to him and make him sit, and they ask him:
‘Who is your Lord?’
He replies: ‘My Lord is Allah.’
They ask: ‘What is your religion?’
He replies: ‘My religion is Islam.’
They ask: ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’
He replies: ‘He is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’” [Authentic narration]
Not only will you be asked these three—about your Lord, your religion, and your Prophet—but also about how you knew the answers. Who taught you? What made you certain?
The angels will ask: “And what made you aware of this?”
As for the true believer, the one with certainty in his heart, he will say: “I read the Book of Allah, believed in it, and affirmed it.” [Reported by Ibn Mājah]
He will say regarding the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “He brought us clear proofs from Allah, so we believed in him.”
This is the believer whose entire life was a testimony to the verse:
أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِي رَبًّا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ
﴾ Shall I seek a lord other than Allah, while He is the Lord of all things? ﴿ [al-Anʿām: 164]
He had no lord besides Allah—he testified with his heart and tongue, and his actions proved it. He believed that no one created him, sustained him, or controlled his affairs except Allah. He knew no deity worthy of obedience, submission, and worship other than Allah.
He accepted Islam as his religion and way of life. He surrendered to all its rulings—completely—without objection or selective practice.
He believed in all the prophets and messengers and in the seal of them all—Muḥammad ﷺ. He followed no one else. He knew the truth through evidence. He read the Qur’an and saw its signs, its proofs shining brightly. So he testified with knowledge and certainty, and Allah made him firm because of his faith.
Have you not heard the words of Allah, the Most High:
يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ وَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الظَّالِمِينَ وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ
﴾ Allah makes firm those who believe with the firm word, in this worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allah leads the wrongdoers astray, and Allah does what He wills. ﴿ [Ibrāhīm: 27]
The Prophet ﷺ explained this verse, saying: “When the Muslim is questioned in the grave, he bears witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah. That is the meaning of Allah’s saying: ‘Allah makes firm those who believe with the firm word in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.’” [Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim]
This is absolute certainty—free of doubt and hesitation. That is why the two angels respond to him saying: “You lived upon certainty, and you died upon it, and—if Allah wills—you will be resurrected upon it.” [Reported by Ibn Mājah]
But as for the disbeliever, the hypocrite, and the evildoer—the angels make him sit, but he sits in fear and terror. What peace can there be for one who never found peace in Allah? One who was content with this worldly life and found reassurance only in it?
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The wicked man is made to sit in his grave, terrified and alarmed.” [Reported by Ibn Mājah]
Do you think he will respond? Will he be firm in that moment?
How could he? He never truly believed, nor did he walk the straight path.
The two angels ask him:
“Who is your Lord?”
He stammers: “Hah, hah… I don’t know.”
“What is your religion?”
“Hah, hah… I don’t know.”
“Who is the man who was sent among you?”
“Hah, hah… I don’t know.”
[Reported by Abū Dāwūd]
He says: “I used to say what the people used to say.” [Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim]
Do you know why he did not know? Why he failed the test?
It is because his faith was false—full of doubt and hesitation. It was hypocrisy, deception, a heart that wavered between the ideas of those who earned Allah’s wrath and those who went astray.
That is why the angels say to him: “You lived upon doubt, and you died upon it, and—if Allah, the Exalted, wills—you will be resurrected upon it.” [Reported by Ibn Mājah]
O you who believed and acted righteously, who lived a life of obedience to your Lord and Master—rejoice! For your righteous deeds will be your companion and your comfort. They will surround you from all sides and protect you from harm.
Have you not heard the words of the Prophet ﷺ: “When the believer is laid in his grave, and his companions turn away and he hears the sound of their footsteps, his prayer comes to his head, his fasting to his right, his zakāh to his left, and all the acts of goodness from charity, maintaining family ties, kindness, and good treatment of others come to his feet. Then, when punishment approaches from the head, the prayer says: ‘There is no entry from my side!’ Then it approaches from the right, and fasting says: ‘There is no entry from my side!’ Then it comes from the left, and zakāh says: ‘There is no entry from my side!’ Then it comes from the feet, and the acts of goodness say: ‘There is no entry from our side!’”
