The Moments of Death

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful O dear brother! Remember that the Hereafter is coming and this worldly life is departing. Remember that death is an inevitable reality; it is a drink that inevitably, you will drink. It is a gate that you must enter through. So, have you prepared yourself for the grave? Have you prepared an answer for the grave questioning? No one can ignore the reality of death or dispute concerning its occurrence. Nevertheless, where is the one whose knowledge and words agree with his actions and deeds? Regarding this matter, it was said, "There has not been seen a certainty that draws near to doubt like the certainty of death." Death occurs and overcomes any person; be young or old, of high rank or humble, intelligent or foolish, cunning or stupid, rich or poor, and subject or king. Allah Almighty has said, {Everyone shall taste death.} [Surat Al-'Ankabût: 57] The Glorified and Exalted has also said, {Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. [26]. And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever.} [Surat Ar-Rahmân: 26 - 27] The sane person is the one who considers carefully his return to His Lord, and abstains from clinging to the perishable pleasures and enjoyments, and engages himself with doing good deeds and piety and with all what may benefit him in the world to come. However, the loser is the one who follows his low desires, who wastes his lifetime in desires and enjoyments, who penetrates the gates of sins and evil deeds, and exchanges that which is precious for that which is low. O soul! Woe unto you! For seeking forgiveness be hurry, Before the sins come written down. O soul! Work hard for gaining piety and provide yourself, With good deeds, and of your last return be conscious. O soul! There are people who ruled over this world unjustly, And in the Hereafter they have no portion. O soul! Seek forgiveness before death so that you may, Be in the Hereafter cheerful and optimistic. O dear brother! Remember that this life is just a few days. It is borrowed, and will be returned. Remember also that you in this world will experience many afflictions. This life is particularly for doing good deeds, and you will inevitably die. In addition, the grave is trial and questioning, and it may be bliss or torture. You must remember that man dies while doing the deed he used to do during his lifetime. He will be resurrected from his death, doing the same deed he did on his deathbed. Therefore, a party will be in Paradise (those who believed in Allâh and followed what Allâh’s Messenger brought them), and a party in the blazing Fire (Hell) (those who disbelieved in Allâh and followed not what Allâh’s Messenger brought them). So, have you prepared yourself for death? Have you ever thought of the loneliness and darkness of the graves? Have you ever thought of the terrors of the Gathering and the Resurrection? Remind yourself with the previous nations, Reflect on the rotten bones in the graves! Call upon them saying where is the strong and oppressor among you, And where is the weak and the oppressed. Their descriptions and ranks are differed above the ground, Nevertheless, they became equal under it in the grave.  First: Moments of those who suffer from the agonies of death: O dear brother! Have you ever thought how your last moment of this life will be? Have you ever been alone and asked yourself: How will you be at the moment of suffering the agonies of death? How will be your condition when people are gathering around you regretting and weeping for you, and no one of them can find any help or cure for you? How will your answer be if the attendants asked you to utter these words: Lâ 'ilâha illa allâh (There is no god but Allah)? Will you utter them, or your tongue will be tied and unable to utter the testimony? Will you accept to utter it, or you will refuse and hence, your last moment of this worldly life will be ended by disbelief? These questions may be among the causes of your watchfulness and alertness. These questions may also motivate you to abstain from clinging to the perishable desires and enjoyments. They may cause you to remember the serious moments of suffering from the agonies of death and the dreadful seconds of parting, which has the stupors of death, the getting out of the soul and the end of life. O brother, Suppose you have possessed the earth and ruled over this world, Then what may happen? Will not the deepness of the grave be your destiny tomorrow? And the dust will be poured by so and so? Contemplate, O slave of Allah! They are just few days and counted moments. The call of death will inevitably come. Therefore, there will be no escape or avoidance. Allah Almighty says, {And the stupor of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!"