The one who remembers Allah versus, “one of the swearers.”

We were stopped at a traffic light, and all of a sudden, we got struck in the rear by another vehicle. 

There was a sudden moment of panic between me and the other brother next to me, and there were 2 different reactions to this accident.

One person said a form of dhikr, either "La Ilaha Il Allah!" or "Allahu Akbar!" (I can't remember which one.)

and the other person said, "Mother f***ker!"

My goal here is not to boast or anything, but I was the one who said a form of dhikr, and the person next to me was the one swearing. If this had happened back when I was a lot younger though, I would also have been, "one of the swearers."

Imagine being known as, "one of the swearers."

What if we had died that day? One of us would have ended with the dhikr of Allah, and the other one would have ended his life with an expletive. 

Subhan Allah!

The question we have to ask ourselves is, what will we say on our death bed?

It is easy to say that I will say the shahadah on my death bed, but what guarantee do you have that you will die a slow death in a hospital bed, where you know the end is near?

How do you know that you won't just go suddenly in an accident, just like so many people have gone?

The irony of this whole situation is that we were actually on our way back home after a funeral burial!

Not only that, but the person who passed away was a close relative of mine, who died unexpectedly in his own home. 

Once again, Subhan Allah!

We have the blessing of always remembering Allah throughout our day, and we don't need to be in the state of wudhu to remember Him. You can say all the dhikr you want, at anytime!

Keep your tongue moist with the dhikr of Allah, and get rid of the filth that you have been saying. 

The sooner you start, the better you will become at remembering Allah.

Think about it, when you restrain your tongue, that action in and of itself is a remembrance of Allah! You're doing it so you don't displease Him and accumulate sins.

Remember, it takes years to condition yourself to say dhikr at moments of sudden hardship and pain.

It will not happen overnight! I am talking from experience. 

Just like the questions in the grave. We all know the answers, but our actions and our level of faith will determine whether or not we can actually answer those questions when we are 6 feet under. 

Saying dhikr at times of difficulty and at times of ease is a Sunnah, and it is an easy one that we can implement in our lives. 

Imagine dying while swearing, acquiring a sin and displeasing Allah at your last moment.

Audhubillah..

Now imagine the opposite, where you die remembering Allah as your last words. You will die doing a Sunnah and remembering Alllah at the same time!

Allahu Akbar!

The choice is yours, and it is up to you to work on yourself so you can have a good ending to your life. 

The more you strive towards Allah, the more you will remember Allah, the more dhikr you will do, and when life hits you with a ton of bricks (or with the front end of a car!), then in sha Allah, you will be conditioned to praise Allah instead of displeasing Allah.

Remember what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said about the consequences of the tongue:

"O Messenger of Allah! Shall we really be accounted for what we talk about?" He replied, "May your mother lose you O Muadh! People will be thrown on their faces into Hell on account of their tongues."

Sunan Ibn Majah, 3973

At the same time, the tongue can lead you to Paradise: 

It was narrated that Mu’aadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say,: “If a person’s last words are Laa ilaaha ill-Allah, Paradise will be guaranteed for him.”

Narrated by Ahmad, 21529

May Allah allow all of us to have a good ending to our lives, Ameen.