Death
"O you who
believe! Let not your properties, nor your children divert you from the
remembrance of Allah. Whosoever does that, then they are the losers. So spend
(in charity) of that with which We have provided you, before death comes to one
of you and he says: ‘My Lord! If only you would give me respite for a little
while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should give Sadaqah (I.e. Zakat
- Obligatory charity) of my wealth, and be among the righteous.’ But Allah grants
respite to none when his appointed time (death) comes. And Allah is All-Aware
of what you do."
(Qur'an Al-Munafiqun
63:9-11)
The Messenger of
Allah (saws) said:
"Remember much,
that which cuts off pleasure: Death, since no-one remembers it in times of difficulty,
except that things are made easy for him, nor mentions it at times of ease,
except that the affairs become constricted for him."
Saheehul-Jaami’us
Sagheer, no 1222
Life in this World
Many humans live the
life of this world, seeking the best that it has to offer, while ignoring what
lies ahead of them upon death. This is a result of weak faith, for such people
live only for what is before their eyes. The adornment of this world are but
temptations to distract you from the true purpose of life and the reminder that
you will indeed be responsible for all you do in this life.
Believing in death
is part of belief in the unseen and is an essential part of faith.
As Allah (swt) says
in the Qur’an:
"Alif Laam
Meem. This is the Book without doubt, in it is guidance sure, for those who
fear Allah, those who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend
out of what we have provided."
(Qur'an Al-Baqarah
2:1-3)
and also:
"Seek Allah’s
help with patience and prayer. It is indeed hard, except for those who are
humble. Who bear in mind that they will meet their Lord and that they are to
return to Him."
(Qur'an Al-Baqarah
2:45-46)
A Reminder
Death is a harsh and
fearful reality faced by everyone who lives. No one has the power to avoid it,
nor does anyone around the dying person have the ability to prevent it.
It is something,
which happens every moment and is encountered by the old and the young, the
rich and the poor, the strong and the weak. They are all the same because there
is no plan or means of escaping it, no power, no means of intercession, no way
to prevent it, nor to delay it, which shows that indeed it comes from One
having tremendous power - so that the human is helpless in this regard and can
only submit to it.
So in Allah’s hand
alone is the granting of life, and in His hand is the return of what He gave at
the appointed time, and after the allotted life span, whether the people are in
their houses amongst their families, or striving to seek provision or striving
for Aqeedah (correct belief). Reward and recompense are with
Him, and He has full knowledge and power.
So the return of all
is to Allah, and they will be raised up before Him, having no place of return
except that, and no destiny but this one.
The only difference
between people will be their deeds and intentions. But, with regard to their
physical death, then it is one, death at the appointed time after the decreed
span, and resurrection on the Day of Gathering of mankind when we will all face
Allah. Then Forgiveness and Mercy, or His displeasure and punishment will be
dealt out justly according to His will.
As Allah says in the
Qur’an:
"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)."
(Qur'an Al-Imran
3:185)
You must believe
with absolute certainty the reality that the life in this world is limited and
has an appointed beginning and an appointed end. Everyone’s soul will taste it
and will depart from this life. The difference between these souls is their final
destination: Paradise or Hell. We should exert all effort in attaining Paradise
and pay great attention to avoiding prohibitions and deeds, which may
inevitably lead us to Hell.
There are many
ayah’s in the Qur’an that mention Death:
"Say: Verily,
the death from which you flee will surely meet you, then you will be sent back
to (Allah), the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will tell you
what you used to do."
And also:
"And we granted
not to any human being immortality before you (O Muhammad), then if you die,
would they live forever? Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a
trial of you with evil and with good, and to Us you will be returned."
(Qur'an Al-Anbiyah
21:34-35)
And also:
"(He) Who
created death and life, that He may test which of you is best in deed. He is
the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving."
(Qur'an Al-Mulk
67:2)
There are many
Prophetic Ahadith regarding death and the effect it should have on us.
From Al-Baraa’ ibn
Aazib (ra), who said:
"We went out
with Allah’s Messenger (saws) with the funeral of a man of the Ansar and we
came to the grave and the niche in the side of the grave (al-Lahd), had not
been dug out yet, so Allah’s Messenger (saws) sat and we sat around him as if
we had birds upon our heads, and in his hand he had a stick with which he was
striking the ground.
Then he raised his head and said: ‘Seek Allah’s refuge
from the Punishment of the Grave,’ two or three times. Then he said: ‘When the
believing servant is leaving this world and going onto the Hereafter, angels
with white faces - as if their faces were in the Sun - descend upon him. With
them is a shroud from the shrouds of Paradise and perfume for embalming from
the perfume of Paradise, so they sit away from him at the distance the eye can
see and then the Angel of Death (as) comes and sits by his head and says:
"O good soul, come out to forgiveness from Allah and His good
pleasure."
He said: "So it comes out, just as a drop flows out from
the mouth of the drinking vessel, and he takes it but does not leave it in his
hand even for the blink of an eye until they take it and places it in that
shroud, and that perfume, and there comes out from him a smell like that of the
best musk found upon the face of the earth."
He said: "So they ascend
with it, (i.e. the persons soul) and they do not pass by any group of Angels
except that they say: ‘Who is this good and pure soul?’ So they reply: "So
and so, the son of so and so." with the best of his names which he used to
be called by in this world, until they come to the lowest Heaven, and ask that
it should be opened for him, so it is opened for him, they accompany him
through every Heaven until he is taken up to the seventh Heaven, and Allah the
Al-Mighty says: "Write the record of my slave in Illiyon (signifying
highness) and return him to earth to his body." Then they say: "Who
is your Lord?" So he will say: "My Lord is Allah." So they will
say: "What is your Deen?" He will say: "My Deen is Islam."
So they say: "Who is the man who was sent amongst you?" So he will
say: "He is Allah’s Messenger." So they say: "How did you come
to know that?"
So he will say: "I read the Book of Allah, and
believed in it , and attested to it." So a caller will call from Heaven:
"Indeed My servant has spoken the Truth, so spread a place for him in
Paradise, and a open a door to Paradise for him, so some of its fragrances and
scents come to him and his grave is extended as far as the eye can see."
He said: "A person with a Handsome face, and beautiful clothes and good
smell comes to him and says. ‘Receive good news, which will please you. This is
the day which you were promised.’ So he says to him: "Who are you?, since
your face appears to signify good." So he says: "I am your righteous
actions." He therefore says: "O Lord, establish the Last Hour. O Lord
establish the Last Hour - so that I may return to my family and wealth."
But when the
unbelieving servant is leaving this world and going into the Hereafter, angels with
black faces descend upon him as far as the eye can see. The Angel of Death
comes and sits by his head and says: "O foul soul, come out to Allah’s
displeasure and anger." So the soul spreads throughout the body, so he
(the Angel of Death) drags it out, just as a pronged roasting fork is pulled
out of wool. So he takes it, but does not leave it in his hand for the blink of
an eye until they put it in those coarse sack cloths. Then there comes from him
an offensive stench, like that of the foulest smelling corpse rotting upon the
face of the earth. So they ascend with it (i.e. the soul), and they do not pass
by any group of angels except that they say: "what is that foul
smell!" So they say: "So and so, son of so and so," calling him with
the ugliest names which he used to be called with in this world, until they
come with him to the lowest heaven, and ask permission to enter, and it is not
opened for him." Then Allah’s Messenger (saws) recited:
"...for them
the gates of heaven will not be opened, and they will not enter Paradise until
the camel goes through the eye of a needle (which is impossible)."
(Qur'an Al-Araf
7:40)
So Allah (swt) says:
"write his record in Sijjeen (a name signifying constriction) within the
lowest earth." Then his soul is flung down, and he recited:
"...and whoever
assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the
birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place."
(Qur'an Al-Hajj
22:31)
So his soul is
returned to his body and two Angels come and make him sit up. Then they say to
him: "Who is your Lord?" So he will say: "Ah, ah, I don’t
know." So they will say: "Who is this man who was sent amongst
you?" So he will say: Ah, ah, I don’t know." So a caller will call
from heaven: "You have lied so spread a place for him in the Fire, and
open a door to the Fire for him." So some of its heat and scorching air
comes upon him, and his grave is constricted to the extent that his ribs
interlace, and a man with an ugly face, unsightly clothes and smelling
offensively comes to him and says: "Receive news of that which will grieve
you, this is the day which you were promised." So he will say: "Who
are you?" He will answer: "I am your evil actions." So the
unbeliever will say: "O Lord, Do not establish the Last Hour."
