Let’s Talk about the Most Undoubted Reality; Death

Outline

Introduction

Alhamdulillah; glory be the One and Unique, Who has created death and life, so that He might test us, and find out whom amongst us is best in conduct. Peace and Blessings be upon our Master of all times; Habibi Muhammad, his family members, companions and those who follow their guided path, till the Day of Judgment.

Our topic today, may seem very common, yet strange, scary, and hence, ignored pretentiously by most of us, if not all. Our topic today, is about nothing, but death.

We all believe in death, regardless of our religions, ages, languages, races and colours. I can, even comfortably say, that death is believed in, to be existed, more than God Himself is believed to be in existence. In other words, every human being who is in, or ever came into existence believes in death, though their interpretation to it may differ, from one person to another, or from one belief to another, but not every human being believes in God as God and Creator. Some (claim that they) don’t even believe in His existence.

So what is death, and what makes death so special?

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What is Death?

The Secular Definition

According to Collins COBUILD Dictionary, “Death is the permanent end of the life of a person or animal.”

Wikipedia says, “Death is the term used to describe the cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury.

The Islamic Definition

In Islam, death is not the end of life, nor is it considered to be a permanent end of life. Instead, death marks the end of time, which one is given, by Allah, s.w.t., to spend on this earth, after which the soul departs the body, to the life in the next. Human biological body may die, as in the secular definition, above, but does the soul die?

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

It means, “And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little.” [Surah Al-Israa, 17:85].

It’s important to know that; it’s only in religious (spiritual) context that the term ‘soul’ is used or referred to, with regards to discussions related to death. Death is therefore a turning point, which leads one, through to the point of entry into the life in the next. It is such an experience that every soul (living creature) will have to come across. You won’t have to believe in it before it takes you. But the good news is; all men [and women] do believe in death; regardless of their intellectual abilities and life skills.

Upon looking at the definitions of death, (in the Islamic context, especially) we can understand that, although one is encouraged to take care of their well-being, and protect their lives as possible, there’s nothing they can’t do to prevent death.

Allah s.w.t. says in Surah Al-Mulk, 67:1-2:

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ * الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا

It means, “Blessed is He in whose hand is the Kingdom: He has power over all things; He created death and life so that He might test you, and find out which of you is best in conduct.”

He, s.w.t. also says in Surah Al-‘Ankabout, 29:57:

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ

It means, “Every soul shall taste death; and then to Us you shall return.”

To make it, even, clearer to us, that no one can escape death, Allah said in Surah Al-Nisaa, 4:78:

أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يُدْرِككُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ

It means, “Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you be in strongly built towers.”

The fact that everybody believes in death doesn’t necessarily mean everybody believes or knows what exactly happens at the time of death, nor what happens after the process of death. Human’s imagination is helpless here, and technology is not helpful either. The only way to know what happens and what comes after death is through revelation. To accept what revelation says, belief (iman) is needed. This is why iman is the biggest factor that differentiates a Muslim from anyone else.

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Death in the Qur’an

Most of us know that, anything mentioned in Al-Qur’an shows its significance, starting from an atom, ant, spider, all the way to life, death, soul, Dunia, Akhirah, heaven and hell. And the more Allah emphasized about it, the more importance it has gained.

Upon looking into the Qur’an, we find that ‘death’ and its synonyms are mentioned in 145 different locations. 145 is the same number of times ‘life’ is being mentioned, in the Qur’an. So assuming that we love life because of the number of times it’s mentioned in the Qur’an (perhaps), then, we should equally love death too, because, in addition to the fact that it’s equally mentioned 145 times as ‘life’, in the Qur’an, it takes us closer to our final destination, which is Jannah, insha Allah. In most cases, when death and life are mentioned one after another, in order, ‘death’ is mentioned before ‘life’ is. But strangely, man always prefers dealing with life, rather than, thinking (at least) of death. Maybe, the reason, is because man is created to be hasty and is mostly (always) materialistic. So seeing the tricky materials and joys in the world takes his mind away from thinking about death.

زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ وَالْحَرْثِ ذَٰلِكَ مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاللَّـهُ عِندَهُ حُسْنُ الْمَآبِ

It means, “The satisfaction of worldly desires through women, and children, and heaped-up treasures of gold and silver, and pedigreed horses, and cattle and lands is attractive to people. All this is the provision of the worldly life; but the most excellent abode is with Allah.” [Surah Aali Imran, 3:14].

Now, let’s take a look at some verses from the Qur’an, which discuss ‘death’. It’s important, that when we read about death, we read it in a way that is different from our ordinary reading; so we can contemplate on what we read, in the hope that, contemplating on them will help to soften our hearts, and help us prepare ourselves for the most believed-in reality and the most undoubted visitor; Death:

In Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:260, Allah teaches us, through the curiosity of Sayyidina Ibrahim (a.s.), how He will revive us after our death:

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

It means, “When Ibrahim (a.s) said, “Show me, my Lord, how You revive the dead!” Allah said, “Do you not believe?” Ibrahim answered, “Yes, indeed I do believe, but just to reassure my heart.” Then Allah said, “Take four birds, and train them to come back to you. Then place them separately on each hilltop, and call them: they will come flying to you. Know that Allah is Almighty and Wise.”

In Surah Aali Imran, 3:168, Allah challenges the disbelievers to protect themselves from death, if they can. For that, He said:

قُلْ فَادْرَءُوا عَنْ أَنفُسِكُمُ الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِين

It means, “Say to them, “Ward off death from yourselves, then, if what you say be true!”

To emphasize that death is mandatory to every soul, and that death itself, is nothing but a bridge to the life in the next, Allah says, in Surah Aali Imran, 3:185:

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ

It means, “Every human being is bound to taste death: and you shall receive your rewards in full on the Day of Resurrection. He who is kept away from the Fire and is admitted to Paradise, will surely triumph; for the life of this world is nothing but an illusory enjoyment.”

“You can run, but you can’t escape”. Allah has said in that meaning in Surah Al-Nisaa, 4:78:

أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يُدْرِككُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ

It means, “Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you be in strongly built towers”.

In another confirmation verse, Allah says:

قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَاقِيكُمْ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

It means, “So say, “The death you run away from will certainly meet you, and thereafter you will be brought back to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will declare to you what you have done.” [Surah Al-Jumu’ah, 62:8].

And each one of us will go through it, no matter how we try to dodge:

وَجَاءَتْ سَكْرَةُ الْمَوْتِ بِالْحَقِّ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ

It means, “The trance of death will come revealing the truth: that is what you were trying to escape.” [Surah Qaaf, 50:19].

When the non-Believers questioned on how they (we all) will die, Allah answered them in Surah Al-Sajdah, 32:11, when He said:

قُلْ يَتَوَفَّاكُم مَّلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِي وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ

It means, “Say, “The Angel of Death who has been given charge of you will gather in your souls. Then you will [all] be returned to your Lord.”

In Surah Yaseen, 36:12, Allah tells us that we will be presented with all we have done, recorded, accordingly:

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا وَآثَارَهُمْ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَاهُ فِي إِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ

It means, “We shall surely bring the dead back to life and We record what they send ahead and what they leave behind. We have recorded everything in a clear book.”

On how we are preserved every day, Allah says in Surah Al-Zumar, 39:42:

اللَّـهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَىٰ عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الْأُخْرَىٰ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

It means, “It is God who takes away men's souls upon their death and the souls of the living during their sleep. Then He withholds those for whom He has ordained death and restores the souls of others for an appointed term. There are certainly signs in this for those who reflect.”

Finally, Allah tells us; death is meant to help us ensure we attain good conduct, so we can go to where we belong, which is basically Jannah, except for those who refuse to go to Jannah, they will be shown their way to Hell.

خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ

It means, “He created death and life so that He might test you, and find out which of you is best in conduct. He is the Mighty, the Most Forgiving One.” [Surah Al-Mulk: 2].

