Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest.
Oh, Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us. You are the All- Knower, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us what is good for us, and benefit us from what You taught us, and increase our knowledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep away from them.
O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity.
Sudden death:
Dear brothers, an honoured brother informed me about a young friend of his, who He never complained of any sickness and has memorised the Quran, passed away. And the strange thing is that during this month a significant number of people I know who are very healthy , active and have much energy have passed away at such a young age. Such cases of sudden deaths rise exponentially and I swear by Allah with Whom there is no deity, it is because of this distressing note these lessons were made.
﴾And if indeed you die or you are slain, certainly to Allah shall you be gathered together﴿
{3:158}
Human has the ultimate choice in determining his fate:
Death can either be your masterpiece, a marriage ceremony for you and the happiest moment in your life, or it can be your greatest misery of all for it is an outlet from everything to nothing, indeed to an unbearable torment. The believer on the other hand, departs from the narrowness of this world to the broad life in the Hereafter like a foetus exiting the restricting womb of the mother to the spaciousness of this world. The size of the womb is 750 cm3, for the womb is the size of an egg prior to pregnancy then expands to 750 cm3 in size, the foetus was in 750 cm3 of space just before he enters this world; to the five continents, and he travels to America then to Japan, and he may become an astronaut and reach the moon. Compare between 750 cm3 of space and an astronaut reaching the moon. Does the size of the womb balance the size of this world? In light of the motto:
((The believer progresses from the narrowness of this world to the broadness of the life of the Hereafter like a foetus progressing from the narrowness of womb to the broadness of this world))
Dear brothers, I repeat and say: There is no one on the face of the Earth that can deny the event of death because there is no imminent event that is more inevitable than the event of death.
﴾ Surely you shall die and they too shall surely die ﴿
{39:30}
Death is inevitable so prepare for it:
Scenes of death:
Live all you want for you will die one day; love whoever you desire, for you will depart it; and do as you please for you will be judged for it. Death comes unexpectedly and your grave is the chest of
your actions. My main objective from this series is that we don’t settle for believing in death, indeed we should prepare for it, prepare for it with sincere repentance, good actions, and with effort and sacrifice. For that, if Allah wills, I beg Allah Almighty that He benefits us with these lessons.
1-the soul leaving the body:
Allah Almighty says:
﴾Why is it not then that when it (soul) comes up to the throat*And you at that time look on ﴿
{56:83-84}
The sick is on the death bed, his sons around him; one of his sons tests the father’s pulse, places his hand on his father’s forehead, and senses his temperature, yet another son is thinking: is he dying today or not?
﴾Why is it not then that when it (soul) comes up to the throat*And you at that time look on* And We are nearer to it than you, but you do not see*Then why is it not if you are not held under authority*That you send it (not) back if you are truthful? ﴿
{56:83-87}
Meaning: Can anyone bring the soul back to the body at that specific moment, the moment of death?
Remembering death frequently
Dear honoured brothers, Allah Almighty says:
﴾Nay, when (the soul) reaches to the collar bone (i.e. Up to the throat in its exit), * And it will be said: "Who can cure him (and save him from death)?" * And he (the dying person) will conclude that it was (the time) of parting (death); * And one leg will be joined with another leg (shrouded) * The drive will be, on that Day, to your Lord (Allah)! ﴿
{75:26-30}
Every time your eyes lay on a funeral ask yourself: Who’s in that casket and to where is he headed?
﴾The drive will be, on that Day, to your Lord (Allah)! * So he (the disbeliever) neither believed (in this Quran and in the Message of Muhammad SAW) nor prayed! * But on the contrary, he belied (this Quran and the Message of Muhammad SAW) and turned away! * Then he walked in conceit (full pride) to his family admiring himself! * Woe to you [O man (disbeliever)]! And then (again) woe to you! * Again, woe to you[O man (disbeliever)]! And then (again) woe to you! * Does man think that he will be left neglected[without being punished or rewarded for the obligatory duties enjoined by his Lord (Allah) on him?]* Was he not a Nutfah (mixed male and female sexual discharge) of semen emitted (poured forth)? ﴿
{75:30-37}
2- Both the believer and the disbeliever seeing their ultimate
I wish for you brothers to take from the Holy Quran scenes of death and make it as your monument, not to make life stops, but to make it flourishes, so that life shines with the believer being steadfast on his Lord’s command, and so that the believer repositions his interests from this ending world to the everlasting Hereafter.