Saheehul-Jaami,
reported by Ahmed and others
Death is
Pre-Established
Death will occur at
a fixed time. The time is, of course, unknown to us. The place, the time, the
way in which each of us will die is known only to Allah. The death of each of
us has been pre-recorded in a book by Allah. It cannot be brought about or
avoided:
"Wherever you
are death will find you out, even if you are in the towers built up strong and
high..."
(Qur'an An-Nisa
4:11)
"It is He who
gives Life and causes Death: and when He decides upon an affair, He says to it,
‘Be’ - and it is."
(Qur'an Ghafir
40:68)
Death cannot be
caused by anyone or anything, nor can it be stopped or delayed unless such is
in agreement with what has been pre-written. Allah (swt) tells us:
"Nor can a soul
die except by Allah’s leave, the term being fixed by writing..."
(Qur'an Al-Imran
3:145)
This is where belief
in Al-Ghayb (unseen) plays a big role. As humans we are deficient in our
knowledge and as such we grasp that which is before us, comprehend it very well
and use it for our benefit. We see the signs of Allah throughout the world
before our eyes... the sun, the moon, day and night. etc., and it is these that
we use to our advantage. However, the unseen, that which we have been asked to
believe in without being able to see, is also an area of knowledge that we must
grasp and use to benefit us as it contains much concerning our life in the
hereafter.
Dying
The demise of a
person contains a number of occurrences that we cannot see and perhaps are
unaware of when they take place. When a person dies we cannot see what he sees,
nor hear what he hears, nor feel what he feels. We don’t know what happens and
of course no one has lived to tell of that experience. There are certain things
we do not know that occur.
Sakaraatul Mawt
The stupors of
death, called Sakaraatul Mawt, will be painfully felt by all. This fact is
related in the Hadith concerning the death of the Prophet (saws). Aa-ishah (ra)
related about the events before his death:
"There was a
leather or wood container full of water in front of the Messenger (saws). He
put his hand into the water and rubbed his face with it, saying: "Laa
illaaha illallaah !" No doubt death has its stupor’s." Then he raised
his hand and started saying: "O Allah, with the highest companions!"
(and kept on saying this) until his hand dropped."
Related by
Al-Bukhari
The Prophet (saws)
was shown his place in Paradise and given the choice of living or dying and
joining those "Highest Companions". Refer to Surah Nisa: 4 Ayah 69
and Al-Bukhari - Volume 1, Hadith Number 516.
The best way to
explain "The stupors of Death" is as follows: When a person is dying,
they come in and out of consciousness, even when they appear conscious, they
may be dazed and incoherent - that’s why it is so important, at this time to
remind the person of Allah, always remembering, that (though you cant see
what’s happening), it is a very trying and sometimes a confusing time for the
dying person.
Repentance and
Request To Return
Another inevitable
occurrence at death is the desire to return back to life just to do one more
good deed. This is especially true for the Kaffir (unbeliever),
and the transgressor. They will regret their lives and wish to return to put
aright their deeds. It must be a frightening thing for them at death.
"Until when
death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah), he says:
"O my Lord! Send me back in order that I may work righteousness in the
things I have neglected..."
(Qur'an Al-Mu’minun
23:99-100)
Once Sakaraatul Mawt
approaches there is no turning back. When the rattling of death is heard in the
throat, nothing can be reversed:
"Then why do
you not intervene when it (the soul of the dying person), reaches the
throat...Call back the soul if you are true."
(Qur'an Al-Waqi'a
56:83,87)
It is then that the
dying person sees the angels and he realizes Death is at hand. Once the angels
are seen, man can grasp the reality of Al-Ghayb (the unseen), for he has
witnessed the truth of it. Declaration of faith is of no avail at that time for
it is no longer "Unseen". Any repentance at this stage is rejected.