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When the Angel of Death Arrives

Most of us know that scientific discoveries are not able to go behind its capacity. Its capacity is up to where Allah allows it to reach. It’s, therefore, not able to know the existence of soul, nor angels. But the Qur’an, being source of revelation, which can only come from Allah, tells us how we are safeguarded by the angels and how they take away our souls, at time of death.

وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِ وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ

It means, “He is the Absolute Master over His servants. He sends forth guardians [angels] who watch over you until, when death approaches one of you, Our angels take his soul, and they never fail in their duty.”

Thus, when one’s time comes, for him to meet Allah, he will go through the process of death. At that time, the Angel of Death will personally be in-charge, to take away his soul, while other Angels will be in his company as helpers. At that time, only he (the one who’s passing away) can see the Angels. A righteous person will see the Angels. A wrongdoer too, will see the Angels. In other words, any dying person is going see the Angels at the time of death. However, what a good person will see, will totally differ from what a bad person is going to see.

A righteous person will be entertained by the Angels. He would be made feel comfortable. He would be honoured and dealt with, with respect and cheers. The Angels will come in a very pleasant looking, pleasant smell, and sit close to him, bringing with them clothes (kafan) from the Heaven. He would be shown his position in the Jannah, and the Angel will then say to him: “O You… Son of Adam (by his name), be at ease, and feel comfortable. O soul of ‘mutmainnah’ (peace and tranquility), Come out of the body, to the Forgiveness and Pleasure of Allah, s.w.t.” This is absolutely a peaceful death. May Allah grant us a peaceful death. Ameen.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّـهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ * نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَاؤُكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ * نُزُلًا مِّنْ غَفُورٍ رَّحِيمٍ

It means, “As for those who affirm, “Our Lord is God,” and then remain steadfast, the angels will descend on them, saying, “Have no fear and do not grieve. Rejoice in the [good news of the] Garden that you have been promised. “We are your companions in this life and in the Hereafter. Therein you shall have all that your souls desire, and therein you shall have all that you ask for; as a rich provision from One who is ever forgiving and most merciful.” [Surah Fussilat, 41:30-32].

On the other hand, a wrongdoer (a bad) person, will see the opposite, and he will be dealt with, in an absolute disrespectful manner; he would see the Angels in a very unpleasant; uncomfortable image. He would be dealt with, in a very torturing manner, in a way that suits his wrongful deeds in Dunia. And he would be shown his position in the Hell Fire.

Then, he would be said to, “O you… Son of Adam (by name).. Go out (of the body) to the anger and wrath of Allah, s.w.t.” May Allah forbid!

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Our Preparation for Death

The fact that life in this Dunia is uncertain, and that Hereafter is the most certain, is enough to be an important reminder for us to be in constant preparation, for the most undoubted journey, to the final destination of man. That final destination has only two choices and no third option. They are either; Paradise or Hellfire. The convenience in the journey depends on our preparation in this life. And the trip of that journey has only either one of two classes on board. They are either Jubilation Class or Regret Class. This jubilation or regret happens practically, but only when the Angel of Death arrives. That time, nothing can be done to increase the jubilation or lift the regret.

Every single sign in this this life proves that, the expected happiness (of Jannah) in the Hereafter is unimaginable, and incredibly blissful. Contrarily, the torment (of Hell) over there is absolutely tremendous. To imagine it; try to recall your happiest moments, so far, and also your most painful moments. Jannah and Hell are unimaginably more than that, for sure.

This being said, it’s important for us to be informed that; thinking of death, discussing about it, and preparing for it, doesn't necessarily mean going for death. We don’t go for death. Instead, we have to wait for it to come to us; it will surely come! Going for death, in some situations may be considered as suicide; and committing suicide is prohibited in Islam.

Preparation for death is similar to our preparation for any other ordinary voyage. By default; man is naturally a traveler; this is because, we are here to go, and not to stay. But the difference in our preparation for this voyage is that, it’s the only journey that will take us the longest time to prepare for it, and the destination of this journey is the only permanent destination of all journeys. We start our preparation for it, the day one matures (in the Islamic context). So, any day, in which the sun rises or sets, man will make a step forward, to death. Every hour takes us to sunrise. Every sunrise is followed by sunset. Every minute leads us to an hour. Every second takes us to a minute. And every transaction, action, deed (righteously or wrongfully) takes us a step forward, to death. Therefore, knowingly or unknowingly, everyone prepares and heads towards death.

