Sunny side up

Lombok Reflections

Sunny side up

I took this photo just before Maghrib. I was standing quietly on the beach, the sky painted in streaks of amber, blue, and violet. The horizon glowed as the sun dipped toward the sea, leaving behind that calm serenity which only sunset can bring. It was the kind of moment that stirs you to whisper SubhanAllah.

Yet as I stood there, a thought shook me.

One of the great signs of the Day of Judgment is when the sun will rise from the west instead of the east. And that thought alone sent a chill through me.

Here in Lombok, the pattern is predictable. Sunrise over the hills, sunset over the ocean. But one day, that order will be reversed. One day, the unimaginable will happen.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“The Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the west. When the people see it, everyone will believe. But that will be the time when no good will it do to a soul to believe if it had not believed before, nor earned any good through its faith.”

(Bukhari 6506, Muslim 158).

It is a terrifying thought, because it means the very system Allah put in place since creation, the rising and setting of the sun, will shift in an instant. It will be a cosmic declaration that the world has reached its end, that the doors of tawbah have closed, and that time for repentance has run out.

As I watched the sun sink beneath the horizon that evening, I wondered, how many people around the world were admiring sunsets at that same moment, not realising that this ordinary beauty will one day mark the end of ordinary life? How many were lost in its colours, when in truth it is a daily reminder that our time is always running out?

Allah says:

“Do they then await anything other than the Hour, that it should come upon them suddenly? But already some of its signs have come. So, when it actually comes upon them, what good will their remembrance be?” (Muhammad 47:18).

Each sunset is a lesson, yet we often miss it. We see the colours but not the message. We enjoy the beauty but forget the warning.

Time is being pulled away from us, day by day, prayer by prayer, breath by breath. And one day, when the sun does rise from the west, it will be too late.

The Prophet ﷺ told us to hasten to good deeds before six things:

“the rising of the sun from the west, the smoke, the Dajjal, the Beast, the death of one of you, or the general turmoil.”

(Ahmad, Hasan).

In other words, don’t delay. Every sunset is closing the window of opportunity.

But here is the hope. Today, the sun still rises from the east. That means tawbah is still open. Faith still counts. Duah is still raised. Quran still speaks. Angels still record. And Allah still invites us to return to Him.

Every Maghrib is proof of His mercy. It means there is still another chance, another morning, another opportunity to turn back before the door closes.

Standing on that beach, I realised something important. Beauty doesn’t always mean comfort. The sunset was stunning, yet its meaning unsettled me. Not every calm is reassurance, and not every stillness is peace. Sometimes beauty comes with a message. And those who reflect, who remember Allah in these moments, see past the colours into the reality.

Allah reminds us:

“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day are signs for people of understanding.” (Al Imran 3:190).

The people of understanding are not just those who admire the sunset but those who let it shape their perspective. They know the sun will one day betray its familiar course, that what seems permanent is only temporary, and that the true permanence lies in the Hereafter. They are those who race to good while the sun still rises in its usual place, not waiting for a day when belief will no longer benefit them.

So, what is the lesson of that evening?

It is this: as long as the sun rises from the east, mercy is still with us. The door to Allah is still open. The gates of Jannah are still unlocked. The Quran still guides. And Allah, in His infinite compassion, is still waiting to forgive.

He says:

“Say: O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”

(Az-Zumar 39:53).

That sunset reminded me not to waste a single chance. Not to wait for tomorrow to repent. Not to gamble with time, thinking I can turn back later. Because the truth is, one day there will be no later. One day, the sun will rise from the wrong direction. And when that happens, time will end, and regret will begin.

I whispered to myself that evening, as the last of the light dipped beneath the ocean. Turn to Him now, before the sun turns on me.

O Allah, make us of those who repent before the doors close, who believe before the signs arrive, and who return to You with sincerity before our time is taken. O Allah, protect us from heedlessness, bless us with hearts that reflect on Your signs, and gather us among those who race to good deeds before the sun rises from the west. Ameen.