Sermon's Title: “And They Will Be Presented Before Your Lord” (Being Presented Before Allah on the Day of Resurrection)
Themes of the Sermon:
1- Meeting Allah is a true and certain reality.
2- The states of creation when they are presented before Allah.
3- The fruits of believing in being presented before Allah.
All praise is due to Allah, before whom the servants will be presented, from whom nothing about them is hidden. He will question them about their deeds while the records of their lives lie open before Him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and His Messenger. May Allah send abundant peace and blessings upon him.
To proceed: Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, with true God-consciousness, and be mindful of Him in private and in public. Allah the Exalted 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 in a state of submission.” [Sūrat Āl ʿImrān: 102]
O servant of Allah,
Have you heard of that tremendous call? Allah the Exalted says:
وَقِفُوهُمْ إِنَّهُمْ مَسْئُولُونَ
“Stop them; they are to be questioned.” [Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt: 24]
It is a call that makes hearts tremble. Our Prophet ﷺ informed us that on the land of gathering, a caller will proclaim: “O people! Come to your Lord: ‘Stop them; they are to be questioned.’” Narrated by Muslim.
Come to your Lord. This is the promised meeting. You are now on the Day of Meeting. Allah says:
لِيُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ التَّلَاقِ * يَوْمَ هُمْ بَارِزُونَ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَيْءٌ لِمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ
“To warn of the Day of Meeting—the Day they will come forth, nothing about them hidden from Allah. To whom belongs sovereignty today? To Allah, the One, the Overpowering.” [Sūrat Ghāfir: 15–16]
The Day of Meeting—when creation meets its Creator.
By Allah, meeting Allah is a true reality.
The Prophet ﷺ used to praise his Lord, saying: “To You belongs all praise. You are the Truth, Your promise is true, and meeting You is true.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
The faith of a servant is not complete until he believes in meeting Allah.
Here is Jibrīl asking the Prophet ﷺ: “What is faith?” He replied: “Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, meeting Him, His messengers, and to believe in resurrection.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
Do you know what it means to meet Allah?
It means being presented before your Lord. Yes—you will be called by name and presented alone, by yourself, standing before Him, looking at Him.
One night, when the moon was full, the Prophet ﷺ looked at it and said:
“You will indeed be presented before your Lord, Mighty and Majestic, and you will see Him just as you see this moon, without any difficulty.” Narrated by Muslim.
It is a presentation, a standing, and a questioning. There is no servant except that he will stand before Allah, presented before his Lord and Master.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Each one of you will surely stand before Allah with no veil between him and Him, and no interpreter to translate for him. He will say to him: ‘Did I not give you wealth?’ He will say: ‘Yes.’ He will then say: ‘Did I not send to you a messenger?’ He will say: ‘Yes.’ Then he will look to his right and see nothing but the Fire, and look to his left and see nothing but the Fire. So let each of you protect himself from the Fire, even if only by half a date; and if he cannot find that, then by a kind word.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
All creation—every nation, the messengers and those to whom they were sent, the believer and the disbeliever, the obedient and the disobedient—there is no escape and no refuge. Allah says:
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَى مِنْكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ
“That Day, you will be presented; nothing about you will be hidden.” [Sūrat al-Ḥāqqah: 18]
Every nation will stand in rows, kneeling, all of them barefoot and naked, just as Allah created them the first time. Allah the Exalted says:
وَعُرِضُوا عَلَى رَبِّكَ صَفًّا لَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّنْ نَجْعَلَ لَكُمْ مَوْعِدًا
“And they will be presented before your Lord in rows. ‘You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time, but you claimed that We would never appoint for you a time.’” [Sūrat al-Kahf: 48]
The Prophet ﷺ said: “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah—Blessed and Exalted—is He—will descend to judge between His servants, while every nation will be kneeling.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī.
