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Death
- A Gift for a Believer Multitudes of men have walked on the surface of this
Earth. They all belonged to different nations and cultures. A few of them made
history for which they were remembered, whereas others, were never to be
mentioned again. Although each one was personally different from another -
their habits, thinking and tastes differed - they all had two things in common,
first, they were all delivered from their mothers womb and second, they all
tasted death. Who claims he has lived a thousand years? We all admit the honourable rank of the Holy Prophet
sallallahu alaihe wasallam and his position in the eyes of Allah Ta’ala. It is
also undisputed that he is the last Messenger of Allah whose message will
survive until the Day of Judgement. We also place his companions’ radiyallahu
anhum superior to others. The day the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam
passed away it was hard for his companions to believe such a thing could happen
to such a highly ranked Prophet who remained active until his last breath. Umar
radiyallahu anhu ascended the pulpit and addressed that anyone who says that
the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has passed away I will slit his throat.
It was not a strange thing to address; for the Prophet sallallahu alaihe
wasallam held an honourable rank before him. He was a Prophet whose miracles
were numerous. Of which one is the living miracle, the Holy Qur’aan. How can
the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam leave his friends behind.
Suddenly Abu Bakr radiyallahu anhu, the first nominated khalifah, ordered Umar
radiyallahu anhu to descend the pulpit but Umar radiyallahu anhu remained on
it, fully convinced that he was right in what he was saying. Abu Bakr
radiyallahu anhu read the khutbah and recited the following aayat: "Muhammad is no more than a Messenger, and
indeed (many) Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed,
will you then turn back on your heels (as disbelievers)? And he who turns his
back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah, and Allah Ta’ala
will give reward to those who are grateful." (144:3) On hearing this, Umar radiyallahu anhu and other
companions were astonished that they had recited this verse many a time but on
this occasion it did not come in their mind. They felt as is the aayat was
being revealed to Abu Bakr radiyallahu anhu and all agreed that Muhammad
sallallahu alaihe wasallam had passed away. Such a great personality experienced death, should
we be unmindful of it as if we will never experience it? Allah states, "Every soul shall have a taste of
death. And only on the Day of Judgement shall you be paid your full
recompense." (3:185) What
is Death? Sheikh Jalaluddin Suyuti rahmatullahi alaihe has
recorded the verdict of the Ulama that death is not mere annihilation but a
type of metamorphosis where the soul (rooh) is separated from the body like the
movement from one dwelling to another. (Sharhus-sudoor). A believer’s death has
been explained analogously by some Ulama as the transference from a world of
hardship to that of peace and luxury. (May Allah grant us such death! Aameen). How
did Death come about? In Kitaab-ul-Zuhd, Imaam Ahmad has included the
narration’s of Hazrat Hasan Basri rahmatullahi alaihe that, when Allah created
Hazrat Aadam alaihis salaam and his progeny the angels expressed much concern
about the world being insufficient to accommodate all of them but Allah assured
them by declaring, "I shall create death!" (Ibn Abi Shaybah) Hearing this, the angels became disturbed and when
they remarked that it would instil fear and remove the pleasure of life, Allah
explains, "I shall create hope and ambitions." According to Hazrat Mujahid rahmatullahi alaihe,
when Hazrat Adam alaihis salaam was sent to Earth, his Sustainer said, "O
Adam! Construct buildings destined for destruction and ruination; and beget for
death." (Abu Nu’aim) O dweller of lofty mansions, very soon you will be
buried in the sand (a lowly station). Allah has an angel calling daily: Beget for death
and create buildings for destruction. Remembrance
of Death We are so engrossed in our worldly pursuits that the
remembrance of death does not occur to us. The Holy Prophet of Allah sallallahu
alaihe wasallam has said, "The most intelligent person is the one who
often remembers death. Constant remembrance of it prevents one from evil and
sin and motivates him towards good morals. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe
wasallam said, "The remembrance of death defeats joy." The above narration clearly indicates that we are in
this world for a purpose and not just for pleasure and entertainment. The Holy
Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam says, "Live in the world as though you
are a wayfarer." Concerning this Hazrat Esa alaihis salaam has said,
"This world is like a bridge, cross it and do not build on it." Life in this world is very short which everyone has
to surpass, until he meets his death. Allah says, "For every ‘Ummah’
(community or nation) there is a term appointed, when their term is reached,
not an hour (nor a moment) can they cause to delay, nor (an hour nor a moment)
can they advance (it)." (10:49
Tafseer Al-Qurtubi) How
much do we remember Death? Nowadays, when a person dies, the family and close
relatives grieve over the deceased. After some time all is forgotten and much
attention is given to the inheritance, so much so they begin to have disputes
over it. The wealth of the deceased is valued more than the lessons to be taken
from his death. If we remembered it frequently, we would certainly prepare for
it. Prepare
for Death! Intelligent students always prepare for exams. It is
also a matter of intelligence to prepare for the account to be given after
death. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has mentioned in a Hadith,
"Clever is the one who prepares for life after death." The Holy
Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has also said, "Take importance of life
before death." (Riyaadh-us-Salhiheen) Once, the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam
came to the Masjid for salaah, when he noticed some people laughing and
giggling. He remarked, "If you remembered death, I would not see you like
this. Think of your death often. Not a single day passes when the grave does
not call out: ‘I am a wilderness, I am a place of dust, I am a place of worms.’
When a believer is placed in the grave, it says; ‘Welcome, it is good of you to
have come to me. Of all the people walking on the Earth, I liked you the best.
Now you have come in to me, you will see how I entertain you.’ It then expands
as far as the occupant can see. A door from Paradise is opened for him in the
grave and through this door he gets fresh and fragrant air of Paradise.
