Death a bitter fact -POEMS on unpolished Faith
The Worst thing in Life is not Death.
Death is not a Tragedy, or something Horrible.
Death is a Promise to all of Us.
The Worst thing in Life is,
Dying and not having Strived upon the Path of ALLAH SWT.
Dying without Emaan.
Dying without Righteous Actions.
Death is not the Biggest Disaster in Life.
The Biggest Disaster in Life is when Our Fear of ALLAH SWT dies when We are still Alive.
Ibn Al Qayyim says:
Don’t worry about this Dunya for it belongs to Allah, and don’t worry about your sustenance for it comes from Allah and don’t worry about future for it is under the hand of Allah. However carry one concern which is how to please Allah.
Death a bitter fact!
Death is always a bitter
realization, a huge reminder and a recurring scary thought: ‘How long before I
am the one lying lifeless being washed, shrouded and buried by others?’
Allah says in His Glorious Book: “Every soul will taste death, and you will
only be given your (full) compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is
drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. And
what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.” (Holy Qur’an,
3:185)
The skins shiver and the eyes become moist when the beautiful words of
Allah sink in. Actually, this is what life is all about. We have been created
for a purpose and our time on this earth is limited? 100 years, 90 years, 80
years etc.
Striving and competing to do all that Allah has commanded, avoiding all that He
has forbidden and hastening to Him with our record full of good deeds has to be
our major goal in life.
All of us, regardless of the religion we follow, know and accept that this life
is temporary. It will someday come to an end for us and an end for humanity
altogether. But in Islam we are taught to believe in the life after death, the
life of the Hereafter, which is eternal.
Wise is the one who prepares for the eternal life rather than losing himself in
materialistic, worldly desires.
Most of us know but tend to ignore the fact that age, status, nationalities,
ambitions, plans and promises all lose color when death stands there glaring at
our faces. There certainly are no second chances, no turning back and no last
good byes!
But how many of us take heed of these frequent heart wrenching, soul shattering
reminders that our loved ones leave behind? How many of us prepare for that
last moment leaving petty worldly desires aside?
How many of us thank the Creator for all the breaths we take, how many of us
turn to Him sincerely by submitting to His commands, by taking care of His
rights, His servants’ rights, how many fear the sudden end.., the final meeting
with Him?
Allah has made it clear in the Qur’an that the experience of the worldly life
is almost nothing compared to the Hereafter. The Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) said: “What is the example of this worldly life in comparison to the
Hereafter other than one of you dipping his finger in the sea? Let him
contemplate what his finger will come back with.” (Sahih Muslim)
When we dip our finger into the sea, the little bit of water we pull
out of it, i.e., the wetness which dries up in a while, is almost nothing
compared to the entire sea.
In the same way, the temporary life of this world is practically nothing
compared to that of the Hereafter. The reality is that the Hereafter is the
true life and this world is only a means to prepare us for the eternal life after
death.
The path we choose to follow in this world and the actions we do determine our
fate in the life after death.
Allah has told us in the Qur’an about the people who will realize on the Day of
Resurrection that the Hereafter is the true life, and they will be filled with
remorse because they did not perform many good deeds for their eternal life. Allah
says: “He (man) will say, “Oh, I wish I had sent ahead [some good] for my
life.” (Holy Qur’an, 89:24)
Let’s take a moment and reflect on this verse; do the worldly tests and worries
really matter when we think of this major test that’s drawing close?
Would we still delay repenting for the sins we think are trivial? Would we
still hesitate to turn to the Qur’an; read, recite, learn and practice it as it
should be practiced? Would we still hold on to those riyals, dollars and pounds
rather than giving them away to those in need or for the spread of our
religion?
Would we still let our egos stop us from being the first ones to forgive our
loved ones’ mistakes and be kind to them for the sake of the Most Merciful?
Ibn
Umar said: Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) took me by my shoulder and
said: “Be in this life as if you were a stranger or a traveler on a path and If
you reach the evening then do not expect to reach the morning, and if you reach
the morning then do not expect to reach the evening. Take from your health
before your sickness, and from your life before your death.” (Sahih Bukhari)
The death of all those dear to me has made me realize that while their
time on this earth is over, I still continue to live and breathe; I still have
all those opportunities to do good deeds with Ikhlas (sincerity), stay away
from sins and draw closer to Allah, the opportunities that they would never get
again.
While they rest in their graves I continue to live on with my loved ones,
continue to have chances of loving them, being kinder and more loyal to them.