} [Surat Qâf: 19] They are steps that are predestined to be walked; And whoever is predestined for him to walk certain steps, he will walk them. They are divided provisions and livelihood for us, And if they do not come to us, we will go to them. Whoever is predestined for him to die in a certain place, He will never die in another place but it. From the conditions of those who suffer from the agonies of death: O my dear brother! There is no harm to tell you some stories about people while dying. They are those people whom Allah has granted, during the moments of death, deeply rooted faith. He has made them do righteous deeds in the last moments of their life. This is due to their piety and hastening to do good deeds and acts of obedience during their lifetime. In his book At-Tathkirah (the Reminder), Imam Al-Qurtubi narrated from the mentor of his sheikh Ahmad ibn Mohamed Al-Qurtubî that when he was suffering the stupor of death, the attendants asked him to say, "There is no god but Allah." However, he answered by saying, "No". When he recovered consciousness, they told him of his refusal to say the words of monotheism. He said, "A devil came from my right side and another from my left side. One of them said to me, "Die while you are embracing Judaism because it is the best of religions." The other said, "Die while you are embracing Christianity because it is the best of religions." I answered them by saying, "No, how can you say so." So, the answer was for them not for you." Therefore, O brother, when death comes to you, pay attention to nothing but asking Allah to keep you firm on the religion of Islam. Seek forgiveness from Him for your sins. Repent to Him with sincere repentance so that you may meet your Lord while you are pure and free from sins. It is noteworthy that trials at the moment of death are countless. The person may feel eager to this world. He may become annoyed because of leaving his loved ones. He may become unable to endure the stupor of death. He may be exposed to the afflictions of a rebellious devil. As a result, he may deviate from his religion. We ask Allah to keep us firm on the religion of Islam and to grant us success to do righteous deeds before death. It is narrated that 'Abdullah, the son of Imam Ahmad said, "When death approached my father, he began to drift in and out of consciousness saying, "No, not yet. No, not yet." He repeated this several times. I said to him, "O father! What is this thing that you have said at this time?" He said, "The Devil stood before me, lowered himself on his knuckles, beating his fingertips and said to me, "Oh Ahmad! You have eluded me." And I replied, "No, not yet, not yet until I die." O my dear brother! Remember the difficulty of these moments. Remember the trials that happen during them. They are worthy of contemplation and reflection. To ease the stupor of death and be steady at this moment, one must strive and make every effort in abstaining from the prohibitions of Allah, submitting to the commands of Him and performing a lot of good deeds and that which is beneficial in the Hereafter. During his moments of death, Sheikh of Islam ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, was reciting these verses, {Verily, The Muttaqûn (the pious), will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers (Paradise). [54]. In a seat of truth (i.e. Paradise), near the Omnipotent King (Allâh, the One, the All-Blessed, the Most High, the Owner of Majesty and Honour).} [Surat Al-Qamar: 54 - 55] When death approached Al-'Alâ' Ibn Ziyâd, he wept. He was asked, "What made you weep?" He said, "By Allah, I loved to receive death with repentance." They said, "may Allah have mercy on you, you can do that." Therefore, he asked for water to perform ablution and asked them to bring him a new garment. He wore it and faced the Qiblah (direction of prayer), made a gesture by his head twice, lied down and then died. When death approached 'Âmir ibn 'Abdullah, he wept and said, "For these moments of suffering the stupor of death, let the wise be ready. O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness from my negligence and carelessness. I repent to You from all of my sins. There is no god but Allah." He continued in repeating these words of monotheism until he passed away. Out of His Mercy and Grace, Allah Glorified and Exalted keeps the believer firm on the words of monotheism and adhering to doing righteous deeds, keeps them away from sins, acts of disobedience and evils actions. Here is another example, when death approached 'Umar ibn 'Abdul-'Azîz, he asked the attendants to make him sit down. They did so. Then he said, "O Allah, You have commanded me, but I neglected. You have prohibited me, but I violated. However, I say, 'There is no god but Allah.'" Then he raised his head and stared at high. They said to him, "O Prince of the Believers, you are looking sharply at high." He said, "I am looking at those who are neither mankind nor Jinn." Then he passed away, may Allah have mercy on him. They heard a voice reciting the following verse, {That home of the Hereafter (i.e. Paradise), We shall assign to those who rebel not against the truth with pride and oppression in the land nor do mischief by committing crimes. And the good end is for the Muttaqûn (the pious).} [Surat Al-Qasas: 83] O brother: Be confident in Allah, and be cautious, Of death attack before seeing it. Hasten to repentance while you are alive, That you may win the pleasure of Allah.  Secondly, how do we prepare ourselves for death? O my Muslim brother! You have actually known that the moment of suffering from the agonies of death is a test moment. You have also known that death is an inevitable reality. So, be ready for this moment. Take provisions in piety for the Day of Promise. Know that man dies while doing the deed he used to do during his lifetime, and he will be resurrected from his death while doing the same deed he did on his deathbed. Then, how can we prepare ourselves for death? 