It was stated in the Hadith that the believer sees his place in Paradise at death and says: I did not see anything evil. And that the disbeliever sees his place in Hell at death and says: I did not see anything good. And from what I further read, when the disbeliever sees his place in Hell he begins to cry that if played to the people of the earth they would swoon.
Listen to Allah’s saying in the following verses:
﴾Lo! those who say: Our Lord is Allah, and afterward are upright, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not nor grieve, but hear good tidings of the paradise which ye are promised. * We are your protecting friends in the life of the world and in the Hereafter. There ye will have (all) that your souls desire, and there ye will have (all) for which ye pray. * A gift of welcome from One Forgiving, Merciful. ﴿
{41:30*32}
This is the case of the true believers as the Angels promise them with Paradise. As for the state of the disbelievers, the Angels smite their faces and backs. Allah Almighty says:
﴾{ If thou couldst see how the angels receive those who disbelieve, smiting their faces and their backs and (saying): Taste the punishment of burning! * This is for that which your own hands have sent before (to the Judgment), and (know) that Allah is not a tyrant to His slaves. ﴿
{8: 50-51}
I was approached by a brother as he asked me two questions. He thought that two verses from the Quran contradicted one another.
The first verse:
﴾Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope﴿
{2:286}
Then he told me that this was the first verse and it is clear. Then he said: what do we make of the second verse:
﴾Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear﴿
{2:286}
Religious obligations came accessible to everyone without a burden
As long as there is a prayer and supplication asking Allah not to impose on us what we have no strength for, it means that Allah can really impose what we have no strength for, so how is the connection between the two verses? I said: each verse has a different meaning than the other verse.
The first verse:
﴾Allâh burdens not a soul beyond his scope. ﴿
[Al-Baqara 2 Verse: 286]
means that all the legal obligations are within man’s capability. Allah did not prevent you from marrying, but he did prevent you for committing adultery. He did not prevent you from eating, however He did prevent you from eating what is not lawful. He did not prevent you from earning money, however He allowed you to earn from lawful ways. There is no temptation which He put in man except He made a lawful channel for it to be fulfilled. He did not impose on us anything that we cannot tolerate. Even when it comes to the acts of worship, He did not oblige you to pray one thousand (rika’a) prayers a day, rather there are only five prayers. He did not ask you to fast one hundred days, He enjoined on you to fast thirty days a year, and if you are sick you are allowed to break your fast, and if you are travelling you are allowed to break your fast. Therefore there is no legal obligation which is not within man’s ability to perform.
By the way ‘do not’ say: ‘this obligation is beyond my ability”, because you are not the one who determines the ability of man. Allah Almighty specifies it. So if you say: ‘I cannot fast in summer’, you are not allowed to state your opinion in the matter of ability. It is the Lord of man Who created him, Who determines and knows man’s capability.
﴾Allâh burdens not a soul beyond his scope﴿
[Al-Baqara 2 Verse: 286]
The verse is clear, so anyone who tells you:’ I cannot’ for example someone tells you: ‘how can I control my eyes from looking?’, or her says: ‘How can I live, I must earn money which is illegal?’ He says: ‘I have to cheat in my work, otherwise how can I feed my children?’ These words are not acceptable. The Nobel Quran answers that by what Allah Almighty says:
﴾Allâh burdens not a soul beyond his scope﴿
[Al-Baqara 2 Verse: 286]
Allah Almighty did not command you to give all your money in charity, you are to give only 2.5% , praying, fasting, performing Hajj, and the Zakat are all within man’s capability, this is the meaning of the verse. Do not punish us for our sins which are not within our control.
