The Greatest Trial.

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows: This is the second of the monthly meetings that take place on the evening of every third Saturday of the month. We ask Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, to make them continue, and to grant us and you beneficial knowledge, accepted righteous deeds, and a good, abundant provision. This evening is the night of Sunday, the seventeenth of the month of Safar, in the year one thousand four hundred and twenty-one.
We remind all our brothers, and we remind ourselves, as we are in a time of trial and examination for our students, male and female—we remind ourselves and you of the greatest trial, which occurs between a person and his Lord on the Day of Resurrection. This trial on the Day of Resurrection is not a trial of appearances, but of inner realities. As for appearances, everyone can make them as good as possible, as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said regarding the hypocrites: As Allah, the Exalted, said regarding the hypocrites: meaning: their appearance is beautiful and handsome, so a person thinks they are among the people of piety they are eloquent orators. But there is no good in them they do not stand upright on their own, but only against a wall.
O brothers: The trial on the Day of Resurrection is of the inner realities, as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said: meaning: the inner realities, meaning: they are tested and what is in them is looked at, and appearances are of no account.
. Indeed, the polytheists deny that they are polytheists, saying: But their tongues, their hands, and their feet testify against them regarding what they used to earn.
O my Muslim brother: Listen to the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: . The deeds of the limbs—everyone can make them as good as possible. But the deeds of the hearts are difficult. For this reason, some of the Salaf said: "I have not striven with my soul in anything as I have striven with it in sincerity". - Listen, O my brother -. The sincerity in which we think we are sincere in our deeds. And yet, the Salaf strive with their souls in sincerity. He said: "I have not striven with my soul in anything as I have striven with it in -complete- sincerity". So examine your heart, O my brother: Is there showing off in you? Is there hatred for the truth in you? Is there enmity toward the believers in you? Is there resentment toward the believers in you? Examine your heart, O my brother; washing the heart every day is more important than washing the clothes every day. Wash your heart, purify it, and listen to the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: . Purify your heart. O Allah, purify our hearts, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, purify them from showing off. O Allah, purify them from enmity toward the Muslims and resentment toward them, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, conclude our affairs with a happy ending and make us among those for whom You have written the good and an increase.
O brothers: After this trial—I mean the trial of the Day of Resurrection—it is either to Paradise or to the Fire. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said: . O my Muslim brother: Think of that day; there is no dirham, no dinar, no goods, no clothes, no close friend, no friend, no relative .
O my Muslim brother: Is this day near or far? Answer: Near. Allah, the Exalted, said: . And He, the Exalted, said: . We look forward to the end of the year and say: There are twelve months left. And then, in an instant, it reaches us. So too is the life of a person; he says: When is death? And he hopes. And then the rope of hope is cut. Then, after the transition from this world, to what? To the Hereafter; there is no more work. The time for work has ended; only the recompense remains. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: meaning: something that he places in his life, and its reward continues, such as building mosques, building houses for students of knowledge, printing books for their benefit, repairing roads, and the like of that whose benefit lasts. And this is the greatest. The knowledge that is benefited from is the best of the three, because the knowledge that is benefited from remains. It remains after your mention for hundreds of years. . The righteous child perishes soon or late. But the beneficial knowledge that is benefited from remains as long as Allah wills. Now, we benefit from what Abu Hurayrah narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Do we benefit from the wealth of the rich who spent much of it in the cause of Allah? Do we benefit from it? Answer, O man. No, but the knowledge of Abu Hurayrah is before us, read morning and evening in the mosques and schools. Imam Ahmad has been gone for hundreds of years, and yet we benefit from his knowledge now. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah has been gone for hundreds of years, and we benefit from his knowledge now. Does he receive reward for our benefiting from his knowledge? Answer. Yes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He receives reward.
O my brother: Account for yourself, and prepare for the trial, the greatest trial.
O Allah, make our feet firm, O Lord of the worlds. Make us firm with the firm word in this worldly life and in the Hereafter. Indeed, You are capable of all things.