1- Avoiding the prohibitions Dear brother! Avoid performing the prohibitions that Allah has forbidden you to do. Strive yourself hard to keep away from the lustrous desires and suspicions. Know that Allah Glorified and Exalted is self-respecting, and the respect of Allah is injured if a believer does what He has forbidden him to do. In this regard, Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, "Allah Almighty is self-respecting and a believer is also self-respecting and the respect of Allah is injured if a believer does what He has forbidden him to do." Allah has threatened those who transgress His limits and violate His prohibitions with tribulations and painful torture. Allah Almighty has said, {And let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah - legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.} [Surat An-Nûr: 63] You should know, may Allah protect you, that the totality of the prohibitions of Allah is summarized in three matters: Firstly, polytheism Secondly, injustice Thirdly, Al-Fawâhish (shameful sins, illegal sexual intercourse) Allah Almighty has said describing the conditions of the believers, {And those who invoke not any other ilâh (god) along with Allâh, nor kill such person as Allâh has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse} [Surat Al-Furqân: 63] The general prohibitions fall under these three matters. Therefore, whoever succeeds in avoiding them, he will really be ready for death, and his avoidance will be a salvation for him on the Day of Judgment. Allah has prohibited polytheism and made its punishment an eternal dwelling in Hellfire. Allah Almighty has said, {Verily, Allâh forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills;} [Surat An-Nisâ': 48] Allah has also prohibited injustice and oppression. He has said, {and for the Zâlimûn (wrong-doers, polytheists and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh) there is no helper.} [Surat Al-Hajj: 71] Jâbir ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, "Be on your guard against committing oppression, for oppression is darkness on the Day of Resurrection. Be on your guard against stinginess; for stinginess destroyed those who were before you, as it incited them to shed blood and make lawful what was unlawful for them." Moreover, Allah, Glorified and Exalted, has prohibited immoralities. He has said, {And those who avoid the greater sins, and Al-Fawâhish (illegal sexual intercourse), and when they are angry, they forgive.} [Surat Ash-Shûra: 37] Consequently, these three matters are the basis of all prohibitions. Whoever avoids them, will be able to avoid the general prohibitions, such as slander, calumny, backbiting, telling lies, undutifulness to parents, killing the soul which Allah has forbidden to be killed except for a just cause, cheating, deception, treachery, eating up one another’s property unjustly (in any illegal way e.g. stealing, robbing, deceiving, etc.)… as well as all that which is considered violation to the prohibitions of Allah and His limits. Ask the palaces that have strong beautiful buildings, where are the bodies that had the most delicious dishes? Where are the kings and the children of the kings, and the one who is diverted by the beauty and softness of his life? Where are the lions that used to guard themselves against it, even the lion of the den fear it and adopt peace towards it? Where are those who distracted themselves away from what they were created for as the grazing livestock in its pastures did? Where are the eyes that slept and did not wake up, woe to a sleep from which the sleeping does not wake up? 2- Observing obligations and compulsory acts of worship The authenticity of the Islam of a slave of Allah will not be realized except through practically observing the commands of Allah. Among these commands are prayers, Zakat (Obligatory almsgiving), fasting, and Hajj for the one who is physically and financially able to perform it. These are the constants and pillars of Islam. Abu 'Abdur-Rahmân 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn Al-Khattâb, may Allah be pleased with all of them, said that he has heard the Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, saying, "Islam is based on five pillars: To testify that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, performing prayer, paying Zakat, performing pilgrimage to the House and the fasting of Ramadan." Therefore, he who keeps observing these obligatory acts of worship and performing them perfectly according to the manner clarified by the Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, he will surely earn the traits of goodness and righteousness and will be rewarded generously. This also will help greatly in easing the agonies of death and the loneliness and darkness of the grave. Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that a Bedouin came to the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, and said, "O The Messenger of Allah! Guide me to a deed if I did I will be admitted to Paradise." He, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, said, "To worship Allah alone and not to associate a partner with Him, perform prayer, pay the prescribed Zakat, and observe fasting of Ramadan." Upon which the Bedouin said, "By the One in Whose Hands my soul is, I will not perform more than these recommendations." When he went away, the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, said, "Whoever loves to look at a man from the people of Paradise, he shall look at this man (i.e., The Bedouin)." We supplicate Allah to grant us success to be ready for the day of need and promise (i.e. the Day of Judgment) by abstaining from violating His prohibitions and submitting to His Commandments. We ask Him not to make us among those who regret or those who ask for returning to this world. Moreover, we pray Him to ease the difficulty and trial of the grave for us and for all Muslims. If man does not wear a garment of piety, He will turn naked even if he was dressed. The best trait of man is the obedience of His Lord; And there is no goodness in the one who is disobedient to Allah.  