However, when a evil man is laid in the grave it says; ‘You are not welcome
here. Your coming into me is very bad for you. Of all the people walking on the
Earth, I disliked you the most. Now that you have been put into me, you will
see how I treat you!’ It then closes upon him so much that his ribs of one side
penetrate into the ribs of the other. As many as seventy serpents are then set
upon him, to keep biting him until the day of resurrection. These serpents are
so venomous that if one of them happened to spurt its venom upon the earth, not
a single blade of grass would ever grow." Prepare
for Death and Die a Muslim! It is stated in a Hadith that a person will be
raised in the state he dies. Hazrat Yusuf alaihis salaam who had been given the
Leadership of Egypt, prayed to Allah that He gives him death in the state of a
Muslim and be raised amongst the righteous. Although being a Prophet of Allah,
yet Hazrat Yusuf alaihis salaam feared that Allah would raise him amongst the
leaders, as he was the Leader of Egypt. What extreme humbleness Yusuf alaihis
salaam expressed! How lucky are those souls who after finding out
about the signs of their death, turn towards Allah, ask His repentance for any
previous sins and prepare for it by doing good deeds. Such people are the ones
who are truly gifted with the kalimah or a good outcome before departing from
this world. This tends to be the sign of their being fortunate and people
witness a sign of their salvation from the punishment of the Hereafter. No
Escape from Death! There is no doubt that there is a cure for every
disease. If anyone is infected with a disease then it may be cured through
medicine. His life may prolong to some extent but one day the same person will
experience something with no cure at all. That is death. Allah states,
"Wherever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in
fortresses built up strong and high." The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam said,
"When Allah decides for a person to pass away at a certain place, he makes
a need for that person at that place." (Tirmidhi) It is in another tradition narrated on the authority
of Kuthaima radiyallahu anhu that once the angel of death (Hazrat Izraeel
alaihis salaam) appeared in the form of a human being in the court of Hazrat
Sulaiman alaihis salaam and gazed continuously at a person present there for
some time. That person asked Hazrat Sulaiman alaihis salaam, "Who was that
person?" He told him that, that was the angel of death. He remarked: The
angel of death had gazed at me in such a manner as if he had determined to take
my life." Hazrat Sulaiman alaihis salaam asked him, "What do you
want?" He requested him to take him to India. He commanded the cloud to
pick him up and drop him in India. Consequently the cloud carried him to India.
The angel of death came to Hazrat Sulaiman alaihis salaam. He asked him,
"Why did you fix your gaze at that person?" He said, "I wondered
that the Almighty Allah had commanded me to take the life of this person in
India whereas he was sitting hear in your presence." The
Description of the Throes of Death There is a bind between the body and the soul. This
can be explained by portraying the attraction between two magnets. It is hard
to pull them apart, likewise, the attraction of the soul to the material body
is more due to the love of the materialistic world. In other words, the more
the magnetic field in both the magnets, the greater the attraction will be.
Similarly, the more the love towards the worldly life, the greater the pain of
pulling apart of the soul from the body will be. Imaam Ghazzi rahmatullahi alaihe explains, that the
soul is removed from the body in stages (as mentioned in the Holy Qur’aan): it
is first taken out from the feet followed by the shin and then the thighs after
which the chest is affected and at that moment the power of speech is lost.
When the soul is taken from the throat, the faculties of sight and hearing are
exterminated. There are two things here. Firstly, the pain felt at
the introduction of death. Secondly, the pain felt at the extraction of the
soul. Here the latter is implied. The
severity of death varies from person to person. a believer feels the pain
similar to the hair that is taken out from flour by a finger. Whereas, the
disbeliever feels so much pain that it is impossible to describe. The severity of death has been mentioned in numerous
Ahaadith, some of which are as follows: 1. Hazrat Anas Ibn Malik radiyallahu anhu has
reported that Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihe wasallam had mentioned that the
grasp of Malikul Maut is more severe than one thousand hacks (cuts) with a
sword. (Sharhus-sudoor) 2. There is a narration regarding Hazrat Moosa alaihis
salaam that he was questioned by Allah after death about how he had undergone
the experience of dying and he replied that it could be described as the case
of a live bird being put in to a hot boiling pot of bubbling oil. 3. In another narration, Hazrat Moosa alaihis salaam
is reported to have replied that the experience was like that of a goat being
skinned alive by a butcher. (Sharhus-sudoor) 4. It is narrated from Shaddad Ibn Aus radiyallahu
anhu that there is not as much pain, torture in being spilt by a saw, shredded
by scissors or scalded by fiercely boiling water than in experiencing death. 5. Hazrat Abu Qatadah radiyallahu anhu reports that
Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihe wasallam said that all distress, displeasure and
agony at the time of death can be likened to that of an ant-bite. 6. Hazrat Ibrahim alaihis salaam asked the angel of
death to show him in which form he visits an evil person. Angel of death
replied, "You will not be able to tolerate the sight." Hazrat Ibrahim
alaihis salaam insisted, the angel of death told him to turn around, while he
transformed himself. After which he told Hazrat Ibrahim alaihis salaam to look.
Upon seeing him he fell unconsciousness due to the pitiful sight. Thereafter,
Hazrat Ibrahim alaihis salaam remarked that the sight was so horrifying that
just looking at him was enough punishment for the evildoer. It is a pity for us today that we are inattentive
enough to remember all other worldly matters and forget the main purpose of our
creation. How unfortunate will anyone of us be not to take heed after knowing
one’s reality - what one is made of, where one came from and where one will
return. May Allah Ta’ala give us the ability to remember death and grant us the
kalimah, Laailaaha illallah on our lips at the time of death, Aameen. __________________ Love of the Prophet
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