Don’t punish us for our sins with what we can’t tolerate:
However what Allah Almighty says:
﴾Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! ﴿
[Al-Baqara 2Verse: 286]
When a man chooses to sin, when he chooses to oppress people, he chooses to blackmail people, and commit adultery, rape people, and act haughty, and become a cause for the destruction of many people in wars, as the World War two which ended with fifty million people killed, the people who started this war for personal gain, because they were arrogant, they wanted to control and gain power, they left fifty million people, so man assaults and oppresses, he may be afflicted with torture which he cannot tolerate: this is the meaning of the second verse. Do not impose on us because of our mistakes, because of our sins and evil deeds, because of our oppression, anything which we cannot bear. I met a person once who said: I am dying from an ailment in the heart, and a serious disease in my digestive system,’ and he said: ‘my heart medications harm my stomach, and the stomach medicines harm my heart, so I cannot take any medicine, and my the pain in intolerable.’ Therefore when someone commits lewdness, when he commits sins, Aids is something above man’s tolerance, and there are other sicknesses which make a person bark like a dog from the pain, this is the meaning of the Verse:
﴾Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! ﴿
[Al-Baqara 2 Verse: 286]
Allah Almighty says with amazement:
﴾So how bold they are (for evil deeds which will push them) to the Fire﴿
[Al-Baqara 2 Verse: 175]
Dear Brothers. Could you tolerate the outside temperature a few weeks ago? It was 46 degrees? I was at a wedding and a scholar there made a speech, he said: Oh Allah , we cannot tolerate the heat in Damascus so how could we bear the heat of Hell? Allah Almighty says:
﴾So how bold they are (for evil deeds which will push them) to the Fire. ﴿
[Al-Baqara Verse: 175]
Therefore the Believers are given the Glad tidings, and the disbelievers are shown their place in Hell-Fire and they scream so loud that if the people on earth heard it they would fall stricken.
3-The stupor of death:
The Stupor of death: Allah Almighty says:
﴾And the stupor of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!" ﴿
[Qaf Verse: 19]
A man may drink alcohol and become intoxicated, and he may get intoxicated by listening to music, those who like to listen to some singers, if they met them in person they may beat themselves or throw some of their belongings and clothes because of their glee, and in a Hadith narrated by Abi Huraira who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
((He is not considered to be one of us, one who does not recite the Quran (in a lovely voice) and yet he brags proudly about some other ))
[Agreed upon, reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahih]
A true believer gets pleasure from listening to the Words of Allah, and is effected by them, just as the greatest obsessed singers find pleasure in listening to their songs, therefore the first meaning is the intoxication of liquor, and the pleasure of ecstasy. As for us, we are looking at one other interpretation. Allah Almighty says:
﴾O mankind! Fear your Lord and be dutiful to Him! Verily, the earthquake of the Hour (of Judgement) is a terrible thing. (1) The Day you shall see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling, and every pregnant one will drop her load, and you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet they will not be drunken, but severe will be the Torment of Allâh.﴿
[Al-Hajj Verse: 1-2]
This state of drunkenness is due to fear, terror, surprise. A friend who witnessed an earthquake in Cairo told me that his wife carried her husband’s shoe thinking it was her son, she carried the shoe and ran out into the street fearfully, thinking she was carrying her baby. Can you imagine the fear and confusion? In Turkey there was an earthquake, more than one hundred people threw themselves from the balconies on the top floor because of their fear, so they landed with broken bones. All due to their fear.
﴾ and you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet they will not be drunken, but severe will be the Torment of Allâh. ﴿
[Al-Hajj Verse: 2]
﴾This is the meaning of the Verse in which Allah Almighty says; {Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! ﴿
[Al-Baqara 2Verse: 286]
So if you are not able to bear the torment, how can you disobey Allah, the One and Only. He Almighty says:
4- Death summarises a person’s bio-data and his deeds on earth:
﴾And the stupor of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!" ﴿
[Qaf Verse: 19]
Dear Brothers, the cause of death cannot be haphazard, rather it is determined by the Lord of people, and it summarizes all his deeds. I know a man whose good deeds are above imagination, he spends in charity in an unbelievable way, he is modest, very selfless and makes sacrifices to a very high level. He lived eighty years and in Ramadan, on the Night of Qadr, he died in the mosque as he was prostrating; this how Allah Almighty chose to capture his soul. There are many other types of people. A man in India claimed to be a prophet after the Messenger of Allah , and during the period when there was a cholera outbreak, he said: I am a prophet so I will not contract that disease, what do you think happened to him? He contracted cholera and was found dead on the toilet in the bathroom. Therefore man’s death sums up all his deeds during his life.