3- Remembering death and holding oneself accountable O dear brother! Keep in mind that what elevates the determination and motivates the soul to be ready for death are the continuation of remembering death, the anticipation of its occurrence at any time and holding oneself accountable for all sayings, actions, and thoughts. Sufyân said, "He who frequently remembers the grave, will find it a garden from among the gardens of Paradise, and he who is heedless to the remembrance of the grave, will find it a pit of the pit of Hellfire." Hâtim Al-Assam said, "Whoever passes by the graves and does not think of his condition or pray Allah to grant mercy upon the dead, he will be unfaithful to himself and them. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has encouraged people to visit the graves because of their great impact on the souls." 'Ali ibn Abu Tâlib, may Allah, be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, "I had previously prohibited you from visiting the graves, O visit them now, as they cause you to remember the Hereafter." It is reported that Dâwûd Attâ'î passed by a woman weeping before a grave and saying: You surely lost the life and did not get it as long as you are entombed. How can I find the taste of sleep and you with your right hand is your pillow in the grave? Then she said, "O my son! I wish I knew with which of your cheeks the worms began." On hearing these words, Dâwûd fell and lost consciousness. O dear brother! You must remember death frequently and know that it will inevitably come. You must prepare yourself for the Reckoning and the questioning of the grave. 'Umar ibn al-Khattâb, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Hold yourself accountable for your deeds before you will be held accountable for them (by Allah), and weigh (the deeds of) yourselves before you are weighed (on the Day of Judgment). Reckoning on the Day of Judgment will be easier if you hold yourself accountable today. Be adorned for the greatest exhibition, that Day you shall be brought to Judgment, not a secret of you will be hidden." Therefore, every person must hold himself accountable all the time, regarding performing the commandments and abstaining from the prohibitions. Hold yourself accountable concerning how you spent your day, from where you have earned your money and in which you have spent it, what have your hands destroyed, to where have your feet walked, what have your eyes seen, and what have your ears heard? As long as the slave firmly holds himself accountable, as long as he frequently repents to Allah from his disobedience and negligence of the rights of Allah, he will be nearer to be firm (on the religion of Allah) on deathbed and be farther from trials and tribulations. 4- Increasing performing righteous deeds and acts of closeness to Allah This is achieved through persisting in doing supererogatory acts of worship, remembrance of Allah, good deeds, giving generously in charity, acquiring the good manners. Verily, there is nothing heavier in the scale of the slave on the Day of Judgment than his good morals. The Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, "Every righteous deed is a charity." The Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has also said, "Allah will speak with everyone amongst you without any interpreter between them. He (the man) would see towards his right and would not find anything but (the deeds) which he had done before, and he would see towards the left and would not find anything but (the deeds) which he had done before. He would see in front of him and would find nothing but Fire just before his face. So protect (yourselves) against Fire even if it is with the help of half a date and whoever cannot find it then with a good word." 'Abdur-Rahmân ibn 'Abdullah ibn Sâbit narrated that when death approached Abu Bakr As-Siddîq, he called for 'Umar and said to him, "O 'Umar! Fear Allah. Keep in mind that there is a deed for Allah that the slave must do during the day, Allah will not accept it during the night. Moreover, there is a deed for Allah that the slave must do during the night and Allah will not accept it during the day. In addition, Allah will not accept a supererogatory act until His obligatory act is done. It is noteworthy that on the day of Judgment, there are people whose scale of good deeds is heavy due to their abiding by the truth in this worldly life. It is more right for the scale in which the truth is put to be heavy tomorrow." Take advantage of the lifetime and hasten to piety before death. Turn, repent, and abstain from the great sins. Ask forgiveness from the Owner of grants. Then in the darkness of the night supplicate the One Who answers the supplications. O the Most Merciful! Forgive us and protect us from slipping.  Prayers and peace of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.