[Reported by Ibn Ḥibbān]
These righteous deeds take the form of a man with a beautiful face, fragrant scent, and fine clothing. He says: “Rejoice in the honor and everlasting bliss from Allah! I am your righteous deeds. By Allah, you were quick to obey Allah and slow to disobey Him. May Allah reward you with good.” [Reported by Aḥmad]
So ask yourself, O servant of Allah: Are you like that? Quick to obey Allah, slow to disobey Him?
Beware that you do not end up like the other one—the one who is approached by a hideous-looking man, with filthy clothes and a foul odor, who says: “Rejoice in disgrace from Allah and everlasting punishment! I am your wicked deeds. You were slow to obey Allah and quick to disobey Him. May Allah reward you with evil.”
[Reported by Aḥmad]
May Allah bless me and you through the Noble Qur’an, and benefit us from its wise reminders and signs.
I seek forgiveness from Allah for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness—for He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Second Sermon
All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his family, his companions, and all those who follow him with loyalty and sincerity.
To proceed:
Have you ever heard of the peaceful sleep of a newlywed?
That is the sleep of the believing servant, the one whose heart is filled with certainty, whom Allah makes firm through his faith and comforts with his righteous deeds. The Prophet ﷺ describes his state after Allah grants him firmness with the “firm word,” saying: “A caller from the heavens calls out: ‘My servant has spoken the truth. So furnish his grave with bedding from Paradise, open for him a gate to Paradise, and clothe him from the garments of Paradise.’ Then its breeze and fragrance come to him, and his grave is expanded as far as his eyes can see.” [Reported by Abū Dāwūd]
Can you imagine the dark and desolate grave? All of its darkness will be replaced with light. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Then his grave is illuminated for him. And it is said to him: ‘Sleep!’ He says: ‘Let me return to my family and inform them.’
But the angels say: ‘Sleep like the sleep of a newlywed—one whom only the most beloved of people would awaken—until Allah resurrects you from your resting place.’” [Reported by al-Tirmidhī]
As for the disbeliever, the hypocrite, and the evildoer, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ tells us what happens after Allah misguides him due to his injustice and hypocrisy. He ﷺ said: “A caller from the heavens calls out: ‘He has lied. So furnish his grave with bedding from Hell, clothe him from the garments of Hell, and open for him a gate to Hell.’
Then its heat and poisonous air reach him.” [Reported by Abū Dāwūd]
And what happens next? “Then he is struck between his ears with an iron hammer, and he screams a scream that everything near him hears—except for mankind and jinn.”
[Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim]
And that is not all. The Prophet ﷺ said: “His grave is then compressed upon him until his ribs interlock. That is the constricted life which Allah spoke of when He said:
فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَى
﴾ And whoever turns away from My remembrance, indeed he will have a constricted life, and We will raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection ﴿ [Ṭāhā: 124] [Reported by Ibn Ḥibbān]
O servants of Allah!
The grave is the first station of the Hereafter. So prepare yourselves for this test!
Al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at a funeral, and he sat down at the edge of the grave and began to weep until the earth beneath him became wet with his tears. Then he said:
‘O my brothers, prepare yourselves for something like this!’” [Reported by Ibn Mājah]
O Allah, make our graves among the best of our resting places, and by Your mercy, protect us from the trial of the grave and its punishment.
O Allah, make us firm with the firm word when we are questioned.
O Allah, we seek refuge in Your might—there is no god but You—from being led astray.
You are the Ever-Living who never dies, while the jinn and mankind all shall die.
O Allah, support Islam and honor the Muslims, and destroy the criminal aggressors among the Jews.
O Allah, send tranquility into the hearts of the mujahidīn in Your cause.
Deliver Your oppressed servants and raise high the banner of Your religion, O Mighty, O Strong.
O Allah, grant us safety in our homelands, and guide our leaders and those in authority over us.
Grant that leadership be entrusted to those who fear You, seek Your pleasure, and uphold justice.
Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