"Allah accept
the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent afterwards; to them
will Allah turn in mercy, for Allah
is full of knowledge and wisdom. Of no effect is the repentance of those who
continue to do evil until death faces one of them and he says: ‘Now have I
repented indeed’, Nor of those who die rejecting faith; for them We have
prepared a punishment most grievous."
(Qur'an An-Nisa
4:17-18)
Many people don’t
repent or seek refuge in Allah, until they face difficulty. Then when they are
in trouble and feel the need they have for Allah, they turn to Him and beg for
His help and His mercy.
"When trouble
touches man he cries unto Us - lying down on his side, or sitting or standing.
But, when We have removed his affliction he passes on his way as if he had
never cried to Us for the affliction that had touched him. Thus do the deeds of
transgressors seem fair in their eyes."
(Qur'an Yunus 10:12)
Incredibly, many
people today feel no need for Allah at all. Repentance never occurs to them.
They feel self-sufficient. As sincere Muslims, we should turn to Allah at all
times, not just at times of trouble. Consider the stories of Prophet Yunus (as)
and Fir’awn. They were in similar places and trouble. They both sought refuge
in Allah in the same manner. Yet they were dealt with in different ways.
Fir’awn was drowning at sea. When he realized his plight, he turned to Allah
saying:
"...And I
believe that there is no God but Him whom the Children of Israel believe in. I
am of those who submit (to Allah in Islam)."
(Qur'an Yunus 10:90)
At his moment of
death he declared his belief in Tawheed, which is the key to Paradise. Yet his
repentance was rejected. When he supplicated to Allah, Jibreel (as) threw mud
in his mouth so that the angels could not hear him.
Prophet Yunus (as)
was in three dark places: way out to sea, in the dark of night, in the stomach
of a whale. He supplicated:
"And remember
Jonah, when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him
(i.e. the calamities that had befallen him!) But he cried La illaha illa Anta
(none has the right to be worshipped but You, (O Allah), Glorified (and
Exalted) be You above all the (evil) they associate with You. Truly, I have
been of the wrongdoers."
(Qur'an Al-Anbiyah
21:87)
Prophet Yunus (as)
also sought refuge in Allah through his belief in Tawheed and was saved. Why
Yunus (as) and not Fir’awn? Allah (swt) said:
"So, We
answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver
the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work
righteousness)."
(Qur'an Al-Anbiyah
21:88)
Fir’awn was not of
true faith, therefore his repentance was rejected by Allah. True faith is
always present, not simply in times of distress. Remember the mud thrown in the
mouth of Fir’awn when he cried out. When Yunus (as) supplicated to Allah the
angels responded saying: "A familiar voice from a well known slave."
A very important lesson from this is that we should try to remember Allah, at
all times and asks Him for help even when we are in comfort and free of
problems. By remembering Allah in easy times He will remember you in difficult
times just as He did Yunus (as).
Presence of Shaytan
Just as the angels
will be present, Shaytan will be too. It is his last chance to try to turn man
to evil. He will do what he can to cause him to die upon Shirk (Polytheism),
or at least commit sin.
"Indeed Shaytan
is present in all of your affairs, even at the time of eating. Therefore, if a
morsel of food falls to the ground, one should remove any harmful thing from
it, and eat it. Don’t leave it for Shaytan to eat. And when one finishes, he
should lick his fingers, for no one knows where the blessing in the food might
be."
Related by
Al-Bukhari
Shaytan can assume
any form he desires in order to deceive man. He can come to you when you are
dying in the form of your deceased Mother or Father or close friend saying:
"I come to you
from the other life and I have found that Christianity is the truth."
Related by Dr. Umar
Al-Ashqar Al-Yawn Al-Aakhir - Al-Quyaam As-Sughraa p.29
This is the time
when the weak in faith may fail. Never consider yourself to be of firm,
unshakable faith. Allah holds our hearts between His fingers.
Even those of great
knowledge never consider themselves of unwavering faith. They fear that they
may lose the gift of Islam. The Qur’an tells us of such people:
"...And those
firmly grounded in knowledge say: ‘We believe in it, the whole of it is from
our Lord. And none will grasp the message but men of understanding. O Lord let
not our hearts deviate now after You have guided us, but grant us mercy from You,
for You are the Granter of bounties without measure."