A believer’s Dignity:
I was once paying condolences at a house, and next to me sat an honoured scholar once of the famous brilliant preachers in Damascus, (I don’t mean to praise anyone, but I believe he was a virtuous, bold, straightforward and honest man. There was a strong amiability between us. I asked him about his health and he said he was in good health and didn’t complain of anything. When he left the house where the condolences were taking place, he walked a few steps and then someone he didn’t know and who lives next to the house we were in, approached him and offered to take him to his house. He said: Sir, would you like me to take you to your home? He said: May Allah bless you my son, yes If you wish. He lived next to the house we were in, and the young man took him to the entrance of that building. He went up four floors to his home, opened the door, went to his bedroom, took off his turban, then took off his coat, and lay on his bed. His died right after that. If he had had to call a taxi to take him to his home, he would have inevitably died in the car, but because Allah Almighty wanted to protect his dignity, He caused him to die on his bed among his family members. Death is
Methods of death:
predestined but there is a saying:
((Doing good deeds prevent from evil endings))
I will now tell you about the various ways of death,
((Doing good deeds prevent from evil endings))
Let’s say a person is watching television and suddenly the picture disappears, he may go up to the roof to check the dish, and he finds a thief stealing the needle from the dish. He gets into a fight with him and he is beaten by the thief, he then falls unconscious, gets a heart attack and dies. All this because happened because the picture on the television stopped appearing; this is one type of death.
Another person is watching television and the picture suddenly becomes blurry, he realized that a tree branch had fallen on the dish and has obstructed the signal. He brought a ladder and climbed up the ladder and cut the branch with a saw. He did not realize that the branch he is sawing off is the same branch he is holding on to. So when he finished cutting the branch, it fell off and he fell with it dying instantaneously. This is also another picture of death. So the way you die is a result of your whole life. Would you believe that sometimes a dying person cannot repeat the words (There is no god but Allah) when he is prompted to repeat them? Whereas if someone pronounces the ‘Shahada’ (There is no god but Allah and Mohammad is His Messenger) easily and calmly while on his death bed, while submitting to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. And then moves on to the Afterlife in a wonderful way, is a sign of faith.
5- The last hardship for the Believer is the stupor of death:
Dear Brothers, by Allah Whom there is no god but He, I do not find a person smarter, wiser or more successful than he who prepares for this hour that is unavoidable, because the stupor of death is very frightening, even the prophets did not escape it. Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her said:
((there is no god but Allah, death has a stupor ))
[agreed upon, narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Therefore the stupor of death is the last troublesome step for a believer in his life, after which he will find Paradise as wide as the Heavens and Earth. On the other hand, the stupor of death for the Disbeliever is the least bothersome thing compared to what he will find after that. There is a difference between it being the most difficult point in one’s life or it being the least difficult compared to what is after death. Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her ) said:
((there is no god but Allah, death has a stupor ))
[agreed upon, narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Your faith in this worldly life will benefit you at the hour of death:
﴾And the stupor of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!"* And the Trumpet will be blown, that will be the Day whereof warning (had been given) (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)* And every person will come forth along with an (angel) to drive (him), and an (angel) to bear witness. ﴿
[Qaf Verse:19-22]
Dear Brothers, all the facts which the prophets have brought will be very clear to you at the moment of death. If it uncovers to you while you are alive (during your life time) you will benefit from it, but if is only clear to you after you die, then it is worthless, even Pharaoh who believed in what the Children of Israel believed in and said: I am of the Believers, but it was too late.
If you take an example of a student who didn’t write anything in the exam, but later when he left, he revised the questions and knew all the answers, and then wrote a letter to the Minister of Education asking him to put down his name with the names of the ones who passed the exam because he knew the answers to the questions after he left the exam, this student will have to be admitted to a psychiatric asylum. Every person sees the truth when he is dying, but only the ones who see the truth in the right time will be saved.
6- Quranic verses describing the state of disbelievers at death
Allah Almighty says:
﴾And who can be more unjust than he who invents a lie against Allâh, or says: "I have received inspiration," whereas he is not inspired in anything; and who says, "I will reveal the like of what Allâh has revealed." And if you could but see when the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong¬doers, etc.) are in the agonies of death, while the angels are stretching forth their hands (saying): "Deliver your souls! This day you shall be recompensed with the torment of degradation because of what you used to utter against Allâh other than the truth. And you used to reject His Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) with disrespect! ﴿
[Al-Anaam Verse: 93]
This verse describes the state of the disbeliever at the time of death, but as I said previously, what the Believer experiences at the time of death, is the last distress of this world that happens to him. Anas narrated when the Prophet (PBUH) was on his death bed, his daughter Fatima (May Allah be pleased with her) said:
((O what grief my father is going through, he told her: Your father will not have any further grief after today, so when he died, Fatimah said: “O Father, whom his Lord responded to his supplication! O Father, whose abode is Paradise. O Father, whom I announce his death to Gabriel.”))
