Reflections From The Qur’an (4): Dying As True Muslims

Let's Talk About Death

Alhamdulillāh… All praise and thanks are due to the Almighty Allāh. I send peace and blessings upon Ḥabībī Muḥammad, his household, his companions and all those who follow his guided path, till the Day of Judgement.

This is part 4 of the ‘Reflections from the Qur'an’ series, which is posted here on GSalam.Net, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, throughout the holy month of Ramaḍān 2014. I pray that Allāh grants us more understanding of His book and religion.

Many Muslims are simply scared of death. Well… This is human nature. But we are encouraged, as Muslim, to develop a mindset with the readiness to meet Him at anytime. This is easily attained when Allah is above all, in our hearts. This is because death is not bad in itself. In fact, it's a decreed transit, which every soul has to go through, in order to enter the next life. It is similar to the struggle and pains of pregnancy and labour which, every mother experiences, before she qualifies for the status of motherhood.

Thus, the circumstance in which one dies is not important. Regardless of piety, social ranking and financial status, different people almost die the same way; i.e. on thier bed at home or at the hospital, in sinking ferries (i.e., #Sewol), in missing and crashed flights (i.e., #mh370), fire outbreaks, pandemic (i.e., #H1N1 #MERS #Haze #Flu #HIV) heart attack, and etc. In fact, others die in bombings (i.e. #SaveGaza, #Egypt, #Syria, #Somalia, #Iraq and etc.).

Firʿaun ordered for his wife and she was stented by four wedges in her hands and legs and kept on torturing her until she died, for being a Muslim[ah] when she believed in the message of Sayyidinā Mūsa, ʿalaihi al-salām. The people of the ditch (see Sūrah al-Burūj) were burnt in a burning ditch for being Muslims when they believed in the One God, which the child wanted his people to know. Summayyah, the mother of ʿAmmar ibn Yāsir, raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum, was pregnant when Abu Jahl poked her private part and killed her, for being a Muslim[ah] who believed in the message of the Prophet Muḥammad, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam.

What matters is the state in which one dies; (a true) Muslim, a non-Muslim or a hypocrite. A believer must die as a Muslim. A Muslim must die as such. This is what verse 102 of Sūrah ʾĀli ʿImrān implies:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

“Believers! Fear Allāh as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.”

As a matter of fact, there are two types of people who are terribly afraid of death: the non-believer and the hypocrites.

The hypocrite will claim he loves God and is chosen by God to be whom he is. At the same time, he’s never prepared to meet their beloved God.

The Jews, who are engaged in all kinds of conspiracy in the world today, to ensure the killing of others, so that they can live eternally, were challenged by the Qur’an, to wish for death, if they really claim to be the favourites of God. Allah says in Sūrah al-Jumuʿah, 62:6-7:

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ هَادُوا إِن زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ لِلَّـهِ مِن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُا الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ ﴿٦﴾ وَلَا يَتَمَنَّوْنَهُ أَبَدًا بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ، وَاللَّـهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمِينَ

“Say, “You who are Jews, if you claim that you are favoured by Allāh out of all people, then long for death, if you are truthful. They will never wish for it, because of what their hands have sent forward. Allāh has full knowledge of oppressors.”

Because they will never dare to long for death, perhaps they think death can be escaped, the next verse says to them:

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

“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.” [Al-Jumuʿah, 62:8].

Yet, they still do all it takes to live, not knowing that, every moment we live in this life is predetermined, and can never be changed. It can’t be increased nor can it be decreased.

وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النَّاسِ عَلَىٰ حَيَاةٍ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا، يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحْزِحِهِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ أَن يُعَمَّرَ، وَاللَّـهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ

“You will find them clinging to life more eagerly than any other people, even the polytheists. Any of them would wish to be given a life of a thousand years, though even such a long life would not save them from [Our] punishment; and Allāh sees all that they do.” [Sūrah al-Baqarah, 2:96].

verses above clearly inform us about the attitudes and acts of (some of the) Jews, and how they manipulate in order to escape death and meeting Allah for the rewards of their bad deeds. However, anyone who collaborates with them, for them to achieve their desieres, will be resurrected with them. It doesn’t matter whether the person claims Islam or even prays the Islamic prayer (ṣalāh) more than the ordinary true Muslim does.

Abdullāh ibn Ubay ibn Salūl, prayed behind the Prophet, in the presence of the companions. But due to his collaboration with the Jews (of that time) against Islam and the Prophet, he shall be resurrected with them. So will anyone who cooperates with them. This is what the Prophet said in a ḥadīrh reported by Imām al-Bukhārī and Muslim from Ibn Masʿūd, raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: