Sermon Title: The Ever-Living Who Never Dies
Elements of the Sermon:
Allah, the Ever-Living, Who gives life and causes death.
The fruits of believing in Allah, the Ever-Living.
The believer lives by Allah and for Allah.
All praise is due to Allah, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence. Exalted is He—the One who never dies, the One who never sleeps. He gives life and causes death. By Him we live, by Him we die, and to Him is our final return. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him in abundance.
To proceed:
Fear Allah, dear servants of Allah, as He deserves to be feared, and be mindful of Him in private and in public. Allah 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,
There was a day when everything in Madinah became dark—the day the Muslims suffered their greatest loss: the death of the Messenger of Allah (r).
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allah be pleased with him, stood like a roaring lion, unable to accept the news, saying: “By Allah, the Messenger of Allah has not died! And Allah will surely bring him back to cut off the hands and feet of some men!”
Then Abū Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, entered, uncovered the face of the Messenger of Allah, kissed him, and went out to the people. He praised Allah and glorified Him, then said: “Whoever used to worship Muhammad, then Muhammad has died. But whoever worships Allah, then Allah is Ever-Living and never dies.” He then recited:
إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَيِّتُونَ
“Indeed, you (O Muhammad) will die, and they too will die.” [al-Zumar: 30]
Indeed, Allah alone is the Ever-Living who never dies.
His life is complete and perfect, while every other living being has a life that is incomplete.
His life is eternal—without beginning, without end, unaffected by any weakness or deficiency, and never ending in death.
He is the Lord of all creation, the Ever-Living who is never overtaken by drowsiness or sleep. He is far above any illness or death. Allah says:
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
“Allah—there is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence.” [Āl ʿImrān: 2]
The Prophet (r) said: “Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, does not sleep, and it is not befitting for Him to sleep.” (Reported by Muslim)
He is the Ever-Living who remains while all else perishes. Allah says:
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ * وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
“Everyone on earth will perish, but the Face of your Lord, full of majesty and honor, will remain.” [al-Raḥmān: 26 - 27]
He is the Ever-Living, the Giver of life. He created death and life. He gives life and causes death. He revives the earth after its lifelessness. Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَى يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَمُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتِ مِنَ الْحَيِّ ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ فَأَنَّى تُؤْفَكُونَ
“Indeed, Allah is the One who splits the seed and the date stone. He brings forth the living from the dead and brings forth the dead from the living. That is Allah; so how are you deluded?” [al-An’ām: 95]
Because Allah is the Ever-Living who never dies, He alone is the true God. Every other claim to divinity is false. How can a god be one who sleeps, falls ill, or dies? Allah says:
هُوَ الْحَيُّ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَادْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ
“He is the Ever-Living; there is no god but Him, so call upon Him, being sincere to Him in religion.” [Ghāfir: 65]
Every so-called god besides Allah was once nothing and was brought into existence by Allah. How can anyone who is overcome by death be considered a god?
Every false deity that is worshiped besides Allah possesses neither the power of life nor death, nor the power to resurrect. Allah says:
وَالَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَا يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ * أَمْوَاتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَاءٍ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ
“Those whom they call upon besides Allah create nothing; rather, they themselves are created. They are dead, not alive, and they do not know when they will be resurrected.” [al-Naḥl: 20 - 21]
He describes them further, saying:
وَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا وَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ مَوْتًا وَلَا حَيَاةً وَلَا نُشُورًا
“They possess no power to harm or benefit themselves, nor do they have power over death, life, or resurrection.” [al-Furqān: 3]
Since Allah alone is the Giver of life and the Creator of death, the One who gives life and causes death, He alone deserves to be worshiped. He alone deserves that all creation submit to Him in obedience.
And because He is the Ever-Living who never dies, He alone is worthy of being relied upon. He alone deserves that the servant entrusts all his affairs to Him. How could anyone place their trust in a fellow creature, who like them, is overtaken by sleep and defeated by death? Allah says:
وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لَا يَمُوتُ
“Put your trust in the Ever-Living who never dies.” [al-Furqān: 58]
The Prophet (r) would supplicate, saying: “You are the Ever-Living who never dies, while the jinn and mankind will die.” (Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim)
We place our trust in our Ever-Living Lord, the One who alone controls our life and our death. No one else holds the power to give you life or take it away except Him.
He alone has written the span of your life, and no one can shorten it by even a single moment, no matter what means they have.
The Prophet (r) said: “Allah created every soul and wrote its lifespan, its provision, and its trials.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhī)
The believers go out to fight the disbelievers, standing firm without fleeing, because they believe that life belongs to Allah alone, and only He can take it away.
Have you not heard the story of the boy from the People of the Ditch? The tyrant king tried to kill him by sending him with his soldiers—first to be thrown off a mountain, then to be drowned in the sea. Yet every time, the boy returned to the king unharmed, lifting his head high, simply because Allah had decreed life for him. And when the king asked him who protected him from death, the boy replied, “Allah is enough to protect me from them!” (Reported by Muslim) Has not Allah said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَقَالُوا لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ إِذَا ضَرَبُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَوْ كَانُوا غُزًّى لَوْ كَانُوا عِنْدَنَا مَا مَاتُوا وَمَا قُتِلُوا لِيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
“O you who have believed, do not be like those who disbelieved and said about their brothers when they traveled through the land or went out to battle, ‘If they had been with us, they would not have died or been killed’—so that Allah makes that a regret within their hearts. But it is Allah who gives life and causes death. And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.” [Āl ʿImrān: 156]?
The believer does not live except by Allah, because true life is by Him.
The Prophet (r) used to declare this reality every morning when starting his day, and every night when lying down to sleep.
In the morning, he would say: “O Allah, by You we have reached the morning, by You we have reached the evening, by You we live, by You we die, and to You is the resurrection.” (Reported by Abū Dāwūd)
And when he would go to bed, he would say: “O Allah, in Your name I live and I die.” (Reported by al-Bukhārī)
By You we live—meaning, we have no life, our bodies have no life except through You, by Your power and Your will. This is a declaration of our need and our disavowal of relying on anything other than Allah.
Likewise, our souls and hearts have no true life except through You. We only taste the sweetness of life through faith in You, through submission to Your guidance.
How many people have dead souls walking inside living bodies? Their bodies have become like dark, lifeless graves walking the earth, spreading death wherever they go. Did not Allah say:
أَوَمَنْ كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمْشِي بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ كَمَنْ مَثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِنْهَا كَذَلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“Is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge from it? Thus, it has been made pleasing to the disbelievers that which they used to do.” [al-An’ām: 122]?
It is faith in Allah that revives the hearts, the souls, and the spirits!
Every form of life has its source of nourishment. Just as Allah made water the source of life for all living things and revives the earth after it dies, likewise there is no life for the heart and the soul except through divine revelation—through the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (r) in knowledge and practice. Did not Allah say:
وَكَذَلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوحًا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا
“And thus We have revealed to you a spirit of Our command.” [al-Shūrā: 52]?
Allah has called His creation to what brings them life, and warned them against what brings their destruction, for He knows best what gives life and what causes death. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ
“O you who believe, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.” [al-Anfāl: 24]
True life is only found in closeness to Him. But it is not the life that humans share with animals; it is the pure, blessed life. Allah says:
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنْثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while being a believer—We will surely grant them a good life.” [al-Naḥl: 97]
When the light of divine guidance is absent, you will find spiritual death everywhere. It is here, and only here, under the light of Allah’s revelation and law, that true life is born. This is the law that considers saving a single life as if saving all of humanity. Allah says:
مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا
“Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul—unless for a soul or for corruption done in the land—it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one—it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.” [al-Mā’idah: 32]
This is the law that made giving water to a thirsty dog a reason for a sinful woman to enter Paradise.
The Prophet (r) said: “A prostitute once saw a dog on a scorching hot day, circling around a well with its tongue hanging out from thirst. She took off her shoe, filled it with water, and gave it to the dog. Because of that, Allah forgave her.” (Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim)
May Allah bless me and you with the Glorious Qur’an, and benefit me and you with its verses and wise reminders. I ask Allah to forgive me and you, so seek His forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Second Sermon
All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and all who follow him. To proceed:
Allah, the Exalted, says:
“Say: Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of all creation. He has no partner. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.” [al-An’ām: 162 - 163]
The true believer lives and dies for Allah. He lives for the sake of his Lord, to worship Him—that is the purpose for which Allah gave him life. His devotion is directed to Allah alone in all acts of obedience. And when he dies seeking the pleasure of his Lord, he considers his soul insignificant compared to the honor of pleasing Allah, knowing that when his soul departs for Allah’s sake, it is not an end, but a transition to another, better and purer life granted by Allah.
This is how the Prophet (r) used to praise his Lord, saying: “O Allah, You created my soul, and You will take it. To You belongs its life and its death.” (Reported by Muslim)
Such are the true believers—they seek nothing but the pure, blessed life. Either a life in this world that fills the soul with peace and purpose, or a life beyond this world, where the soul rests in lanterns hanging under the Throne of the Most Merciful.
You will see such a believer willingly give his life in the path of Allah, fully certain that he is not being led to death, but rather to true life. As Allah said:
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ
“Do not think of those who have been killed in the path of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision.” [Āl ʿImrān: 169]
O Allah, bring our hearts to life with Your remembrance, illuminate them with obedience to You, and grant us the life of eternal bliss in Your honored Paradise.
O Allah, grant victory to Islam and honor to the Muslims. Destroy the criminal Jews. O Allah, bring tranquility into the hearts of those striving in Your cause. Deliver Your oppressed servants and raise high the banner of this religion by Your might, O All-Powerful, O Strong.
O Allah, grant us security in our lands. Rectify our leaders and those in authority over us. Place our leadership in the hands of those who fear You, who are mindful of You, and who seek Your pleasure.
Our Lord, grant us goodness in this life and goodness in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