( Reported by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih)
﴾Enter you Paradise, because of (the good) which you used to do (in the world)." ﴿
[An-Nahl Verse: 32]
A simple example that will explain the honour which the Believer will get from his Lord:
This story happened forty years ago, the ministry of education decided to honour the top students who passed with honours in the baccalaureate, and they usually do so almost every year. They invited them to a lavish party and invited the president to attend the ceremony, then they offered food and drinks and complimented the students on their achievements and their intelligence and aptitude. This event left a trace in my mind that the student who studied hard, abandoned all amusement, isolated himself from his friends and family, he when reached his goal the situation was different; at first it was a state of hard work and then it became a state of honour for him. We can say that this worldly life is a home for responsibility and toil whereas the Hereafter is a place to be honoured, life is a place for toil and the Hereafter is a place for compensation, so after a person’s hard work, he will get the recompense for his deeds.
In some countries the top high students attend an event whereby they are presented with certificates by an important character in their country, which is a sign of honour to them, likewise is the Believer. Allah Almighty says:
﴾And those who kept their duty to their Lord will be led to Paradise in groups﴿
[Az-Zummar Verse: 73]
When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) died, Fatimah al-Zahraa (May Allah be pleased with her) said: ‘O father, he answered the call of His Lord Who called onto him, O Father! Whose abode is Paradise. O Father, whom I announce his death to Gabriel.”))
so when he was buried, she told Anas who was one of the people who buried him> O Anas! How could you bring yourselves to throw dust on the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)?
7- One’s sight follows the soul:
Dear brothers, Imam Muslim wrote in his Sahih, that Abu Huraira (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH said:
((Don’t you see that when someone dies, his eyes stare, meaning that he opens his eyes and looks up? They said ‘Yes’. He said: that is when his sight follows his soul))
(Reported by Muslim)
A Muslim woman should not be concerned about sustenance if her husband dies:
Um Salama (May Allah be pleased with her said:
((The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) approached Abi Salama who had died, and found his eyes staring up, so he closed his eyes and said: When the soul leaves the body, the eyes follow it.))
this is why it is of the tradition of the Prophet (PBUH) that if any Muslim dies and his eyes are opened, any close relative around him should close his eyes; when someone puts his hand on the eye, the lids will close, it is as if he closed his eyes for him. What was the explanation that the Prophet PBUH gave for the eyes that stare up upon death? He said that when the soul lifts and rises to its Creator, the sight follows it, and this is what the Prophet (PBUH) did with Abi Salamah.
I wish that every person would teach this to his family, some dissolute women whose husbands die, say: Oh I never knew him to be the provider for us, I saw him as the receiver always. The provider is Allah Almighty.
The proof:
It is narrated that a virtuous scholar from Basra, wished to perform Hajj, so he asked his family members because the money he had would cover the Hajj expenses, but he would not have money left to sustain his family during his absence. But he wanted to perform Hajj so badly. He consulted his family, and his wife and all children except one daughter said that he should not go. The one who consented was a virtuous girl and she told him: Father! Go to Hajj, and Allah will not forget us and leave us without His Grace. I do not tell you to use this story as a set rule, and I don’t advise you to imitate him, because the rule is if a person wants to perform Hajj, one of the prerequisites for his trip is that he has enough money for the trip as well as money that will suffice his family during his absence. That is the Sunnah (advice of the Prophet Mohammad PBUH). You have to always differentiate between what is a set rule and what is an individual act. There are circumstances which are personal, such as when Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (May Allah be Pleased with him) purposely threw up the yoghurt he had drank, and this does not mean that any Muslim is obliged to throw up food which he has eaten if he finds out that is it not permissible food or contains prohibited substances., or when Omar Ibn al-Khattab (May Allah be Pleased with him) migrated he challenged the polytheists and told them, anyone who wishes his mother to bury him should follow me to the valley. This an individual action. Whereas the Noble Prophet went out at night quietly and hid in the cave of Thawr, and if the Prophet (PBUH) had migrated as Omar did in broad daylight, the message he would give the people would be that taking precautions is prohibited, and confronting danger would have been compulsory, and the nation would have been doomed after him. In conclusion, a person should always follow the legal rule which is set. However for the individual act if the person performing it is successful then it acceptable, but if it ends up with failure then the one doing it is responsible for its consequence. Therefore back to the previous story, securing your children’s income in your absence is obligatory.