(Qur'an Al-Imran
3:7-8)
An example of
Shaytan’s work at the time of death is seen in the story of Imam Ahmad bin
Hanbal, the great scholar and founder of the Hanbali school of thought.
At his death, his
son was beside him telling him: "Say Laa illaaha illallaah." Imam
Ahmad replied: "No! No!" The son was horrified and repeated to his
father: "Laa illaaha illallaah." And again Imam Ahmad said: "No!
No!" He then lost consciousness. When he came to he told his son: "I
see my devil saying: Ahmad! I was not able to deviate you!" The devil had
come to him and tried to get him to admire himself for his righteous life by
insisting that before he die, he say he was of the people of Paradise. Imam
Ahmad reply was: "No!, No!, not until I die."
Ibid
Husnul Khaatimah (A
Good Ending)
Life in this world
is of many types yet death is only two. Just as there is only Paradise and
Hell, there is only a good ending and a bad one. A good ending is known as Husnul
Khaatimah. We know that a person who dies with Husnul Khaatimah is
reassured by the angels that good awaits him. He has died with faith in Islam
and his good deeds will benefit him all the more.
Of course there are
stories of those who, Insh Allah died with Husnul Khaatimah:
** A young man helped a
stranded elderly couple repair their car, which had broken down on the freeway.
His friends left him with them and continued on their way Makkah. The young man
stayed with the couple until their car was fixed and then went to Makkah. When
he arrived, he went to the Haram (mosque), he prayed, and stayed in sujood for
a long time until finally his friends became worried. When they touched him he
fell over. He had died in prostration.
** A young man was
changing a tire and while doing so, his car was hit from behind which then hit
him. He was severely injured and kept mumbling the entire time. The ambulance
came to take him to hospital, the medic noticed his constant mumbling, and
tried to hear what he was saying, as he leaned over to listen, he realized that
the young man was reciting Qur’an.
Suu-ul Khaatimah (A
Bad Ending)
As for a bad ending
- Suu-ul Khaatimah - there are a few causes:
1) Corrupt Beliefs
Even though this
person may perform good deeds, may even renounce the world in piety, some of
his beliefs are false. He is convinced that his belief’s are true and correct.
It doesn’t cross his mind that he may be in error. This discovery is only made
when Sakaraatul Mawt reaches him. And, though he may be upon
the truth in some of his belief’s, his falsehood will delete him.
"Say: shall we
tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds? Those whose efforts
have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good
by their works."
(Qur'an Al-Kahf
18:103-104)
Whether such beliefs
are held due to one’s opinions or are taken from others, the person falls into
this danger. His good deeds are of no benefit to him. Without correct belief,
which is based upon the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah, nothing will
benefit him.
2) Persistence in
Acts of Disobedience
The person who
persists in sin will accustom his heart to sinful acts. They will become
natural to him. All such deeds that become typical aspects of our lives will
come to us at the time of death. If we are accustomed to righteousness and
obedience and the doing of good deeds, it will be in this frame of mind that we
die. And, if we have accustomed ourselves to a life of sin or persisted in
certain sinful acts, these acts will fill our minds at death. If this occurs,
if these acts of disobedience overcome our thoughts due to the active role they
played in our lives, we will end our lives with Suu-ul Khaatimah.
We know from the
Sunnah that a person should be encouraged to say La illaaha illaallah when he
is dying, but some of us will be unable to say this due to such acts of
disobedience that preoccupied us in our lives.
A few examples are:
** A person who was very
fond of alcohol was dying. He was encouraged to say La illaaha illaallah, but
all he could say was: "Pour another glass for me."
** Two young men
were driving around the city listening to music. They were in a very bad
accident. One of them escaped with little harm, while the other one was badly
hurt. When the friend who was not hurt realized that his friend was dying he
encouraged him to say: La illaaha illallaah, all he could do was to sing the
verses of the song he had been listening to in the car.
3) Deviation From
The Straight Path
He who possesses
correct belief and is upon the straight path, but then leaves it will cause
himself Suu-ul Khaatimah. Man may know the truth and live in accordance with it
for some time. Yet he follows Shaytan when he commands him to reject faith.