Allah will call those who associated partners with Him, asking: Where are My partners whom you claimed? Allah says:
وَيَوْمَ نَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ نَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَيْنَ شُرَكَاؤُكُمُ الَّذِينَ كُنْتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ
“And on the Day We gather them all together, then We say to those who associated others with Allah: ‘Where are your partners whom you used to claim?’” [Sūrat al-Anʿām: 22]
Do you know what their answer will be? After all that shirk with which they filled the world, after those idols for which they fought—how will they respond to Allah? Allah says:
قَالُوا وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ * انْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَذَبُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ
“They will say: ‘By Allah, our Lord, we were not those who associated others with Him.’ Look how they lied against themselves, and what they used to invent has vanished from them.” [Sūrat al-Anʿām: 23–24]
Allah will ask them: What response did you give to the messengers? Did you believe when the messengers came to you? Or did you act arrogantly, turn away, and disbelieve? Did you submit to Allah’s judgment and His messages, or were you satisfied with what you possessed of worldly knowledge? Allah the Exalted says:
وَيَوْمَ يُنَادِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُ مَاذَا أَجَبْتُمُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
“And on the Day He will call them and say: ‘What did you answer the messengers?’” [Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ: 65]
But where is the answer?
There is no answer. All claims are silenced, and all excuses fall away. Allah, Glorified and Exalted, says:
فَعَمِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَنْبَاءُ يَوْمَئِذٍ فَهُمْ لَا يَتَسَاءَلُونَ
“Then the accounts will be obscured from them on that Day, and they will not question one another.” [Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ: 66]
In this world, they used to swear the strongest oaths that there would be no resurrection after death, that there would be no return, and that there was nothing but this worldly life. So they lived like grazing animals, governed by the law of the jungle.
But no sooner did they die, then they were resurrected as though they had remained only an hour of the day, and there they are—made to stand before Allah. Allah the Exalted says:
وَقَالُوا إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ * وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُوا عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ قَالَ أَلَيْسَ هَذَا بِالْحَقِّ قَالُوا بَلَى وَرَبِّنَا قَالَ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
“They say: ‘There is nothing but our worldly life, and we will not be resurrected.’ But if only you could see when they are made to stand before their Lord. He will say: ‘Is this not the truth?’ They will say: ‘Yes, by our Lord.’ He will say: ‘Then taste the punishment for what you used to disbelieve.’” [Sūrat al-Anʿām: 29–30]
Now they say, “Yes, by our Lord!”—but their admission will not benefit them, and their final outcome will be disgrace and ruin.
Then comes the presentation and questioning of those so-called partners whom people set up as equals to the Lord of all worlds. Allah will say to them:
أَأَنْتُمْ أَضْلَلْتُمْ عِبَادِي هَؤُلَاءِ أَمْ هُمْ ضَلُّوا السَّبِيلَ * قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ مَا كَانَ يَنْبَغِي لَنَا أَنْ نَتَّخِذَ مِنْ دُونِكَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَلَكِنْ مَتَّعْتَهُمْ وَآبَاءَهُمْ حَتَّى نَسُوا الذِّكْرَ وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا بُورًا * فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوكُمْ بِمَا تَقُولُونَ فَمَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَ صَرْفًا وَلَا نَصْرًا وَمَنْ يَظْلِمْ مِنْكُمْ نُذِقْهُ عَذَابًا كَبِيرًا
“Was it you who misled these My servants, or did they themselves stray from the path?” They will say: “Glory be to You! It was not for us to take any allies besides You. But You gave them enjoyment, and their forefathers as well, until they forgot the Reminder and became a ruined people.” “So they have denied what you claim, and you will not be able to avert the punishment nor find any help. And whoever among you commits wrongdoing—We will make him taste a great punishment.” [Sūrat al-Furqān: 17–19]
It is the moment of disavowal. The angels, the prophets, and the righteous servants of Allah will disassociate themselves from the shirk (associating partners with Allah) of the idolaters. The followed will disown their followers, and the arrogant leaders will disown the weak. Each will try to shift the blame onto another. But what brought them to the Hellfire?
The answer is given clearly: “But You gave them enjoyment, and their forefathers as well, until they forgot the Reminder and became a ruined people.”
It was the world and its desires that blinded their hearts and turned them away from faith, until they abandoned the Word of Allah, His law, and His rulings. They became like barren land, devoid of all good—and what good can be expected from one who forgets Allah?
With what face will those who fabricated lies against the prophets and the righteous meet their Lord on the Day of Resurrection?
With what face will those who distorted the religion of Allah meet their Lord on the Day of Resurrection?