The wife and the children all refused (that their father go to Hajj) except the pious daughter who said: O Father! Go because Allah will not forget us. So a few days after he left, the provisions ran out, and they did not have any money left, and they all turned with anger accusing the young girl who encouraged her father to go to Haj, and did not care about the expenses. They scolded her. And she went to her room and prayed, she said: O Allah, do not let me down. I depended on You because You are the Provider. I want my father to perform Pilgrimage in your Old House (the Ka’aba). And she begged her Lord not to let her down. Later, a coincidence happened/ the Amir was in their town in front of this pious man’s house (who we think is Hatem al-Assam). The Amir was thirsty and he said: Get me water, so his soldiers rang the door bell, and they said: The Amir is asking for a drink of water. So they gave him fresh cold water. The Amir quenched his thirst by drinking the cold water, and it was an exceptional pleasure that day,
He asked: ‘Whose house is this?’
They said: Hatem al-Assam’s house
He asked: The great scholar?
They said: ‘Yes’
He said: “Maybe we should greet him.”
They said: ‘He left for Hajj.”
He said: “In that case we have to be kind to his family in his absence, and he got out from his pocket gold coins and gave them at them. They received plenty of money to last them their whole lives, and they were so happy with that so they went to relate the story to the daughter whom they found her in her room crying with gratitude to Allah Almighty.
Once a man told me about a woman whose husband travelled far away and left her with no one to provide for her. One day, her son got very sick and she did not have any money for food or for medicine.
At Two o’clock in the morning there was a knock on her door. She asked who it was and a man said: it was doc tor so and so.. she was surprised but she opened the door for him. He went in, checked her son and diagnosed him and then gave him medicine. As he was leaving he told her: Can you please give me my fees. She said: ‘What fees?’ He said: ‘Do you not have any shame? You called me to come at this odd hour to check on your son, then you ask what fees?’ She said: ‘By Allah I didn’t call you. I don’t even have a telephone.
He asked: ‘whose house is this?’
She said: ‘it is so and so’s house’ and gave her husband’s name. ‘
It was a mistake. The neighbours had called him, but he mistakenly knocked at her door instead. So when he understood the mistake and knew about their situation, he gave them the cost for the medicine, and was very generous with them. He even allocated a monthly allowance for her, and when her husband returned she told him the story, and told him in a joking manner: if some days we are not well off , then you should travel.
What I want to tell you dear brothers, is that Allah Almighty does not forget anyone from His bounty, so do not say: the bridge is broken, I didn’t know he is a provider, I always knew him to be a taker and not a giver, these are the words of pervert women, ignorant women. Death is man’s destiny which Allah destined on people, and therefore the more faith the believer has in Allah , the more he will accept death which Allah with an open heart and with acceptance.
The Mercy of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) to his nation:
A supplication by the Prophet (PBUH)
((O Allah forgive him and have mercy on him, grant him safety and glad tidings, pride and honor, O Allah if he was virtuous then increase his good deeds for him, and if her were evil, then forgive his ill-deeds. O Allah wash him with water, ice and hail, and remove his sins just as the white dress is cleaned from any filth, and exchange his family for a better one, his house for a better house, and give him neighbours who are better than his neighbours, o Allah do not deprive us of his rewards, and do not lead us astray after he is gone, and forgive both him and us.))
8- The martyr feels no more than the pain of being stung:
There is an exception which is: if the martyr dies in the battle field fighting to make the words of Allah rise above all, according to what the Tirmithi and the Nisa’i narrated that Abi Huraira said, that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH ) said:
((the martyr does not feel any pain when he is killed is like the pain any of you feel when he is stung.))
[ Tirmithi, and Al-Nisa’i and others narrated by Abu Huraira_]
Even if the martyr was killed with a sharp knife, the pain would be like the pain if he were stung.
9- Repentance when death comes will not be accepted:
Dear brothers, repentance when the soul reaches the throat (death becomes one) will not be accepted.
Allah Almighty says:
﴾And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: "Now I repent;" nor of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful torment﴿
[An-Nisa’a Verse: 18]
He who likes to meet Allah, then Allah likes to meet him too.