"Like the
Shaytan when he says to man: "Disbelieve!" But when man disbelieves,
Shaytan says: "I am free of you, I do fear Allah, Lord of the
Worlds." The end of both will be that they will go into the fire, dwelling
therein forever. Such is the reward of the Unjust and the Wrongdoers."
(Qur'an Al-Hashr
59:17)
4) Deterioration of
Faith
Deterioration of
faith begins in this way. A Muslim feels himself sufficient in his knowledge
and fails to see his weaknesses. Slowly he loses even the knowledge that he has
because he fails to put it into practice. He neglects the Sunnah and perhaps
feels the spiritual path of faith is sufficient for him. Practical affairs, for
which we take guidance from the Sunnah, such as; how to eat and sleep, how to
pay Zakat, become unimportant to him. Though spiritual worship is rewarded,
often the practical deeds are of more benefit to a Muslim in life and may even
be of greater reward.
For example:
Scholars are of the opinion that recitation of the Qur’an is rewarded, although
seeking knowledge is of greater reward. Recitation without knowledge and
practical application is fruitless.
"The similitude
of those who were entrusted with the Taurat (torah), but who subsequently
failed in those (obligations) is that of a donkey which carries books (but
understands them not). Evil is the similitude of a people who falsify the signs
of Allah; And Allah guides not those who do wrong."
(Qur'an Al-Jumu’ah
62:5)
5) Weakness in Faith
Faith to many people
is a matter of the heart, an inner belief. However, Islamic faith is much more.
The definition of
faith in Islam is: A belief in the heart supported by words from the tongue and
actions of the body. Faith in Islam cannot simply be an inner belief, nor words
from the tongue, it must be backed up by deeds. This is where many Muslims fail
in faith.
You cannot simply
hope for Paradise, you must work for it. We must consequently pass many trials
and tests in order to obtain it. If our actions do not convey what we carry in
our hearts and voice from our mouths, our faith is weak, and therefore deficient.
Often times, such weaknesses in faith are caused by one’s love for Dunya, the
worldly life. The love of Dunya can become excessive causing faith to become so
weak that one lives for this world only, dreading death, as it represents the
end of worldly life, that he loves so much. If Sakaraatul Mawt reaches him
whilst in this state, he will find himself doubtful in faith and can end with
Suu-ul Khaatimah.
Often we are
impressed with people particularly non-Muslims, who are well mannered and of
impeccable behaviour. Yet they posses little or no faith. Such people will have
their deeds rejected by Allah and will be those with Suu-ul Khaatimah.
The manners and
behaviour with which they impressed people so much in this life will be of no
help to them when they face Allah. Muslims may die with Minor and Major Suu-ul
Khaatimah.
Perhaps, they were
believing practicing Muslims, but fell into innovation in religion. Some may
have fallen into one of the sects, whose followers claim to be Muslim. Whether
or not they fall into the minor or major category depends upon the seriousness
of that which they involve themselves in. Of course the most serious is that
which concerns one’s Aqeedah, definitely casting one into the Major Suu-ul
Kaatimah.
An example is found
in the Sufi’s. Some of their beliefs are Kufr, while others, though they are
contrary to Islamic teachings, do not cast them out of the fold of Islam. Such
things show all the more reason to seek Islamic knowledge so that we may avoid
falling into such falsehood, thinking that we are on the right path.
"Say: ‘Shall We
tell you of those who lose most in respect to their deeds? Those whose efforts
have been wasted in this life while they thought they were acquiring good by
their works."
Al-Kahf 18:103-104
Those of the Minor
category are those who have faith yet die upon sin. On the Day of Judgment, the
Scale will weigh their deeds, good and bad. This will determine whether they
are the people of Hell or the people of Paradise.
We Should All Ask
Ourselves:
If I Die in the
State I Am Today, Will I Die with;
Suu-ul Khaatimah Or
Husnul Khaatimah??
References: Death by Shaikh’ Alee Hasan ‘Alee Abdul Hameed
Mysteries of The
Soul by Abu Bilal Mustafa al-Kanadi
