In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Musa Mosque
in al-Badi'
presents
Musk of the Discourse
by Sheikh Usama Bahr,
may Allah preserve him.
It dissolves into the sweetest feeling.
Indeed, a servant whom Allah the Exalted has guided.
Abu al-'Atahiya said:
Endure every calamity with fortitude,
and know that no person is immortal.
Be patient as the noble are patient, for these are
trials that visit today and will be dispelled tomorrow.
Do you not see that calamities are numerous,
and that death lies in wait for the servants?
So if a calamity befalls you that causes you distress,
remember your loss of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
On the authority of Abu Muwayhiba, he said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, sent for me
in the middle of the night and said:
"O Abu Muwayhiba,
I have been commanded to seek forgiveness for the people of al-Baqi',
so come with me."
I went with him,
and when we stood among them, he said:
"Peace be upon you, O people of the graves.
May you rejoice in what you have attained
compared to what the people are experiencing.
If you only knew what Allah has saved you from!
Tribulations have approached like pieces of a dark night,
the latter part following the former,
with the latter being worse than the former."
Then he said:
"O Abu Muwayhiba,
I have been given the keys to the treasures of the world,
and eternity therein, followed by Paradise,
and I have been given the choice between that and meeting my Lord, the Almighty and Majestic,
and Paradise."
He said:
I said, "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you,
take the keys to the world and eternity therein, followed by Paradise."
He said:
"No, by Allah, O Abu Muwayhiba,
I have chosen to meet my Lord, the Almighty and Majestic, and Paradise."
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, addressed the people and said:
"Indeed, Allah gave a servant a choice between the world and what is with Him,
and that servant chose what is with Allah."
He said:
Abu Bakr wept,
and we were surprised by his weeping,
for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was informing us about a servant who was given a choice,
yet the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was the one who had been given the choice,
and Abu Bakr was the most knowledgeable among us.
He then said:
"O Abu Bakr, do not weep.
The person who has favored me most with his companionship and his wealth is Abu Bakr.
If I were to take a close friend (khalil) from my Ummah,
I would have taken Abu Bakr,
but there is the brotherhood of Islam and its affection.
Let no door in the mosque remain, except that it be closed, except for the door of Abu Bakr."
'A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her, says:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to say while he was healthy:
"No prophet is ever taken (in death)
until he sees his place in Paradise, and then he is either given life or given a choice."
When he became ill and death approached him,
and his head was on 'A'isha's thigh,
he fainted.
When he regained consciousness,
he fixed his gaze toward the ceiling of the room and said:
"O Allah, to the Highest Companion."
I said, "Then he will not choose us."
So I realized that he had been given a choice.
That was for the Messenger, peace be upon him, that he was given a choice.
As for you, O servant,
you have no choice but to die suddenly,
whether in a moment of heedlessness or a moment of preparation.
So choose for yourself whatever ending you desire.
The night is full of light;
everyone who obeys the Lord dissolves into the sweetest feeling.
There is darkness, then light,
and life thereafter.
If Allah wills a thing, He says to it "Be," and it is.