Rememberance of Death‏

{ بِسمِ ٱلله الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيـمِ }
As-Salamu Aleikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
Insha'Allah, today we intend on reminding ourselves of death, which inevitably comes to everyone. Usually, we give introduction about every topic we discuss, which sometimes turns out to be little long. And I know you guys don't like reading long articles, however, my dear Muslims, this topic needs no introduction, as scary as it is, it is self explainatory. Therefore, insha'Allah we will jump right into it without any introduction.
So, let us start insha'Allah...........


بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
وصلي اللهم علئ خير خلقك محمد صلئ الله عليه و سلم



Know my dear Muslims, that cutting hopes short and remembering death often are desirable and recommended, while long hopes and being oblivious of death are repugnant. God the Exalted has warned us against these things, when He said........

{ يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلاَدُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَأُوْلَـٰئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَاسِرُونَ }
[O you who believe! Let not your wealth or your children distract you from the remembrance of God. Those who do so: They are the losers.] {63:#9}

{ وَأَنفِقُواْ مِن مَّا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّ لَوْلاۤ أَخَّرْتَنِيۤ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلصَّالِحِينَ }
[And spend of that with which We have provided you, before death comes to one of you and he says: 'My Lord! If only You would reprieve me for a little while, then would give alms and be among the righteous!' {63:#10}

{ وَلَن يُؤَخِّرَ ٱللَّهُ نَفْساً إِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهَآ وَٱللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ }
But God reprieves no soul when its term has come, and God is Aware of what you do. {63:#11}

{ أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوۤاْ أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ ٱلْحَقِّ وَلاَ يَكُونُواْ كَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ }
Has the time not come for the hearts of those who believe to submit to God's reminder and to the truth which has been revealed? That they become not like those who received the Book of old, then the term was prolonged for them so their hearts were hardened; and many of them are depraved. {57:#16}

Thus, my brothers and sisters, we must reflect on that, our minds and hearts must be concious of that. We have to understand that everyday that goes by, we are getting closer and closer to our death, time is not being added, instead it is being subtracted from us. Everyone of us, should be asking themselves; "That much of hours has gone by me, what have I done? Did I waste that time? Knowing death is coming for me. Were my actions pleasing to God, or displeasing?" Please open your hearts my beloved Muslims, look at what God said to us in the following verses, and how scary and dangerous they are........

{ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَامَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَما ٱلْحَيَاةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا إِلاَّ مَتَاعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ }
Every soul shall taste of death; you shall surely be paid in full your wages, the requital of your deeds, on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is moved away, distanced, from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, will have triumphed, he will have attained his ultimate wish. Living in, the life of this world is but the comfort of delusion; of inanity, enjoyed for a little while, then perishing. {3:#185}

*Please my dear Muslims, understand what God is saying to us, don't let this life fool you and lie to you, because is just little bit, then will vanish, then only thing left for everyone is their deeds, and what they have put forth.

{ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِٱلشَّرِّ وَٱلْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ }
Every soul shall taste death, in this world, and We will try you, We will test you, with ill and good, such as poverty and wealth, sickness and health, as an ordeal (fitnatan, an object denoting reason, in other words, for the purpose of seeing whether you will be patient and give thanks or not). And then unto Us you shall be brought back, that We may requite you. {21:#35}

*And here is the last verse in the Quran in which Allah Subhanahu wa-Ta'ala, says to us we will taste death...

{ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ }
Every soul shall taste death. Then to Us you shall be returned (turja‘ūna; or yurja‘ūna, ‘they shall be returned’) after resurrection. {29:#57}

My dear Muslims as you witnessed, this life is obviously short and full of tests from God, and many obstacles, but we must find strength to proceed and have patience, and reflect on death much. That is the whole point of this life, if we don't live our lives that way, then surely, we shall be part of the losers on the day of Judgment, I HOPE NOT, may Allah Help us and Protect us, and take our souls in state of Islam. Amin!

The Messenger Of God, upon whom be blessings and peace, said: "Remember often the Ender of Pleasures." He was also asked: "Shall anyone be resurrected among the Martyrs who is not one of them? {Martyrs are those who were killed in the way of God} and he replied, "Yes, those who remember death twenty times each day and night."

When he was asked who the intelligent were he replied, "Those who remember death most often, and prepare for it best. They are the intelligent ones, who have gained the honour of this world and a noble rank in the Hereafter." And he said, "Death is the most imminent of all hidden things lying in wait." Now, if death is the nearest of the hidden things lying in wait, then one must prepare for it through being decisive and taking the greatest precautions in every condition in which it may come. And this could be any time and under any circumstance!

The Proof of Islam, Imamu Ghazali, may God show him mercy, writes in his Beginning of Guidance: "Know that death does not pounce at any specific time or situation, but that it is nonetheless certain to come. Preparing for it, therefore, takes precedence over preparing for the world." The Shaykh of All Shaykhs also writes, "Do not abandon reflection on the imminence of your appointed time and the decent of death, which cuts off all hopes, when there will no longer be the possibility of making choices, when regrets and remorse will come as a consequence of having remained beguiled by by illusion."