Rasulullah said, in a Hadeeth, narrated and authenticated by Al-Bukhari:

كُلُّ أُمَّتِي يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَبَى. قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يَأْبَى؟ قَالَ: مَنْ أَطَاعَنِي دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَقَدْ أَبَى

It means, “All my Ummah will enter ‘Jannah’, except those who have refused”. The companions then asked: Who will refuse, O Messenger of Allah? He said: “Whoever obeys me will enter ‘Jannah’, and whoever disobeys me has refused.”

Rasulullah said in another Hadeeth, narrated by Abdullah Ibn Umar r.a., and compiled by Imam Al-Bukhari, in which Abdullah Ibn Umar said:

أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمَنْكِبَيَّ فَقَالَ: (كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ، أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ)، وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا يَقُولُ: “إِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلا تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الـمَسَاءَ…”

It means, “The Prophet put his [noble] hand on my shoulders and said: “Be in the world as if you are a stranger or someone on transit”. Ibn Umar used to say, anytime after narrating this Hadeeth, “If you enter in the evening, do not wait for the morning, and if you enter in the morning, do not wait for the evening…”

Our obedience to Allah through Rasulullah makes us death-conscious, because we will live like strangers or on transit. And our disobedience to Rasulullah indicates that we are death-unconscious, because we live in the Dunia as if it’s been confirmed to be our permanent living place. With that, we have two kinds of people who prepare themselves for death. They are: The Death-Conscious and the Death-Unconscious.

The Death-Conscious

Basically, people who have constant conscious of death are people of piety, who fear Allah, openly and privately (at all times). It’s difficult to find people in this category cheating on themselves, or on others. Anyone who knows he may meet Allah, at any time soon without warning, and knows he’ll be questioned for every single action, will never tell lies, for instance.

So, how do we develop piety, which will help us to automatically become death-conscious?  Below are some of the characters that we can observe more (practise), in order to develop piety, insha Allah:

Truthfulness and Honesty

One of the characteristics of the pious is truthfulness and honesty. They will never tell lies for worldly gains in any form. Simply because, they are Allah conscious and observe the day, in which they will return to Allah. Didn’t Allah warn them beforehand, when He said:

وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّـهِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ

Which means, “Fear the Day when you shall be made to return to Allah; then every soul shall be paid in full what it has earned; and they shall not be wronged.” [Al-Baqarah, 2:281].

Where there’s truthfulness and honesty within our own communities, if practised widely, it will save the Muslim Ummah lots of injustice, let alone the crime committed every second in the globalized world, at large. It’s not possible for anyone who is certain that he may meet Allah at any time, to collect donation to build a mosque, a school, or any charity cause, and instead of delivering that for the good use of the community, he sits on the collected money, and builds the supposed building in his belly. Astaghfirullah!

Keeping Promises

When we develop honesty, it will no longer be hard for us to fulfill our promises. In order to be Allah-conscious, it’s important to ensure that we fulfill our promises, no matter how small, less important or unserious it may be. Allah says:

وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْئُولًا

It means, “Keep your promises; you will be called to account for every promise which you have made!” [Surah Al-Israa, 17:34].

Ties of kinship (Silatul-Rahim)

The fact that Rasulullah constantly reminded us (his Ummah) of the importance of upholding the ties of kinship with our families and relatives, is enough for us to realize its importance. Let alone, doing so is obedience to the Holy Prophet, s.a.w. which is an obvious obedience to Allah.

