KHUTAB II - 5. Those Who Lose Most

5. Those Who Lose Most 

 (27 June 03)

 Brothers and sisters in Islam,

People who lose most are mentioned in three surahs (chapters) of the Qur’an: surah Hūd (chapter 11), surah al-Naml (chapter 27), and surah al-Kahf (chapter 18). They are all people who lose most in the Hereafter.  The most disappointing and frustrating among them are those who lose most in respect of their deeds; they think they are doing good deeds, but in the Hereafter their deed will not be acknowledged. Instead, they will be punished.

Allah says in the Qur’an,

قُلْ هَلْ نُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِالْأَخْسَرِينَ أَعْمَالًا. الَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا

وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا. أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآَيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَلِقَائِهِ

فَحَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَزْنًا. ذَلِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ

بِمَا كَفَرُوا وَاتَّخَذُوا آَيَاتِي وَرُسُلِي هُزُوًا (الكهف : ١٠٣-١٠٦)

  Say: ‘Shall we tell you of those who lose most in

 respect of their deeds?—Those whose efforts have been

 wasted in this life, while they thought that they were

 acquiring good by their works?’  They are those who

 deny the signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to

 meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain will be their works, nor

 shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any weight.

 That is their reward, Hell; because they rejected

 faith, and took My signs and My messengers

 by way of jest.  (Q. 18:103-106).

The verses start with an order from Allah to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to say and ask a rhetorical question to attract attention to the listeners. Since the word قُلْ (“say”) is included in the revelation, it remains also included in the Qur’ān. There are many other Qur’anic verses starting with Allah’s command to the Prophet, i.e., “say!” (قُلْ) and included in the Qur’ān as parts of revelation, for example, in the beginning of chapter 112 (قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَد), 113 (قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ اْلفَلَق)  and 114 اْلنََّاس)   (قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ

This surah al-Kahf (chapter 18) contains 110 verses; all were Makkan (revealed before the Prophet’s migration to Madinah), except verse 38 and from 83 to 101. Therefore, the verses mentioned above were originally directed to the Makkan people who worshipped idols. However, the verses also include people of earlier and later generations till the Doomsday, with the following characteristics: deny the signs of Allah, deny the Hereafter where they will meet their Lord, reject the faith, and took Allah’s signs and His messengers (such as David, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them) by way of jest.  In the Hereafter, their good deeds will worth nothing. What a disappointment!

The above verses are also a warning to the Muslims, as good deeds without sincerity and good faith will end up with nothing, will even nullify their merits. Outward show, selfishness (seeking worldly advantage or hidden gain), hypocrisy, and good deeds accompanied with bad words, can reduce or nullify their merits. Allah has warned the Muslim with the following verse:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تُبْطِلُوا صَدَقَاتِكُمْ بِالْمَنِّ وَالْأَذَى كَالَّذِي

يُنْفِقُ مَالَهُ رِئَاءَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآَخِرِ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ صَفْوَانٍ

عَلَيْهِ تُرَابٌ فَأَصَابَهُ وَابِلٌ فَتَرَكَهُ صَلْدًا لَا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِمَّا

كَسَبُوا وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ  (البقرة  : ٢٦٤)

 O ye who believe! Cancel not your charity by reminders

 of your generosity or by injury—like those who spend their

wealth to be seen of men, but believe neither in Allah nor in the

 Last Day.  They are in parable like a hard, barren rock, on

which is a little soil: on it falls heavy rain, which leaves it

 (just) a bare stone.  They will be able to do nothing with

aught they have earned.  And Allah guideth not

 those who reject faith.  (Q. 2:264).

Allah says in surah Hūd (chapter 11) as follows:

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أُولَئِكَ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ

وَيَقُولُ الْأَشْهَادُ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ أَلَا لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ.

الَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا وَهُمْ بِالْآَخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ. أُولَئِكَ

لَمْ يَكُونُوا مُعْجِزِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ يُضَاعَفُ

لَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مَا كَانُوا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ السَّمْعَ وَمَا كَانُوا يُبْصِرُونَ. أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ

خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ. لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي

الْآَخِرَةِ هُمُ الْأَخْسَرُونَ (هود  :١٨-٢٢)

 Who doth more wrong than those who forge a lie

 against Allah? They will be brought before their Lord,

 and the witnesses [e.g., angels, prophets and scholars

 who reach the messages] will say: ‘These are the ones

 who lied against their Lord! Behold! The curse of Allah

 is on those who do wrong—Those who hinder (men)

 from the path of Allah and  wish it to be crooked: these

 were they who denied the  Hereafter’. They will not

 escape in earth, nor have they protectors besides

 Allah! Their chastisement will be doubled! They

could not hear, nor they could see!  They are the

 ones who lost their own souls: and the

 (fancies) they forged have left them in the

 lurch. Without a doubt, these are the very

 ones who will lose most in the

 Hereafter. (Q. 11: 18-22).

This surah Hūd (chapter 11) is also a Makkan one, containing 123 verse, all were revealed before the hijrah (the Prophet’s migration to Madinah), except verse 12, 17 and 114 which are Madinian. The verses mention that the people who lost most in the Hereafter (although not necessarily to lose most in this world) are those who lie against Allah, hinder people from His path and deny the Hereafter.

The other surah mentioning the people who will lose most in the Hereafter is surah al-Naml (chapter 27) as follows:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآَخِرَةِ زَيَّنَّا لَهُمْ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَهُمْ يَعْمَهُونَ. أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ

لَهُمْ سُوءُ الْعَذَابِ وَهُمْ فِي الْآَخِرَةِ هُمُ الْأَخْسَرُونَ (النمل : ٤-٥)

“As to those who believe not in the Hereafter,

We have made their deeds pleasing in their eyes;

 and so they wonder  blindly. Such are they for whom

 a grievous chastisement is (waiting):and in the

 Hereafter theirs will  be the greatest

 loss.” (Q. 27:4-5).

This surah al-Naml (chapter 27) was also a Makkan surah, containing 93 verses. It explains that those who will lose most in the Hereafter are those who do not believe in it and are pleased with their condition and with their wrong doings.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says that the most bankrupt person in the Hereafter is the one who has to pay those he had wronged with (the merits of) his good deeds, and if he has no more good deeds left, he has to take the (demerits) of the bad deeds of the persons he had wronged in this world, and therefore he will end up with Hell

Conclusion: Disbelief, dishonesty, show off, selfishness, hypocrisy, absence of good intention, swearing, cursing, backbiting, slandering and many other bad deeds will risk and even eliminate the merits of good deeds.