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Death - By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Death
By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Dear
Muslims:
Allah (SWT) says,
“Everyone shall taste death. And only on the day of Resurrection shall you be
paid your wages in full, and whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted
to Paradise he indeed is successful, the life
of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).”
(Aal-‘Imraan: 185).
Moreover, Allah (SWT) mentions in the
Qur'an in Surah Al-Zumar that everyone has to die including the Prophet (PBUH)
himself: "Truly you will die (one day), and truly they (too) will die (one
day):" (39:30)
Such is the reality of death and what
comes after it. Every one of us shall taste it whether poor or rich; healthy or
sick, old or young; leader or led and none of us can escape it. Allah (SWT)
says, “Whosesoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in a
fortress built up strong and high.” (An-Nisaa: 78).
Allah (SWT) also
says: "Then why do you not [intervene] when [the soul of a dying person]
reaches the throat? And you at the moment are looking on. But We [i.e. Our
Angels that take the soul] are nearer to him than you, but you see not"
(56:83-85)
Dear Muslims:
You see a youth
who was full of health and energy suddenly falls dead without warning; thereby
making that youthfulness and energy fade away, bringing all his senses to a
complete standstill. That youth might even be an erudite scholar, an eloquent
author, a skilled physician or brilliant inventor but it is absolutely out of
the question that this quality should prevent death from overtaking him when
his time is due. Allah (SWT) says, “When their term is reached, neither can
they delay it nor can they advance it an hour (or a moment).”
(10: 49 ).
‘Amr Ibn Abdullah
used to mount the pulpit and say, “Many a person who has seen the beginning of
a day but would not see its end. And many a person who has expected morning but
would not live to see it. If only you had known your appointed time and how it
comes to pass, you would have detested nursing hope for worldly materials and
its deception.”
While man enjoys
his good health, playing and merrymaking, moving about in haughtiness,
commanding and forbidding, illness suddenly attacks him, weakens his body,
makes his limbs lifeless and then closes his record. How near is death! Every
day it becomes closer to us and no sooner has the book reached its ppointed
time that we belong among the dead. Then it becomes clear that life is really
like flowers that bloom then afterwards wither or like a lamp that illuminates
then afterwards dies down.
Mujahid said
"Not a day passes which does not say 'O son of Adam, I have come to you
today and I will never come to you again, So be careful of what you do during
my stay!' ". There is a poem that goes:
"Life is
nothing other than a road, that leads to the Garden, or to the Fire. Its
night's are a man's workshop, And its days are his market place, So time is
surely the servants capital ". When the day has passed, it is folded up
and sealed, never to be re-opened by anyone until Allah (SWT) re-opens it on
the day of judgement!
Dear Brothars And Sisters In Islam:
What we witness in
the cemeteries is a great lesson for us. The carrier of the bier to the
cemetery today is taken back there tomorrow (as a dead person) and is left
there only with his deeds either good or evil.
It is also very
unfortunate that in these days we see some among those who escort the deceased
laughing and playing or attending the funeral for showing off. This phenomenon
is due to the heedlessness that has hardened people’s hearts and made them
forget the Last Day and the frightening conditions of the grave. May Allah
(SWT) awaken us from this heedlessness!
It is expected of
him who knows that he will die, be buried, raised up on the day of Resurrection
and enters Paradise or Hell to always remember death, prepare for it and
reflect on it. He is in fact expected to regard himself among the dead. This is
because all that is coming is near and when the angel of death comes, neither
your wealth nor your people can prevent him from taking your soul.
Where are those
who achieved their aims and none were comparable to them in that? They
collected but could not eat what they collected; they built mansions but could
not live there! We on our part are still swimming in the pool of life as if we
are meant to live here forever. Uways Al-Qarni said, “Remember death when you
sleep and always think of it when you are awake.”
Dear Muslims:
It is a fact that
this world and its tribulations appear insignificant in the eyes of him who
always remembers death, for, he has lofty aims and strong resolutions; he is
far from hypocrisy and always yearns for the everlasting bliss in the eternal Paradise .
However,
Remembering death does not in any way make one’s life loathsome to him; forcing
him to sit in his home and leave all means of sustenance. It is rather meant to
deter him from committing sins and soften his hard heart. We remember death in
order to have good preparation for it and for all that follows it by doing
righteous deeds, obeying Allah (SWT) and increasing one’s efforts in all acts of
worship.
How do we prepare
for death? We prepare for death by shunning all abominable things and returning
trusts to their rightful owners. We prepare for death by eliminating hatred and
enmity from our hearts. We prepare for death by being good to the kith and kin.
Ya`la Shaddad bin
Aus (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) advised us saying:
"A wise man is the one who calls himself to account (and refrains from
doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish
person is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires and seeks
from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires."
(Reported by Al -
Tirmidhi).
Ibn al-Mubaarak
said that a pious believer used to say, “If the remembrance of death leaves me
for an hour my heart becomes spoilt”. It is also said that, “Whoever frequently
remembers death is honored with three things: quick repentance,
self-contentedness and energy in doing acts of worship; and whoever forgets
death is punished with three things: delaying repentance, lack of contentedness
and laziness in acts of worship”.
Dear Muslims:
During death and
its pain; in the grave and its darkness; and the Day of Resurrection and its
horror, people fall into two groups. A group shall remain firm; secured from
fright and given glad tidings of Paradise
while the other group shall suffer disgrace and ignominy.
Allah (SWT) says,
“Verily, those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah (alone) and then stood straight, on
them the angel will descend (at the time of their death saying,) ‘Fear not, nor
grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise
which you have been promised.’” (41:30). Angels shall descend upon the
believers who are straight in their religion during death, in their graves and
when they are resurrected in order to assure them of security and to allay their fears of the
horror of the day of judgement. The angels will be telling them, ‘Do not fear
about what you are going to meet and do not grieve over what you will be
leaving behind of children, family and wealth’. The angels will also say, ‘We
have been your friends in the life of this world and (are so) in the
hereafter.’ (41: 31).
As for the
unbelievers, Allah (SWT) says, “And if you could but see when the wrongdoers
are in the agonies of death, while the angels are stretching forth their hands
saying, Deliver your souls! This day you shall be recompensed with the torment
of degradation because of what you used to utter other than the truth against
Allah, and you used to reject His ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons,
signs, revelations, etc.) with disrespect” (6:93). Their sorrow shall increase
so much so that they will wish to go back to this world. Allah (SWT) says, “Until when death comes to
one of them, he says, ‘O My Lord send me back.’” (23: 99).
Qatadah
said while commenting on the previous verse, “By Allah, he would not wish by
this statement to go back to his family and wealth nor to collect the good
things of this world and satisfy his desires. He would rather wish to go back
and do acts of obedience to Allah. May Allah (SWT) bless him who does in this
life what the disbelievers would wish to do when he sees the torment of Hell!
May Allah (SWT) make us
amongst the pious believers who prepare themselves for death before it comes,
bless, guide and forgive us all. (Ameen).