Abu Hurairah, r.a. said in a Hadeeth, authenticated by Imam Muslim:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ لِي قَرَابَةً أَصِلُهُمْ وَيَقْطَعُونِي وَأُحْسِنُ إِلَيْهِمْ وَيُسِيئُونَ إِلَيَّ وَأَحْلُمُ عَنْهُمْ وَيَجْهَلُونَ عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ لَئِنْ كُنْتَ كَمَا قُلْتَ فَكَأَنَّمَا تُسِفُّهُمْ الْمَلَّ وَلا يَزَالُ مَعَكَ مِنْ اللَّهِ ظَهِيرٌ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا دُمْتَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ

It means, “A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, I have relatives with whom I uphold the ties of kinship but they cut me off; I treat them well but they mistreat me; I am patient with them but they treat me in an ignorant manner.”  The Prophet, s.a.w. said: “If it is as you say, then it is as if you are stuffing hot ashes [in their mouths], and you will have with you [an angel] from Allah to support you against them so long as you continue to be like that.”

In addition to that, Rasulullah said in a Hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurairah, and authenticated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim:

مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَاليَوْمِ الآخِرِ فَلْيَصِلْ رَحِمَهُ

It means, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, he should uphold the ties of kinship with his relatives”.

Mercy for the Poor

People of piety who are death-conscious are merciful. This is because they believe; a day will come that they will be in need of Allah’s Mercy, and Allah is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. Rasulullah s.a.w. said in a Hadeeth:

الرَّاحمُونَ يَرحمُهُم الرّحمنُ ارْحَموا مَنْ في الأرض يرحمْكُم من في السَّماءِ

It means, “Allah the Merciful shows Mercy to the Merciful (among you). Have mercy on those on the Earth, and you will be shown Mercy by the One in the Heaven”. [Tirmidzi].

People of piety who are death-conscious do not bully. They are not abusive, neither to their family members, nor to their colleagues. They don’t abuse their subordinates, nor their neighbors or fellow human beings. Their kindnesses extend all the way to include animals, too. A lady wrongdoer showed mercy on a dog by providing it with water. As a result, Allah was thankful to her good deed, and granted her His Mercy and Forgiveness. If a (woman) wrongdoer could be granted that, Allah is Greater to deny you 1000x of that, if you show kindness to His creatures, in addition to being pious for His Sake, after He has guided you to that!

Seeking Allah’s Pleasure through Righteous Deeds

Allah’s Pleasure is the best of all pleasures. But you need to do all the above to reach there. There are many other deeds that can help us to secure the Pleasure of Allah, s.w.t. The basics are the likes of preserving Islamic values at all times, picking up anything harmful on the walking paths (streets), smiling to your fellow Muslims (and fellow human beings), giving away charity sadaqah voluntarily and happily, and etc.

The Death-Unconscious

In the contrary of the Death-Conscious, are the Death-Unconscious. This group of people, despite that fact that they believe in death, they don’t expect it anytime soon. Because they take time for granted, they have the tendency to commit all kind of prohibited acts or deeds; in the hope that, they may be pardoned, or given the chance to repent. In addition to disobeying Allah, they make their livelihood, at the expense of others’ rights and innocence.

Believe this story or not; a Muslim man borrowed an amount of money, estimated to be US368000, from another Muslim brother (as I was told by someone whom I trust…). Because the contract was made verbally based on trust, no documents were signed. When it was time for pay back, the borrower, although he admitted borrowing the money, he has refused to pay back the money!

The moral of this story is; even if we assume there is no law of order to interfere, the fact that one can be courage enough to refuse paying back one’s money shows that he is death-unconscious. If he is death-conscious, what answers has he prepared to present before Allah, with regards to this case, alone. This story is nothing compared to the untold and the unsaid.

Let me share with you another story, which I was told that it happened in Sudan:

A rich merchant used to lend money to others. He recorded the name of anyone who borrowed from him, together with the amount borrowed. Whenever you pay him back, he will cancel your name.

Suddenly, his time came and he died. After his death, his wife went after those whose names are still in the book to collect back whatever they are indebted with, so it will be added to the wealth of the inheritors.

A man, whose name was in the book but not cancelled, claimed that he had paid the amount he was indebted with, to the late merchant. Because the records showed that he didn't pay, and he insisted he had cleared the debt, the case was taken to an Islamic court.