They clothed the prophets and the righteous with the mantle of divinity and took them as lords besides Allah. They falsely claimed that they were intercessors before Allah, bringing them closer to Him. They sought their help in times of hardship and humbled themselves at their graves, asking them for needs. Indeed, the curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers. Allah the Exalted says:
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أُولَئِكَ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ وَيَقُولُ الْأَشْهَادُ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ أَلَا لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ
“And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie against Allah? Those will be presented before their Lord, and the witnesses will say: ‘These are the ones who lied against their Lord.’ Unquestionably, the curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers.” [Sūrat Hūd: 18]
They forgot Allah and the meeting with Him, so He caused them to forget themselves.
Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that they said: “O Messenger of Allah, will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” He said:
“Do you suffer any difficulty in seeing the sun at midday when there is no cloud?”
They said: “No.”
He said: “Do you suffer any difficulty in seeing the full moon on a clear night?”
They said: “No.”
He said: “By the One in whose Hand is my soul, you will not suffer any difficulty in seeing your Lord, just as you do not suffer difficulty in seeing either of them.”
He then said: “Then Allah will meet a servant and say: ‘O so-and-so, did I not honor you, make you a leader, give you a spouse, and subject horses and camels to you? Did I not allow you to lead and live comfortably?’
The servant will say: ‘Yes.’
Allah will say: ‘Did you think that you would meet Me?’
He will say: ‘No.’
Allah will say: ‘Then today I will forget you as you forgot Me.’” Narrated by Muslim.
O servants of Allah,
This is Allah’s counsel to you. He says:
وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ مُلَاقُوهُ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“Fear Allah, and know that you will meet Him. And give glad tidings to the believers.” [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 223]
May Allah bless me and you through the Magnificent Qur’an, and benefit me and you by what it contains of verses and wise remembrance. I seek Allah’s forgiveness for myself and for you—so seek His forgiveness. Indeed, He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
The 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 who follow him. To proceed:
O servant of Allah,
Do you long to meet Allah? Do you hope for the meeting with your Lord?
The Lord of all worlds—the Sovereign, the Mighty, the Most Merciful—He who created you, provided for you, and managed all your affairs; He who showered you with His blessings and covered you with His protection; He made you hearing and seeing, thinking and understanding; He guided you to Him, made you a Muslim, and granted you a good mention among people.
Allah, the Possessor of majesty, perfection, greatness, and grandeur—His veil is light. He is Beautiful and perfected everything He created.
Allah is the One whom you worshipped and prayed to, before whom you placed your face in humility upon the ground, enduring patiently for His sake, hoping in Him and aspiring for His pardon.
Do you not anticipate that meeting, when you will stand before Him?
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him; and whoever dislikes meeting Allah, Allah dislikes meeting him.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
Being presented before Allah fills the heart of the believer with love, fear, and hope. Out of love for his Lord, he hopes for the meeting with Him; and because of his shortcomings and sins, he is overtaken by modesty and awe at being presented before Allah, the Majestic. Indeed, the presentation before Allah has torn apart the hearts of those who truly love Him.
How many a servant will be presented before Allah, only for Allah to turn away from him—neither speaking to him with mercy nor with words that bring joy, but addressing him with reproach, anger, and punishment. He will not look at him with a gaze of love, mercy, and compassion, but with a gaze of hatred and warning.
A man once swore falsely before the Prophet ﷺ over another man’s right in order to seize it. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, if he swears to take his wealth unjustly, he will surely meet Allah while Allah is turned away from him.” Narrated by Muslim.
So, O servant of Allah, fear your standing before Allah. For Allah says:
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى * فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَى
“But as for the one who feared standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from its desires, then Paradise will be the refuge.” [Sūrat al-Nāziʿāt: 40–41]
O Allah, grant victory to Islam and honor the Muslims, and destroy the Zionist criminals. O Allah, send down tranquility into the hearts of those striving in Your path, rescue Your oppressed servants, and raise high the banner of the religion—by Your power, O All-Powerful, O Ever-Strong.
O Allah, grant us security in our homelands, rectify our leaders and those entrusted with our affairs, and place authority over us in the hands of those who fear You, are mindful of You, and follow what pleases You.
Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
O servants of Allah, remember Allah with much remembrance, and glorify Him morning and evening. And our final supplication is that all praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds.