In Sahih al-Bukhari, that Abi Moussa narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said:
((He who likes to meet Allah, then Allah likes to meet him, and he who loathes to meet Allah, then Allah loathes to meet him))
[al-Bukhari in his Sahih]
Dear Brothers, you may know that the moment of his death for the truthful, honest, pious believer who spent his life in piety, is the best hour of his life. You find him optimistic, happy to meet Allah, He does not concern himself with the worldly life, rather he attaches himself to the Hereafter. Obada bin Samet said that the Prophet (BUH) said:
((He who likes to meet Allah, then Allah likes to meet him, and he who loathes to meet Allah, then Allah loathes to meet him, Aisha (or one of his wives said: ‘But we hate death.’ He said: ‘This is not what is meant by it. What is meant is that when the Believer is giving the glad tidings of Allah’s pleasure with him, then there is nothing which he likes more than what’s there for him, so he loves to meet Allah and Allah is pleased with meeting him. And the dying Disbeliever is given the news about Allah’s punishment then there is nothing more detestable for him, and he hates to meet Allah and Allah hates meeting him.))
[Agreed upon, al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated by Obada bin Samet]
Advices from some of the (followers) to Khalifa Sulaiman bin Abd al-Malak
When Sulaiman bin Abd al-Malak (May Allah have mercy on him) went to Hajj, he went to Madina on his way to Mecca, he asked: Is there anyone from among the steadfast followers who is here? The said ‘Yes. Ibu Hazem is here. So they sent out for him and when he came he asked him: O Aba Hazem, why do we hate death? Abu Hazem said: Because you have constructed your worldly life perfectly and destroyed your afterlife, therefore you are afraid of abandoning prosperity to go to ruins.
A logical example I can give is that someone lives in one of the most luxurious neighbourhoods in one of the districts in Damascus, where the house is worth fifty million Pounds, and it is four hundred square meters. Floors are all marble, the furniture is very expensive one, and the food is plentiful and fine. If we moved this person to a small house, for example fifty meters, would he be comfortable living there? Likewise the believer moves from the narrowness of the worldly life to the vast space of the Hereafter. He (Abu Hazem said: “Because you have focused on building your worldly life and destroyed your afterlife”.
I know a man who bought two adjacent apartments, he brought down the wall between them and made them into one apartment, he removed the floor tiles, removed the windows, and brought them down to the skeleton. He then started to work on the finishing so he put expensive finishing , above anyone’s imagination. The apartments were on the twelfth floor and there was no elevator, and he remained two years working on the finishing of the apartments, going up and down the stairs till he completed them. Many stories were told about the two apartments. A week after they were finished, he died without having lived in them. This is the life! Therefore reflect on that all you who have sound minds.
He said: O Aba Hazem, why do we hate death?
Abu Hazem said: Because you have focused on building your worldly life and destroyed your afterlife, therefore you are afraid of leaving the construction to go to ruins.
He said: You are right. But how do we know what we should except from Allah Almighty?
He said: You should measure your deeds against the Book of Allah (The Quran)
He said: Where do I find it?
He said: In Allah Almighty’s words:
﴾Verily, the Abrâr (pious and righteous) will be in delight (Paradise); And verily, the Fujjâr (the wicked, disbelievers, sinners and evil-doers) will be in the blazing Fire (Hell) ﴿
[Al-Infitar Verse:13-14]
He said: So where is Allah’s mercy?
He said: Allah’s mercy is very close to the Muhsineen (the Pious)
He said: But how will we be exposed in front of Allah tomorrow?
He said: the benevolent one is like someone who is meeting his family, whereas the evil-doer is like a fugitive slave who is going to meet his master. Sulaiman cried till his voice was very loud and his crying increased.
He said: Give me advice
Abu Hazem said: Don’t let Allah Almighty find you where He has prohibited you to go, and don’t let Him miss you where you were commanded to go.
Therefore you must rush to repent before it is too late:
Dear honorable brothers, these are a few selective verses of the Holy Quran and Hadiths by the Prophet (BUH), and situations and sayings related to the hour of death. Death is the destiny of each living being, so smartness and intelligence , success and victory should be used to prepare for that hour which is inevitable. But someone may say: I am still young. But do any of us know when this hour will come? Death takes the young and the old, the healthy and the ill, the resident and the traveller, the strong and the weak. Death does not differentiate between the people. Someone may ask: Why did Allah conceal the hour of death? If someone is eighteen years old, and Allah somehow informed him the knowledge that he will die at the age of ninety eight, then he will not repent, rather he would say: life is long, and he would not repent year before his death. However if someone does not know when he will die, then he will repent rapidly, therefore concealing the hour of death is because of a very wise reason. A Believer does not know when his time will come, this is why he prepares for his time the minute he has the knowledge about Allah Almighty.
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