In Islam, the complainant (the widow of the late merchant, in this case) must present a proof, and the accused (the man who's denying, in this case) must swear by Allah to support his denial. So, the widow presented her proof, which is the record book of her late husband, yet, the man denied. He was then asked to swear by Allah; that he had fully paid the amount he borrowed from the late merchant, and he did; He swore.

After studying the case, the case was closed in favour of the accused man. But was that the end of the story? No! The widow prayed to Allah, on the spot; “O Allah! If this man did intentionally, stubbornly, deny borrowing from my husband, and wants to unfairly take the rights of my children; Yaa Allah… Please show Your Power”.

All left the courtroom. On the stairs of the main entrance; the man, who swore by Allah, a few minutes ago, that he had fully paid the amount he was indebted with, fell down. Something had happened, on the spot… He suffered a broken neck!

The moral of the story is, this man was punished in Dunia before Akhirah, for refusing to pay back the right of orphans. I know there are many who are used to sitting on the rights of orphans, simply because they seldom see the punishment of Allah. For that they have become death-unconscious. If Allah saves them in this Dunia, they are not going to escape what Allah has mentioned in the following verse:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَالَ الْيَتَامَىٰ ظُلْمًا إِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ نَارًا وَسَيَصْلَوْنَ سَعِيرًا

It means, “Those who consume the property of orphans unjustly are actually swallowing fire into their own bellies; soon they will burn in the blazing Flame.” [Surah Al-Nisaa, 4:10].

Perhaps he has also pretentiously forgotten Allah’s Warning in Surah Al-‘Aadiaat, 100:9-11:

أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِي الْقُبُورِ * وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِي الصُّدُورِ * إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِي

It means, “Is he not aware of the time when the contents of the graves will be brought out? And the hearts' contents shall be brought into the open? Surely, on that Day, they will know that their Lord had full knowledge of them all.”

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The Importance of Being Death-Conscious

It’s very important, especially for Muslims, to be death-conscious, as much as we are life-conscious, similarly to, or more than we are food-conscious and sex-conscious. Not long ago, death used to be discussed seriously and thought of, by people of all matured ages, whereby sex used to be a very sensitive topic, and could not been discussed openly, easily. What happened is that, today, even children under puberty do understand what sex is all about, and barely understand anything about death. Thanks to the media, which we willingly pay for! Are we here, in this world (Dunia) to stay or to continue our journey to the life in the next?

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

It means, “Believers! Fear Allah, and let every soul look to what it lays up for the future. Fear Allah: Allah is aware of what you do.” [Surah Al-Hashr, 59:18].

What a nice words of wisdom, said by Sayyidina ‘Ali, r.a., “Piety is to fear Allah, to follow the descended book [of Allah], to be contented with the little given by Allah and to be prepared for the day of departure (death).”

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Good Death and Bad Death (Endings)

Every day that passes demonstrates a sign of death. Death can be either good death, or bad death. A Muslim constantly strives and seeks from Allah, to grant him a good death or good ending. A good ending, is when one is entertained by the Angel of Death at the time of death. A situation, only the dying person will personally experience. And a bad death or bad ending is the death in which the Angel of Death will arrive to take one’s soul in a “no nonsense” manner. Again, this can only be physically experienced by the dying person.

However, whichever the personal experience of the dying person may be, there are some signs that people around him can see, feel or sense, to determine how the person passed away. That (what we see) does not automatically guarantee the person Paradise or Hell, though, but it will say a lot, positively or negatively about the dying person. It will undoubtedly inspire observers to either follow their good paths or avoid the wrongdoings, which they used to be engaged in.

So, what are the signs of good death, and those of bad ending?

Signs of Good Death

• Saying ‘Laa ilaaha illaa Allah’ as the final words: One of the easy said phrases, but the most difficult at the time of death, is saying ‘Laa ilaaha illa Allah’ (No god but God). Anyone who says this as their last words is guaranteed ‘jannah’. Rasulullah s.a.w. said in a Hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawud:

مَنْ كَانَ آخِرَ كَلامِهِ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ دَخَلَ الجَنَّةَ

It means, “He, whose last words in this world is “No god but Allah” will enter ‘Jannah”.

