Even if it's your last deed

Assalaamu alaikum [peace be to you],



One of the Hadiths that never cease to motivate me: It was reported that the last Prophet of Islam, Mohammed -peace and blessings be upon him- once said:
إِنْ قَامَتْ عَلَى أَحَدِكُمْ الْقِيَامَةُ وَفِي يَدِهِ فَسْلَةٌ فَلْيَغْرِسْهَا
“If the Hour (the day of Resurrection) is about to be established and and in the hand of one of you is a palm shoot or seedling; then if he’s able to plant it before the Hour happens, then let him plant it”

No doubt, many lessons can be extrapolated from this short yet super-powerful Hadith. One lesson is that we should contribute under all circumstances. Now, we all know that Judgment Day is the accumulation of the most difficult conditions to operate in. In such extreme circumstances, it may have been expected that the Prophet would have instructed to throw out that plant and concentrate on prayer or something. Rather, he draws a breath-taking picture of someone who’s racing against the Hour, it starting to happen and him trying to plant a shoot before it happens!! Not even the Hour is an excuse for one not to contribute to society and to the benefit of humanity. You contribute regardless of the condition you are in. Otherwise, there may never be an ideal condition for you in this life that perfectly suits your liking.

If you are waiting for the perfect condition to start working for Islam, it may never materialize! But wait a minute, this is the perfect condition. It’s in times of crisis that you can contribute the most, can cause change, and affect impact. Lots of Muslims immigrated to the west for a better life. They went there to seek a degree or find a dream job. And for a while that seemed to work perfect. Many Muslims became successful and began to enjoy the American dream. But, now that conditions have changed and are not as pleasant as they used to, it’s not time to get all depressed and negative. Now, it’s time to recapture and revive the spirit of our Muslim ancestors who operated under much harder conditions but with a very strong and positive attitude.
Citing one example, Abu Yusuf, a certain scholar who lived long ago, was on his deathbed and was losing consciousness from time to time when his student Ibrahim arrived to visit him. When Abu Yusuf woke up and saw Ibrahim he asked, “what do you say about this issue?” (he suggested an issue to discuss) Ibrahim proclaimed shockingly, “while you are in this state?” Abu Yusuf replied, “We study so someone will benefit”. Ibrahim goes on to narrate that his teacher died few minutes later. Can you imagine someone teaching till their last moment? They contributed selflessly even if they didn’t see results in their lifetime.
Just like what the Prophet -peace be upon him- taught in the above hadith that someone should plant the palm shoot even if he’s not sure if he or the plant will make it for the next hour. But that’s ok since this man has fulfilled his responsibility. The rest is on the God almighty.


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I hope this was beneficial


If I'm right, it's from the God Almighty. If I'm wrong, it's from myself.