THE REMINDER OF DEATH
We often spend our lives building long hopes and ambitions. Sometimes we dream of cars and luxurious homes, sometimes we strive for higher positions, and at other times we boast of our achievements before our rivals.
However, the Messenger of Allah ï·º trained a generation of noble companions who considered every day to be their last. They remained prepared at all times to meet their Lord. Hazrat Abdullah ibn Umar (RA) said: “When you reach the morning, do not expect the evening, and when you reach the evening, do not expect the morning. Keep yourself ready for death.”
According to reported statistics, around 1.5 million people die across the world every day. Who knows when death may quietly approach our own doorstep?
Always remain prepared, for no one knows when the call from their Creator will arrive.
We were not friends with death, nor weary of life; yet we departed on a journey for which we had made no preparation.
Imam Al-Ghazali (RH) said: “My friend, many times a person remains busy with weddings, business, and worldly affairs while his name has already been written among the deceased, and the Angel of Death is on the way to take him.”
He also wrote a profound reminder: “My friend, how do you know that the cloth destined to become your shroud has not already arrived in the marketplace? While you are occupied with celebrations, your shroud may already be waiting for the day it will be wrapped around you.”
My dear friends, we forget death, but death never forgets us.
It is narrated that a person's grave remembers him many times each day and says: “O human being, I am the house of loneliness, the house of darkness, and the dwelling of insects and creatures. Prepare yourself before you enter me.”
You may build beautiful homes in the finest neighborhoods of this world, but do not forget that silent abode where you will ultimately reside. There, no neighbor will speak to you. Only your grave and the angels will remain with you. There, you will have to answer for yourself. In this world, people take pride in their wealth, families, and children, but Allah reminds us that on the Day of Judgment neither wealth nor children will benefit anyone; only a sound and purified heart will be of value.
Whenever Hazrat Uthman ibn Affan (RA) looked at a grave, he would weep so much that his blessed beard became wet with tears. When asked why he cried so intensely, he replied: “The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter. Whoever succeeds there will find what follows easier, and whoever fails there will find the stages ahead even more difficult.”
Once, the Prophet Muhammad ï·º passed by two graves with his companions. Suddenly, his riding animal became disturbed. The companions asked why this had happened. The Prophet ï·º explained that the occupants of those graves were being punished, and this was causing the animal to react.
The companions asked: “O Messenger of Allah ï·º, for what sins are they being punished?”
He replied: “One was being punished for backbiting, and the other for not protecting himself from urine splashes.”
Therefore, we should completely avoid backbiting and be careful regarding purity and cleanliness. May Allah grant us all the ability to act upon these reminders and prepare for the Hereafter.
Ameen, O Lord of the Worlds.
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