This life is too short to carry on worrying about what is and what could have
been.
No doubt, we will face tests and trials of all sorts until we reach our graves,
but let’s make sure that they don’t deter us from our aim to be of the best of
believers — the kind of believers who let the tests and reminders make them
grow stronger in faith, increase in empathy toward fellow believers and
persevere in patience, humble gratitude and submissiveness to the Most High for
all that He has blessed them with.
Allah
says: “Whatever you have will end, but what Allah has is lasting. And We will
surely give those who were patient their reward according to the best of what
they used to do. Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he
is a believer, We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely
give them their reward (in the Hereafter) according to the best of what they
used to do.” (Holy Qur’an, 16:96-97)
The Only Promise in Life
Allāh (ʿazza Wa Jal) says in Sūrah Āli ‘Imrān: “Every soul will taste death”[Al-Qur’ān, 3:185].
In this āyah, Allāh succinctly informs us of a sure reality. As is often said, you can be sure of nothing in life, except that its conclusion is death. Indeed, it is the only event in your life that can be guaranteed, and this is universally accepted knowledge. Even the staunchest of atheists cannot deny this fact, and no sane individual would reject it. Indeed, there is no doubt that every reader of this article is well-aware of this certainty.
The problem, however, is that we often only hold this belief superficially. We all know of death, but we know it only as an abstract concept – as a theory – and many of us do not actualise this knowledge. What is meant by this is that we know that we will die one day, and yet death seems distant. We feel safe from it. “It’s going to happen” we think, “but not now.” And the proof for this is in our actions. Had we truly internalised the certainty of death, we would never have allowed ourselves to commit that last sin, knowing with conviction that it could have been our last and final action. We always feel safe, and take for granted that we have time to perform tawbah (repentance). But, who guaranteed us this time? And what is it that has made us feel safe to fall into that sin? How many of us have witnessed parents, grandparents, siblings, children and friends return to Allāh with their deeds? When, then, will we wake up to this inescapable reality?
I have seen healthy individuals rushed to Accident & Emergency in critical states following road traffic accidents. They were old and they were young. They were male and they were female. They were frail or out of shape and they were at peak physical fitness. They were every race, nationality and religion. There was one thing, and only one thing, that they had in common. Not one of them expected it. None would have denied that they would die at some point, and yet, each one of them was surprised when death came near.
We do not expect death, and those who have faced it, too, did not expect it. So what is it that makes us feel safe? Did you know that there are illnesses where the first symptom is sudden death? What makes us think that we do not have such a condition? What makes us confident that when we next leave our homes we will not be hit by a car or a truck? Were you to die tomorrow, would you be satisfied with your day today knowing it would be your last? Even in this very example, I have fallen into the aforementioned mistake and treated death as something distant. By Allāh, you could die where you are sat or standing now, and your next breath could be your last. So are you content with your deeds now, knowing that you may have no more time to act?
This is what is meant by actualising and internalising our knowledge of death. It is having a sense of urgency and viewing death as something imminent. With this kind of knowledge, we can truly hold ourselves to account.
As Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) says in Sūrah Al Hashr: “O you who have believed, fear Allāh. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow – and fear Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is Acquainted with what you do.”[ Al-Qur’ān, 59:18]
Allāh reminds the believers to focus on what we have prepared for what is to come next, i.e., have it at the forefront of our minds. Likewise, the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,
“Three things follow the deceased person (to the grave), two of them return, and only one remains. His family, wealth and actions follow him. His family and wealth return, but his deeds will remain.”[At-Tirmidhi]
So be mindful of the deeds that you have prepared as these will be all that we keep when we meet our end.
As ʿUmar b. Al-Khattāb (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) advised, “Bring yourself to account before you are taken to account. Weigh your deeds before your deeds are weighed.” From amongst the best ways to do this is to remember death frequently and be in regular remembrance of Allāh and His book, whilst regularly self-evaluating our preparation for the Hereafter.
I conclude with a powerful reminder that I once heard and has stuck with me since:
“You will die. Don’t let the moment your limbs fall limp be the first time that they are free from sin. Don’t let the moment your eyes shut for the last time be the first time that you lower your gaze. Don’t let your last breath be the first time your tongue is free from evil speech. Don’t let the time you are wrapped in your burial shroud be the first time your ‘awrah is covered. Don’t let your janāzah be the first time you are in the first rows in the masjid.” In short, don’t let the day you die be the first day that you live as a Muslim.
