Our world is a transient one and we must all prepare for a day when we will be held accountable for our actions.
On Judgment Day, only those with a pure heart who are sound in faith and free from sin will be saved, today’s sermon will tell worshippers.
The Quran says: “the Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children, but only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.” (Al-Shu’ara: 88-89).
The sermon will explain that having a sound heart means being tolerant, forgiving and kind. There is no room for envy in the heart of a good Muslim, Prophet Mohammed said.
A sound heart can be attained by loving God, carrying out acts of worship such as prayer, paying zakat (money for charity), reciting Quran, fasting during Ramadan and remembering God often (also known as dhikr).
Prayer is said to bring comfort to those who perform it. It was narrated that Abdullah Ibn Muhammad said, “I and my father went to the house of my father-in-law from the Ansar to visit him as he was sick. The time of prayer came. He said to someone of his relatives, ‘Bring me water for ablution so that I pray and get comfort.’ And then said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘Get up, O Bilal, and give us comfort by calling for the prayer’.”
God highlighted the importance of paying zakat by saying in the Quran: “Take, [O, Mohammed], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase.” (At-Tawba: 103).
And Prophet Mohammed said: “Stinginess and faith can never be combined in the heart of a servant (of Allah).”
Fasting throughout the month of Ramadan and for three days in every other month is another way of securing soundness of heart. Doing so is said to remove animosity or bitterness from the heart.
Reciting Quran and adhering to its teachings will purify and reassure the heart, the sermon will say.
It is also important for Muslims to remember God all the time, not just when they need something. “Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured,” says the Quran (Ar-Raad: 28).
It was narrated that Ibn Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle, said, “Satan perches in the heart of the son of Adam. If he is forgetful or neglectful, Satan whispers (evil) to him. If he remembers Allah, Satan retreats.”