Among the righteous predecessors there were people who if they had been told: "You are to die tomorrow," would not have found scope to increase their good works, so constantly were they addressing themselves to the Hereafter and occupying themselves with acts of goodness. One of them told a man who had asked him for advice: "See which things which it would please you for death to find you doing them, and keep doing them now! And see which things which, were death to find you doing them, you would be displeased, and abandon them now!"

In a Hadith you will find: "Be in the world as though a stranger or wayfarer, and consider yourself one of the inhabitants of the graves." And also: "What I to do with the world? The likeness of myself and the world is that of a rider travelling on a summer day, who found a tree, rested underneath it awhile, then went on, leaving it behind."

In remembering death often and feeling its imminence lie major benefits, some of which are: losing desire for the things of this world, being content with a little of it, persevering in acts of goodness (which represent provisions for the Hereafter), avoiding sins and transgressions, and being quick to repent of them should one commit them. And Most often for one who remembers death, it would come to him/her in a perfect state of worship and good acts, and while God is pleased with such person.
Forgetfulness of death, and harbouring long hopes, result in the opposite of those benefits: strong desire for the world, greed in amassing its debris and enjoying its pleasures, being deceived by its decoration, postponing repentance of one's sins and laziness in doing acts of goodness. And death shall decent on such person in a horrible and terrible situation, while unexpected, in a disasterous occation, or the like of it, and perhaps sadly, not even reciting the Tawhid. Very painful and agony shall the soul leave such person. (May Allah Protect us from that. Amin!)

Our righteous predecessors, may God show them His mercy, used to say: "As hopes lengthen, behaviour worsens." And the Prophet said, "The early members of this nation will be saved through renunciation {zuhd} and certitude, and the latercomers among them will perish because of greed and long hopes." And Ali, may God ennoble his face, said: "That which I fear most for you is following your passions and harbouring long hopes, for following passions obstructs one from the Truth, while long hopes render you forgetful of the Hereafter." There can be no good in hopes which cause us to forget the Hereafter, and it is this kind that the Messenger of God, sought protection from saying: "I seek Your Protection from every hope that distracts me." And one of His prayers was: "I seek Your Proctection from a worldly existence that prevents the good of the Hereafter, from a life that prevents a good death, and from a hope that prevents good acts."

(Masha'Allah, that is our Beloved Prophet what then should be our case?)

When the heart fills with the sensation that one will remain long in the world, then most of its attention will be devoted to making one's worldly affairs prosper, and one will become heedless of the Hereafter and of gathering provisions for it, until death takes one by surprise and one meets God bankrupt of good works. Then one will feel grief and remorse which are no longer of the least avail, and say, { يَقُولُ يٰلَيْتَنِي قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِي } "Would that I had sent before me [some provision] for my life!" {89:#24}
And also: { حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ٱرْجِعُونِ } "Until (hattā is for inceptiveness) when death comes to one of them, and he sees his place in the Fire, says, ‘My Lord! Send me back (arji‘ūn, the plural [person] is [used] to indicate the gravity [of the plea]), {23:#99)

*Insha'Allah, my dear beloved Muslims reflect on death often and prepare for it, as if you are about to die an hour later, or after a day, because it is evident that it will come to all of us, whether we want it or not, whether we know it or not, whether we prepare for it or not, it is certain to come. The best thing anybody can do to prepare is to often remember death, and most often keep the remembrance of God in the heart and in the tongue. And refrain from bad actions and sins, keep account of each thing you do and say, and repent after every big or small sins. Control the tongue don't talk about others, instead focus on YOURSELF, and praise God much in the day and night, and ask Him for a perfect death. And observe the duties of God, seek God's Protection from the soul and its desires, and shaytan. Those are amongst the steps for the believer to prepare for death!

*Imam Al-Ghazali said, "Live as long as you may, for verily you must die. Love whoever you wish, for one day you shall taste its separation. And do what you will, you will be rewarded accordingly."

It may be of interest to readers if we provide a list of the best-known Arabic texts which deal with the subject of the; Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.

1) Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali [d.505] "Dhikr al-Mawt wa-ma Ba'dahu" {Remembering Death And What Follows it.} Also, "Ihya 'Ulum al-Din." AND "Beginning of Guidance"
And much more by Imamu Al-Ghazali.

2) Imam Jalal Al-Din Al-Suyuti [d.911] "Sharh Al-Sudur" {Opening Of Hearts}

3) Shams Al-Din Al-Qurtubi [d.671] "Al-Tadhkira" {The Memorial}

4) 'Abd Al-Rahim Al-Qadi. "Daqa'iq Al-Akhbar" {The Precise Reports}

5) Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali [d.795] "Ahwal al-Qubur" {Terrors Of The Graves.}

6) Al-Harith Al-Muhasibi [d.243] "Al-Tawahhum." {The Imagining.}

7) Imam 'Abdallah Al-Haddad [d.1132] "Sabil Al-Iddikar" {The lives Of Man}


Much LOVE to You!!!



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