This being said, it’s important that we remember this: Any Muslim who says “No god but God” as their last words will be guaranteed ‘Jannah’ as the Hadeeth says, but not been able to say it doesn’t mean one is not going to ‘Jannah’. Some may say it in their heart. So, as far as those who didn’t utter anything at their times of death are concerned; only Allah knows who says it. For those who say it loud, it may be an honour from Allah to the person and his loved ones alike.

• Passing away while carrying out righteous deed: Simple examples of righteous deeds include reading Qur’an, performing Solat, pleasing our parents, seeking and teaching knowledge, making money righteously to take care of one’s family, calling to good cause; Islam, and many other righteous deeds.
• When a group of Muslims praise the person after his/her death: Rasulullah was with the companions once, when a corpse was carried and passed by them, and then sahabah praised it (the dead person); Rasulullah then said, “It’s endorsed”. Later on, they another body was carried and passed by them, the sahabah said bad about the dead person, and Rasulullah said, “It’s endorsed”. The companions then asked, “What’s endorsed, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “You praised the first one, and he was endorsed for Jannah [due to your witness]. And you said bad about the other, and he was endorsed for Hellfire”. So no wonder some people are genuinely praised after their death by a group of Muslims, even by their enemies, sometimes.

Signs of Bad Death

The opposite of any sign of good death, may strongly mean a bad death. The scariest of them are the following:

• Cursing in the last moments or refusing to say ‘Laa ilaaha illaa Allah’: When one refuses to say “No god but God”, that may not be a good news, neither for him, nor for his loved ones. When one repeats on the bed of death, “Dollar… Dollar… How much is the rate of dollar rate today?”, this is also not a good indication.
• Wrongful final deeds: When the final deeds of a person are wrongful or prohibited, i.e. giving up praying, neglecting one’s parents, drinking, adultery, drugs and many more, it is an obvious bad ending. May Allah forbid all of us from bad ending. Ameen.

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On the Bed of Death

Different people go through different experiences when it’s time for them to die (meet Allah), but everybody will be handled by the same Angel of Death. But, some good people have left good examples, as they were attended to, by the Angel of Death. Below are a few of their stories.

Bilal Ibn Rabah

Bilal Ibn Rabah was the first caller to prayer (Mua’zzhin) in Islam, and he was the only Mua’zzhin of the Holy Prophet, s.a.w. Rasulullah heard the sounds of his footsteps in the Jannah.

When Bilal was about to pass away, his wife grieved and said, “My bad luck [is today]!” Bilal r.a. took the blanket off his face in the pains of death, and said, “Don’t say: “My bad luck!” rather say, “My good luck and happiness! Tomorrow, we are going to meet our loved ones; Muhammad (s.a.w.) and his companions.”

Harun Al-Rasheed (763-809)

Harun Al-Rasheed was the 5th Caliph of the Abbasid era in Iraq. He ruled from 786 to 809. His time was marked by scientific, cultural and religious prosperity in the then Muslim World. Art and music also flourished significantly during his reign. He established the legendary library Bait Al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom).

When Harun Al-Rasheed fell sick for the last time, doctors could not do anything to save him. They, therefore, gave up on his recovery. Harun Al-Rasheed realized he was living his final days (in the world); he ordered for ‘kafan’ to be brought to him, he then asked for a grave to be dug for him.

Upon looking at the grave, he said (quoting from the Qur’an, Surah Al-Haaqqah, 69:28-29):

مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنِّي مَالِيَهْ * هَلَكَ عَنِّي سُلْطَانِيَهْ

It means, “My wealth has been of no use to me. I am bereft of power!”.

Al-Ma’moun (786 – 833)

Abu Ja'far Abdullah Al-Ma'moun Ibn Harun (Al-Rasheed) was an Abbasid caliph who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. He succeeded his brother Al-Amin. Both of whom were children of Harun Al-Rasheed.

When Al-Ma’moun was about to pass away, he asked to be put down, off from the bed. His request was fulfilled; he put his cheek on the bare floor and said: “O You! Whose Power does not vanish; have mercy and sympathy on the [poor] one, whose power has vanished”.

Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak (736-797)

Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak was a very knowledgeable, ‘zahid’ and ‘mujahid’ at the same time.

Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said about Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak that “there was no one more eager to travel for seeking knowledge than him”. He had teachers such as Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik.

In the final moments of the life of Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak, he went into coma. When he gained conscious, he pulled the blanket off his head, and said in a smile:

لِمِثْلِ هَـٰذَا فَلْيَعْمَلِ الْعَامِلُونَ

It means, “It is for the like of this that all should strive.” [Surah Al-Saaffaat, 37:61]. And he then said his “laa ilaaha illah Allah…” and his soul was taken away.

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What after Death?

As Muslims, as much as we believe in death, and that every single soul will have a sip from the cup of death, we also believe that, there’s life after death, starting from the grave, all the way till the day of resurrection. And in the day of resurrection, everyone will lead their way, either to Jannah (insha Allah) or Hellfire (may Allah forbid).

Allah says in Surah Al-Saaffaat, 37:61, to tell us what comes after death:

لِمِثْلِ هَـٰذَا فَلْيَعْمَلِ الْعَامِلُونَ

It means, “…and as for the dead, Allah will raise them up, and then they will all return to Him.”

Also, in Surah Al-Hajj, 22:6, Allah emphasizes to us that He will resurrect us:

وَأَنَّهُ يُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ وَأَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

It means, “It is He who gives life to the dead and He has the power to will anything.”

Allah has also made it clear that believing in the hereafter (after death) is part of iman. This is found in Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:2-5:

ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ * الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ * وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ * أُولَـٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

It means, “This is the Book; there is no doubt in it. It is a guide for those who are mindful of God, who believe in the unseen, and are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided them with; those who believe in the revelation sent down to you and in what was sent before you, and firmly believe in the life to come — they are the people who are rightly following their Lord and it is they who shall be successful.

And, in following verses, Allah tells us in Surah Houd, 11:105-108, how the Jannah and Hell will taste like:

يَوْمَ يَأْتِ لَا تَكَلَّمُ نَفْسٌ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ فَمِنْهُمْ شَقِيٌّ وَسَعِيدٌ * فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ شَقُوا فَفِي النَّارِ لَهُمْ فِيهَا زَفِيرٌ وَشَهِيقٌ * خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ * وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ سُعِدُوا فَفِي الْجَنَّةِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ عَطَاءً غَيْرَ مَجْذُوذٍ

It means, “…and when that Day arrives, no soul shall speak but by His leave. Among those some shall be damned, and others shall be blessed. The wretched ones will be in the Fire sighing and groaning, remaining in it timelessly, forever, as long as the heavens and earth endure, except as your Lord wills. Your Lord carries out whatever He wills. Those who are blessed shall abide in the Garden; they will dwell therein as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills. Such bounty shall be unending.”

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Conclusion

‎”Turn to Allah before you Return to Allah”. Turning to Allah is by your choice. But returning to Allah, is according to His timing, and is only through death. It’s only after death, that we will go to Heaven. Those who ‘opt’ for Hellfire will still have to go through death.

Don’t give yourself a timeline to return to Allah. Others did that and they miraculously succeeded. They were lucky. But you may not be as lucky as they were. This is because miracles don’t happen very often.

Don’t wait until you are forty years before you return to Allah. You may not be given the opportunity to live, up to forty years. Moreover, any habit or character we develop before the age of forty years, is likely to remain with us forever, even if our iman can touch the sky. In addition to that, the essence of Islam is attitude, morals, values and akhlaq, all of what comes to complete iman.

Life may have some sweetness, but all of its sweetness is nothing compared to a drop of sweetness in the Jannah. Life may have some bitters and pains, but all the pains in life if combined, are nothing, compared to a drop of torment in the Hellfire.

In the Hereafter, there will be either one of two things (no third option): Black or White; Right or Left; Good or Bad; Happiness or Sorrow; Jubilation or Regret.. Paradise or Hellfire… So, “Take yourself into account, before you are taken into account”.

Allah knows best

Allahu Hafiz 🙂

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